Changing your own oil. Savings?

[LX-Markham]

After all of the stories I hear about oil change facilities stripping or cross-threading the drain plug, not changing the filter, using cheaper oil than requested/charged for, etc, I'm just not interested in letting some random 19yo kid charge me more to do something than I can do it for myself (in the same or less time than it takes to drive to the shop and wait for them to do it and then drive home).

This is the reason i change my own oil.


....and a great excuse to drink beer in the garage.

 

[JimVonBaden]

What about lubrication on the chassis and other recommended spots? Is this not required on newer vehicles?

Most new cars have sealed bearings/bushings. The Jiffy Lube type places act like they are doing more than they are!

 

[Norcal]

I have a '95 Dodge 2500 w/ a 5.9 Cummins, & a '99 F250 w/ a 7.3 , just the oil is expensive, the 3 gallon cases of Chevron Delo at Costco is $35-40 ea depending if on sale or not + filters & it gets expensive, it is a pain for oil & filter disposal but all & all it's cheaper to do myself.

 

[jb3]

the oil change is just a premise to do a periodic inspection. ive caught so many pending issues while in the process of doing an oil change that its a priceless prevantative maintenance practice to do it yourself.

otherwise you get some jackoff kid whining about cracking in 3 ribs of your 5 rib serpentine belt while missing that your lower control arm is about to break due to rust. better to do it yourself and know for sure the condition of your car

 

[38Chevy454]

I always do my own. I believe I save a few bucks and use top quality parts and materials. The main thing is not only do I know it is done properly, but I can also check the underside of the vehicle over. See if any leaks, damage, corrosion, or whatever. I can do it quicker than driving to some lube place and then waiting, all while they upsell BS and I am bored waiting. No thanks, I will do it myself, plus keep the savings for me.

 

[Cruzomatic]

I change my own oil because I know it gets done right and i don't like anyone touching my vehicles if I can prevent it. Not to mention my OCD. haha

 

[PFSard]

Another Chime-In : I'm 61 years old. I always change my own. I know it's done correctly. I buy decent quality materials when there are marked-down sales. I inspect vehicle while draining. I save the drive and wait times in bringing the vehicle to someone else. Usually cheaper.

 

[CJM8515]

Im in the school of I dont want the oil change monkey who has no clue wtf they are really doing crossthreading my drain bolt or leaving the gasket on the filter. I know its changed and done right and I used good oil not cheap junk that comes in drums they use.

I lost track of how much messed up stuff Ive seen just from oil changes done by idiots. I also HATE the upsell on **** you dont need. Reminds me, wearing my work outfit (mechanic) I go to an autzone and they try and sell my injector cleaner and I give the kid behind the counter the thousand yard stare and say "really, Im a mechanic " kid shut up quick lol.

 

[fireeqpsrv]

I used to do my own oil changes but my time was too consumed so I got to where I would drop it off and pick the cars back up from the Dodge lot. But like others have said the waits are ridiculous. I do preventative maintenance on fire trucks. It absolutely kills me that I can change a 60 detroit fluids and filters and pull a pump gear case oil change quicker than the dealer can change the oil in my little dodge caliber. Needless to say once I get my garage straightened out I plan on doing it myself again.

 

[ipp]

My vette cost me $100 to be done at a local place. I can do it for around $42. I think it depends on the car.

 

[Falcon67]

Race cars yes - street cars go to dealer. I don't care what it costs because my time is worth more than the parts.

 

[iibgdi]

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

 

[hchinaski]

If you're only saving $6 and you:
1. Are confident that the minimum wage kid in the pit got the right fluids in your car
2. Are confident hat he tightened the drain plug and filter properly (good luck!)
3. Enjoy getting the hard sell on air filters, cabin filters, "transmission flushes" etc...

