Fess up! Who doesn't change their own oil?

[Dufus2]

All the shops around here seem to find something wrong every time you get any work done such as an oil change or a safety inspection. If you take your car in for an oil change, suddenly it needs a new set of rotors or the drive belt is bad. I do my own oil because of the cost, Walmart quoted me 100.00 for an oil change requiring 8 qts of Rotella (12.96 per gallon in the store) and the clerk offered me 3.00 credit for bringing in my own filter because its not sold in their store.

I took my Tahoe in for a safety inspection just before Xmas, suddenly it needed a ball joint. My records indicate it was driven 1200 miles in the past year and I keep it greased. I find it hard to believe that part wore out since the last inspection. I believe the guys checked it over real close because they are hungry for work. This truck has been inspected by at least four shops in the past 5K and none of them ever found a problem. The guy said they would replace all the ball joints for 550.00, labor was 160.00 on each side. I took this truck back the next morning with the new ball joint installed, the guys were not happy because the work did not come into their shop.

This is the reason I don't let a shop do my service work.. There is a lot of price gouging going on to consumers, and the state safety program is nothing more than a springboard for profit through questionable service work.

 

[Tdbo]

I usually change the Ranger because it is an easy change.
Regarding the others:
1. I can get dealer changes on the other three at a price that doesn't make it financially worth it to do it.
2. I don't like ramps. Had an uncle killed with a set.
3. With all my back issues and the cost of chiropractic that would be involved to get me upright again, makes the cost of doing it financially imprudent.

 

[Dufus2]

Originally Posted By: 4WD
Originally Posted By: Dallas69
If I can crawl under I do it.
My trk I do.
The car no.I take my own oil and filter to my mechanic and they charge $12.
I don't like jacks or ramps on my slanted driveway.


That’s a good safety moment ~ my son thought he was clever backing his car up the slope and putting his ramps in front. I pointed out that even with the car near level and the front wheels “pocketed” in the ramp … the back tires still rest on the slope.
Off we went to town and got two HD wheel chocks … and we did a parking brake and separate chock test beforehand …

Those rubber wheel chocks work real good, I use one set at my house and will never rely on a block of wood again. I don't remember what I paid for the wheel blocks, but it was very little compared to getting hurt or having property damage.

 

[fdcg27]

I can't recall ever having an oil change done on any of our POVs even when we lived in an apartment.
Company cars were of course a different matter when I had one.

 

[spasm3]

I will do my own until i am physically unable. I just got rid of my 93 olds and it had the orginal cv axle boots. It seems that i have never had a torn axle boot on any car, and i have never had others under my car changing oil, coincidence?

When i first moved from home, i changed my oil at night in the apartment parking lot, got fast at it and generally did not need a light. No one really knew.

 

[rustypigeon]

When I was a kid I helped my dad change oil. When I started driving on my own 26 years ago I changed my own oil. I have never had anyone else change my oil. Even when I was in college and living in apartments I always changed my own. I never trusted anyone else to do the job right.

I also do all my own auto repairs except for about 2 times in college about 20 years ago where I had a garage do some repair work. Ever since then I do it all myself.

 

[GrtArtiste]

I have a trusted NAPA garage only 2 miles away. I can make an appointment usually within 2-3 days. I drop it off the night before and can pick it up the next day. I can walk there if I want to and if I don't, they will come get me. They charge approx $29 for 5 qts of dino 5w30 and a filter. No muss, no fuss. The owner even came to my home once to diagnose a problem I thought was occurring with my old Chrysler at N/C. It all works for me. YMMV.

GrtArtiste

 

[demarpaint]

I have a very good friend who was a GM tech back in the 1980's and till this day he is a very good mechanic. We often trade war stories and he told me of a Vette he was doing an oil pan gasket replacement on. He was called away to work on a car for a VIP that was towed in, and he told one of the oil change monkeys to swap out the oil filter on the Vette and fill the sump. The oil change monkey gets called away and lunch time comes. The bay is tied up with the Vette so someone else was instructed to take the Vette out and park it in the lot where the completed jobs went awaiting customer pick up. The car was started and moved with no oil in the sump, engine running and knocking until someone realized what was going on and told the guy moving the car to turn it off. These things happened from time to time, and a lot worse.

