DIY oil change VS. dealership

[Greatbear]

I have always changed my own oil. I'm guaranteed to know precisely which oil and filter is being installed, and I pick my own brands. It also gets you over and under the engine making it easy to check on things, look for leaks, corrosion, damage, etc.

Most of the quick lube outfits use cheap oil filters, and bulk oil.

 

[ajchien]

My oil changes cost me about $13 DIY. But then, I usually stock up on my preferred 5w20 when it's on sale, and I also buy filters on sale. My dealership charges $39 now while a local jiffy lube charges $20.

I DIY because I don't have to deal with the upselling, i get good quality service when I DIY, and the 40 minutes it takes me from parking to washing my hands is faster than if I were to take it anywhere. Plus. I'm open 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

 

[Jeff]

It costs me approx. $30 per vehicle for a DIY full-synthetic oil change w/ filter. When the stealerships and quickie-lubie can beat that I'll starting going.

 

[ovilla]

I really enjoy changing the oil. It's another excuse to put my cars up on the BendPak HD-9 and check everything out while the oil is draining. I often use this time to check air pressures and inspect tire and brake wear. Anyway, I can also do oil changes on my own time (late at night or early morning) and don't have to wait at some dealership. Plus, I know it gets done right.

 

[35mastr]

I change the oil in my deisel just because of the expense. Do my 35 chevy also. Will do the wifes van occasionally. I just hate getting rid of the oil. Thank god my neighbor across the street takes it away for me.

 

[usmc_noma]

I like changing my own oil. I feel it's a waste of time driving some place to sit and have them change it with the chance they may jack something up. It's happened several times where a shop has done that. I can also finish a job in less time than the shop can when there's no one waiting, and I know it's being done properly.

 

[bazzateer]

If you do it yourself you know exactly what has been done and how and who by. You save money. You don't sabotage the car to create more work. You get to know your car better. You prove that you are a man.

 

[Car54]

Another thing not mentioned: I let my oil drain for nearly an hour, even warm. It seems to just keep coming and coming. I can replace plug in less than 10 minutes, but I know there's lots of area up above to drain down. I doubt the "professional" oil changer will wait that long.

Also: On the BMW's, they have a fixed oil filter canister, the filter is just a cartridge, and it takes some effort to get the old oil out of there and cleaned up.

 

[fflintstone]

IMO anyone who takes their vehicle in for an oil change should be BANNED from garage journal. This is the primal, basic bond between man and machine; it is the first thing your dad teaches you as a kid, a very visceral experience.
When you do your own service work you know it is done to your specifications. I use full synthetic oil, in gas engines. Rotela in the tractor and my jeep. I go 5K or once a year between changes.
I think the one-quart guy is doing a lot for nothing. I have logged over 1.5M miles over the years and have also not had to do any internal engine work.

If I buy a used car, or when my vehicles reach 70K I do FLUSH the engine. I drain the oil while hot. I add 1 gallon of DIESEL, then run the engine for a few minutes. I let it drain for the whole day. I put in cheap oil and filter and then change it again in 500-1,000 miles, then going the full synthetic route.

 

[T1320T]

Another DIY'er here. I couldn't imagine taking my vehicles somewhere & letting some yahoo run my drain plug in w an impact & then screwing on some cheapo **** filter that strains the life blood of my engine. Not to mention, I rotate tires at every oil change so it gives the oil time to drain.

 

[LEVE]

IMHO, DIY. Not only will you save money, but:

• You'll likely do it right.
• Have a chance to bond with your vehicle.
• Can choose the quality of the oil and filter to fit your needs.
• Have a chance to examine - first hand- the quality of the oil coming out of the engine.
• You can take the time to look around the engine compartment and under the vehicle for other problems.
• Learn that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

 

[ju539]

The one and only time I have gone to the quicky oil change place they greeted me with, "Are you here for the super-duper platinum full service care maintenance experience", or what ever the kid was programmed to say. I just replied that I was there for an oil change. Makes me wonder why they say that.

I had a buddy that was assistant manager for a tire (brand name) store. They carried only 10w40. If you asked for 10w30 you got the 10w40 for 10w30 price. If you asked for 10w40 you were charged for 10w40. Makes me wonder what other short cuts they might be taking.

I can drive my car up on ramps, change the oil and filter and be cleaned up in the same time it would take to drive to the quicky place. No brainer; I do it myself.

