DIY oil change VS. dealership

[fflintstone]

Are any of you serious when you say you put kerosene and diesel in your crankcases?

YES! Diesel is the same as fuel oil (home heating) it does have a lubricative property. I run my Sthil chainsaw its entire life at a 50:1 mix. If you have roughly a quart of oil in the filter and throughout the engine and you add a gallon of diesel (fuel oil) you have a 4:1 ratio. If an engine cant run for one minute at a 4:1 ratio of what is essentially a really low viscosity oil, then the engine has problems already. As I said I only do that on a used vehicle I buy or when a vehicle I purchased reaches 70k or more. When I bought my wrangler w/71k on the odo, the diesel mix came out black. The cheap oil came out dark 500 miles later. On my vehicles it comes out honey colored.
I am sure that Rislone is nothing more the a diesel derivative with extra detergent additives

I would never use kerosene though. Kerosene on the other hand is too flammable and has much less lubricity to it. It does however have microscopic paraffin wax like particles in it. Old timers used to rub raw metal with it as a rust inhibiter.

Everybody has his or her theories on properties of the internal combustion engine.
I like additives with molybdenum disulfide and or Teflon. Weather they actually embed themselves in the pours of the bearing surfaces is questionable, but I like the concept.

 

[OneTon]

As with Risoline and other treatments, you're supposed to add them to the existing oil, not run your motor on the treatment itself. I've heard of the diesel/kerosene trick before, but always as an additive for flushing, not as a replacement for motor oil while flushing.

As to your chainsaw, don't 2-stroke motors have a seperate crankcase oil supply? The mixture in the fuel only lubricates the cylinder walls, no?

 

[sberry]

As to your chainsaw, don't 2-stroke motors have a separate crankcase oil supply? The mixture in the fuel only lubricates the cylinder walls, no?

No, no oil in the crankcase, the mix lubes the whole engine, bearings and all.
As for flushing the oil with diesel I am in agreement about that being a good way to spin a bearing. Modern engines do not need a flush, if they do something is wrong with it. I can remember way back in the day sludge, etc in engines on tear down, not so today, very clean. Higher temps, fuel injection, far superior ignition and good PCV on top of oil that is way better than it ever was make it a pretty much moot issue, isn't a model T.

 

[NovaRacR]

Change the oil on all of my vehicles also......

I worked @ a ____y Lube in High School, ever since I don't trust any of those places like that to do anything but an inspection.

If you have a good one you can go to and you trust them, more power to you, costs - wise, I don't think you save any $$ by doing it yourself.

I pay Safety Kleen $25 to pump out 2 - 55 gallon barrels once a year.

WB

 

[Rickstir]

I just bought a Subaru Outback. I will get $10 oil change and filter plus lube for life. My oil changing days are over. Dealer is 4 miles from work with free ride to and from.

 

[sberry]

Can any of you say with certainty that you don't contaminate your oil with old oil?

You really think a couple teasoons of oil is going to contaminate the new?

 

[sberry]

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'm actually running an experiment of my own... 2000 GMC Sierra, worked everyday for the past 10 years, 202,000 miles. Nearly every oil change has been done by a quicky lube joint, usually hundreds of miles past the oil life indicator coming on, and with my type of driving, the indicator comes on at about 5000 miles or so. In short, everything that would cause most car freaks to puke in their cornflakes. So far, so good, NO oil consumption, NO leaks, No smoke, NO lifter noise, NO rapping and the engine idles at EXACTLY the same oil pressure as the day it came from the factory. It also has the same coolant, transmission and brake fluid, starter, water pump, heater, hoses, radiator, head gaskets, intake manifold gaskets, AC charge, shocks, exhaust system, and it has never been on a front end machine. The alternator went at 200,000 so it got one of those and its first new serpentine belt (OK, I know I'm a maintenance fanatic) And those quickie lube idiots have managed to put enough grease into the front suspension so that I'm also running the original ball joints and tie rod ends.

Sorry to hijack the thread but that post sort of got to me. I think sometimes folks lose sight of the fact that the best thing we can do with our cars and trucks is to use them so that most of the systems in them are pretty much worn out at the same time and we get the most use out of them for the least amount of time and money spent on them.

That is pretty well thought out, like I tell the secretary, change the oil every 5k or even 10k and at 250K the engine would last about 5 more miles if she changed it every 3 or even every week. I remember way back in the day, even before fuel inj Penzoil hired some independent outfit to do tear downs, 3k oil changes and 7500, couldn't tell which was which.

 

[gabeancounter]

No no - as in they REUSE used motor oil. Take used motor oil, stick it through a filter, and then put it in the next customer's car. Sorry - reading your reply made me realize the "recycling" part wasn't worded correctly.

