I'm done DIYing...

[hattaresguy]

I was just online today checking out the oil specials because the Silverado is due for a change soon.

Just for giggles I checked out the local GM dealer, $39.99 for an oil change and tire rotation.

So I can pay $25, do it myself, or for an extra $15 I drop the truck off on the way to work, pick it up at lunch, and not have to worry about it.

I think I have finally reached that point, off to the dealer it goes!

Oh and before you say the dealer will screw it up, they have been working on my uncles truck for years and have yet to screw anything up on his.

 

[Barkleymut]

All it takes is one new "technician" to screw it up. Since an oil change on most trucks is as easy as it gets why not do it yourself?

 

[wallyuwl]

Their $40 oil change oil is the same quality you could get for $15 to do it yourself. A do-it-yourself oil change that costs $25 would be a synthetic, that costs $70 or more at most dealers.

 

[hattaresguy]

Tire rotation is a PITA. My truck has horrible weight distribution so I have to rotate them all the time if I want to get any mileage out of the front tires.

Not having to do that to me is worth the $20.

 

[supton]

I can screw up in the driveway just like a dealer can. Only difference is if I attempt to half-bake the repair afterwards, I have only me to blame.

Don't blame you on letting the dealer do it. I'm about to the point of letting someone else do tire rotations for me; less work and it's not that hard to screw up--and I still have to retorque the lugnuts afterwards (at least if I have the alloys on). I do oil changes on my VW as it's cheaper (expensive oil) and easier (topside oil changes), but will let the dealer do the Camry and when we had the Civic the same there. Too much work to crawl around in a dirt driveway for those two.

As my car gets older I do less on it. A mechanic has better parts access and knowledge for getting it back on the road faster than I.

 

[dparm]

I agree on many things. It takes me a good 30 minutes to get my car up on jack stands and get the bellypan off, then I have to change the oil, and then spend another 30 minutes (and considerable aggravation) reassembling the bellypan. Inevitably I always forget one screw or don't tighten one enough and the bellypan comes loose a day later. I'd rather pay the $50 for someone to have the whole process done in 30 minutes while I watch TV.

For winter wheel+tire swapping, it takes me a good hour to do it myself in the garage. I'd rather get it done for free at Discount Tire and sit around for 45 minutes while they do it.

 

[PhillyJoe]

The important thing is getting the oil changed. Less important is where. If you enjoy doing these kind of things, you can't beat DIY. While I currently change the oil in the 5 cars in our household, there are times when the car is in for inspection or getting a tire plugged that it just makes sense to let them do the OC as well.
I drive by our local Ford dealer all the time who has a sign screaming "30 minute oil change $17.76". Yes, I know they are looking to get the car on the lift to look for things.

 

[LeakySeals]

Your crazy, they will put your filter on backwards and use a jackhammer to tighten your drain plug. They will blast oil from a high pressure hose, your oil baffle will end up in the timing chain!

 

[abycat]

If your truck was under warranty let them get er done but I know if my car was taken in for an oil change the filter would be on too tight and the drain plug would get stripped eventually. They would give the oh the cars old so the parts were messed up already so the oil pan we messed up is your fault.

I have a saying "if it cost less to have someone else do it why waste your time"

If you enjoy doing it or have nothing better to do you should just do it your self. But if work or sleep and energy come into play then is it worth your time?

I hate it when people are like hey why dont you just do it yourself and dont think. First of all I dont get out of bed for less than 20$ an hour so if I waste an hours work for something I didnt make more than 20$ doing its not worth my time. and the energy i wasted I could of used at work making tons more money.

I get a % of work done at my One job and obviously my business, so the faster I work the more money I get. I for instance have tools and time and interest in doing things myself and it always saves me at least half of the cost of someone else doing it. Wether it being a oil change or thorwing a rebuilt engine in my car which i rebuilt myself, To landscaping and irrigating my back yard.

In the end its your choice Pay the piper or not. Just use the forum to check on the guy that does it for you.

 

[wallyuwl]

Originally Posted By: abycat
If your truck was under warranty let them get er done but I know if my car was taken in for an oil change the filter would be on too tight and the drain plug would get stripped eventually. They would give the oh the cars old so the parts were messed up already so the oil pan we messed up is your fault.



