AARoads Forum

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?

Quote from: DesertDog on August 05, 2014, 10:53:53 AM
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.

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

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.

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

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!

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.

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.

Quote from: Thing 342 on August 05, 2014, 10:49:13 AM
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).

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. :banghead: 

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.

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

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.

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.

Quote from: DaBigE on August 05, 2014, 01:40:30 PM
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).

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)

Quote from: US71 on August 05, 2014, 06:24:52 PM
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.

Quote from: US71 on August 05, 2014, 06:24:52 PM
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.

Quote from: Thing 342 on August 05, 2014, 06:50:51 PM

Quote from: US71 on August 05, 2014, 06:24:52 PM
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.

Quote from: US71 on August 05, 2014, 07:09:39 PM

Quote from: Thing 342 on August 05, 2014, 06:50:51 PM

Quote from: US71 on August 05, 2014, 06:24:52 PM
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...

I think there's a law or regulation here in Texas that requires any retailer that sells motor oil to accept as much used oil as you buy, at no cost to the customer.  I'm not entirely certain, but I seem to remember reading that somewhere.  That makes a lot of sense, since almost all new oil replaces dirty oil.  I'm not sure how it works at dollar stores, though; I've never bought oil or tried to dump it at one.

I used to, but I realized that not getting oil all over myself was worth the extra few dollars to get somebody else to do it.

I started doing it about a year and a half ago since everybody here charges an arm and a leg for an oil change, and I had gotten sick of taking my car to quick lube places in Tucson (it seemed like everybody down there dealing with cars was trying to rip you off- in the most egregious instance, I replaced an air filter immediately before going to an oil change place down there once, and the douchebags had the nerve to tell me I needed a new air filter).

Got a set of rhino ramps for the Honda and I just crawl under the Jeep. The first time with each car took about 40 minutes and a lot of frustration, but since then it takes about 10 minutes for each and I can put full synthetic in for less than the price of a conventional oil change at a lube place.

The mess is the annoying part- I have trouble not making a mess. I do the oil changes in the garage and just dump kitty litter over the oil as I finish up and sweep it up a couple days later and that gets most of it. Our landfill takes motor oil free of charge though and it's really easy to dispose of it there. I just fill up the new oil jug with the old oil and take them down there once I accumulate five or six.

I try to take the cars into a mechanic every 20,000 or so to give a once over for other stuff, more frequently if service intervals dictate it. I'll do oil changes and anything else that's simple- probably the most complicated thing I've ever replaced myself are sparkplugs; I wouldn't want to get much more complicated than that. Differential flushes and transmission flushes I could probably do, but that's where it just gets too messy for my taste. When you change oil, the oil just comes out of the drain plug neatly into a bucket- dropping a differential or transmission pan is comparatively disastrous.

Crankcase holds 20 quarts.  No thanks.

My car has received 14 oil changes in the time I've owned it. 11 of them I did myself.

The first one was done at the dealership since they do your first oil change for free. I like free stuff.

Several years later it was done by the dealership again because when I asked them to give the car a checkup they said "we do that for free with the purchase of an oil change".

After that I had my oil changed at a Valvoline place in Florida because the person I was visiting down there lacked the necessary equipment to do it at their house and I wasn't going to drive the car home for 2,000 miles overdue for one.
And after that experience I am never going to Valvoline for anything again. Those jerkoffs stripped the plug on my oil pan and I had to get it replaced.



True, I do not have my own driveway and doing auto work on the street in the city isn't particularly convenient. But, my parents have a garage and a driveway and so I do this stuff when I visit them. I change my own oil, I rotate my own tires, I top off my own fluids, and I will gladly do any other work on the car myself that is simple and straightforward. I've also replaced my own windshield wipers and were I planning on keeping the car much longer I'd also be replacing my own battery, doing my own radiator flush, and doing my own transmission flush.

My justification is partly that doing things myself is cheaper, and partly that I on principle don't like paying someone to do something for me when I can easily do it myself.


As for the issue of getting under the car, yeah, I would never get under a jacked up car. But as a substitute you can buy little ramps that you can drive the car onto (or build your own out of scrap wood, like my father and I did years ago), that way it's much more sturdy.

