% that change their own oil?

[sicko]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
On my street of 12 houses I'm the only person who changes his own oil. In fact I'm the only person who pops a hood to check under it.



I was thinking about this exact thing when doing my last oil change. When I was younger it wasn't uncommon for people to work on their own cars in their driveways, but while changing my oil last month I realized I never see anyone on my street do anything to their vehicles anymore. Forget get about routine maintenance and oil changes, I don't see people change their wiper blades or even top up their windshield washer fluid. I don't even seen people washing their cars any more, everyone takes their car to a car wash now.

 

[camrydriver111]

I find some of the comments a bit cynical. Lots of car guys and young people still change their own oil. I know someone who just recently started changing their own, on cars that still have warranty.

Originally Posted By: Michael_P
The majority of Americans do not know how to do basic maintenance on cars and houses. This is why future and up coming generations prefer to rent housing and so forth.


This is a bit off-topic, but it's because young people can't afford to buy.

Originally Posted By: cashmoney
Even folks I know that don't have extra cash still pay to have their oil changed...makes no sense to me.


You save very little if anything by changing your own oil. Quick lube places can do it for what? $20? Unless you have work done at the dealer or own a car that requires a lot of synthetic oil you really don't save much.

You also have to have the proper tools and dispose of the oil properly. I had to recently search for a reasonably-priced 36 mm socket to change my own oil. I can certainly understand why someone might not want to change theirs. Not everyone has someone else do it just because they can't.

 

[Finz]

Originally Posted By: camrydriver111
Lots of car guys and young people still change their own oil.


I don't disagree that plenty of folks still change their own oil, but as a percentage of total car owners...?

If I'm correct that I'm the only one in my neighborhood, or double that... Add one more neighbor.... That's well under 10%

Is my neighborhood typical? That I don't know

 

[Merkava_4]

I actually pride myself as being part of the 1%

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
I actually pride myself as being part of the 1%

The 1% of what.

I'm part of a 1% however it's got nothing to do with money.

 

[Dyusik]

Originally Posted By: Clevy
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
I actually pride myself as being part of the 1%

The 1% of what.

I'm part of a 1% however it's got nothing to do with money.


+1 on the money

7qts of oil and a filter costs a little under 50.
My Lexus dealer will change oil/filter, wash and vacuum the car, while I sit and drink Coke and (very decent) Espresso. To top it off they give high end chocolate to the wife and kids.
Nope, dad wants to do it. In my defense I put in 7 qts of oil, while the book, and standard procedure dictates 6.7qts. Meticulous.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: Clevy
The 1% of what.


Part of the 1% that's not normal. Normal people are clueless and expecting them to change their own oil is expecting waaaay too much. Heck, I'd be happy if normal people could at least put a question mark at the end of their question!

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
On my street of 12 houses I'm the only person who changes his own oil. In fact I'm the only person who pops a hood to check under it.


Ask a young person where the hood release might be. Or maybe ask them what it is.


LOL We both know that answer. The only thing most kids know about their cars is they need gas to run them, and when they break call daddy or AAA.

Two other frightening thoughts are, checking oil properly, and changing a flat tire safely. Our point and click society has changed a lot of things.

 

[rccsofla]

I'm 60 now and will continue to change my own oil as long as I am physically able.Been doing it since I was old enough to drive.But you're right about most people now days think it's too dirty and time consuming for them.

 

[Eddie]

I am 76 and do it myself and I am the only one I know of among my 200 or so acquaintances. That = 0.5%

 

[mjoekingz28]

I know some folks that think changing the oil is all you're supposed to do to a vehicle.


I wish my family would change their other fluids, especially the transmission fluid, because, IME, the automatic gearbox is quite the ordeal when it goes.



Edit: oh yeah, as far as changing oil goes, I can remember two times I've had it done (maybe a few more but I cannot remember). I took my grey Ford to a CAr care clinic back in 04 or 05 and they charged me about $35 and I kind of vowed to do it myself from then on. They did good work- they painted my battery posts red, vacuumed the interior and all, but that was a lot of money to me.

Now I can't really change it for less than I can get it done, but I suppose I would still do it myself even if you handed me a free oil change coopin.

 

[FutureDoc]

Originally Posted By: Michael_P
In the US, the service industry is the only industry that has expanded in 20 years as a percentage of GDP. The majority of Americans do not know how to do basic maintenance on cars and houses. This is why future and up coming generations prefer to rent housing and so forth. Today, most Americans just do not do maintenance of any kind.


We "rent" because we can't afford to own. I am in my lower 30s. Three degrees (M. and Ph.D. were paid for), worked through college, so I have a very light student debt load. Hey, I went in the transportation field that was supposedly "recession proof"... no one cuts transportation funding right? I work. Make a joke of my income potential but hey, at least I can cover my debts and save some. However, housing prices went from the 50-80K range to 200K+ range in the last 20 years in my area. Combine that with stagnant income potential, people limiting the housing options (because they want 300K+ for a run down home and is priced to the point were it is not for sale). And so I sneak out to change my oil where my Apt prohibits it. So... don't tell me that renting is a preference.

