Those who don't change their own oil- check in

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For those of you who don't change your own oil, respond to this thread. Where do you take your vehicle, how much do you pay, what oil, and why you have it done for you?

Just curious, as it's a boring Sunday afternoon.

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I change the oil myself on my Neon, but have it done on Mom's 94 Mercury Grand Marquis. Why? Because I'd wind up making one heckuva mess with the oil filter on that car!
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I take the Mercury to the local full service Chevron station. Among other things, it lets me look underneath it when it's up on the lift. My family has bought gas there since about 1956, I still buy most of my gas there. Mom buys virtually *all* her gas there.

I take in my own oil & filter, & they usually charge $10 labor- sometimes $12, a few times $15!
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Depends on who's checking out. Cheap enough, & I don't have to worry about cleanup, etc. Right now the Merc has Havoline 10w30 in it that was filled in May, in Nov plan to have it filled with Havoline 5w20. That 5w20 will almost certainly end civilization as we know it!
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And for cleanup on the Neon & mower- I pour the used oil in the used oil tank, through the pump-out hatch behind the station. With the owner's blessing, of course.
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People who don't change oil because the filter is too hard to get to - JUST GET A $30 FILTER RELOCATION KIT FROM SUMMIT RACING, PROBLEM SOLVED
 
I'm fortunate to have a trusted NAPA mechanic shop only 2 miles away...so that's where I take Mom's Chrysler Concorde. He charges me $19.95 plus tax for a NAPA silver filter and 5 qts of NAPA 10w30 (which I guess is approx equal to Valvoline AC). I have no complaints. I also don't insist on speed/immediate service. I usually drop the car off the previous evening and pick it up the next afternoon. Works for me.

GrtArtiste
 
I didn't find it hard to get at the oil filter on my old 93 Crown Vic. I would unscrew it just a bit to let the oil flow out of it, and when it stopped, unscrewed it all the way then hauled it out. It's a tight fit between my hand on the oil filter and the steering linkage though. Some people say to turn the wheels to the left to make it easier to get at the filter.
 
I take my lexus to a toyota dealership with my own oil(usually M1EP 5w30)and a wix filter and they charge me 15 bucks for labor and topping off all other fluids and keeping the tires inflated at 32psi.
 
ROFLMAO! *quote}
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Member # 9355

posted September 10, 2006 03:49 AM
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People who don't change oil because the filter is too hard to get to - JUST GET A $30 FILTER RELOCATION KIT FROM SUMMIT RACING, PROBLEM SOLVED *quote}

you think if they are so lazy not to reach for that filter why in the world would they wanna crawl in there all day long putting on that remote filter?
and why in the world would they spend extra money for?
humans...
 
on a crown vic/grand marquis, it is definately easier to change the oil when the wheels are full lock left. there is just enough room to get the filter out.
 
quote:

Where do you take your vehicle, how much do you pay, what oil, and why you have it done for you?

There is an independent mechanic I know (in the next town over), who runs a small "he comes to you" mechanic business (he mostly works on farm equipment, but he can also be hired for work on cars). I often have him do some of my more "strange" mechanic requests (for example, he is the one who installed my bypass filters). And if he is available, I sometimes use him to change the oil (and just pay his labor costs, as I supply the oil and filters).

When he isn't available, I often go to a local Midas Muffler of all places. Seems the shop manager at that particular Midas is OK with letting people bring in their own oil/filters, as long as they pay the normal cost of their normal/basic (non-synthetic) oil change. This is something of a win-win for everyone. The Midas shop actually makes slightly more money on me, as they charge me for a basic oil change, without using up any of their dino oil and filters (win for them). And it's also a win for me, as my price for a premium oil change, is just the cost of the synthetic oil + good filters + the normal (basic) Midas oil change price (which makes the total still less than I would pay for some regular "synthetic oil change" option at some other place)!

BTW: I use M1 5w30 full synthetic oil + premium full flow filters (previously NAPA gold, but I may be switching over to Amsoil EAO filters) + a Bypass filter system (oilguard brand).

NOTE: I now have some ramps, so it's no longer necessary to have a lift to change my oil. As such, I now have the option to change my own oil (where I didn't have the option in the past, due to the low clearance cars). However, I'll probably still let others do it at least some of the time, as it can be messy crawling under the car with the oil...

BTW: Many places won't let you use your own parts, but some will. And with a chain place (such as Midas), it may very between shops (based upon the decisions of the local shop management). So it doesn't hurt to ask! In the case of the local Midas, I found the shop by doing just that (walking in, and asking if it was OK). I was told that they allow it (and were in fact doing it for some other clients), but that they don't advertise this option, and I would still have to pay the normal (basic) oil change price for their labor (which was fine by me, as that still resulted in a very cost effective price for a quality synthetic oil change with premium filters).
 
Lessee- some of you have been turning the wheels on Crown Vics/Gran Marquis to full lock left on *ramps*?
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Yeah, I bet. Go right ahead- in *your* carport, not mine.
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The dogs bark, but the wagon rolls on.
 
I live in a country with very stringent recycling laws. My city will not take used oil, and I don't think that the oil change places will take it either. The price of an oil change is about $10 more than what I would pay for the oil and filter, so I take it to the shop. I also don't know enough about the car, and it being a Japan only car, I can't really find a haynes for it.
 
I go to a local indy shop by me. I bring my own oil (M1), filter (Mann) and washer and they change it, and dispose of the old oil and filter for $10.
 
I usually go to a Wal-Mart right near me, as it is also on a bus transit route that takes me to my work. Drop off car @8:30 on way to work, and pick up @6:00 after work. They will do a 'customer supplied' oil change for $12.00 plus disposaland taxes, or I can get them to do a Tech 2000 change for $20...or a Pennzoil one.

Recently, however, I've been taking my car to another service centre near me, "Active Green & Ross". It's on a similar bus route to the Wal-Mart, and again, I can drop off the car before work and pick it up after. They have a great deal on oil changes - $15.95 for Castrol GTX 10W-30! Thats what I ve had done the last two changes on my car, and it seems to be working great!
 
I now do some of my oil changes but I've used the local Ford dealers for years and still do occasionally, ie winter time
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. If I brought my own oil they allowed me $0.74/quart credit in the past. They use bulk Motorcraft 5W-20, I've seen the empty drums.

I was paying $22 for an oil change service at my Ford dealer and he uses Motorcraft oil and filters. My wife pays $35 at HER Ford dealer and I have no idea what brand of oil they use
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!

Whimsey
 
I live in an apartment where car maintenance is forbidden by the lease. Now, I've done a fair amount of car repairs there, but putting the car up on jacks is pushing my luck. I also keep tools etc in the attic and it's 4 floors from there to the parking lot, so hauling a lot of tools/ramps/etc to save myself a few $ doesn't make a lot of sense.
 
quote:

Originally posted by Thermactor:
People who don't change oil because the filter is too hard to get to - JUST GET A $30 FILTER RELOCATION KIT FROM SUMMIT RACING, PROBLEM SOLVED

Those same people probably couldn't install said kit...

I heard a funny story about a couple guys who drove to a empty school parking lot and changed their oil.
 
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