Changing your own oil. Savings?

[lilredex]

My problem is, I have no idea what I am looking at under my car. Changing the oil and checking fluid levels is one thing but past that? I have no real idea.

I suppose its time I learn more but I really am not mechanically inclined.

In 1999, a friend gave us a cast off computer from their office. At that time I didn't know a mouse from a mouse hole, and had to learn every operational procedure from scratch. I was annoyed that I could not recognize anything, looking under the hood of that thing.

After a couple of years of bothering people with questions, I signed up for a computer maintenance night school course.

Now, with a few more years experience, I am comfortable correcting faults, re-formatting the HD, etc. and don't have to rely on outside help anymore.

The whole point is....if there is a will, there is a way.

 

[Hpozzuoli]

I only change the oil in the Vette. For my daily drivers it's not even close to worth the hassle of doing it myself. I take the old oil out, put new oil in, then pour old oil back into the empty bottles. It's a pita and I hate it.

 

[alinc100]

I did not read all the replies but I change the oil in my truck myself whenever possible.I have had good luck with watching the sales at Advance Auto and average less that $18 for a full synthetic oil and (usually ) a premium filter like K&N. They have deals/rebates/free filter options and I will stock up on the deals up to rebate/promo limits.
Now my wife's car is another story,this is her first new car that she has been exclusively responsible for buying/making the payments on so she insists on dealer oil changes. If I was to change the oil in her car and a week later she got a flat tire it would somehow be my fault so it is best for both of us that I don't look under the hood.

 

[skcj213]

I take my used oil back to AutoZone, which is where I typically buy my oil change supplies. I drain the used oil into the empty oil bottle(s). It only takes a minute to drop it off at AutoZone. No used oil to store, not a hassle to get rid of.

Anti-freeze is a different story. I just got rid of a few gallons that have been sitting around my garage for months this past week end. Typically have towait for a hazardous chemical collection day, which happend thia past weekend.

 

[Paul1956]

I used to change my own oil.

My current vehicle advises me of when an oil change is due.

So far, this results in a yearly oil change... so I take it in and
have them give it the once over.

I have a 7 year / 75,000 mile warranty. If something happens
to the engine I don't want to give them the opportunity to point
the finger at me... so off to the dealer I go once yearly.

 

[CJM8515]

After reading the responses on here, I am definitely going to start waiting longer to get my oil changed.

Call it however you want, but working on fleet vehicles we change it every 5k using only mobil 1. We currently put on well over 50k each a year and the trucks dont burn oil all to much, changing oil often is key to longevity.

On another note the new cars say you can change every 6-10k, well the idiot owners forget and then wonder why the engine blows. Friend of mine works for a large honda dealer and he sees it all the time, his own vehicles get oil changes every 3k...

 

[djgcue]

What about your time? How much is THAT worth?

It takes me about 45 minutes to change my own oil (from start to clean up, I like to let me oil drip until it stops dripping) vs. driving to the service shop and waiting for them to change my oil which could take 1-2 hours depending upon how long I have to wait.

I probably spend about $35 on my oil change (K&N filter, Mobile 1 full synthetic). Although, I don't mind saving money, I do my own oil changes because to me it's part of my hobby of being a car enthusiast.

 

[48RON54]

It takes me about 45 minutes to change my own oil (from start to clean up, I like to let me oil drip until it stops dripping) vs. driving to the service shop and waiting for them to change my oil which could take 1-2 hours depending upon how long I have to wait.

I probably spend about $35 on my oil change (K&N filter, Mobile 1 full synthetic).

I have to agree with this comment as well.....What my time is worth really depends on a lot of factors.....Am I going to have to sit around a crowded repair shop watching judge judy for 2 hrs and listening to screaming kids just so I don't have to crawl under the car for 30 mins myself? Or are the repair bays completely empty with bored mechanics sitting around waiting for something to work on?