Quote from: cpzilliacus on August 06, 2014, 12:33:07 AM
Crankcase holds 20 quarts.  No thanks.

What do you drive–a Peterbilt?

I change my own oil.

If you want it done right, you have to do it yourself. the morons at the local Kwik Kar can't even do it right. They either fail to put the dipstick back in the hole, or overfill the oil.

I like to but oil in the one quart containers. Four of them gives me the perfect amount of oil every time.

I use metal ramps. I put rubber traffic cone/vertical panel bases behind the ramps to keep them from sliding forward when I'm driving up on them.
My old 91 Accord was worse about pushing them forward, because the front end was so low. The front of the 04 Camry I have now is a little higher, but I still use the rubber bases for assurance.

Quote from: briantroutman on August 06, 2014, 01:46:32 AM

Quote from: cpzilliacus on August 06, 2014, 12:33:07 AM
Crankcase holds 20 quarts.  No thanks.

What do you drive–a Peterbilt?

Ford pickup. 7.3L V8 turboDiesel.

I stopped doing any real maintenance for my cars about 23 yrs ago when I took a spark plug change-out and turned it into a $1000 drill-it-to-get-it-out later job.

I stopped using quick-lube type places after my first car was replaced.  Stopped being comfortable with how they operated.

The Chevy dealer up here is pretty honest about stuff and I can't complain - last 3 cars have racked up 315k, 204k (totaled in a deer accident), and currently 197k miles on them.

The oil change price is reasonable and I'm only doing it every 13,000 miles on my current vehicle...

Mapmikey

Quote from: Thing 342 on August 05, 2014, 10:49:13 AMI 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 had to answer "No" regretfully.  When I still had Rosie (a 1986 Nissan Maxima), I changed the oil myself all the time, including on the road.  It was very easy to do because both the drain plug and the filter could be accessed from above, without any need to raise the car.  For the amount I would have spent at an oil-change shop, I could put in Mobil 1 synthetic instead of low-quality dinosaur oil, and be sure that no damage was done under the hood while checking the other fluids and filters.  (This generation of Maxima has an air filter held in place by six screws and an oil-change shop managed to lose two of them, which I had to replace myself when I discovered they were missing several hundred miles later.)  There was a bit of a learning curve, but by the fifth time I had done my own oil change, I was able to do it without causing the filter stud to leak more than a few drops of oil on the exhaust pipe or ground.  Disposal of the waste oil was easy in Wichita while our neighbor worked as the parts manager at a GMC dealership.  When I travelled or relocated temporarily, I made extensive use of public recycling facilities (I knew where the waste-oil tank was in Greenbelt Park, Maryland, for example), though once I left a milk jug of old oil outside a repair shop in Green River, Utah.

I always changed the oil cold.  Changing it warm is a standard recommendation, but who needs to be anywhere near a hot exhaust manifold?  I did always go to great lengths to ensure that the new filter was primed with oil.

I hardly ever changed the oil in a garage--I generally did it out in the open, including in apartment and hotel or motel parking lots.  I never encountered an apartment complex that actually enforced any ban it might have on DIY car maintenance.  I could be done with a complete oil and filter change within 45 minutes, so there is a possibility that I might have been caught if I had taken longer.

I have had to give up oil changes with my current car, a 1994 Saturn SL2, because they are absolutely miserable.  The drain plug might be accessible from above, but the oil filter certainly is not.  It is located right next to a screw-on filter for the automatic transmission fluid (hence instruction printouts for oil-change mechanics for this model include "Do Not Remove Red Filter" in all caps) and care has to be taken to ensure that any oil that leaks out through the filter stud does not fall on the CV joint boot, which is immediately underneath.  We do have facilities to lift the car and suspend it on jack stands, but this is too much of a hassle to do at home at a typical 3,000-mile oil change interval, let alone on the road.