Savings add up real quick, however, when you're driving a car that has a large capacity oil pan and/or uses synthetic. I have a BMW 525i that I've been driving for about a decade; it takes just over 7 quarts of synthetic. The BMW dealer wants over $200 to change the oil, the independent shops all want over $100 and the quick change places don't stock the filters. I can get 7 quarts of Mobil 1 on sale at Wallyworld for around $50, Mann or Mahle filters for around $6 a piece, and can do it in 15 minutes.

$56 in materials and 15 minutes time, and I know these things:

1. The right volume and grade of oil is in my crankcase
2. The o-ring on the oil filter housing cap has been replaced
3. The crush washer has been replaced
4. The drain plug as been torqued correctly

Every 30k miles, add another half hour to the 15 minutes and I've drained and filled my transmission and differential with fresh fluid. While the oil is draining I can empty and refill the PS reservoir with fresh ATF. If I'm feeling really feisty, I can blow a whole hour (still less time than I'd spend waiting at the Jiffy up the street), have my oil, ATF, differential oil, PS fluid, coolant, window washer stuff, air filter, cabin filters, wiper blades all replaced.

This is how I've managed to keep a "you can't fix that yourself!" BMW on the road for 200k miles without ever seeing a dealer or indy shop since the warranty was up.

 

[Architorture]

How much is everyone's time worth reading and responding to the savings of changing one's own oil?

 

[hchinaski]

How much is everyone's time worth reading and responding to the savings of changing one's own oil?

Well let's see:

I can do it for $56 in 15 minutes

BMW dealer can do it for $200 in an hour and a half.

I'm ahead on both time and money by doing it myself.

Or, look at it this way:

$200 dealer charge - $56 in materials = $144 for 15 minutes of work.

The time is therefore worth $576 an hour. So waiting at the dealer costs me $864 in my time and $200 for the work. So again, I'm ahead on time and money by doing it myself.

 

[hchinaski]

How much is everyone's time worth reading and responding to the savings of changing one's own oil?

OH - I get it.


This time spent bellyachin' on here is off the books. No charge.

 

[Tucko]

$6 savings is enough for me as long I don't have to listen to the upsell speech.

Ha! you read my mind. I'm tired of the pimply faced boy telling me I need to replace my engine...yada yada yada....

 

[nicksnothereman]

I haven't changed my own oil in years. So, I thought that with my new found interest in becoming more handy, I would start doing this again.

So I went to the store and bought the items that I would need to do it.....I also kind of stocked up so I wouldn't have to go shopping again for a while

$28 Oil pan to drain oil into. (holds 24 quarts)
$3.67 Oil filter wrench

I won't count the above in my totals below and will just count them as things I probably should own anyway.

$38.82 6 oil filters @$6.47 each(3 for mine, 3 for wife's)
$95.82 6 5 qt jugs of oil (3 for mine, 3 for wife's)

$134.64
7% Tax
$144.07 total

Divide $144.07 by 6 oil changes and that is $24.01 per oil change. Doing it myself.

Yes, I could have bought a cheaper oil filter and saved a couple dollars per change. (We have higher mileage vehicles and bought higher mileage filters. Yeah, it's probably a scam.....oh well)

I maybe could have bought cheaper oil too but it was Quaker state and was about middle of the road. There were quite a few that were $10 more per jug so I went with what I thought was a good quality synthetic.



I don't remember the last time I paid less than $25 for an oil change and I believe it is generally over $30 to get it changed now.

I guess I just don't see the benefit of savings $6 per change to do it myself.

Am I missing something here?

I know there are some on here that won't let anyone else touch their car and that's fine. That's not me and not really what this is about. A car serves one purpose to me and that is to get me where I want to go. They are a bad investment for the most part.

I'm looking at the pure economics of the thing.

(I bought the product at Walmart. I'm not sure if I can buy it cheaper elsewhere)

Thoughts?

I do not agree!