 

[Jay Sco]

Looks like everything I was going to say has already been said, so I'll just repeat.
I change my own oil, I know exactly what's going in, gives me a chance to give everything else a look and keep the undercarriage clean since I try to do most of the work on vehicles myself, I enjoy it, buying everything when there is a sale gives me the chance to save a few bucks, since I'm frequently at the auto parts store anyway it's no trouble to bring the old stuff in (I think my container holds ~15qts, good enough for a couple changes), I can do it at my convinience, etc....
There is really no benefit for me to take it anywhere to have someone else do it.

 

[Makoto]

The other day I took my truck to get the oil changed at a local meineke that had a "19.99" oil change sign out front. The guy asked me "who does your mechanic-ing?" I told him I do. He asked "why don't you change your oil?" "Cause then I'd have to get rid of it".

The guy slides my keys back and says "go on down the road to jiffy lube, we aren't an oil change place".

I was blown away. Nobody I know will ever give them business because of that, never have I seen anyone give such poor customer service.

I do my own oil changes because it saves me time.

 

[Casey69]

i get the walmart super-tech oil for ~$12/5 quarts & the purolator filters for $3, so my oil changes come right in at ~$15 & i can do it in ~20 minutes. i figure taking the car to a shop would cost $30 minimum when you include tax, oil disposal fees, & whatever else they charge, plus at least an hour for the wait. i don't mind doing it either, so i doing it myself saves $15 & a bunch of time.

assuming you have a ratchet & basic socket set, once you buy the drain-pan & filter wrench, doing it yourself will save money & time.

 

[CJM8515]

5k on synthetic is pretty short. Do you ever do a used oil analysis to see how things are doing and how much performance is left in the oil? In a fleet, determining how far you can safely go would be well worth the small cost.

3k is a waste on pretty much any vehicle. Unless your friend at the Honda dealer has a vehicle with strange requirements, I suspect he doesn't know that much about oil. He should do a little more reading.

Oil is cheap, your engine isnt. Which one do you want to buy tomorrow? 3k means 20-25 bucks for me to change my own oil, Id rather spend 25 bucks every few months than spend 2-5k on an engine. Same reasoning can be said for brakes, brakes cost what 50-75 at most per axle? So are oyu gonna downshift a manual like crazy and put wear and tear on the clutch and trans or are you gonna take it out of gear and use the brakes?

The fleet I service and work for puts almost all city driving on work vehicles, talking very hard miles, idling all day long (specially in the winter), trucks are basically never shut off for hours. Were talking diesel tow trucks, gas and diesel service trucks, specialty stuff, etc. Every single one of them trucks is beat hard every day. We just sold a 2500 chevy pick up with close to 300k on it, it burned a quart of oil every few weeks. We live and die by mobil 1 and lucas oil additive. That lucas **** works too, hard a ford truck burning 2 quarts of oil a week (bought it used)-used lucas and a quart a month maybe.

As for my friend, if your interval is 7k and you "forget" and drive for much longer the oil can and will break down in some cases, like I said oil is cheap, your engine isnt....which one you want to buy? Synthetic lasts longer for sure, but it too breaks down just like regular oil.

 

[Jay Sco]

The other day I took my truck to get the oil changed at a local meineke that had a "19.99" oil change sign out front. The guy asked me "who does your mechanic-ing?" I told him I do. He asked "why don't you change your oil?" "Cause then I'd have to get rid of it".

The guy slides my keys back and says "go on down the road to jiffy lube, we aren't an oil change place".

That would rub me just wrong enough to warrant an email to corporate.

 

[Joe69]

I like changing my own oil, because it forces me to get up close and personal with our vehicles. I look at the brakes and suspension while I'm under there. I've found plenty of worn out brakes, and broken sway bar end links while I'm doing it. I just don't trust Jiffy lube to look at my vehicles like I do.


Joe

 

[outdoorspace]

I didn't read all 5 pages so sorry if its already been brought up.

