How many here change their own oil?

[Thing 342]

I was changing the oil in my car the other day when this question came to mind. I asked several of my friends, and they all said that they take their cars in to get it changed. How about you all?

[Thing 342]

I have on all of mine up until the car I bought this year.  The only reason for that is that it has 24,000 miles free maintenance.  After that is up it's back go business as usual. Tire rotations I still take it in simply from the fact that I don't have a garage anymore.

Same here. I don't do it at home anymore ever since a jack broke and the car nearly fell on my father while he was doing it.

[texaskdog]

Sure don't.  For what little they charge it wouldn't be worth the hassle.

[1995hoo]

I don't do it for a couple of reasons. One is the point "texaskdog" makes. Another is that our one-car garage is a tight squeeze for doing such activities (and it'd need better lighting I'm not inclined to install). Our driveway is sloped, so I'm not going to put the car up on ramps or a jack out there if I can possibly avoid it. Finally, with three cars it'd just be a hassle, especially with one of those having a rotary engine.

[Arkansastravelguy]

I used to do it but I have a kia and they offer an extra 20,000 mile warranty if you have the service dept perform maintenance

[jeffandnicole]

I have 2 Hondas and just take them in. I take them to separate dealers where I bought each vehicle from...both are about a 20 - 30 minute ride for me.  Both service centers are decent...heck, one even left some of their really nice wrenches in the vehicle for me one day! :-)  I was nice enough to return them before I left though!

[wxfree]

I do my own oil changes, starter changes, drive axle changes, clutch changes, whatever needs changing.  I rather enjoy the work.  Even more, I have what many may call a love of self-abuse, but I think of as a love of overcoming adversity.  Fixing a car brings a demonstrable and immediate benefit of your efforts.  Something that really breaks your spirit, like changing a clutch, teaches determination, endurance, and sometimes ingenuity.  It's fortunate, though, that clutches a long time, because there's only so much determination, endurance, and ingenuity I can handle.  About the only things I farm out are tire changes and wheel alignments.

[kkt]

I did a couple of times, but not anymore.  The mechanic will do it for little more than the oil would cost me, and then I'd have to dispose of the used oil, so it wouldn't even save a trip.

[Brandon]

I was changing the oil in my car the other day when this question came to mind. I asked several of my friends, and they all said that they take their cars in to get it changed. How about you all?

I take it in to get the oil changed, not because I cannot do the job, but due to the environmental regulations.  It's far easier for me, and costs about the same, to have them collect and dispose of the used oil.  If I could just put it in the garbage as we used to, then I might just do it myself.  They also top off the other fluids while they're at it (coolant, washer fluid).

I do my own wiper blades, my own air filters, and have extra of my own fluids (coolant, washer fluids, etc).  I also change my own light bulbs (other than the LED CHMSL).

[DaBigE]

I would like to change my own oil, but I am an apartment-dweller, and our complex has outlawed much of any DIY car repair occurring on their property, (aside from wipers or a light bulb). Some idiot apparently had a small fire when they were working on their car on another property, so all the properties this company manages must suffer.

I also got a special from the dealer where I bought my current car...$20 for oil changes/tire rotations, fluid top-offs, etc. (Ford's "The Works" package) for as long as I own the car.

That said, I sadly will probably take the car in if/when a headlight, fog light, or front turn signal burn out, since they made it next to impossible to change one of those without taking a bunch of other stuff out first.  

[agentsteel53]

I don't.  I always take it to my trusted mechanic, and he also gives the car a thorough look-over and lets me know if there's something wrong that I'm not aware of.  that information is invaluable, because a) I drive beater cars, and b) I take them on some very long trips, so I need them reliable.

[xcellntbuy]

I used to do so, but no longer.  Too many cars to take care of.

[Doctor Whom]

The last car on which I did my own oil changes, or any of my own maintenance beyond changing a flat tire, was a 1992 Mazda Miata.  For the 1997 Volvo and later cars, I have let the dealer do it.

[PHLBOS]

When I still lived w/my parents, whose house had a long driveway and a 2-car garage, I changed the oil in my car all the time.

I would like to change my own oil, but I am an apartment-dweller, and our complex has outlawed much of any DIY car repair occurring on their property, (aside from wipers or a light bulb).