I did multiple bulb replacements on the Maxima (I had to replace the right headlamp bulb fairly often because the polycarbonate lens was chipped and let in moisture, and it was cheaper just to pay $4 for bulbs that would struggle to last 30,000 miles versus $200 for a new lens), and I did do a turn signal bulb replacement on the Saturn about four years ago.  I don't like wiper blade replacements (too fiddly), but I have done them twice on the Saturn and I think I did them at least once on the Maxima.

Quote from: corco on August 05, 2014, 11:08:53 PMOur landfill takes motor oil free of charge though and it's really easy to dispose of it there. I just fill up the new oil jug with the old oil and take them down there once I accumulate five or six.

I got in the habit of getting rid of old oil ASAP when I discovered that milk jugs leak.  I used a closed drain pan with two screw-top openings (a small one on a narrow side to allow old oil to be poured into a waste oil storage tank, and a large one on a wide side that is removed when the container is inserted under the drain plug), and learned quickly enough that old oil leaks out all too easily if it laps up against either cap on the inside.  Whenever I had to transport a full container in my trunk, I kept it inside a bin liner and put that inside a kitty litter box.

QuoteI try to take the cars into a mechanic every 20,000 or so to give a once over for other stuff, more frequently if service intervals dictate it. I'll do oil changes and anything else that's simple- probably the most complicated thing I've ever replaced myself are sparkplugs; I wouldn't want to get much more complicated than that. Differential flushes and transmission flushes I could probably do, but that's where it just gets too messy for my taste. When you change oil, the oil just comes out of the drain plug neatly into a bucket- dropping a differential or transmission pan is comparatively disastrous.

What is easy and what is not varies considerably by car model.  In the case of the Maxima, I did transmission drains and fills too, at an approximate 15,000-mile interval.  This was easy since I just had to remove a drain plug on the bottom of the transmission housing, without having to drop the pan, replace filter screen and gasket, etc.  I also did a twice-yearly tuneup routine that included spark plug replacement (super-easy since the VG30 engine has cast-iron heads), air filter replacement, PCV valve replacement, fuel filter replacement, and spraying the intake manifold with carb and choke cleaner.  One year I replaced nearly all of the vacuum hoses.  This allowed me to wring better than 30 MPG highway out of a car for which Consumer Reports cited 23 MPG highway in the "real world."

I actually need to get comfortable doing an abbreviated version of the same routine on the Saturn.  Spark plug replacements are nothing to sneeze at (aluminum heads), but need to be done since the existing plugs (platinum) are already 60,000 miles old, and I suspect I still have a resin-tipped engine coolant temperature sensor that really should be replaced with a brass tip.  On the other hand, I now think frequent fuel filter replacements are overkill and I don't think the Saturn really needs a new one.  I may need a new thermostat as well, but I am holding off on that for a while because I hate thermostat replacements with a passion.

Quote from: J N Winkler on August 06, 2014, 10:55:40 AMI also did a twice-yearly tuneup routine that included spark plug replacement (super-easy since the VG30 engine has cast-iron heads), air filter replacement, PCV valve replacement, fuel filter replacement, and spraying the intake manifold with carb and choke cleaner.  One year I replaced nearly all of the vacuum hoses.  This allowed me to wring better than 30 MPG highway out of a car for which Consumer Reports cited 23 MPG highway in the "real world."

was this cost-effective?  it would all depend on how many miles you drove between tuneups.

Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 06, 2014, 11:25:59 AM

Quote from: J N Winkler on August 06, 2014, 10:55:40 AMI also did a twice-yearly tuneup routine that included spark plug replacement (super-easy since the VG30 engine has cast-iron heads), air filter replacement, PCV valve replacement, fuel filter replacement, and spraying the intake manifold with carb and choke cleaner.  One year I replaced nearly all of the vacuum hoses.  This allowed me to wring better than 30 MPG highway out of a car for which Consumer Reports cited 23 MPG highway in the "real world."

was this cost-effective?  it would all depend on how many miles you drove between tuneups.

That is hard to say.  At the time I was following this routine, I was driving about 30,000 miles annually, so the change intervals were fairly close to those the owner's manual recommended for severe service.  I also didn't do everything twice a year; for example, I changed spark plugs once every summer until I moved to platinum plugs, which I think I kept for 60,000 miles before I replaced them with Splitfires to see if they would improve fuel economy (they didn't).