Regards, ju539
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[NUTTSGT]

I refuse to pay somebody to do something that I can do myself, not to mention trust the quality of their work.

 

[santagary]

With my arthritis and bad knees, I haven't been able for the last couple of years to "creeper" around under my vehicles...hopefully with my garage addition (66 x 30), and a HD9 I'll be able to get with it again and invite a few like minded neighbors over to work on their cars, trucks and tractors. At 69, 4th stage osteo arthritis is no fun at all. As I'm writing this, we are getting our first snowfall in Pagosa and I'm going out to the garage to start a fire in the AllNighter airtight stove and do some sorting, organizing. Wanted to ask if any of you guys have any experience in changing over to synthetic oil in high mileage engines?

 

[bdkruger1]

I do my own in the '08 Malibu. With the filter set up on those it's so easy that it's not worth the time to take it somewhere. I just buy the oil and filter when I'm already at Wally World for something else, then do the change when the monitor gets to 50% or so.

Now on the '08 Sierra 5.3, that's a different story. That thing is such a messy SOB to do because of where they put the damn filter, I refuse to do it. We have a quicky joint nearby that does a really good job. The owner works there daily along with his help. They're top notch, not your typical quicky joint. There's an awesome car wash next door too, so that's sort of a routine.

 

[anodyne33]

I change it in my Jeeps, using the oil and filter (Wolf's Head, Wix) I want, but my Mazda is a pain in my *** so it goes to the dealer.

 

[Jack90210]

Change my own.

Never "rinsed" wtf my engines with anything other than oil, or ran the engine on only 1 quart wtf under the guise of cleaning it. Never had an engine oil problem unless the car was purchased with one.

It's all good if it makes you feel better, but I'd never buy a car from anyone who said that they followed either of the above practices. Just my opinion.

And after many years of changing my oil outside, I feel very fortunate to have a place where I can do the job indoors.

 

[ratdoggy]

I'll change my oil when I have time or I can be comfortable doing it. Otherwise it's the dealer or the local repair shop.
Good story..... Once I took my car in to get an oil change ( it was February and I just didn't want to lay on a wet garage floor and do it) and the wife gave me some garbage saying I have the filters and the oil, why didn't I do it. That night she wanted me to pick up a pizza and I gave her the reasons as to why I wasn't going to pick up a pizza. I told her you have flour, sauce and cheese in the house so make it from scratch......Needless to say she didn't break my balls about getting an oil change done at a shop again.
PS I did pick up the pizza. Because I know what's good for me

 

[boiler7904]

Time, Money, and Quality of Work are all in my favor when I change it myself.

Time - Nearest quicklube place I'd trust is a 10-15 minute drive each way - more with traffic and you usually have to wait behind at least 1 car, usually 2 or more. I can do it myself on both vehicles in my garage without screwing around with a jack & stands or ramps.

Money - 6 qts of Mobil 1 from Walmart and a Napa Gold / Wix filter from Fleetfilter.com comes to about $34 for my truck every 5000 miles. Local quicklube place wants $59+tax for Valvoline Semi-Synthetic and their standard filter. I'm ok with saving $25 every 6 weeks for a half hour of my time. Similar savings when I change oil in the wife's Escape every 3 months or so.

Quality of Work - I torque the plug to manufacturer specs. Filters aren't installed by an 800 pound gorilla. Tire pressures are checked with a gauge instead of just filling them and eyeballing it. Oil from the catch tray under the filter is wiped up so I don't have an oil slick in my driveway. Basically, The little stuff that doesn't take any extra time but ensures it's done right.


Oil disposal isn't a problem for me. Our county sponsors a household hazardous waste collection every couple of weeks from early April through mid October at various places near my house or the inlaws' so it's not hard to drop off while out doing other errands. We also have a local towing/body shop / wrecking yard that collects used oil to heat their shop during the winter. Did the whole drop off at Advanced Auto routine once. They wouldn't take the container I brought it in - only the oil so I still had to deal with getting rid of the empty bottles. It's easier to hold on to a couple of gallons than deal with that hassle.

 

[what have i done]

As I type the oil is draining from 3 of my vehicles. Ramcharger is my favorite to change, no ramps needed. When those are done I will change the oil on the motorcycles.

