Yeah, they had it then also, but he was in a time crunch, so we knocked it out. I was stationed there for 11 years.
Oil change in parking lot
- Thread starter jkhawaii
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Camp Pendleton in the north of San Diego has this. Years back my brother and I helped the Lutinent Commander, who lived across the street from my folks, at Moffett Air Field in Mt. View. His wife's car had been stolen; we fixed it back up.
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Patman
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There will always be one nosy neighbor who writes down license plates and reports anything they don’t like…
I live in a condo but I would never do oil changes in my parking lot. I drive to my dad’s house to do it. He used to live 15 minutes away but moved recently and is now 45 minutes away so it’s nowhere as convenient as before.
Only had that happen one time. Of course this was before the time everyone had a cellphone.
When I was younger I did a few oil changes at the local Pep Boys parking lot if needed. Then I went almost 20 years just bringing all my vehicles to the dealer. Looking back I must have spent a fortune on upsells I didn't need. Now I find time to DIY.
This poor guy and his brand new 2026 Land Cruiser is a reason to DIY.
This poor guy and his brand new 2026 Land Cruiser is a reason to DIY.
I would continue doing it at your favorite auto parts store. I might have been known to use the side of the parking lot out of the way to do it. I also purchased large incontinence bed pads from walmart to minimize spills and clean ups. Ziploc bag and clean everything before I leave. No one ever bothered me.
I lived in apartment buildings in the past, not new buildings thou. Managers would allow doing oil changes and minor work on cars in a carwash designated area in underground parking as long as they were left as clean as before work. The most I did was timing belt change on '97 Jetta beside oil, ATF or brakes changes. Once rebuilt CV just outside the building, boot got a minor rip so no dirt inside the CV, took it apart, cleaned, repacked and a new rubber boot, that's all.
Just ask your building manager if they'd allow you working in parking or outside the building.
Just ask your building manager if they'd allow you working in parking or outside the building.
I can never be clean, as hard as I try. I do like the idea of the extractor.
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Yup and maybe put a spare tire out to look like you got a flat
I did an oil change on my pickup in the truck area of a Flying J a few years ago when we went out west with the trailer. That same trip had to put a new radiator (sprung a leak) in the truck in this really nice campground. There was something explicitly in the literature that they hand out when you check in about repairs being prohibited, however, before starting I approached the manager and he was very accommodating. Sometimes I think those signs and rules are there to point at in the event there is a problem. If someone is doing their thing in a polite, orderly way and not taking advantage people seem to generally take the high road.
So oil changes in the Canadian Tire parking lot are not a thing? I am disappointed to learn this for some reason.
In college I changed the water pump in my old truck in the dorm parking lot. I was worried that campus security would come shut me down but they didn't. I had parts laid out across a couple spaces but in the back row.
Had a couple of biker types change their oil in the front of the dealership lot. Just let it run out all over the lot, big mess. When told they shouldn't have done that, they replied you shouldn't have sold us the oil.
Sorry for the tangent, but I have a similar story in my neighborhooed.
Just uphill from my house is common area. It's an area where the 3-car wide road crosses a ravine in our subdivision, and also has a 15-20% grade. The road is bordered by green space with alot of maples. As these big-lead maples shed their leaves in the fall, while the HOA has a lawn service that clears the lawn space, they don't clear the street section, and as a result, the curbs & stormwater grates are covered. If I have the time, I'll spend an hour clearing both sides of the street of leaves, so the next rain won't dump excessive water at the bottom of the road. In addition, the southerly winds will otherwise push those leaves down the hill toward my lot, so clearing them at the source is much easier and I, as well as my neighbors, don't have to pick them up. Many folks routinely walk up/down the hill, so it's also safer if folks aren't walking their dogs, for example, on wet leaves, pine cones/needles, etc. (If you've ever happened to step on a non-expanded pine cone in low-light/dusk, you'll know what I mean...) In short, just trying to be a good neighbor, it's safer for walking through, and also the area just looks better maintained then if a month's worth of fallen leaves are left to collect.
Owen Lucas
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I replaced a starter in a Home Depot parking lot once. No $$$ for a tow and I tried hammering the housing to loosen a jammed brush if that was the case. It was on an older F150, had a second vehicle to cover for me. Easy job but wouldn't attempt that with an oil change.
Why do you think it's OK to do your grease monkey stuff on someone elses property when you are not allowed do do it on your own?
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I was on a road trip last year in NC and I found a large parking lot where the store had closed down. Parked under a nice tree for shade and went to it. On my turbo cars I don't like to go past 5k miles before changing the oil. I was in my 2009 Turbo Corolla S for this trip.
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