The parts and supplies I consumed when tuning up the car were very cheap, but I am not sure I got my money back in terms of fuel savings because a certain proportion of the MPG improvement would have come from extended hours of highway driving without air conditioning.  (Fuel at the time was also much cheaper than it is now, with prices ranging from about 90c/gallon to about $2.50/gallon.)  There is also a sense of confidence and security that comes from driving a car that is in peak running condition:  it is worth having, but I am not sure how you put a price on it.

I do my own on my older vehicles (Nissan pickup, Dodge Durango) because I can buy Walmart brand full-synthetic or syn-blend (what is in stock on any given day varies) for $18-$20 a 5 quart jug. I reckon the higher quality oil helps the engines last longer, and if I requested this at an oil change place it would cost $50 and up. Both vehicles are easy to get under to do the work. Our new car has a maintenance plan we paid for and so I won't be doing that one for a while.

I once had an experience at a Valvoline Rapid Oil Change where they started the engine and only then realized they had forgotten to put the oil in. It didn't seem to have an impact on the engine, but that only convinced me of the quality of help they employ. I have a backlog of used oil jugs awaiting the next household hazardous waste pickup or a trip to a shop that accepts used oil.

I did once at my father's suggestion that I would save money. With the cost of the oil subtracted, however, the savings were certainly not very much. It took an hour of my time since I am not very mechanically inclined. It makes more sense to take it to Walmart and get my grocery shopping done while the oil is being changed.

I have done some other maintenance to my car (2007 PT Cruiser–I know, I know, I'm getting rid of it soon) myself however. I have replaced the camshaft position sensor twice, replaced a tail light bulb (and later the entire housing, which I somehow broke by bumping into it in the garage), and the battery. Tomorrow I am planning on beginning work on replacing the front bumper cover, which was damaged in a collision about a year ago.

I do them myself at my parents' house or my best friend's house, usually with their help/advice since I'm not mechanically inclined at all; they also advise me on anything else that may require attention. I don't like to put my car in the hands of people whom I don't know, so I tend to avoid garages and shops. Same goes for brake pads and rotors, spark plugs, etc.

I also do my own seasonal tire swaps, wiper replacements and bulb replacements with no assistance.

My new car came with two free oil changes, though, so I'm taking advantage of that for now.

I've always done my oil changes.  The fast-lube places seem to be costly vs. buying the oil and filter myself.  I take my used oil to one of the oil change places, and they take it free of charge.  I have also had bad experiences at fast-lube places similar to what everyone else has mentioned here....especially at Wally Hell!   :banghead:

I own an '83 Grand Prix, a '98 Ford Ranger, and a 2011 Dodge Challenger.  They are all relatively easy to do maintenance work on, so I pretty much do all of the bulb changing, battery replacements, fluid toppings, starter & alternator replacements & wiper changings myself.

I do it myself. I find it strangely therapeutic...

I had been changing my own oil for years when I lived in TN, and can even perform maintenance as complicated as drum brake replacement.  But after moving to a nice neighborhood in SC I felt like I needed to stop.  Found one decent quick lube place that I still use, but not nearly as often now that I put most of my daily mileage on a company work van.

I had also service the car my wife had when I first met her, as well as her next vehicle, but her last one and her current one were sold with dealer service plans so no need.  Last time I had the oil changed in my truck I decided to take it to the same Chevy dealer she bought her current car at.  They have their own quick lube building with Saturday hours, their prices are the same as the other quick lube place I had been going to, they offer free car washes with service, and it's a dealer so I guess they have to know what they're doing.

I have a slight obsession with tire pressure and washer fluid level, so at least every two weeks I will top off all washer fluid reservoirs and add air to all tires parked in my driveway.  My truck that mostly just sits in the driveway these days sometimes loses a couple of PSI in at least one tire so I'm always topping it off.  I've always been able to notice a difference in handling with properly inflated tires versus low tires.