 

[scottm]

If you are going to keep a car for more than a couple years you should do the maintenance yourself. If you do it yourself you notice things that could become problems later on and can keep an eye on things like how much grease your cv axles are slinging, if your tie rods have any play, any rust starting, etc.

If you let someone else do it you have to trust them, and you know you can't really trust them. They will tell you something so they can cross-sell way before it really needs replaced, and they will fail to mention important things if they can't offer to fix it for you. Here are a couple examples - I have a Blazer that has grease fittings you can't get to without dropping the front skidplate. When I was working full time and going to college full time I had the oil changed a couple times just for time reasons, and they never greased those fittings. Also, my wife brought home the receipt from having her Rodeo changed and they tried to sell her new front cv shaft boots, and told her they were throwing grease all over the place. Being RWD and not a 4x4, it didn't have front shafts.

 

[Falcon67]

IMO anyone who takes their vehicle in for an oil change should be BANNED from garage journal. This is the primal, basic bond between man and machine; it is the first thing your dad teaches you as a kid, a very visceral experience.

I can be building a race transmission while my buds at the dealer are changing the oil. Sorry, not technically challenging and its a PAIN IN THE ***. $30 and I go get it after lunch. Big deal. As I said, there is no place to recycle the oil or the filters within 20 miles, so there's another PAIN IN THE *** when all that oil and the dirty filters accumulate in/around the shop and you have to take 2 hours out of a fine Saturday morning to go to the recycling station in another city.

I have a 500 HP race car that I've been driving and working to keep in one (or few) piece for 36 years get's my primal bond going. Cleaning up oil spilled all over the driveway because the packaging engineers at Ford put a !@#$%# crossmember under the oil filter making it a guaranteed mess to pull it does not.

 

[Improved700]

I also change my own oil in my diesel, and in my 2000 Toyota Corolla. Wife take's her 2009 Saturn Outlook to the dealership, where they change oil, filter, top fluids, vacuum, and wash for 20.00. Cant beat that. Friend of mine burns waste oil in his shop heater, so I get rid of it there.

 

[sberry]

Our Ford dealer does a good job, something like 26$, wash car, check fluids/filters, tires, etc. My Dad has one done there. We do the rest because of time/convenience, usually when they are up for something else or its really time but I have oil dump, hoist etc. My secretary pays 30k for a truck and worries about saving 2$ doing her own, takes her half a day. Especially in winter, waste of time. Goes into a panic when the odometer rolls over 3k, breaks out in a sweat.
The one qt flush is a new one on me too, pretty much mental ************ there and has nothing to do with engine life. Most people that panic about oil do so because thats about all they know about cars, leaves them with a warm fuzzy feeling I guesss.
So much more, air filter, heading off brake and wheel problems, looking for exhaust hanger issues, clogged vents in rear ends, shock mounts, mud in wheels, a big one is tire pressure and grease to steering parts.

 

[denis4x4]

IMO anyone who takes their vehicle in for an oil change should be BANNED from garage journal. This is the primal, basic bond between man and machine; it is the first thing your dad teaches you as a kid, a very visceral experience.

In spite of the fact that I have made what I consider important contributions to the Garage Journal over the years, this will be my last post as I have committed the cardinal sin of having a competent new car dealership change the oil in my late model vehicles. Forget the fact that I have a BYB and change the oil in three hot rods, three classic cars, two outboards, a Porsche C-4, a Koboda tractor and half a dozen small engines necessary to maintain a medium size estate.

Adios!

 

[sberry]

Every service, wheels off, tires rotated, check for sticking calipers, pads, wheels off on drum brakes, make sure whl cyls are working, not leaking and adjustments and hardware are good, clean ridge off drums with grinder/sander so the come off easy next time and can adjust before they go back on. Really takes only a few mins a wheel, amazed at how many times I find issues from one time to next. Found leaking whl cyl the other day on one and stuck on another one. I do live in a rugged environment so probably face these issues more than those in the suburbs.
As a side note, some road const going on and had a detour that took backroads, my mechanic Bud in town says he see people he has never seen before, didnt take but a few miles of that and brake lines, shock stuff, etc, things that never show up when people dont get off hiway.

 

[Heavy Metal Doctor]

If people don't do this or similar they are leaving old oil in to contaminate the new. My last car (Honda accord...which could have something to do with it) has over 400,000 miles on it and doesn't burn any oil and purrs like the day i got it. I've been doing this method of oil change for 30 plus years. I wouldn't go to a dealership if it were free!