They filter it to use in the shop heaters. That is how most dealerships heat the work bays. Never heard of any shop putting it in a car.

 

[Drdaves49]

I guess I'm one of those people that can't stand having someone else touch my stuff. Changing oil on the Jag is easy, two gallons of Castrol 20/50 and a filter every 3k. I used to change it every 30 days. I should own stock in Castrol. Like someone else said changing the filter on a civic is a pain in the **** (wifes car) but I still do it.
Geez, I don't like it when I have to have it aligned. Alignments and tires are the only things I'll let someone else do......at least for the time being....LOL

 

[csp]

No no - as in they REUSE used motor oil. Take used motor oil, stick it through a filter, and then put it in the next customer's car. Sorry - reading your reply made me realize the "recycling" part wasn't worded correctly.

Got any solid proof of this?

To do so without disclosing to the customer would be illegal and put them at risk for lots of trouble.

 

[Aberdale]

I've never heard of anyone doing this, but because I know no one will come close to what I do...I always do my own.

I drain my oil, put plug in and pour a qt new oil. start engine and run for a minute or less. stop and let it settle down into pan mostly and drain again..repeat probably about 4 times maybe 5 until oil draining out looks 100% new. Then change filter and top off. Everyone else pretty much has dark dirty oil right away or very soon. My oil looks, smells and feels new for ages.

I can certainly understand your concern, and based on your personal statistics, it must work for you. I, on the other hand, buy the cheapest dino oil I can find that meets the vehicle's requirements in the owners manual. I drain, replace the filter, and fill with new oil. Every 10,000 miles, whether it needs it or not . . .

I've been getting over 200,000 per vehicle with this method, and they're still running strong when I get rid of them.

When I first started driving, I used to buy cheap oil because I couldn't afford any better. Then, as time went on, I became increasingly paranoid about using the best oil I could find as I got newer, nicer, more expensive cars. Eventually I was using Mobil1 synthetic in everything. I had the peace of mind I was putting the best in my cars, and I wouldn't experience any oil related failures. Then I thought about it for a while, and realized I never had any oil related failures ever, even when I was buying cheap oil. I decided I was overpaying for no reason. So I went back to using cheap(er) dino oil and pocket the difference. I just make sure the oil I use meets the manufacturer's specs for weight, classification, and service duty.

I still do my own oil changes though. I worked at a Goodyear dealership after high school, and got to see some real dimwits first hand. One guy was trying to refill the engine through the dipstick tube because he couldn't find the oil cap. I'm afraid he might only be the tip of the iceberg . . .

 

[thesilverone]

daily driver gets pennzoil or valvoline synthetic (whatever is on sale at the time) and ac delco filter. camaro and vette get amsoil european formula synthetic 5w-40.

 

[CarCrafter]

In the auto / light truck world, a typical LOF is considered a loss leader. In other words, the shop is not only NOT making any money off of you, they are likely losing some. By the time you account for the cost in oil & filter & staff, they are well behind. The point of the loss leader is simply to draw you in so we can get our grubby little hands on your vehicle to sell you magic potions and flush all the money out of your wallets.

I can certainly understand some of your lack of trust due to incompetent hands working on your vehicles. I've seen kids double gasket, strip out the oil pan or simply finger tight the drain plugs. If the shop isn't charging you enough money to put in good quality oil & filter and perform the work properly, why bother doing business with them in the first place? They are only going to try and upsell you everything under the sun. I wonder how many bogus oil pans have been upsold as leaking or brakes when they aren't even half worn. Oh nevermind, that never happens. Oil change special anyone??

 

[roboref]

I do my truck and corvette, but don't touch my MB since it is still under warranty adn have to be able to prove service.

My friend doesn't trust any one else on his vehicles as he is a very competent mechanic himself. The first time he took a BMW in for there free maintence (oil change etc.) went home to check the work found, that the oil filter still had road grime etc on it, went back to deallership and asked if they had changed the filter, whcih was positive yes, then he went and ahd the service manager go put it on the lift, low and behold old filter still there. The manager was red-faced and couldn't explain how the old filter was still on there.

I also had the experience of needing a quick change for a trip and had a coupon, after the "quik-lube" place finished it went on my trip, 6 months later went to change the oil and ended up having to drive a screwdriver thru the filter to be able to spin it off. They had obviously not put any oil on the gasket and then way overtightened it. So I much prefer to do my own so I don;t have a repeat of that experience.

 

[MrMark]

BMW uses the same style cartridge that Mercedes does so I don't see how anyone could see from visual inspection whether the cartridge had been changed. Maybe way back when BMW had a spin on.