I have found dealers do these things. Last winter the Vibe needed an oil change and the weather was too bad to do it myself (rainy day after day after day) so I brought it to a local tire place. They had Durablend for $20, plus it needed to go there to get the tires rotated (part of buying the tires there is free rotations). They just hand tightened the filter and didn't tighten the drain plug too much so when I did the next oil change it was almost as if I had done it. It was refreshing.

 

[Dakota1820]

i wouldnt if it was thatr cut and dry it would be fine but they always try to get you for something. o you need a coolant flush new wiper blades ect ect. my aunt just paid 90 bucks to the hyundai dealer to restore the headlights on there 2010 elantra her headlights were fine not clouded at all but she being foolish said o sure thats sounds great. now she is upset because there is scratches on the lenses and they wont fix it. its a lot less drama to do it yourself

 

[NHGUY]

Mark my word....they will find other things wrong.Upselling.Its how they make money.That,and the sales department will hound you to check out the new models.....

 

[grampi]

It's crazy taking any vehicle to the dealer or mechanic for the simple stuff....major repairs, that's different...I don't have the tools or the knowhow for that...but doing it for the simple stuff is just a waste of money...

 

[Sayjac]

Congrats on your decision, hope everything works out to your satisfaction every time. ~$40 is not too bad for an OC and rotation, the latter of which I get done at DT gratis.

I suppose at some point down the road I will reach the same decision, more likely because of age and physical limitations. But for now, I still enjoy it and all it entails, including control over process and knowing exactly what was done and how it was done. The satisfaction still far surpasses any minor hassles, ie., putting vehicle up on ramps, clean up, oil disposal etc.

And, you are brave man admitting this on this forum.

 

[HTSS_TR]

I like to change oil+filter on a MB with a fluid extractor. It's so easy and mess free and can be done in less than 30 minutes(I'm slow). The best thing is I can do it anytime I like, don't have to drive to oil change places (indy or dealer) wait there for 30-60 minutes then drive home, the total time can be more than 1.5 hours.

 

[Tdbo]

Reached that point a while back also.

 

[stephen9666]

I still do my own oil changes, because I like working on my cars. But I'm getting very tired of the messes and dealing with used oil.

I'll keep DIY'ing it, but I can totally understand why people stop DIY'ing it and pay to have it done. The cost can be so close that it sometimes doesn't make sense to do it yourself anymore.

 

[rjundi]

Oil changes to a very trusty mechanic. Dealers find stuff that does not to be done.

 

[JHZR2]

If dexos oil is as good as they claim and that is what they will use I can't see a big deal. I still personally like rolling around on my back being able to do something myself...

 

[rationull]

I can understand it too. I get tempted to call in a pro on plenty of things related to plumbing, garage doors, etc, and I don't see why car maintenance should be any different. Sometimes it's nice to be able to have something worked on while you do other things (like your own paying job) and once the price gets close I could see it getting really tempting.

For my part, I keep DIY'ing partially because I enjoy it and partially because I'm too paranoid about a shop screwing stuff up on simple jobs (where a less experienced or less careful tech might be trying to get it done quickly. But I haven't been dealing with it nearly as long as some on this forum.

Originally Posted By: dparm
I agree on many things. It takes me a good 30 minutes to get my car up on jack stands and get the bellypan off, then I have to change the oil, and then spend another 30 minutes (and considerable aggravation) reassembling the bellypan.

...

For winter wheel+tire swapping, it takes me a good hour to do it myself in the garage.


I want to applaud you for being honest about how long it takes you. I think I work pretty slowly. My cars are probably easier to jack up than yours, but I feel like I can never get an oil change + tire rotation done in less than 2-3 hours including refill, getting the wheels torqued down, and cleanup. Was easier on my old car b/c it had wonderful jack points and no undercovers.

Seems like every other post about DIY is about how someone or another can change the oil in "15 minutes" or swap an air filter in "30 seconds". Working in an industry that's notorious for underestimating how long things take, sometimes I get the sense these numbers are more "time spent actually turning the wrench" rather than real time spent on the job including prep and teardown. Of course it varies a lot per car. Big difference between a pickup you don't have to jack vs a car you've got to jack and remove undercovers. Also big difference between oil change + tire rotation vs oil change alone.