Does anyone change their own oil anymore or is that extinct like the dinosaurs

So how many of us still change our own oil, it seems to be coming an almost extinct thing. Everyone spends a lot of money on their car and then takes it to a Jiffy Lube and gets “fully synthetic & quality filter” installed. My car needs to run quality full synthetic. I was feeling lazy yesterday so I called Acura, a local shop, and the drive-in place near me, all quoted me anywhere from $70-$90 because it’s “expensive oil”. I got 5 quarts Mobil 1 at Walmart for $23… absolute score and then got the filter straight from Acura for $6.50! Does anybody else just get lazy and say screw it and pay 80 bucks?

Side note: I love when I hear people at work talking about you know… that “I have a Ferrari & the other guy has “classic cars” at home …but they never drive them to work or show anybody because I don’t wanted to get messed up in the parking lot haha. Am I the only person here that’s heard this kind of talk at work??

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I normally take mine to a place because it’s like $5 more to have it done than buy the oil and filter(with coupon). If I had a car I really liked I’d do it myself but right now I just have a vehicle for transportation.

My most recent lease comes with free oil changes during the lease, so don’t have to really change the oil now. Plus I was using coupons like BMack because its so much easier especially if its cold out.

I always change the oil in my truck. It’s just something I’ve always done since we were kids and it’s kind of nice to be working on your vehicle sometime other than when something is wrong with it. My wife’s vehicle goes to the dealership only because we will eventually trade it in and they keep a record of every oil change. I figured at least the next owner will be able to see that we did all of the routine maintenance and took care of it.

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kruton wrote:

On 11/3/2016 at 7:07 PM, kruton said:

I always change the oil in my truck. It’s just something I’ve always done since we were kids and it’s kind of nice to be working on your vehicle sometime other than when something is wrong with it. My wife’s vehicle goes to the dealership only because we will eventually trade it in and they keep a record of every oil change. I figured at least the next owner will be able to see that we did all of the routine maintenance and took care of it.

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Same with my truck, but I do my wife’s as well…. If they were nicer vehicles and I wanted the credibility of the service, I would pay to have it done for better resale potential

I haven’t changed my own oil in about 10 years. It’s just such a hassle to dispose of the oil. It is a shameful waste of money to  pay someone else to do your oil. Such an easy job. Any then you know it is done right. Oh well.   

Change oil on and off “professionally.” It is easy because then I can just dump the oil and the oil I change from my personal vehicle into a 55gal drum with a sump pump in it that goes into the waste oil burner storage tank.

I’ve always changed my own oil and will continue doing as long as I am able.  It gives me a chance to crawl under it and look for other potential issues I may not know about.  Wish I could get by with a $29.50 oil and filter change.  Changed mine last week end when we went to our other home and it cost about $80.00.  Mobile one full synthetic with a mobile one filter.  Broke my heart and my pocket.

Lol just changed the oil on my truck today I’m not gonna lie I was contemplating wether to take to a shop today lol!  

metaljunkie wrote:

I’ve always changed my own oil and will continue doing as long as I am able.  It gives me a chance to crawl under it and look for other potential issues I may not know about.  Wish I could get by with a $29.50 oil and filter change.  Changed mine last week end when we went to our other home and it cost about $80.00.  Mobile one full synthetic with a mobile one filter.  Broke my heart and my pocket.

7 quarts of Mobile one fully synthetic and a mobile one filter. 

I’ve been doing the oil change on the family car for 10+ years, but am starting to get lazy and just get a basic service done at the shop. Partly because disposing of the oil is a pain, and partly so they can check if any problems are presenting in the ageing car.

I notice the same problem here in the Pacific NW.  A large amount of people no longer change their own oil or dont change it period.  They all take their cars to dealers or shops and pay anywhere from $65 to $100 for an oil change using “quality synthetics”.  When they do change their oil, its being done every 5,000 miles which is outrageous.

I do my own oil changes on all the vehicles in my family and in-laws.  I just store the used oil in a coulple 5gallon buckets and when full, take them to O’Reillys down the street.  Free disposal.  I use Amsoil in all the vehicles which saves a lot of time and money, both on oil changes and maintenance.  I use their Signature Series which is a 25,000/1 year oil.  Costs about $85 once a year, which includes filter.  More for larger engines.

Wally13 wrote:

4 hours ago, Wally13 said:

I notice the same problem here in the Pacific NW.  A large amount of people no longer change their own oil or dont change it period.  They all take their cars to dealers or shops and pay anywhere from $65 to $100 for an oil change using “quality synthetics”.  When they do change their oil, its being done every 5,000 miles which is outrageous.

 

I do my own oil changes on all the vehicles in my family and in-laws.  I just store the used oil in a coulple 5gallon buckets and when full, take them to O’Reillys down the street.  Free disposal.  I use Amsoil in all the vehicles which saves a lot of time and money, both on oil changes and maintenance.  I use their Signature Series which is a 25,000/1 year oil.  Costs about $85 once a year, which includes filter.  More for larger engines.