I encountered similar when I moved out and into an apartment.  Since I live in PA and my parents' home is in MA (roughly 300 miles away), I just take both my vehicles (both Fords) to the nearby Ford dealer and have it done (they're actually cheaper than what JiffyLube charges).

[texaskdog]

Do y'all do your own basic repairs or take it in for everything?

[hbelkins]

No. I'm not very mechanically inclined. Valvoline Instant Oil Change is where I usually go.

[formulanone]

Years of working in dealerships means I can have it done while I work. Haven't changed my own oil in about 15 years.

I've done other maintenance like filters, bulbs, trim, wipers, batteries, tire rotations, spare tires, as needed/stranded.

[SteveG1988]

I used to, but a few things made it harder.
Before i got laid off i could do it at work in the wash bay, meaning i had access to oil disposal stuff and shop rags/instant advice, also a set of ramps. Said ramps were too tall for the eclipse, meaning i would have to use my uncles jack stands instead, making it tougher to get clearance and feel safe, i perfer ramps, he is okay with jack stands. My grandparents won't let me do the oil at the house i share with them, and my uncle moved about 20 miles further away, so any money saved doing it myself is nullified. I can get an oil change and car wash through a local place that lets you bring your own filter, they use pennzoil oil, for less than 30 bucks, that is with bringing my own filter,which has a 5 buck discount...the filter is less than 3.50.

[briantroutman]

When I used to live in the same state as my parents, I'd inevitably end up in my hometown every couple of months and could easily coordinate oil changes with my visits. There, I could do it myself in my dad's suburban driveway using his tools and basin, then empty the used oil to his bins for recycling.

Trying to do this work in the parking lot of an apartment building would have been inconvenient at best, not to mention the fact that most of the apartment complexes in which I've lived specifically forbade any kind of vehicle maintenance or repair on the property.

Nevertheless, I think DIY oil changes and detailed hand washings are great ways for novice to intermediate car owners to get very familiar with their vehicles. You get to know every scratch, every tiny chip in the paint...you can see if any rust is developing. And if you have the most basic knowledge of auto mechanics, you can more easily spot worn belts or tires, low fluid levels, under-vehicle leaks, and so on.

But with so many dealers, repair shops, and quick-lube stations using $20 or $30 oil changes as a loss leader to drum up more expensive business–and with most people not caring that the Kwik-E-Lube does a lousy job–it's hard for the do-it-yourselfer to compete on price.

[Pete from Boston]

I do it myself.  My truck sits high off the ground, so it's easy and fast.  The time savings of doing it myself would be worth it alone, but I use high-mileage oil, for which the special prices always have an asterisk and a steep surcharge.  I can do it spur-of-the-moment, no waiting, and Auto Zone happily takes all the waste.  Sometimes I even do it on my lunch break.

The only issue is that I have to keep an eye on the other fluids they would top off, but it's a small, small inconvenience.

[US71]

I used to, but it was costing me almost as much to dispose of the oil as it did to have it done for me (probably to "punish" me for doing it myself)

[Pete from Boston]

I used to, but it was costing me almost as much to dispose of the oil as it did to have it done for me (probably to "punish" me for doing it myself)

Lots of places here take it for free.  I did not know this was not national.

[Thing 342]

I used to, but it was costing me almost as much to dispose of the oil as it did to have it done for me (probably to "punish" me for doing it myself)

Where were you disposing of it? The Advance Auto Parts near me takes it for free.

[US71]

I used to, but it was costing me almost as much to dispose of the oil as it did to have it done for me (probably to "punish" me for doing it myself)

Where were you disposing of it? The Advance Auto Parts near me takes it for free.

At the time, there was no AAP near me. The Zone and O'Reilly's didn't want to mess with it, so I had to dump it at the quick lube.

[Thing 342]

I used to, but it was costing me almost as much to dispose of the oil as it did to have it done for me (probably to "punish" me for doing it myself)

Where were you disposing of it? The Advance Auto Parts near me takes it for free.

At the time, there was no AAP near me. The Zone and O'Reilly's didn't want to mess with it, so I had to dump it at the quick lube.

That explain$ a lot...