I work for a commercial automotive supplier. We sell the oil and filters to all the local shops. The biggest reason I see to do it yourself is control over the quality of the product. When shops come in they buy cases of the cheapest oil they can get (stuff I wouldn't put in my lawn mower) and get charged about 80 cents a bottle. Then filters we charge 99 cents for and again there plain cheap white filters with pro-filter or something like that written on them. So unless you specifically request a certain oil your getting some pretty cheap stuff put in your vehicle.

 

[skcj213]

As someone pointed out earlier, the oil change is a loss leader. Doing the oil change gives them the opportunity to get your car on the rack and point out all of the things that are wrong and that they would be glad to fix for $$$$$.

The guy realized that since the only reason you brought your car in was because you didn't want to dispose of the oil, that you would likely do any repairs they may point out yourself. Hence, minimal opportunity for an upsell and to recover the loss from the oil change.

That being said, still rotten customer service. I wouldn't go back.

 

[CJM8515]

Gaining knowledge by doing research on the internet is free.

It's your vehicle, so change the oil as often as you want. But anyone with an average vehicle doing 3k oil changes is probably giving themselves a good wallet flushing at the same time.

If you want to keep the same oil in your vehicle for however long thats fine by me, I wont say it again: Oil is cheap and your engine isnt. Theres a reason Im still driving a toyota pick up with 260k and I barely burn ounce of oil every 3k.. Oh even better I have never used synthetic in it either.

 

[jb3]

as some people mentioned earlier, kind of car is a huge deal. if you are daily driving something even remotely old, it does not make sense to have someone else it. personally i drive an 80s benz diesel same as the wife. both have well over 300k on them, and i do synthetic 5w40 at 6k intervals. (i could probably push it to 10k no problem, but im chickenshit and partial slave to tradition)


if i take these cars anywhere, its a minimum 100 dollar charge for a "premium" brand oil change and its too old for the filter to be in stock. you pay more and wait or even drop the car off.

these cars are literally designed from the ground up to be maintained in **** conditions easily. i do it myself and can be done in under 5 minutes. top loaded filter, no reason to lift the car since a catch can slides under it, and boom, i reach under, undo the drain, let it drain out while replacing the filter up top, put new filter in and seal up the plug, fill with oil.

any shop goes on about how difficult it is and yada yada.

new car my opinion is different, might as well take advantage of the free services

 

[Davefr]

When I was a wee lad Mama and Pappy taught me a valuable lesson:

"If you want something done right, do it yourself"

 

[rice rocket]

I buy the M1 Extended Performance for the extra $1 per quart, and run it out to 15k miles.

3k miles if you have a 40 year old Ford, maybe.

 

[48RON54]

as some people mentioned earlier, kind of car is a huge deal. if you are daily driving something even remotely old, it does not make sense to have someone else it. personally i drive an 80s benz diesel same as the wife. both have well over 300k on them, and i do synthetic 5w40 at 6k intervals. (i could probably push it to 10k no problem, but im chickenshit and partial slave to tradition)


if i take these cars anywhere, its a minimum 100 dollar charge for a "premium" brand oil change and its too old for the filter to be in stock. you pay more and wait or even drop the car off.

these cars are literally designed from the ground up to be maintained in **** conditions easily. i do it myself and can be done in under 5 minutes. top loaded filter, no reason to lift the car since a catch can slides under it, and boom, i reach under, undo the drain, let it drain out while replacing the filter up top, put new filter in and seal up the plug, fill with oil.

any shop goes on about how difficult it is and yada yada.

new car my opinion is different, might as well take advantage of the free services

Not to derail the entire topic here, but man I have been really wanting one of those 80s MB diesels. I have been contemplating selling my honda and getting one. But, I spend a lot of time working on that honda, I'm a bit concerned that an 80s MB would be even more of a time ****.

 

[skcj213]

What kind of fuel economy does an old Benz diesel get?