I use that Amsoil as well. 16 quarts and a huge filter in my f-250 adds the savings when I’m not changing frequent…

But I don’t see it as a ”problem”; how people wish to spend their money and where is their business, not mine

I kinda believe in a different approach. 3000 miles for gassers. 5000 if it’s synthetic. It all depends on the motor and truck but about 15-20,000 for largely off-road trucks and on road trucks are 25,000-50,000 depending on manufacturer recommendations and who the driver is and what their route looks like. And of course the standard 500 engine hours for Deeres.

I’ve been using Mobile One synthetic for 15 years or longer and sometimes they run a deal on it at the local Advanced Auto store in the five quart capacity jugs. But my truck requires 7 quarts, so when I can I purchase two of the large jugs and try to remember I have extra oil the next time around.  Last time I was in such a hurry I bought the large jug and two additional quarts which were about $11.00 a quart.  Prices are crazy for Mobile one and unless you pick it up on a sale, it will break you.  Also, get the best oil filter you can afford, most of the generic filters are sub standard.  They have a sad card board filter element that will not filter out the crud, sludge, metal, etc. after a few thousands miles.  Why buy top quality oil and a cheap filter. Oil and filter is not the place to skimp on quality in my opinion. 

Napa oil: rebranded Valvoline

Napa gold filters: industry standard, can’t go wrong.

Imho.

I do my own maintenance on my truck. I did not for the first 75,000 miles because all scheduled maintenance was covered by the dealer I bought the truck from. I save about $50-$75 each oil change because I run Rotella T6 Synthetic (15 Qts). The Ford 6.4L engine is also a little picky so I need to make sure everything is done correctly. Racor also holds the patent on the oil filter for my truck so I need to make sure it’s a Motorcraft filter as the generics are known to cause major engine failure on the 6.4L engine. I’ve asked the local oil change shops if they can get a Motorcraft filter and Rotella Oil and they want an astronomical amount of money to fulfill my request as they don’t stock those items.

once in my life i had someone change my oil. I change my own oil just because I’m used to it.

Then the incompetent people

..

I would be pissed!!

That happen to a uncle of mine at a jiffy lube trust me he was pissed!! I don’t remember what had happen after I’ll have to ask him when I see him

I normally get a new truck when my oil needs to be changed.

ChrisK wrote:

13 minutes ago, ChrisK said:

I normally get a new truck when my oil needs to be changed.

haha funny you mention that, I have been going for coffee at a local coffee shop every friday afternoon for about 10 years with a bunch of buddies that meet there. I have a feeling one of the guys that meet with us does the same thing cause I don’t think I have seen him drive the same vehicle twice…… 

KnarlyCarl wrote:

Then the incompetent people

..

I change the oil in our vehicles. not saving any money vs the dealership but I can do it late at night when I get off work.

I change the oil and do most of the general maintenance in our vehicles. It’s gives me a reason to “Buy” new tools in the event I need something.

I may have mentioned it before, I went to college for automotive, thought I’d like that line of work, after 8 months in a shop, i couldn’t stand being in the same place day in and day out so i moved on….. that being said, it has given me the know how to do my own maintenance, and help others out too, only if the mood strikes LOL… only do my own work on my car because of the savings and knowing I’ll do it exactly how I want it done, too many horror stories out there!

I use to change my own oil when there was a big price difference.  I always get a coupon to my local ford dealer, so i take it there.

For me, it is right about the same price for the dealer to do it !!! Yes, i said dealer. The coupons make it a no brainer !!!

and for what its worth, the dealer does all service and records stay with the truck for trade/resale. (That part just makes me fell better)

and i do realize that by doing this is costs me a brand new truck way too often !!!

You guys are lucky to have dealerships that can do oil changes for what it would cost you to DIY.  Here in my part of canada, the quick-lube shops are $60 for basic changes, $90 for synthetic.  If you go to your respective dealership? forget about it, you’re looking at $100+ for synthetic in most places.

heck, my Rav4 was just due up for some maintenance lately. I checked with the dealer because i was feeling a bit lazy.  An oil change (dino oil), brake fluid change, rear and front diff fluid change, and a transmission drain and fill, and they wanted something like $650+.   I think i spent about $75 in fluids, and had a nice afternoon changing it all out myself easy peezy.  For me, there is still quite a cost savings in DIY car maintenance even for oil changes, and also the self satisfaction that it’s done right and i can choose what oil to run etc. 

I enjoy changing my own oil. I tend to do it myself when the weather is nice and hire it done when it’s not, but like you said, here you can have it done for the same or less than you can do it yourself.

KnarlyCarl wrote:

On Friday, November 11, 2016 at 10:11 PM, KnarlyCarl said:

Then the incompetent people

Video (YouTube)

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Wtf that would destroy a engine if wouldn’t have checked it

CATERPILLAR wrote:

4 hours ago, CATERPILLAR said:

Wtf that would destroy a engine if wouldn’t have checked it

I dated a girl that after she went and got her oil changed they didn’t but the plug back in, don’t know how they didn’t notice that one, eventually she blew her motor, guess karma got her #coldhardbitch haha

My brother took his girlfriends Accord for an oil change and the gasket from the old filter got stuck. He made it 3-4 miles before it locked up. 

