% that change their own oil?

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Originally Posted By: NormanBuntz
Not to mention the satisfaction of knowing that the job will be done right.



This is the main reason I DIY.
 
NormanBuntz said:
I'm age 63 and have been changing oil on family cars, trucks, tractors, front end loaders, etc. for 48 years. It will be a sad day when I no longer enjoy or am able to fire up some Neil Young on the stereo, have a cold drink or a cup of coffee and change my own oil and filter. Not to mention the satisfaction of knowing that the job will be done right.

+1
Exactly!
 
I am a do it myself guy, but I got hurt at work so I wont be doing it for a while. I take my own oil and filter in to a local shop. They do a good job and I can watch them from the waiting area. Only costs me $20 so it will do until I get better.
 
Quick lube place up the street charges $ 59.99 for a conventional oil change, and $ 99.99 for a synthetic change, with the house brand oil filter.

I can do a conventional change for about $ 25.00 with a Fram Ultra ... or other premium filter, or oem if needed or wanted. My choice...

Or do a synthetic change for about $ 40.00 .

So, i save money, know it's done right, and check things like cv boots, PS boots, inside tire tread etc.

And I like to do it... and we have an eco center that takes used oil at no charge.

WIN WIN...
 
Definitely only 5% change their oil due to lack of knowledge, tools, inconvenience, etc. Well here's the reason why I DYI: I used to work in the quick lube business and I always changed mine, my wife's, family and friends at the quick lube. They would go to Walmart and buy their own stuff or get it elsewhere. When I left there to do construction I am now doing me and the wife's car in my driveway. I work at my own pace, the job is down right and I save some coin in the process on my car. My wife gets free oil changes on her equinox but she has to drive 15 miles to get there. Besides I don't want some C rated techs at best working on her car. Most dealerships that have a quick lube don't have their mechanics doing the oil changes, they have the high school kids doing the work. I've seen so many mistakes in the quick lube business(broken studs, cars coming off of the lift, stripped oil pans, etc.) and it's enough to keep me away. I highly recommend anyone who needs a great storage container for waste oil, you can go to your local restaurant and get a cooking oil container. They buy the oil in large quantities and usually throw away the containers which have screw caps on them and are around 5 to 10 gallons in size.
 
On here, probably close to 90%.
On car forums in gerneral, probably around 60%.
Among the car owning population in general, probably 10%.
These are all wild-*** guesses, but I'm thinking that a reasonable number of DIY oil changers who've never heard of BITOG must be out there.
Why else would Walmart devote so much space to oil and filters, not to mention all of the parts chains?
I was changing the oil in my vehicles long before I'd ever heard of BITOG and long before it or the modern internet even existed.
I'll continue to do so as long as I'm physically able.
To me, basic car maintenance is too easy, too cheap and too satisfying not to do.
 
Originally Posted By: Droopy
Definitely only 5% change their oil due to lack of knowledge, tools, inconvenience, etc. Well here's the reason why I DYI: I used to work in the quick lube business and I always changed mine, my wife's, family and friends at the quick lube. They would go to Walmart and buy their own stuff or get it elsewhere. When I left there to do construction I am now doing me and the wife's car in my driveway. I work at my own pace, the job is down right and I save some coin in the process on my car. My wife gets free oil changes on her equinox but she has to drive 15 miles to get there. Besides I don't want some C rated techs at best working on her car. Most dealerships that have a quick lube don't have their mechanics doing the oil changes, they have the high school kids doing the work. I've seen so many mistakes in the quick lube business(broken studs, cars coming off of the lift, stripped oil pans, etc.) and it's enough to keep me away. I highly recommend anyone who needs a great storage container for waste oil, you can go to your local restaurant and get a cooking oil container. They buy the oil in large quantities and usually throw away the containers which have screw caps on them and are around 5 to 10 gallons in size.


This is a great idea thanks Droopy. I've just been using 5 gallon buckets but its a pain in the rear to pour it into the waste oil container when the bucket is full.
 
Down here in Texas I'd say about half change it themselves. But seriously, if you don't want to get dirty and deal with recycling the old oil afterwards (even if it's just dropping it off at Walmart's recycling center, you still have to deal with containers of old oil) then find a shop you trust and let them do it.

The dealership is often the best place to get it done, some charge less than the quicky lube places and if something happens, it's a dealer, they're pretty good about handling service issues.
 
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