Never heard of that method before. I'll admit I think it's excessive.
You don't think the filter takes out enough contaminants?
I've heard of theories of changing the filters more often and the oil less, but I never tried anything different. I just follow the MFR direction for most service intervals / procedures.
I ran a 90Nissan 2.4L out to around 450K on just the standard 3k mi oil change using Napa filters and oil for the 10 years I had the car. I didn't even have to watch the milage very closely as the sound of the engine would change pitch slightly at 3K like clockwork - change oil and it was back to normal.

I do agree that I don't go to the dealer even when though I had free oil changes. I let them do the first one on my new car thinking it would be great to factory filter and good oil. Scheduling the car in to them was enough of a PITA and then I found out they use no-name brand filters and Quaker State oil, so that will never happen again!
Buying supplies though the shop a filter and 4 qts cost me about 15 bucks and I can do it at my schedule, not someones elses.

As for the basic need of DIY'ing it - Ive even been teaching my teenage daughters to do thier own oil changes and give the car a once over while they're at it - they don't need to pay anyone or have me do it / I won't be around to help them forvever and I don't want to see them get thier wallet cleaned out by some guy who thinks girls don't know cars.

 

[Ign]

Of course it's impossible to argue with the fact that the engines still operate correctly after all they have been through, but he would be surprised to find that his machinery would be in just about the same shape without all the bother he goes through.

I have stated numerous times on engine oil related threads that it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to wear out a modern automobile engine as long as the crankcase is kept full of oil regardless of its age or quality (unless you drive a Chrysler)

I have to agree w much of this. I used to get off on synthetic this, brand-name that etc etc. Then I started looking at what fleets do - house brand coolant (like Flag at Checker), no-name filters, "cheap" oil in bulk and they still get incredible mileage from a motor, esp if you look at something like UPS.

Granted, theoretically maintenance is done regularly w a fleet. I've also started changing my oil anywhere between 5k and 10k miles, whatever is convenient for me.

For every guy who says he changes his oil every 3k and he's now got 400k on the motor, you'll find another guy who says he changed his oil every 10k and still has 400k on his motor.

Whatever you do, please recycle your used oil! It takes a lot of crude to make one refined quart, but it takes very little used oil to "re-make" a new fresh quart.

Or give it to someone w a heater. I had to laugh at the guy in WI who says he can't find anywhere to recycle his oil; I thought waste oil heaters were very common around the Great Lakes??

 

[DavidTK]

I change the oil in my cars as well as doing the other maintenance, except when I've owned cars under warranty that include maintenance. I bought a new Audi a while back, and they include 3 years maintenance. For that car, I always took it to the dealer because the maintenance was 'free' (okay, I'm sure it's built into the price of the car). Also, I was mildly concerned that I would have warranty issues if I didn't have paperwork showing proper maintenance.

Another bonus with my Audi dealership's maintenance program: nice loaner cars. I've had Audi A6, TT, and Porsche Boxster loaners with them. I quickly learned to always drop the car off on Friday afternoon for service so that it wouldn't be ready until Monday. That way I get the loaner car for the weekend

 

[denis4x4]

Kings X, one more post!

Am I the only one on this website that deals with competent, honest new car dealership service techs? Every one posting here, including me, can give a horror story on the subject of dealership service. On the other hand, there is something to be said for dealer loyalty in both directions. And no, I don't work for a dealer.

Another way I avoid wait times when I can't get a loaner is to use a tow bar on my roadster and pull it to the dealership and drive it home, I swap cars until the last one is done and I drive the roadster to the dealership and tow it home with the last car serviced. Kind of like the olden days when a Harley trike was driven the customer's house, attached to the car to be serviced and off he went!

 

[xcgates]

Denis, my parents used to have 3 cars, and we (I) would do something similar. Frequently it started by me driving minivan (later a station wagon) with a bicycle in the back so I could get back from the shop.

 

[W_KY]

I would do mine myself but in my current rental house (renting for 1st year until make sure what part of town we want to live in) my truck won't even fit in the garage and the driveway has a pretty good angle to it. That being said, I don't take it to a "quickie lube" but rather a decent size mom and pop place. May not make a difference but makes me feel better. I'm new to the area so went off recommendations/they have been in business for 50 years so hopefully doing something right. My FIL is also a mechanic with a full shop so when one of the vehicles make the trip home (Christmas, etc) we put it up on the rack and give it a good looking over.