The cost for a synthetic oil change is fairly pricey. Dealership or mobil 1 change for my car would be at least 80. Me doing it, is around 40 (ish) if I use mobil 1. I don't use mobil 1. 7 quarts + filter is around 30 bucks but my car takes about 6.25 so typically an oil change is 6 quarts @ around 25 dollars (and using what I got left over from a previous).

I use the supertech walmart synthetic stuff (5 quarts at 18-20) which runs good in my car and degrades slower than mobil 1 in my opinion. I think it was quaker state at one time but I don't think it is now, I can't remember who makes it but it's not a branded mfg.

If you're driving a vette, ferrari, or porsche, sure use mobil 1 but if you let changes slide longer than 3 months could be a bad idea. It starts looking real skeezy (chocolatey) at the 3 month mark in my car. Of course, it's just a personal thing but you're driving mobil 1 in a wrx sti (or anything that produces a ton of heat, i.e. forced induction) for more than 3 months it's probably doing damage to internals.

Any mobil guys got something to say about this?

 

[MN4x4]

For me doing my oil oil changes is not about saving money, it's about having control over what's going on. I can avoid the possibility of some idiot cross threading my drain plug or over-tightening the filter. Plus I get the chance to inspect everything under the car and under the hood.

This ^^^^!

I will never again let anyone change my oil, unless it's part of a warranty/maintenance program.

 

[bushmechanic]

You're over thinking the issue.

If you want to change your oil yourself, change it. If you don't want to do so, let someone else do it.

Financially, there's no good reason to lay about under a car and make a mess. Even if you save a few dollars, you're wasting more either in time or associated expenses.

I change the oil on one of my vehicles because I take pride in it's maintenance. It's all Wix and Amsoil Signature. I drain, flush with cheap oil and solvent, replace the filter, and fill it up with the good stuff.

It's expensive, a waste of time, and invariably messy given the design of the vehicle, but I like knowing I've personally done it, despite the fact that I hate changing oil.

The rest of the cars? I've never even seen the drain plug.

 

[MN4x4]

I do not agree!

The cost for a synthetic oil change is fairly pricey. Dealership or mobil 1 change for my car would be at least 80. Me doing it, is around 40 (ish) if I use mobil 1. I don't use mobil 1. 7 quarts + filter is around 30 bucks but my car takes about 6.25 so typically an oil change is 6 quarts @ around 25 dollars (and using what I got left over from a previous).

I use the supertech walmart synthetic stuff (5 quarts at 18-20) which runs good in my car and degrades slower than mobil 1 in my opinion. I think it was quaker state at one time but I don't think it is now, I can't remember who makes it but it's not a branded mfg.

If you're driving a vette, ferrari, or porsche, sure use mobil 1 but if you let changes slide longer than 3 months could be a bad idea. It starts looking real skeezy (chocolatey) at the 3 month mark in my car. Of course, it's just a personal thing but you're driving mobil 1 in a wrx sti (or anything that produces a ton of heat, i.e. forced induction) for more than 3 months it's probably doing damage to internals.

Any mobil guys got something to say about this?

I use Mobil 1 in all my vehicles and swear by it. I stock up when it is on sale and usually spend about $5.50-$5.99 per quart, so an 8-quart oil change is around 40-$45. And I only use WIX filters.

I drive diesels, and find it to be an excellent oil in my trucks - and my tractors. I have used nothing else for 20-some years.

 

[DieselFxr]

I have always done it myself except when the wife bought a new car in 1996 the first 2 years were supposed to be free. Ha, seems the dealer always wanted to upsell something and we always waited way too long even with an appointment. Never again. Been a long time Mobil one user like a lot of others here. I have 2 motorcycles they get Rotella cause its much cheaper than "motorcycle" oil and it has the required rating for wet clutches that my bikes need. I never change it early either. If the manufacturer says 6k miles then it's 6k at least.
I don't expect to save much money doing it myself but I know it gets done correctly.