I've still got a couple free oil change coupons from the dealership  for my pickup and Equinox.  Once that perk is over I won't mind doing it.
My work van has 290,000 miles on it and I do as much maintenance as possible.  I even put in a can of R-134 a while back and the AC started working again.  There can't be too many Delco AC units that have gone 19 years and only needed one can of juice and a new pressure switch.

I rotate the tires, but I usually don't patch flats, that is a sucky job.  I grease it and maintain all the fluids.  I cleaned out the radiator and got the heater working again last year. 

It has very little rust too.  Every spring I jack it up, get the garden hose, and give it an enema to get all the salt out of it.  Really helps that problem.

I wrote upthread almost a month ago that I take my current car to quick-lube places because its oil filter is accessible only from below.  I am about to leave for my Seattle trip in a few days, so I took it in for an oil change this afternoon, and left feeling this will probably be the last time I pay others to do this service.

There was nothing particularly wrong with the job the quick-lube place did.  However, I had gone to some trouble to check and top off fluids and tire pressures this morning, so it was exasperating to watch through a window and see:

*  A technician pumping air in some tires and letting air out of others

*  Another technician adding windshield washer fluid to the tank, which was already full, and then not being able to get the snap cap back on (it is tricky and I could have schooled him, but there was of course no question of allowing me on the shop floor)

*  Technicians using the same cloths for dipsticks belonging to the engine, automatic transmission, and power steering fluid reservoir

I also saw, upside down, the report of this unneeded and unwanted "courtesy service," with a handwritten note saying, "All engine seals leak."  This was work product.  I was given just the final invoice, which was entirely computer-printed, had none of the added information from the technicians' report, and said just "checked" for all fluids--not "full" or any comments on fluid color.

The service was also quite expensive.  The last oil change at the same location, in November 2012, cost just $35.40 including tax.  This one cost $39.65, a 12% increase in just 22 months, during a period when CPI was increasing 1.5% year-on-year.  $40 (more or less) is what these places were charging about fifteen years ago for changes with full synthetic oil, not the 5W-30 dino juice I got.  Bring on the rhino ramps!

Quote from: J N Winkler on September 04, 2014, 06:55:40 PM
I wrote upthread almost a month ago that I take my current car to quick-lube places because its oil filter is accessible only from below.  I am about to leave for my Seattle trip in a few days, so I took it in for an oil change this afternoon, and left feeling this will probably be the last time I pay others to do this service.

There was nothing particularly wrong with the job the quick-lube place did.  However, I had gone to some trouble to check and top off fluids and tire pressures this morning, so it was exasperating to watch through a window and see:

*  A technician pumping air in some tires and letting air out of others

*  Another technician adding windshield washer fluid to the tank, which was already full, and then not being able to get the snap cap back on (it is tricky and I could have schooled him, but there was of course no question of allowing me on the shop floor)

*  Technicians using the same cloths for dipsticks belonging to the engine, automatic transmission, and power steering fluid reservoir

I also saw, upside down, the report of this unneeded and unwanted "courtesy service," with a handwritten note saying, "All engine seals leak."  This was work product.  I was given just the final invoice, which was entirely computer-printed, had none of the added information from the technicians' report, and said just "checked" for all fluids--not "full" or any comments on fluid color.

The service was also quite expensive.  The last oil change at the same location, in November 2012, cost just $35.40 including tax.  This one cost $39.65, a 12% increase in just 22 months, during a period when CPI was increasing 1.5% year-on-year.  $40 (more or less) is what these places were charging about fifteen years ago for changes with full synthetic oil, not the 5W-30 dino juice I got.  Bring on the rhino ramps!

And now you know why I do it myself.

Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 05, 2014, 01:46:19 PM
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.

I also do exactly this. I actually bought my car from my trusted mechanic, and I've only ever taken it to his shop.

Husband did all of the routine maintenance on his VW bug when he had it. Amusingly, he went about 200,000 miles at one point without changing the oil (he constantly monitored it and added oil when necessary). That car lasted 263,000 miles. I suspect that now he is borrow his father's VW bug that he may do some work on it himself. 


iPhone

I do. Neon's are very easy to change the oil in.