I recall I guy in the shop tearing off a door on a KIA Sportage I had sold lifting it to prep it for delivery. Shop mishaps happened often at that dealership. They hired fresh out of school techs with little to no real world experience. It showed.

 

[ZZman]

Before switching exclusively to Syn oils I had it changed for me. Now to save money I buy it and do it myself.

 

[andrewg]

Half my vehicles I do. The other ones are just a pain. I'd rather pay somebody and then double check the work afterward.

 

[benhen77]

I quit taking my car in to do oil changes when the guy at the local dealership left my oil cap sitting atop the engine instead of screwing it in to the hole. Drove it on a couple short trips to work before deciding to investigate why the cabin still stunk of oil. If for some reason I ever take it back in, I will crack the hood and check under the car before leaving. First oil change I did after that mishap, the plug and filter were on so tight, it took me a half hour to successfully extract both- rounded off the plug in the process. Way I figured, if some untrained college guy is going to change my oil, it may as well be me.

 

[Panzerman]

I always change my own oil except when it's a new car and the free oil changes under service agreement but then I watch them like a hawk.
Currently the Challenger is in a two free years of changes.
I would rather do it myself.
When I am too old my son can do it under my watchful eye.
He changes his own oil so he is practicing on his own vehicles now.
I have two friends, one works for Ford and the other at a Chevy garage and they both told me the start ups without oil do happen. Usually without damage that the customer knows about anyways. Can't be good though. My company trucks have to get vender oil changes but then that's not my problem if it blows up, which happened once and I believe it was due to oil change too. They put power steering fluid in instead of oil. The company didn't persue it since it had 100,000 miles on the truck a Ford F150 with a 4.6. Threw a rod while idling.

 

[blupupher]

When I bought my Scion, I got 5 free oil changes, so I used them.
They used TGMO and a Toyota filter, cost me nothing, got the car vacuumed, and I got to look around the lot at vehicles I could not afford.

Other than that, I do them. I find it enjoyable and don't mind doing it. If I lived where it snowed and such, I may use a shop, or plan my changes a bit better.

 

[SonofJoe]

This may sound odd (given my former career) but I think the last time I changed my own oil was probably 1980 (an old Fiat Mirafiori).

I am perfectly happy to blend up the slippery stuff. It's nuts, bolts & spanners that I never quite got along with.

 

[slo town]

I'm almost 65 and not once in my entire life has anyone but me changed my oil, and that includes transmissions, center diffs, rear diffs, power steering, etc. The first oil change I did was on my Mom's 1962 VW bug.

Scott

 

[HDoc]

A few times I guess due to schedule etc on most of my vehicles. Probably could count them on two hands over the past 36 years. BUT I've only changed the wife's 08 Sienna's two or three times since we got a service package thrown in when we bought it new. That was 234k ago and never had an issue. For 8.95 and needing 6.4 quarts seems like a good deal. She's good at ignoring the "suggested" service items they always come up with.

That dern blinker fluid is always dirty...

 

[Jarlaxle]

I do my own in warm weather. In the winter, my Vic goes to a shop-usually only needs one oil change in the winter, anyway. My back says no more laying on cold ground under cars.

 

[JBinKC]

I certainly did go through a period of 5 years where I never changed the oil. When my very low cost stash ran out being unable to find a decent deal and the $15 oil change special that used 5w-30 PYB when the wait time was reasonable and the vehicle could go 6000 miles before it used up a quart of oil.

 

[Linctex]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
As long as I am physically able I will be the only person changing my oil. Warranty or not. Dealer freebie or not. The hassle associated with it, risk of a screw up, and time taken away from my day to have someone else do it isn't worth it to me. Opinions vary.


AGREED!!

I have had too many bad experiences (personally) letting others do work for me.

 

[Revving2Redline]

I have our master tech do it at Honda. After seeing him assist me in my valve adjusting and extensive work on two Acura NSX's, I just toss him keys. He makes small details inside/under with chalk or marker when doing adjustments.