 

[boomer12831]

I drive alot of miles and I usually pull the truck in the garage and pull the drain plug and filter then go on and do something else. The oil being hot, and letting it drain makes me confident that all of the old oil is out of the engine before I put the new oil in. I guess its just piece of mind for me and it allows me to do it on my schedule rather than some one elses . Ed.

 

[naticedog04]

Whats a garage for if not to work on cars and other projects?
I spend about 7-12 bucks on an oil filter i choose.
The crush washers less than 1 buck
After the third conventional oil change (18 bucks each for a 5qt) i have enough oil to change the fourth for free.
On top of that, i flush w/ left over oil, and rotate my tires.
But it really comes down to the fact that i enjoy working on my cars and taking time to maintenance them. I dont see this task as a chore, i see it as my responsibility.

 

[seagullplayer]

I find working on my own stuff makes me much more comfortable with it.
Regardless of the task. While changing my oil it lets me look for a lot of potential problems before they can get out of hand. My last oil change I found one of my heater hoses leaking, and fixed it before any real harm could befall me. Whats that worth?

I don't save a lot doing my own oil change, but I would much rather spend my time mulling around my garage than waiting in someone showroom.

 

[lilredex]

If $$$ even comes in to the equation, you are missing the whole point.

It is the opportunity to have it done right and inspect the steering components, brake lines, tires, exhaust, "U" joints, body underside, and a whole list of other items that need a regular visual inspection. Greasing it too, ensures everything is taking grease and you're just not taking somebody's word for it.

I have always driven old stuff and have done my own changes, inspections and greasing for some fifty-six years. I'll continue to do so as long as I can physically operate that jack and grease gun and get under the vehicle on my creeper.

Money has nothing to do with it! It is about doing it right and feeling safe about your vehicle.......especially if it is an older one.

 

[GRN96WS6]

I drive a BMW and even the independent shops want $100 for a full synthetic oil change. I can do it for about $45.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

How? The specific BMW oil or one that meets their standards runs about $5-7 per quart and your need 6-7 depending on which BMW you have, and the filter is about $5-7 depending where/what you get, that's WELL over the $45 you are quoting.

 

[tomsmith]

For me, it's not about the money saving. I spend around $4 more when I do it myself and whenever PartSource or CanadianTire have Mobil 1 on sale, I grab a few bottles and save money - but again, it's not about the money.

$70 for Mobil 1 5w20
$24 for Mobil 1 oil filter

When the car was under warranty, the local Mr. Lube did it for $90.

I understand the 'time is money' argument but I do it on a Saturday or Sunday when I would otherwise be doing nothing anyway. Also like others have mentioned, it's the pride of doing routine maintenance on my own car and not having to listen to drivel from the teenager at the lube place trying to convince me that my 2 month old wipers need to be replaced.

 

[Deception]

The only way to ensure your car is fixed properly is to do it yourself, provided you know what your doing of course.
I buy my oil at walmart too, use Pennz Platinum 5w30 in the corvette & sentra. Its about $25 for a 5qt jug which is a steal compared to $35 everywhere else. 2 jugs covers both cars, vette takes 6qts, sentra takes 3.5 - 4 qts.

 

[jchetty]

I change my own oil. I will wait until Costco does their sale- 6 quarts of Mobil 1 for $35 and buy a few cases. The money I save buying the oil on sale and doing my own changes pays for the oil and the Costco membership.

 

[JimVonBaden]

If you're driving a vette, ferrari, or porsche, sure use mobil 1 but if you let changes slide longer than 3 months could be a bad idea. It starts looking real skeezy (chocolatey) at the 3 month mark in my car. Of course, it's just a personal thing but you're driving mobil 1 in a wrx sti (or anything that produces a ton of heat, i.e. forced induction) for more than 3 months it's probably doing damage to internals.

Any mobil guys got something to say about this?