 

[gordo9742000]

Im in the group that would rather spend the money to have someone else do it. I do maintenance on trucks at work I dont want to do it when I get home. Me and the wife work opposite schedules so I only get to see the car on weekends too many other things going on. We put 30,000 miles a year on our 2013 honda pilot. That a few oil changes a year. We just let the dealer do it and they can look it over. If they find anything of any concern thats what the warranty is for.

 

[pop pop]

Quoted even though I already touched on this above - I believe this is worth repeating and repeating. The only people that recommend 3k mile oil changes are oil companies and places like Jiffy Lube. Hmm, I wonder why they want you to change your oil more often?

I cringe every time someone tells me they change their oil every 3k miles. Very very few engines require that short of an interval so you're wasting money and our natural resources. Most people will be fine with 2-3 times that many miles with conventional oil and 3-6 times as many miles with synthetic. Obviously every vehicle is different so you should read your owners manual or better yet, get your oil analyzed.

I keep hearing "get your oil analyzed" from folks so I can double my change interval. If it cost me $25 for an analysis or $25 for a new oil change it doesn't take a brain surgeon to just choose to change the oil and forget what is in it. Maybe I'm missing something.

 

[smschriefer]

I change it myself. It costs me next to nothing for time. Honest. Here is my trick. When I remove the drain plug I get up, dust myself off and do something else for awhile. Then I go back, install the plug, r2 the filter, and then replace the oil. It is called multitasking.

I like changing my oil for the same reason as everyone else. I get better materials at less cost, know it is done correctly, time for visual inspections, and the satisfaction of doing it. Heck, most of the people I know can't even remove a bolt without being told which wrench and lefty loosey. Btw, my daughter (15) changes the oil on her car (student driver) as I won't let her be "automotively challenged".

 

[48RON54]

What kind of fuel economy does an old Benz diesel get?

I'd like to know as well. I've heard estimates as high as 40 MPG, but most people seem to be quite optimistic when it comes to the MPG's they get IMO.

 

[48RON54]

I keep hearing "get your oil analyzed" from folks so I can double my change interval. If it cost me $25 for an analysis or $25 for a new oil change it doesn't take a brain surgeon to just choose to change the oil and forget what is in it. Maybe I'm missing something.

I'm with you. An oil change is cheap. I would have spent that money on fast food or beer anyway. Might as well make sure the car has clean oil in it instead.

 

[pop pop]

2004 Yukon with 120k and a 2002 Bonneville with 240k. What oil and filter should I use?

Results like that? Use what you've been using. It's working for ya.

 

[skcj213]

I'd like to know as well. I've heard estimates as high as 40 MPG, but most people seem to be quite optimistic when it comes to the MPG's they get IMO.

I'd be surprised if they got 40 MPG. Those old MB's were build for luxury and safety, not economy, they're tanks. The customer they were tailored to didn't care care what the fuel costs were.

 

[rice rocket]

W123 300Ds weigh 3500 lbs. That's less "tank" than the current E-class, which are north of 4k lbs.

 

[Colin Len]

I keep hearing "get your oil analyzed" from folks so I can double my change interval. If it cost me $25 for an analysis or $25 for a new oil change it doesn't take a brain surgeon to just choose to change the oil and forget what is in it. Maybe I'm missing something.

You're right in that it doesn't pay for itself in one use, but assuming you keep the car for a good length of time then it's worth it to first determine how long you can go, then later on to determine your engine's health. I look at it as peace of mind.