Quote from: Pete from Boston on September 04, 2014, 08:04:13 PMAnd now you know why I do it myself.

I used to as well, in my last car, a 1986 Nissan Maxima where the oil filter was accessible from above.  The sticking point with my current car was having to get at the filter from below.  I checked and side access is possible but not really practical--it entails either taking the front passenger wheel off or turning it all the way to the right, and then removing splash shields, which I would consider doing for a major job like the torque strut or water pump, but not for routine maintenance.

Today I learned that I still prefer to change my own oil, even with the hassle of having to lift the car.  The ability to use full synthetic, which I prefer for its detergency and sludge resistance, is a bonus.  I ran Mobil 1 in the Maxima for 160,000 miles and could look through the oil filler hole at one of the camshafts and see it get cleaner and cleaner.

Quote from: Pete from Boston on September 04, 2014, 08:04:13 PM

Quote from: J N Winkler on September 04, 2014, 06:55:40 PM
I wrote upthread almost a month ago that I take my current car to quick-lube places because its oil filter is accessible only from below.  I am about to leave for my Seattle trip in a few days, so I took it in for an oil change this afternoon, and left feeling this will probably be the last time I pay others to do this service.

There was nothing particularly wrong with the job the quick-lube place did.  However, I had gone to some trouble to check and top off fluids and tire pressures this morning, so it was exasperating to watch through a window and see:

*  A technician pumping air in some tires and letting air out of others

*  Another technician adding windshield washer fluid to the tank, which was already full, and then not being able to get the snap cap back on (it is tricky and I could have schooled him, but there was of course no question of allowing me on the shop floor)

*  Technicians using the same cloths for dipsticks belonging to the engine, automatic transmission, and power steering fluid reservoir

I also saw, upside down, the report of this unneeded and unwanted "courtesy service," with a handwritten note saying, "All engine seals leak."  This was work product.  I was given just the final invoice, which was entirely computer-printed, had none of the added information from the technicians' report, and said just "checked" for all fluids--not "full" or any comments on fluid color.

The service was also quite expensive.  The last oil change at the same location, in November 2012, cost just $35.40 including tax.  This one cost $39.65, a 12% increase in just 22 months, during a period when CPI was increasing 1.5% year-on-year.  $40 (more or less) is what these places were charging about fifteen years ago for changes with full synthetic oil, not the 5W-30 dino juice I got.  Bring on the rhino ramps!

And now you know why I do it myself.

Hearing stories (or reading in this case) of similar nature from others is why I also change my own oil.  It is a hassle and it is a pain getting rid of the dirty oil, but at least I know the job is done correctly.  If there is a leak due to the drain plug becoming cross-threaded or not completely tight, (which I've never done either) I know who to blame.  I do almost all maintenance myself.  I don't necessarily enjoy working on cars, but I have issues trusting others and I do save a few bucks by only buying the parts/materials.  For major work, I have a mechanic that I know well and trust.  I know my personal limits and don't venture into areas that I know are beyond my capabilities.

I find the oil change places to love the hidden upcharge, particularly for synthetic, to the point that I can't justify paying for the half-assed service described above. 

One funny thing in this is that they charge to recycle my used oil, yet are obligated to take it for free when I do the work myself. 

Quote from: Pete from Boston on September 05, 2014, 03:46:46 AM
I find the oil change places to love the hidden upcharge, particularly for synthetic, to the point that I can't justify paying for the half-assed service described above. 

One funny thing in this is that they charge to recycle my used oil, yet are obligated to take it for free when I do the work myself.

One rationale for this disparity is to give the private citizen oil-changer, who cannot be gotten at through a regime of mandatory inspections connected to business licensure, an incentive to be environmentally responsible.  This said, I don't usually take my old oil to oil-change places, because that can come across as a bit of a slap in the face to them ("I don't trust you enough to let you mess around with my car, but here's my stinky old oil which you can pay to dispose of"); the one time I can remember doing it was in Utah when I was just passing through and had no time to find a 24-hour community disposal site with a waste oil tank.