3 months? ****, I go a year and a half, with Mobile 1 and no issues. My car actually specs Mobile 1 (turbo). I have a meter that tells me when it needs changed. I drive it 4K miles a year at most. If I changed my oil every 3 months I might have 1K miles, or nearly none, depending.

You don't change it every 3K as well do you?

 

[RedneckWelder]

I know I save nothing but I know the job is done right and the steering gets lubed every time I change the oil.

Plus there is the whole dont have to fool with taking it in thing...its not easy to schedule that due to my work schedule.

 

[Bobdog]

If I have the time, I do it myself. If not I just take it somewhere, I'm not losing any sleep over six bucks a couple times a year.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Danguitarman]

Yeah... I'm not gonna give my money to some douche that's pitching "upgrades" at me right and left, then go sit in the friggin waiting room for an hour with twelve other people and snot-encrusted magazines for company.

 

[Beemer533]

I pick up wix filters when they have the yearly sale for about four bucks and buy Mobil one at wal mart, synthetic oil change cost me 30 bucks three times a year. I did the diesels at work this spring, dealership was getting 150 to change them, I did it for about 65. That don't count them lubeing the lube points.

How many miles are you driving that you change your oil 3 times a year? Just curious.


Personally, my wife and I lease, so the cars go to the dealer as everything is free for 2 years.. Which coincidentally is how long my lease is.. The dealer is getting the cars back after 2 years, I don't end up paying anything for maintenance..

Now if I had a project car (no time or space right now) I would definitely do it myself regardless of what I saved.

 

[iibgdi]

If $$$ even comes in to the equation, you are missing the whole point.

It is the opportunity to have it done right and inspect the steering components, brake lines, tires, exhaust, "U" joints, body underside, and a whole list of other items that need a regular visual inspection. Greasing it too, ensures everything is taking grease and you're just not taking somebody's word for it.

I have always driven old stuff and have done my own changes, inspections and greasing for some fifty-six years. I'll continue to do so as long as I can physically operate that jack and grease gun and get under the vehicle on my creeper.

Money has nothing to do with it! It is about doing it right and feeling safe about your vehicle.......especially if it is an older one.

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.

 

[skcj213]

Hey all, this is my first post. Figured this subject was as good as any to weigh in on.

I have trouble paying anybody to do something that I can figure out how to do myself. There is a DIY video or writeup on the net for just about anything you would ever want to do.

With a few exceptions, I have been changing my own oil since I got my first car when I was 16, I am now 45. The one exception is the Mercedes that I currently own. It takes 8 quarts of Mobil 1 plus a fairly expensive fleece filter, costs about $15 I think. The dealership charges $125 for an oil change. Per Mercedes the oil change interval is 13,000 miles or 1 year, I generally make it to a year before I hit 13,000 miles. As luck would have it I have had a coupon for $50 off a $100+ service for the last couple of years which made the cost at the dealership pretty close to my cost. My year is up next month and as of now there is no coupon, I will likely be doing it myself this time.

What I refuse to do is pay for the A or B service. For double or triple the price of a normal oil change they check a bunch of stuff, tire pressure, fluid levels, check for any recall notices, etc. I can do all of that stuff myself. Actually, I have found that when they do the oil change, they check all of that stuff anyway. Opportunities for an upsell.

As far as the time is money comments, I don't quite understand. Unless you are a lawyer or something where you can bill for time spent even thinking about work or if you have to take off work to do the oil change, time isn't money. I do all of my vehicle maintenance on the weekend or in the evening after work. If you weren't changing your oil you would be doing something else that you don't get paid for, like watching television or playing golf. Time is free.

 

[iibgdi]

Im self employed and I would normally drop my car off for service and shop while waiting so it wasnt always wasted time for me. I would generally have a list of things to get/do that I would let build up so I could do those while being serviced. I realize that doesnt work for most jobs.

 

[iibgdi]

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

 

[mrvm]

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

Longer oil change intervals or longer waiting room times?