I just changed the oil on one of our vehicles. It was past due and I had been putting it off for some time.
While I was tending to the task, two neighbors separately inquired as to why I was doing it this way rather than taking it to one of the many local establishments that offer the service for a minimal price.
I didn’t have a particularly good answer when the cost of the oil and filter has to be about the same as what the local Jiffy Lube charges. They also vacuum the interior and give you a quick lube job (just stop it).
What’s more doing it yourself takes longer and also requires me to run the used oil to the auto parts store that accepts it.
I figure I have to be in a distinct minority here.
I had to once to prove to my father that I could before he would allow me to get my license. Then he proceeded to take care of it for me until I moved out of our town… no wait, he still changed it on every visit for the next several years Now I take it to the dealership or an oil change place so he won’t have to.
I used to, but as cars got lower to the ground and engine compartments got smaller and more restricted I gave it up. Also, I got tired of shimmying around a parking lot on my back.
The breaking point was when I had to turn my head sideways, push myself under the car, then turn my head back so I could see what I was doing. I realized that if something happened (like I spilled hot oil on myself) I wouldn’t be able to move out of the way quickly.
Yeah, I have jackstands or I could get ramps, but hell, for $25 and not having to spend an hour doing it* I’ll just take it in.
*Actually, it probably takes me more then an hour. Between getting the stuff I’ll need (which probably costs at least $15 for the oil and oil filter), draining the oil, getting the fucking filter off these little cars (sometimes it’s easier to take the tire off), refilling, finding the zerks etc etc etc…In the end I’m spending, what, an extra $10 to take it to the dealer and make it their problem…I’m okay with that.
Also, FTR, I’ve changed my oil plenty of times…on our Econolines and Broncos and my dads 72 LTD…That Econoline I could scoot under it and actually sit up and when I work on the Bronco I can actually sit in the engine bay instead of climbing around.
I don’t trust Jiffy Lube or any of this places. They can seriously damage your car. Like stripping the threads in your oil pan by cross threading/over tightening.
I have direct knowledge that the filter and drain plug have been tightened correctly
doing it at home in a half hour beats driving 15 minutes to the oil shop, waiting a half-hour in a crappy waiting room with a TV blaring at me, and then driving 15 minutes home
As far as dumping the oil goes…I let mine accumulate and then make a big trip to the oil dropoff site every few years. I have a couple of five-gallon jugs that I fill up with used oil, so I’m not carrying a dozen bottles with me when I go.
I usually try to remember my grain of salt when looking at websites that are full of complaints…keeping in mind that the millions of people that didn’t have any problems aren’t there to defend the product/service.
But I’ve had several similar problems at another quicklube place. One thing my dad always taught me was to ask “Did you grease it?..How many points are there?” and know how many points your car has…and then when you get home, check it yourself.
So every time I would go to this place I’d ask if they greased it and how many points there are and if they gave me the wrong number I’d make them do it again.
Then in the last few years that I went to them, at least 3 times (after asking them that question) I had to bring my car back because I got home and found that they didn’t grease it…“Sure we did”…“Really, why are they full of dust and old grease then?..Did you not clean them off first then?”…“Ummm, just pull in, we’ll check it out”
Then, the last time I was there and they left my oil cap off was the worst. Well, it’s an honest mistake, what pissed me off was after I drove around (and that was my fault, I knew something was wrong, it sounded strange) for an hour and splashed oil all over the engine bay, I brought it back and asked them to clean it off, they did it by dumping cold water over the block…that was the last time I went there.
No, I don’t do it myself, but since I lease my car, I just let the dealer take care of it. Now, if there’s a problem, it’s not mine. If they strip the oil plug, they can replace the pan, if they put windshield wiper fluid in the crankcase, they can deal with it, if they put the car in a pit or drop it off a lift…not my problem.
No. WAY back in the day (like the 1980s) I did because an old boyfriend showed me how. And I was usually poor.
But seriously, it’s worth $30 or so to have someone else do it, check all the other fluids, grease, check tires, dispose of the oil oil, yadda yadda now. In fact I just had the van done this morning and will get the truck done this afternoon. They’re running a special at a nearby indie oil change shop so it will cost me under $50 for both vehicles.
Back when I had a older manual transmission Saab, getting my oil changed could be amusing at some of the places where you hand over your keys and they drive it into the bay. First, find a kid who can drive a manual. Then, watch as they sit in your car looking baffled for several minutes trying to find the ignition switch. (Between the seats.) Finally, I gather there can be confusion between where transmission fluid and oil goes in older Saabs, so when they loosen what they think is the oil drain plug, out pours transmission fluid…
In my race car? Absolutely. In my minivan? I couldn’t care less what jiffylube does to it. It’s a transportation appliance. Not worth getting my hands dirty.
The point is, we live in a society. There are people who are better at these things than I am. Let them do it, and support the economy at the same time.
I have never paid to have someone change my oil. One reason is that I want to know it is done right, that no foreign material gets in the system, and that the drain plug is never stripped. And the bigger reason is probably so I can have a look at what’s going on under there for myself. Is they play in the idler arm, for example? Is a brake line rusty and in need of putting marine grease on to protect it? Are there any leaks. Maybe I can see the wear on the calipers and pads too. I store used oil in a five gallon container that I take to the city recycling when I want. This is really more convenient for me than driving someplace for the work and rechecking everything when they are done and hoping for the best. It really is not about the money.
On the other hand, if this is the only maintenance you do on your vehicle and you are not experienced in what to look for anyway, the fast change outfit is probably a better deal for you. Still, remember to check for leaks and the proper fill before leaving the oil change premises.
PS. There are some odd cases, particularly with European vehicles, where the wrong oil filter will result in an engine seizure. IJS
You can get the oil changed in 10 minutes and get all your fluids topped off , and not have oil to dispose of. Why would you do that at home and spend more time and money?
I used to. I haven’t since my first kid started talking though (she is 20 now). What cured me was that the correlation between being up to my elbows in grease and one of my kids starting to scream about one thing or another was trending upward with no end in sight.
Hell, no. Or at least not anymore. I used to change my oil on my first car ( an old used Datsun ). But I didn’t exactly enjoy the experience even then - I fucked up slightly and made some kind of mess, large or small, just often enough I resented myself for doing it, man points or not.
With my current car ( a Nissan ) it has progressed from being a minor pain in the ass to do myself to a significant pain in the ass, for the same reasons Joey P cites. Nope. Not worth the hassle.
I’ve thought of trying, just to say I have, but I get stymied by how to properly dispose of the used oil. I suppose there are recycling services somewhere, but I’d have to transport it there and… it just seems like an unnecessarily big deal.
Another vote for used to do it, know how, & don’t bother now.
For me the real turnover point came when I no longer felt OK dumping the used oil out back in the dedicated petroleum disposal pit we’d dug. Once I had to drive to a lube place anyhow to get rid of the used oil, I may as well let them do the whole job. It’s faster, cleaner, & (net of how I value my free time) cheaper than free.
What’s not to like?
Over the course of my entire driving life I’m gonna buy 150 oil changes as an absolute maximum. As long as the shop I go to has a catastrophic error rate is less than ~1/2% (good bet or they’d be wrecking a car most weeks), I’ll go my whole life without the dreaded *they left off the drain plug & seized my engine *sob story you read about so much on the whining sites.
Now I take it to the dealership or an oil change place so he won’t have to.