In this county you can take your household trash to the dump and they will accept it, but then turn around and fine you $100 for hauling trash without a license.  Thankfully they are not stupid enough to attempt the same with waste oil and other hazardous materials, but the acceptance facility for them does not (to my knowledge) have 24-hour access to waste oil tanks.

As an aside, there is some variation in courtesy checks from shop to shop.  I took my car in to Sears (the day before yesterday's oil change) for a rotate and balance and it got a courtesy check, but no adjustment of tire pressures even though the job was being done on a FWD car with higher inflation pressures specified for the front (30 PSI front/26 PSI rear in my case; I run these plus 4 PSI to accommodate temperature changes).  At the quick-lube place, the tire technician thought all four tires needed to be at 30 PSI (apparently pulling that spec out of thin air), but neglected to let air out of the left front tire, so I had a front axle with 34 left and 29 right, which noticeably worsened handling.  The general lesson is that you never know what a shop actually does unless you observe the work yourself.

Quote from: signalman on September 05, 2014, 03:15:59 AMI do almost all maintenance myself.  I don't necessarily enjoy working on cars, but I have issues trusting others and I do save a few bucks by only buying the parts/materials.  For major work, I have a mechanic that I know well and trust.  I know my personal limits and don't venture into areas that I know are beyond my capabilities.

When I was working on my Maxima, my main sources of information were the factory service manual (could be bought for under $100, which is rather unusual for such publications), a Haynes manual covering second-generation Maximas (hardcore shadetree mechanics say "I read Haynes manuals for a good laugh," but they are better than nothing and the one for Maximas explains some procedures that aren't in the factory manual, such as a transmission drain and fill), and an illustrated early 1980's Reader's Digest car repair manual that was useful for understanding basic principles that transfer from one model to another.  Now there are marque enthusiasts' forums with how-to libraries, YouTube videos illustrating common repair procedures, and even (if you are really lucky) bootleg digital copies of factory manuals.

I had no real experience with or, initially, any enthusiasm for working on my 1994 Saturn SL2, but just in the last month the kind folks at SaturnFans.com have helped me with a lot of overdue maintenance and repair jobs, such as the engine coolant temperature sensor (very important for good MPG in older S-series cars), thermostat, spark plugs, PCV valve, and torque axis mount.  Cash savings in labor cost so far are probably around $200.  They also have materials on water pump replacement that might have saved me an additional $240 in labor if the existing pump were not leaking heavily and on the brink of complete bearing failure, leaving me little time for parts procurement, let alone studying the work back and forth so I could do it properly first time.

Haynes are a good starting point that's small enough to keep onboard.  I recommend them to folks never planning on doing repair work so they know what the mechanic's talking about just a little.

Quote from: Duke87 on August 06, 2014, 01:34:27 AMAnd after that experience I am never going to Valvoline for anything again. Those jerkoffs stripped the plug on my oil pan and I had to get it replaced.

Yep. That was a $500 repair bill to fix, since it involved a considerable amount of disassembly of 10-year-old exhaust parts, and the freaking pan was $250!

Yes, I have rules against it in my apartment complex. But it's like 30 minutes to do the change, and I have it down to a pretty simple routine that doesn't leave a mess. I also have sturdy ramps to put the car on. I also feel the satisfaction of doing it myself. :)

I changed the oil myself for the first time in my current car two weeks ago today.  The whole experience, as well as my after-the-fact discovery of BITOG (http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/), left me feeling like Rip Van Winkle.

I changed my own oil in my Nissan Maxima between 1996 and (approximately) 2005.  At that time I used Mobil 1 (full synthetic) with orange Fram filters.  It never really occurred to me to use anything else and the only new development I noticed in that time was the introduction of easy-grip surfaces on the back of oil filters, to allow removal and installation entirely by hand.  The main challenge was coupon-clipping to get Mobil 1 cheaply:  at the time it was generally sold by the six-quart case and a good price ranged from $20 to $24.  There was just the one formulation of Mobil 1 and the API service mark had slowly crept up from SG to SJ by the time I stopped doing my own oil changes.  (It is now SN for oil currently on store shelves.)  I maintained a 3,000-mile oil-change interval, so over that time the camshaft lobes and journals (visible through the oil filler hole) faded from dark mahogany at about 60,000 miles to old gold at about 227,000 miles.  I don't think I ever paid more than $3 for a filter.