The shop of course denied any fault. He got a police report, long story short, they eventually put a new motor in the car.

My dad changes the oil in his truck every 5k miles. In all the other cars (which are leases) we take them to the dealerships for the free oil changes. Can’t beat free! I would really like to do it myself, but not when the dealer does it for free!

JimboS1ice wrote:

8 hours ago, JimboS1ice said:

 

I dated a girl that after she went and got her oil changed they didn’t but the plug back in, don’t know how they didn’t notice that one, eventually she blew her motor, guess karma got her #coldhardbitch haha

Lol???

I generally do all maintenance and repairs to my vehicles. Saves me both time and money. Especially somethimg like oil. Great thing about having a truck. Changed in about 20 minutes

I used to do all PM work on my vehicles and most repairs. Our new home only has a 1 car garage (should be illegal) so between tools, kayaks, tools, fishing gear, gun stuff and tools, not much room for a truck on jack stands. 

My December maintenance repair I’ve performed on my own truck:

Oil & filter change
Fuel filters
Replace Body mount bushings
Replace shocks
Replace steering stabilizers
Coolant flush
Rear dif fluid change
Front dif fluid change.
Steering stabilizer change
Fuel cooler maintenance.

I change my own oil and try to do as much work on my own even when going to a mechanic might be faster or easier. The only time it sucks is when it’s cold out since I don’t have a garage that you can park a vehicle in.

My truck has 280K+ miles on it and I like using extended mileage 15K oil and filters so I don’t have to do changes often. I’ve replaced the starter and o2 sensors since I’ve had it, but for a 20yr old truck it runs pretty well.

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CATERPILLAR wrote:

On 12/8/2016 at 10:57 AM, CATERPILLAR said:

Wtf that would destroy a engine if wouldn’t have checked it

Wouldn’t the oil pressure light have come on? It has come on for me in the past when I had very low oil.

I usually take my car in to the dealership as I sort of enjoy it, they don’t try to upsell me ever, and it’s under warranty. I plan on doing it myself once my car is out of warranty.

KnarlyCarl wrote:

I use that Amsoil as well. 16 quarts and a huge filter in my f-250 adds the savings when I’m not changing frequent…

But I don’t see it as a ”problem”; how people wish to spend their money and where is their business, not mine

I typically change my own oil. I’ve gotten burned before going to quick lube places when all my extra driving caught up to me and I noticed I was due. Ill never do that again. Occasionally I go into a shop to have it done. I know the family that owns it and really trust them and their mechanics. For 35 bucks for oil and filter plus a bumper to bumper inspection, you can’t beat the peace of mind. 

mike_dave wrote:

1 hour ago, mike_dave said:

I typically change my own oil. I’ve gotten burned before going to quick lube places when all my extra driving caught up to me and I noticed I was due. Ill never do that again. Occasionally I go into a shop to have it done. I know the family that owns it and really trust them and their mechanics. For 35 bucks for oil and filter plus a bumper to bumper inspection, you can’t beat the peace of mind. 

Good price, and yes, if you know they don’t try to sell you everything you don’t even need like in the quicklube shops, sounds like a great place

Weird Tolkienish Figure wrote:

8 hours ago, Weird Tolkienish Figure said:

 

Wouldn’t the oil pressure light have come on? It has come on for me in the past when I had very low oil.

 

I usually take my car in to the dealership as I sort of enjoy it, they don’t try to upsell me ever, and it’s under warranty. I plan on doing it myself once my car is out of warranty.

I was actually surprised it even started/ran at all, i figured there would be a pressure switch that cut the fuel pump, that might just be older vehicles…

Just remember kids, Pennzoil is Satan’s ejaculate.

Nordraw wrote:

I haven’t changed my own oil in about 10 years. It’s just such a hassle to dispose of the oil. It is a shameful waste of money to  pay someone else to do your oil. Such an easy job. Any then you know it is done right. Oh well.   

Wally13 wrote:

I notice the same problem here in the Pacific NW.  A large amount of people no longer change their own oil or dont change it period.  They all take their cars to dealers or shops and pay anywhere from $65 to $100 for an oil change using “quality synthetics”.  When they do change their oil, its being done every 5,000 miles which is outrageous.

 

I do my own oil changes on all the vehicles in my family and in-laws.  I just store the used oil in a coulple 5gallon buckets and when full, take them to O’Reillys down the street.  Free disposal.  I use Amsoil in all the vehicles which saves a lot of time and money, both on oil changes and maintenance.  I use their Signature Series which is a 25,000/1 year oil.  Costs about $85 once a year, which includes filter.  More for larger engines.

How many miles were on that engine when you put in the Amsoil?  I ask because switching to Amsoil can sometimes actually clean out any deposits and/or metals.  It could also be that the rings are worn and that engine likes the thicker oil.  Amsoil tends to run a bit thinner at operating temperature while meeting proper weight and viscosity.