Anyone with a newish car should probably be using synthetic oil, so this stuff ain't cheap. For most people the oil change itself will be about twice what the analysis costs. So you'll have a $75 oil change instead of a $50 one. But after doing that 2-3 times you'll likely be able to double your oil change interval over what the dealer recommends. So after those 2-3 analyses you've paid $50-$75 more than not doing them. Assuming you double your oil change interval, at $50/oil change it will only take 2 more oil changes to see a ROI. For some people this could take a few years - if you're only driving 8-12k miles per year. But a lot of people drive a lot more than that and, I know I used to drive about 20k/yr so doing ~2 oil changes/yr vs ~4 is great. Of course that ROI assumes you stop doing the analyses after you figure out what your interval is. Personally I've just made this part of my oil change cost since I like the peace of mind of getting some input on what's going on in my engine. My current Subaru has 166k miles on it and normally I'd start to be a little weary if everything was OK and how much longer I could expect the car to last. But since I've done analyses since about 60k miles I'm confident the engine has no internal issues and plan on keeping the car for a long long time.

 

[skcj213]

Thanks for the info rice rocket, I didn't realize that.

 

[Rod N]

I used to change my own oil, then I met this lovely lady and she does it for me now. Savings? Hell no. I don't want to do the math.

Wait. Are we taking about something different? Sorry. Wrong forum

I have 4 vehicles and I'm a guy with a garage. Of course I change my own oil. How else could I explain all the money I spend on the garage and tools?

 

[borgdog]

I change it in my motorcycle, but drop the cars/trucks off at the local Firestone, always have a $19.99 coupon, they top the fluids, air the tires, inspect, free tire rotations, and I take the dog for a walk the mile and a half back home then back to the shop when they call. Simple and easy, and they rarely ever try to upsell me anything. I have used them for other items as well, brakes, alignments, tires and generally been happy with their price and service. I will never use the jiffy/quick lube shops.

 

[finn]

I don't see how oil analysis benefits an individual vehicle owner. Fleets, yes, as they can build a database to compare each unit to the other with similar operation duty cycles to track or detect anomalies in a particular unit.

As to using oil analysis to extend drains, remember that the oil is only part of the system. The filter gradually gathers contaminants and increases efficiency as it plugs with use and filter restriction increases to the point that the bypass opens and you have no filtration.

I think personal use oil analysis is a "feel good" exercise. If it is of interest to you, do it, but don't try to rationalize that it is a wise use of discretionary income.

At to the questions about MB Diesel fuel economy, the one I had (1981 240D / 4 speed) when I lived in Europe in the early 80s got a best of about 28 mpg, if I remember correctly. It was a good, although slow, car, but sort of a fuel hog compared to modern gas or Diesel vehicles. Lack of an overdrive and primitive indirect injection technology really hurt it as far as fuel economy goes..

 

[woody 73]

Not to rock the boat as they say... But if a person has the MONEY (key word here) to buy a very expensive car; (also note here that everything is expensive on those cars), then that person should not be crying the blues for an expensive oil change.

Honey you want cheap then you buy a cheaper car like the rest of the planet and things will be cheaper to do. It costs me $22.00 dollars at the shop for an oil change or just about that same figure for 4 qts. plus the oil filter for my car.

 

[paranoid56]

i just go in now. 19 bucks for an oil change its not worth my time. i drive by and if the bays are empty i drive up, drive right in the bay and am out in 15 mins. this is on my truck, however if i want good oil in my car i do it myself.

 

[finn]

I have 4 vehicles and I'm a guy with a garage. Of course I change my own oil. How else could I explain all the money I spend on the garage and tools?

You forgot: For many on this site the garage is a place to keep their polished and pampered SnapOn collection.

Changing their own oil would get the 13mm socket and $120 ratchet dirty and possibly scratch the chrome so we'd have to track down the dealer to warranty it, and we can't have that, can we?

 

[tdkkart]

I've got a 1200sq/ft shop for working on my stuff, including cars.
I've got $thousands$ ******* in tools to work on my stuff.
I just wrapped up nearly $4000 in a lift to make it easier to work on my stuff.

With the above investments, I'll never SAVE a dime working on my own stuff.

But, I enjoy working my own stuff.

Do I care about the money??

 

[alinc100]

That would rub me just wrong enough to warrant an email to corporate.

My thoughts exactly. Not that I'd want them working on my vehicle knowing I was the bandleader of corporate complaints.