I think I'm done changing my own oil.

[JustinH]

Love this forum, a lot of great information. Over the years it seems to have gone from very technical information about lubrication, into a more general automotive forum and a good "guy hang out" forum.

I like it.

For the past 10 years I have been changing my own oil in every car. I live in Buffalo, and I have been doing it on my back in a driveway in the snow.

I have no idea what I was thinking.

The last straw was when I decided to rotate tires in the driveway with a jack and pulled a muscle in my back.

That had me really thinking what am I saving here?

I would usually go to walmart and buy the 12 dollar jug of oil and 5 bucks for a filter.

There is a goodyear, a firestone, and an independent shop all two miles from my house or less.

The goodyear changes oil every day for 22 dollars, firestone is 19 dollars, and the independent shop does a quaker state oil change and tire rotation for 29 dollars.

I went to goodyear for the oil change in my fiances car a couple weeks ago. I had an appointment but they were swamped, they said it would be a couple hours.

The service advisor then asked if I WANTED A RIDE HOME in the courtesy van instead of waiting the few hours. Two hours later the van came and picked me up to go and get the car.

This is for a $22 service. I was blown away.

Now, I know not to take a car to goodyear for ANYTHING besides a 22 dollar oil change, but for service like that I will be glad to drop the car there for an oil change.

I'll let someone else get greasy for 22 bucks.

 

[Cujet]

I can see your points, clearly. I'm not getting younger and the waste drain oil is a problem too.

However, I keep my things too long and frequent, quality synthetic oil changes are far cheaper done in my driveway. The local Mobil 1 oil change garage charges $75 for my X-Type and $95 for my F150. I can do it for $35-40.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Understood.

Personally, I've heard enough quickie lube horror stories to not take my cars there. Things like underbelly engine covers baffle some of their so called "techs" as well. Having them lose half of the fasteners is pretty much a given. Not to mention they probably won't have the correct LL-01 or 229.5 oil available.

Luckily, oil changes on the two of our current cars are a breeze. I can do it in the comfort of an attached garage and I don't need to get under the car and get dirty at all. So I continue doing it, at least until I pull a muscle lifting a quart of oil or something...

 

[mpvue]

you'l go back to doing it yourself the 1st time they leave the cap off, or overfill, or underfill, or don't change the filter, or strip the drain plug...

 

[phenix78_99]

Originally Posted By: JustinH
That had me really thinking what am I saving here?



I completely understand where you are coming from sir, and far be it from me to tell anyone they are wrong, because there is no way I can know all of the circumstances surrounding your decision. However, in this day and time, this is what you are saving yourself from:

http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/c...-152707580.html

 

[exranger06]

1. I ENJOY changing my own oil, and doing other car maintenance/repairs myself. It's my favorite hobby

2. I save money doing things myself. If it's a major repair, I can save several hundred dollars. If it's an oil change, it may only be less than $5. Saving $5 wouldn't be worth it if I hated changing oil, but since I enjoyed every minute of it, the saved money is just gravy.

3. I don't have to worry about incompetent techs screwing something up. Everything gets done exactly the way I want it.

For me, DIY wins 3-0. YMMV.

 

[ajchien]

Is the job too hard, or are you not well enough equipped?

Time to reassess whether an upgrade in tools would make doing your maintenance easier. I.e. more leverage on hand tools, electric or air power. Need a higher lift jack.? How about a creeper? Etc.

 

[Dakota1820]

Originally Posted By: exranger06
1. I ENJOY changing my own oil, and doing other car maintenance/repairs myself. It's my favorite hobby

2. I save money doing things myself. If it's a major repair, I can save several hundred dollars. If it's an oil change, it may only be less than $5. Saving $5 wouldn't be worth it if I hated changing oil, but since I enjoyed every minute of it, the saved money is just gravy.

3. I don't have to worry about incompetent techs screwing something up. Everything gets done exactly the way I want it.

For me, DIY wins 3-0. YMMV.



i totally agree!!! i am a bare bones nothing to it gear head. i will be 80 yrs old with an oxygen tank on changing my oil in 10 below zero weather. its just a part of who i am.

 

[georgemiller]

You're doing it more as a labor of love not so much to save money. Once the enjoyment stops it's time to take it to a quick lube joint and let them get dirty.