The cartridge system is a thing of beauty, imo, and makes changing oil very clean and pleasurable. It is not, however, for anyone short of the dealer as it is simply too complicated with the o-rings for a quicky place. You need the proper Mann filter too, which a quicky place will likely not have. You also need the proper German tool to take the cartridge out and a torque wrench to put it back.

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

we do passenger cars for 29.95
but I won't let you out of my bay without at least an hour's worth of upsell

we have lube for life , free oil change for life , for you agreeing to having us do maintenance
we have been voiding contracts of free loaders

 

[jay50]

I just bought a Subaru Outback. I will get $10 oil change and filter plus lube for life. My oil changing days are over. Dealer is 4 miles from work with free ride to and from.

yeah, just wait until they start upselling you with flushes and flushing your wallet into their cash drawer....

 

[scott37300]

I really didn't expect this much discussion when I started this thread but it sure is some good reading!

I have decided to start doing all oil changes for my vehicles as well as the families. I went out today and bought a set of 12000 blitz rhino ramps today, made in the USA, 50 bucks at oreilly's. These things are WAY nicer than my old red metal ramps that would slide when you tried to drive up on them.

I also am going to place an order for some wix filters to keep on hand. I have ordered some air and fuel filters from them before for my diesel but forgot all about them for oil filters for the cars.

Does anyone know if there as a PDF or something I can download online and print out to keep in the garage? Or even a book like they have at walmart if they aren't to expensive? I would like to order 2-3 filters for each car I will be changing, 6 of them as of now so will be around 15-20 filters of different kinds. I guess I could mark them all when I get them but it would be nice to just grab a book or print out and look up the car so I don't have to go to the computer to look them up each time.

I am just going to start looking for oil on sale and stock up.

How come the oil sales don't ever end up in the "good deals" thread?

 

[jeepurzz]

My reasoning is the oil.

I like putting full synthetic in everything I own. My wife's GTI is particularly picky on that VW 502.00 stuff. Castrol full synth for Euro seems to be the only stuff it likes. Whenever i've taken it in for a top notch, full synth oil change, it never feels right.

The full thing costs me 60 when I take it in.

If i DIY and wait for a coupon, I can usually get all the material for $35.

 

[StinkyBunny]

. Modern engines do not need a flush, if they do something is wrong with it. I can remember way back in the day sludge, etc in engines on tear down, not so today, very clean.

VW's 1.8T motor is NOTORIOUS for sludging up, the early ones were so bad that a tech friend of mine said he's seen them so bad they'll only hold 2 quarts of oil and have cuts in the sludge where the crank goes.

Having said that, I change my own. We do group buys on Schaeffer oil and it comes out to about $15 for a TDI oil change every 12,000 miles.

 

[wfochris]

I'd guess due to the heat from the turbo, or improper draining from the cyl head back down thru the engine?

Anyways, I haven't read all posts, but I'm surprised anyone on GJ pays someone else to change their own oil

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

toyotas sludge up
there is no reason for oil coolers on most of those cars in new england , it doesn't get that warm

 

[Rat407]

I change the oil in all four of our vehicles, as well as my sisters, my parents and my father-in-laws. I even change the oil in our Mayors two vehicles. I keep a 6 gallon bucket on hand to dump in and drain the oil filters for 24hrs, then take them to the local Wal-Mart. They take both the oil and filters.

Call me crazy but I enjoy changing oil. Our vehicles get 100% PAO synthetic oil. Basically oil is my hobby so to speak.

 

[scbird94]

scbird94: my deepest apoligies, I included the wrong user name by mistake and have now corrected it this morning, sorry again!

No prob!!!

 

[mustangmccance]

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.

with my job I don't get a lot of time to work on my cars and do the things I want in my garage. I have to prioritize. Many people on here do there own oil changes, that is fine for them. but what the people who feel that we should be banned or whatnot fail to realize is that garage journal has people from all walks of life. there are people who's living is made working on cars. there are people who work in offices all day. there are people like me who because of our jobs have extremely limited time when we can get dirty and have fun. changing oil is a simple task that takes time that I would rather spend doing other things. so I have my oil changed at a professional oil change place. I do watch for problems and check there work but I do not feel the need to do the work. I enjoy my cars and my garage is my main escape from work, so as I said I prioritize my time.
__________________

 

[foss]

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!

I hope you're kidding?

 

[denis4x4]

I hope you're kidding?

My tongue was in my cheek when I wrote that!

 

[nate379]

Takes me maybe 30 mins to change oil and rotate the tires. If I drop to a shop and waited for them to do it, would take longer.