Fast-forward to the present:  as part of preparation for the job, I purchased a new-design waste oil holding tank with pan recessed into the side, filter pliers, and Rhino ramps.  (Rhino, it turns out, is a trademark.  In the patch where the wheel rests, each ramp has a molding of a rhinoceros dancing the conga.)  All three turned out to be smart investments.  The Rhino ramps gave me easy working room with triple protection (parking brake, parking pawl, and bricks behind rear wheels).  The tank was large enough to intercept oil from the filter mount, which spills oil over a six-inch length of the frame since the drip rail cast into the back of the pan does not really work when the car is lifted by the front wheels only.  The filter I removed had been put in by the oil change place and although it wasn't really gorillaed in, it had no easy-grip surface and I had to use the pliers.

Shopping for the consumables, however, was much more of a challenge.  Full-synthetic oils have undergone a stealth price raise--the going rate is about $25 for a five-quart jug.  Choice has expanded to the point where it is hard to know what to buy.  At Wal-Mart you can find at least one type of full-synthetic oil from each of the majors (Valvoline, Shell, Castrol, Mobil, Pennzoil, Quaker State), and for Mobil 1 alone there are now at least three types:  Mobil 1 regular, Mobil 1 Advanced Economy, and Mobil 1 High-Mileage.  I took a stab and picked the third because it seemed to be the cheapest, but Wal-Mart defrauded me (price marked on the shelf was $22.80, while price actually scanned at the register was $25 and change; it was not worth $3 to me to spend half an hour to find one of Sam's minions and ask for satisfaction).  Its main selling point, I learned later from BITOG, is an enhanced additives package that includes seal sweller.  It is not a bad choice for a 20-year-old car still running on original seals that were rated for 12 years, but such a varied selection even at a big-box discounter has the perverse effect of making it difficult for a customer to leave feeling he or she has made the optimum choice.  The problem is even worse if you go to an auto parts store, where you can get esoteric brands such as Royal Purple (favored for enhanced sludge removal), or online, where Amsoil--still the purists' choice--is readily available.

As to the oil filter, now that orange can of death and its acronym OCOD have found their way into general-interest Internet slang dictionaries, nobody can admit to buying an entry-level Fram filter without getting defensive.  Fram has conducted a major PR campaign to try to convince the customer base that high failure rates are a thing of the past, but it has been very slow to take since these filters still have cardboard anti-drainback valves.  Even an improved OCOD will now set you back almost $4, and for my car the purists' choices are now Wix and Purolator (in that order), which don't leave much change from $10 unless you coupon-clip or exploit quantity discounts.  I wanted a Fram Tough Guard, which held onto its good reputation even through the OCOD scandal and costs $5.94 on the shelf at Wal-Mart.  In the end I had to settle for an Extended Guard ($8.97), despite its being more filter than I needed, because Wal-Mart does not put its stock availability online (at best you can search their website and find out whether a given SKU can be picked up at a particular store), and the shoe-leather costs of looking for it elsewhere would easily have eclipsed the price difference.

On BITOG I discovered that you now have to do a lot more peacocking if you want to run with the cool guys.  It is not enough just to buy full-synthetic oil.  You have to have a good reason for using a synthetic oil made from crude oil feedstocks, since these are considered tantamount to dino juice.  This is the selling point for Pennzoil Ultra (feedstocks from natural gas) and Castrol Edge (informally "German Castrol," so called because it is formulated to German standards that do not allow a oil to be labelled full-synthetic if crude feedstocks are used).  To be a serious player, you have to be running on a custom oil-change interval which you have designed by experimenting with different combinations of oil, filter, and change interval and sending the old oil off to be analyzed by a commercial lab (Blackstone's seems to have majority market share).  When people want to brag, they cut and paste verbatim from the remarks sections of their used oil analyses (UOAs).  And God help you if you ever admit that you used an OCOD in the past and that your engine survived.