 

[seanf]

Lots of people I know change their own oil,I'd say its probably 10% here. I'm 28 and a good majority of my friends do it themselves, although we are into the car scene so thats why. My 2 younger brothers do it themselves as well as my retired father. It costs $45-60 for a basic oil change and about $100+ for synthetic which is crazy IMO. We live 2 hours from a US walmart so a day trip nets myself and all my friends and family enough synthetic oil and cheap filters to service our cars for a year and do synthetic oil changes for about $30-60 depending on sump size.

 

[dlundblad]

I have a lot of friends who don't change their oil either. One of which is a huge car enthusiast. Its hard to argue with them when they say its only $15 (or whatever)to get it done while it'd be $20 to DIY, get dirty, deal with the used oil, etc. The rest of my friends think oil is oil and that any filter will do.

My GF had a true bargain oil change going on before I took over the job. For her Volvo, the filter alone (Polish made WIX ProSelect) was $7.xx. Her car holds 6 quarts and they used Maxlife blend. All this for $25 at the dealer. Of course, the dealer hounded her over every little detail about the car, I had suspicion they didn't change the filter half the time, the belly pan was missing 50% of its fasteners, the drain plug was torqued to 80 ft lbs. It all depends on what its worth to you I guess.

This is where DIY is worth it to me.

 

[supton]

DIFM = Do It For Me. Had to look that one up.

When I rented changing oil was a problem. Where do you store greasy/grimy containers (drain pan, funnel, etc) when you have but a one room apartment? Lucky to have a parking spot--better not spill oil on it!

Talked to a friend of mine recently, he admitted he did not like to change his oil in the winter. Too cold / too hard on his body (mind you, he likes to bicycle, even in winter, so take it with a grain of salt). I held my tongue as his garage has a nice concrete slab whereas my driveway is dirt and sloped.

I no longer consider myself a car guy, but I'll probably keep doing oil changes myself (until I go back to renting) for a long time to come. Just for my OCD nature. I might overpay for oil but use substandard oil? Never!

 

[NHHEMI]

It costs me $10 for the local dealer to do the change( and they do a good job )if I bring in the oil and filter. That $10 includes disposing of the old oil and filter, checking/setting tire PSI, and checking and topping off fluids. It is a no brainer for me.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: FutureDoc
Originally Posted By: Michael_P
In the US, the service industry is the only industry that has expanded in 20 years as a percentage of GDP. The majority of Americans do not know how to do basic maintenance on cars and houses. This is why future and up coming generations prefer to rent housing and so forth. Today, most Americans just do not do maintenance of any kind.


We "rent" because we can't afford to own. I am in my lower 30s. Three degrees (M. and Ph.D. were paid for), worked through college, so I have a very light student debt load. Hey, I went in the transportation field that was supposedly "recession proof"... no one cuts transportation funding right? I work. Make a joke of my income potential but hey, at least I can cover my debts and save some. However, housing prices went from the 50-80K range to 200K+ range in the last 20 years in my area. Combine that with stagnant income potential, people limiting the housing options (because they want 300K+ for a run down home and is priced to the point were it is not for sale). And so I sneak out to change my oil where my Apt prohibits it. So... don't tell me that renting is a preference.


I'm a renter and it's not a preference. But I have maintained stuff on the apartment - it's easier to fix stuff myself than have someone in my apartment.

Don't have the money to buy a house. Working on saving up for a house. I don't think anyone with much financial sense enjoys, or prefers, to throw money away every month.

 

[oldmaninsc]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
The only thing most kids know about their cars is they need gas to run them, and when they break call daddy or AAA.

Two other frightening thoughts are, checking oil properly, and changing a flat tire safely. Our point and click society has changed a lot of things.


Sad but true. When my daughters started driving I made sure both of them know how to change the oil on their car and know where all the fluids are and what they should be. If you are driving a vehicle, you need to know how to take care of it.


Originally Posted By: Eddie
I am 76 and do it myself and I am the only one I know of among my 200 or so acquaintances. That = 0.5%

Yeah about the same for me. I only see one or two other people in my whole neighborhood that work on their car.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: FutureDoc
Subtract the 0-15yo croud (12%)

Don't discount them completely.

My dad had me doing oil changes on the farm long before I was legally old enough to drive. But, as you indicate, when he hit his seventies, I was doing most of his oil changes except when he [reluctantly] went to the quick lubes.

 

[LotI]

I believe the general public has been scared off from doing their own maintenance by the media and the car makers.

I've heard many times that an ordinary person can't do much of the maintenance in modern cars. Manufacturers want to make the engine compartment clean and tidy so it sells the car but it makes it more difficult to work on. Tech's hate the plastic covers over everything under the hood that serve no functional purpose. Under-body covers improve aero and fuel economy but not a plastic piece under the hood with the engine size on it. Useless.