I use synthetic for its extended service intervals, not because it adds substantial life to my engine. It doesn't. The additives package lasts a bit longer.

I learned long ago that my time is more valuable than a couple bucks, plus rolling under a 7400# truck, disposing of 7 quarts of oil, etc. I'd never have the dealership change my oil - you're right, they often don't care. The kids at our dealership bent 4 pushrods on my <4000-mile LS1 when I took it in. The shop which does my auto work lets me bring in my oil in the back (Amsoil + Hastings filter, not that it matters - Rotella is just about as good and 1/4th the price) and for under fifteen bucks I'm on my way. Grease points done as well!

Some people get enjoyment out of doing their own - sorry, I don't. While you may when it's over at a job well done, I'm 'ing the whole time

 

[taylorguitar]

You really think a couple teasoons of oil is going to contaminate the new?

I can't prove that it will. you can't prove that it won't. who would we rather follow if we don't know who is really right if our engines are concerned? i thought so...

 

[scott37300]

I can't prove that it will. you can't prove that it won't. who would we rather follow if we don't know who is really right if our engines are concerned? i thought so...

I would much rather worry about a teaspoon of oil oil vs. running an engine with way to little oil in it.

 

[hguerrero]

dealership charges me 19 bucks for an oil change. it costs me 18 bucks to do it myself....

i don't have to go to the store to buy supplies, i don't have to pull out the jack and jack stands, i don't have to get rid of old oil or clean up spills...

instead i enjoy a cup of starbucks, eat a donut and read a couple of automotive magazines....usually takes them 45 minutes...

my car's at 299 thousand miles....bought it new...

 

[wafrederick]

I have seen a burned up rear end in a Dodge Durango,dealership never checked the fluid level in the rear end during an oil change and did not have much gear lube in the rear end.Cooked the ring and pinion including the carrier bearings.I did an oil change on a Suburban owned by another used car dealer,the transfer case and both differantals were low.I did add and I always check fluid levels during an oil change.Owner of this suburban was not too happy,had it done at a Chevrolet garage.If you want the old oil filter complete drained,drive a center punch through it with a hammer after removing.I do this and completely drains the old oil filter causing no mess.

 

[strnge]

Here in california an oil change is over $100 I change my own oil! Costs me about $20 to do it myself.

 

[Underdog]

yeah, just wait until they start upselling you with flushes and flushing your wallet into their cash drawer....

Took my car to a quick lube, super lube place once. It brought back nightmare memory's of a time long ago I signed up for a Time Share Junket.
Both experiences the same, the fear of never being able to Leave until I bought something.

 

[MrMark]

Here in california an oil change is over $100 I change my own oil! Costs me about $20 to do it myself.

Really?

What do you have that is so expensive?

Mercedes dealer will actually do a change for me cheaper than I can buy the 8 quarts of Mobil 1 OW 40 and Mann filter for! But, I wouldn't think of letting him.

 

[glntom]

I can't prove that it will. you can't prove that it won't. who would we rather follow if we don't know who is really right if our engines are concerned? i thought so...

I think I prefer the small amount of old oil over possible bearing damage due to running dry. JMHO

 

[Dragster Racer]

Farm and fleet has their house brand for $1.29/qt when it is on sale. I buy a few cases at at time. Wife's car has 250,000 miles. My van has 190,000 miles. Can't be doing anything too wrong.
And I sure don't worry about a teaspoon of oil left in the engine. I still can't believe people who do highway driving change oil at 3,000 miles. 7,000 miles for me.

 

[MrMark]

does anyone still believe in changing the factory fill out on an accelerated schedule for a new car?

 

[Rat407]

does anyone still believe in changing the factory fill out on an accelerated schedule for a new car?

I have my oil analyzed and I use Dyson Analysis for that service. Terry Dyson has been a for over twenty years. I follow his recommendations since he is the one that see's all kinds of used oil's come in from all kinds of vehicles and machinery. His recommendation is to get the car home and with in the first 100 miles change out the factory oil and filter, then go another 500 miles and then change out the oil, leave the filter, go another 1000 miles and change out the oil and filter, then go to 3000 miles and do another full change. Then from there continue on as you normally would.

The wear metals that follow after this procedure are way lower than if the individual just left the factory fill oil in for the first 3000 miles and followed a normal routine.

Is it necissary, probably not, but I'm one that keeps a vehicle a long time and like the idea of the engine being clean inside. Plus I have no life and enjoy taking care of my rides.

 

[MrMark]

Very interesting! Man, I was thinking of changing the factory fill at 2,000 miles and thinking I was committing overkill!@ I usually like to do 5 or 6K changes on regular oil and 7-8 on synthetic with the benz. I better go change that oil out tomorrow!