 

[Turk]

Originally Posted By: exranger06
1. I ENJOY changing my own oil, and doing other car maintenance/repairs myself. It's my favorite hobby

2. I save money doing things myself. If it's a major repair, I can save several hundred dollars. If it's an oil change, it may only be less than $5. Saving $5 wouldn't be worth it if I hated changing oil, but since I enjoyed every minute of it, the saved money is just gravy.

3. I don't have to worry about incompetent techs screwing something up. Everything gets done exactly the way I want it.

For me, DIY wins 3-0. YMMV.


Same here!!

 

[ARCOgraphite]

No competent AND cost effective shops around here. But I do hear you about tire rotation - last time I told my wife "no more"! To much work for a driveway job with one jack and no power tools on HER car.

 

[SLCraig]

Definitely gonna stick with doing it myself.
Now that I have a new car with no problems yet, I have nothing to fix. Getting my hands dirty on my oil change is my only mechanical therapy I get.. I wish I had the space and money for a project car. Sigh.

 

[Astro14]

Put me in the DIY camp...because, like other posters, it precludes the problems that they have had with technician's mistakes. Further, changing the oil gives me the chance to inspect/check on other things under the car and notice the small (like a leaking CV boot) things before they become big things.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

I enjoy changing my own oil too, but I hear what you're saying...is it really worth it in the end?

Find the happy middle, buy the oil & filter you want to use, hand it to the oil change folks and watch them put it in/on your vehicle. Satisfaction of buying the oils & filters YOU want, while not breaking your neck doing it.

 

[Chris Meutsch]

As someone who grew up in West Seneca, NY, I realize that weather is a big factor in your potential dislike of outside auto work!

However, I don't know if you remember the Mr. Oil Change places around Buffalo in the 80's. They were actually caught doing something illegal a while back and they nearly blew up my parent's Caprice by half-bleeping the filter installation. My dad taught me how to change oil at 11 years old after that nonsense.

 

[gathermewool]

Buy better oil and filter.

Change less often.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: JustinH

The last straw was when I decided to rotate tires in the driveway with a jack and pulled a muscle in my back.


Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
No competent AND cost effective shops around here. But I do hear you about tire rotation - last time I told my wife "no more"! To much work for a driveway job with one jack and no power tools on HER car.

I agree. Rotating tires is too much work, especially when you do cross rotating. Just make an appointment with Discount Tire/America Tire and have it done in 20-30 minutes.

For oil change, I use a fluid extractor and can get the job done without getting under the car, because the oil filter of the E430 is on top of the engine, the S2000's oil filter can be changed standing up too.

 

[Bambam]

A Futomo valve can make an oil chane into a simple and quick task, and if you change your oil in November I doubt you'll have to change it again before the snow melts. And, if you buy your tires at Goodyear, they rotate for free, every 6-8 k miles. Doesn't get any better than that.

 

[Phishin]

Originally Posted By: Cujet
However, I keep my things too long and frequent, quality synthetic oil changes are far cheaper done in my driveway. The local Mobil 1 oil change garage charges $75 for my X-Type and $95 for my F150. I can do it for $35-40.


There are lots of places that will cut you a deal if you bring in your own oil. Just talk to the manager about it.

If I bring my own oil and filter to Valvoline Quick Lube, they charge me $5 to drain the oil, fill it with mine, and screw on my own new filter. $5!! Heck, that's worth it all day long. No brainer for me when I decide to go synthetic some day. But they change my oil with Valvoline conventional for $19. 5w30 in the Nissan. 10w40 in the K1500. I'm considering taking the Nissan in and have them pour in some Mobil 1 0w30 for the winter, and just take the 5 quarts of 5w30 with me and put it in my oil burning truck.

 

[typ901]

I was done with the 'Quick Change' places after trying to be sold an air filter for my Taurus which I had replaced 2k miles earlier "looks dirty"...and then inflating all the tires to 35psi on my old Range Rover, when the sticker in the door jamb clearly read 28Front/34Rear and having an oil change cost $55 in 2003 because I wanted Pennzoil Platinum 5w30...I realized that I cared much more for my own steel than anyone else would ever. I do everything I can to my own cars.