As I said, my FIL is a mechanic for a living with his own shop. He is extremely thorough when servicing his customers' cars. He even does free pickup/delivery of your vehicles within a certain area. Of course he is in a small town which makes that possible.

 

[mpraddict]

In the 25 years I've been driving, no one else has done oil changes on my cars but me....I'm picky about my vehicles and the less someone else (with greasy hands) touches it the better....

 

[BirdRacer]

I still want to know what the open end/box thing is all about.

I assume he was talking about slipping the box end over the open end of the other wrench for more leverage.

 

[meissen]

The local dealership by me charges $15 for a quick 15 minute oil change. I've taken my daily drivers there a few times - it's just convenient.

I'll admit - I even took my Camaro to an Uncle Ed's Oil Change shop once. Mobil 1 oil change cost me $110. I was due for an oil change but I had just moved into my new house and didn't have ramps or a jack yet so I went to the Uncle Eds because it was convenient.

I'm surprised no one mentions how dealerships reuse used motor oil - that's why I'll never take my cars to anyone else anymore and do it myself now that I have the garage set up at my house.

 

[transplant_wi]

I do my own, but for the Civic is a PITA to get at the filter, requiring jack and stands to access from below, or driver side wheel off and contortions with long skinny arms.

So...are Fram filters baaad? I like the non-slip grips they have, and it's what Farm and Fleet carries. What do you recommend instead for the budget-concious DIY-er?

I am also curious about the wrench thing - I use my GearWrench, but never torque it hard; the prior owner appears to have used an oil change shop and they stripped the original plug threads, so I now have an oversize plug.

Definitely good to get under the car and take a good look for other problems, so I would never use a lube shop for that reason alone.

 

[Dewaynep]

Hmmm. I'm on the other side of the equation. I own a shop and change oil and filters for my customers. The $19.95 oil change is done with the cheapest oil and filter they can buy. Oil right now, for the cheapest, is about $1.67/quart in bulk. The cheapest oil filter you can buy is under $2. Most vehicles don't have grease fittings anymore so there's no labor in the "lube" portion of the service. The lowest cost lof service usually doesn't include much else, maybe they'll fill your windsheild washer fluid. Just for clarification, I don't have a $19.95 lof service. My lof is $26.95 and includes 5 quarts of Semi-Synthetic EcoPower oil (re-refined oil, look it up before commenting please), a NAPA gold (or silver) filter, Lube hinges, fill windsheild washer, check brake fluid for moisture, power steering fluid, AF freeze point, tire pressure, visual of brake lines, etc...
I take offense to the posts talking about how all lof places do nothing but strip drain plugs, gorilla torque oil filters in place, try to upsell you and generally mess up every car they service. Not all places do that. My customers are very happy with the service I provide. Not only that but they know that I properly recycle my used oil and oil filters. I don't just dump the oil out back and throw the filters in the trash. I'm not defending all of the shops out there, I just want it made clear that we are not all like that. I'm not a quicky lube place either, you have to make an appointment and I will service your vehicle while you wait.

 

[A1an]

I did my own oil changes on my Mazda but opted to go the dealership route on the last one since we were in the middle of a move. Only $20 to change the oil and top off all the fluids. Not a bad deal.

We gladly pay the dealership $50-70 for a full synthetic oil change on my wife's 5-cylinder Rabbit. Oil changes on that motor are not exactly user friendly. But once it hits 100k and is out of extended warranty I will probably start doing them myself.

 

[anodyne33]

So...are Fram filters baaad? I like the non-slip grips they have, and it's what Farm and Fleet carries. What do you recommend instead for the budget-concious DIY-er?

Yes and Wix.

 

[SuperSocket]

I take my car in to an oil shop, there are two shops near me and the guys are super honest and will even lay down clean cloth to protect my car body when changing the oil. They will also service my boat, which few oil shops would.

It's cheaper, easier, and I don't have to mess with the mess of the oil to get rid of it. If I could toss it in the trash then I'd just do it at home, but to go out and recycle the junk, I might just as well take the car for an oil change.

The two shops I use are so fast, you wouldn't even have enough time to jack your car and secure it, let alone get the creeper under it.