Toyota has some language about tightening a propeller bolt at almost every oil change but I've never seen anyone do it either.
Why Don't You Like To Change Your Oil?
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Originally Posted by Ws6
Originally Posted by PimTac
Tighten the chassis? That's a new one. How do they do that?
Obviously I mean the bolts holding the underpinnings together.
Wait, the perfect car had a loose bolt?
Hard to believe someone puts a wrench on every exposed bolt under the car while the oil is changed. Great for you if they do.
Originally Posted by PimTac
Tighten the chassis? That's a new one. How do they do that?
Obviously I mean the bolts holding the underpinnings together.
Wait, the perfect car had a loose bolt?
Hard to believe someone puts a wrench on every exposed bolt under the car while the oil is changed. Great for you if they do.
Hate taking off the Montero skid plate just to get to the drain plug and filter. Also hate the oil filters placed in such a manner that you cannot avoid spillage sometimes all down your arm / hand. Sometimes messy missing the drain pan.
I can't say I look forward to changing my own oil, but I see it as a wise move for me. Especially so my commercial semi truck. I save hundreds of $$ per year doing that one vehicle myself as opposed to having a shop do it. And given I grease that vehicle every 2 weeks, that alone saves $45 each time instead of having a shop do it. So doing my personal vehicles really is pretty tame compared to working on the semi. I get my oil for them from the same commercial account I get my heavy truck lube products, so I save some scratch going that route also. I am in my mid 60's doing this still. I am getting up there but I am not dead yet.
I change my own oil, but I don't look forward to it. I mostly don't like the cleanup/disposal aspect. I always spill at least a little, and have to wipe up the drain pan, etc. I also don't like taking the filter off my 3.0 Ranger since I have to fish it around the steering shaft without spilling it, and tightening the new one through the wheel well is a pain. My old 4.0s are super easy and relatively clean to change the oil on, but I still look forward to it about as much as I look forward to taking out the trash.
Originally Posted by JustinH
Toyota has some language about tightening a propeller bolt at almost every oil change but I've never seen anyone do it either.
I can't find the "propeller bolt" of my Toyota.
It makes oil changes more difficult that my previous vehicles, because accessing the drain plug and oil filter requires lifting the car and then dealing with the plastic engine under-cover and its balky plastic push-pins that always get jammed with dirt. I modified the oil-change flap of the undercover to make it somewhat less cumbersome. I raise the car (with makeshift ramps) only as much as necessary, so can not use both hands to change the filter. Other than its awkward location, changing the cartridge filter is easy enough. Also, I haven't yet managed to remove the oil plug of this car without warm oil running down my arm.
The Mazda (below) was comparatively easy, because I could reach both the filter and the drain plug from above, so no lifting the car or crawling underneath it was necessary, and hot oil never ran UP my arm.
Toyota has some language about tightening a propeller bolt at almost every oil change but I've never seen anyone do it either.
I can't find the "propeller bolt" of my Toyota.
It makes oil changes more difficult that my previous vehicles, because accessing the drain plug and oil filter requires lifting the car and then dealing with the plastic engine under-cover and its balky plastic push-pins that always get jammed with dirt. I modified the oil-change flap of the undercover to make it somewhat less cumbersome. I raise the car (with makeshift ramps) only as much as necessary, so can not use both hands to change the filter. Other than its awkward location, changing the cartridge filter is easy enough. Also, I haven't yet managed to remove the oil plug of this car without warm oil running down my arm.
The Mazda (below) was comparatively easy, because I could reach both the filter and the drain plug from above, so no lifting the car or crawling underneath it was necessary, and hot oil never ran UP my arm.
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I enjoy changing my oil, have been doing it for 73 years, and the last vehicle
has been the easiest of all. It is a Jeep cherokee with a 3.2 V6. It has a
filter element on top of the engine, just loosen it first and let it drain, then
go down and remove the drain bolt. Re fill engine and remove and replace
filter and not lose a drop. I did get a big plastic rectangle tray from dollor tree
to catch oil, works well. Gordon
has been the easiest of all. It is a Jeep cherokee with a 3.2 V6. It has a
filter element on top of the engine, just loosen it first and let it drain, then
go down and remove the drain bolt. Re fill engine and remove and replace
filter and not lose a drop. I did get a big plastic rectangle tray from dollor tree
to catch oil, works well. Gordon
Originally Posted by KrisZ
Originally Posted by Ws6
Originally Posted by PimTac
Tighten the chassis? That's a new one. How do they do that?
Obviously I mean the bolts holding the underpinnings together.
Have you seen them actually do this or are you simply going by Mazda maintenance list?
I know my mazda lists checking various chassis bolts, but I have never seen it done, nor did I ever do it in 180k miles I have owned this car.
One thing the dealers are good at is making the customer think they are doing all sorts of things for "free" with their checklists etc. The focus is on customer experience, not actual quality of service. Their goal is to make the customer thinks they got a great service.
I have not seen them do this, but my door mechanisms always had fresh grease on them, the tread-depth readings, I came behind and double checked and found accurate, and various other things of this nature lead me to believe that if they said they did it, they did.
Originally Posted by Ws6
Originally Posted by PimTac
Tighten the chassis? That's a new one. How do they do that?
Obviously I mean the bolts holding the underpinnings together.
Have you seen them actually do this or are you simply going by Mazda maintenance list?
I know my mazda lists checking various chassis bolts, but I have never seen it done, nor did I ever do it in 180k miles I have owned this car.
One thing the dealers are good at is making the customer think they are doing all sorts of things for "free" with their checklists etc. The focus is on customer experience, not actual quality of service. Their goal is to make the customer thinks they got a great service.
I have not seen them do this, but my door mechanisms always had fresh grease on them, the tread-depth readings, I came behind and double checked and found accurate, and various other things of this nature lead me to believe that if they said they did it, they did.
Originally Posted by Gebo
...
For those of you that don't like to personally change your own oil, ...
I don't understand the question???
LOL.
I am one that enjoys doing it, part of the reason I change it on my mom's, sisters and brother in laws.
...
For those of you that don't like to personally change your own oil, ...
I don't understand the question???
LOL.
I am one that enjoys doing it, part of the reason I change it on my mom's, sisters and brother in laws.
Originally Posted by KrisZ
Originally Posted by Ws6
Originally Posted by PimTac
Tighten the chassis? That's a new one. How do they do that?
Obviously I mean the bolts holding the underpinnings together.
Have you seen them actually do this or are you simply going by Mazda maintenance list?
I know my mazda lists checking various chassis bolts, but I have never seen it done, nor did I ever do it in 180k miles I have owned this car.
One thing the dealers are good at is making the customer think they are doing all sorts of things for "free" with their checklists etc. The focus is on customer experience, not actual quality of service. Their goal is to make the customer thinks they got a great service.
+1
When I moved out of state after college, I had my Ford F-150 maintained by the local Ford dealer in Pa. I paid to have the inspection, oil change, and tire rotation. After 1.5 years, I moved to NC and paid for the same deal at a local Ford dealer. After about 6 months, I had an odd vibration on the rear tires and took it to a Goodyear dealer. I found out that the tires had never been rotated in about 20k miles.
Originally Posted by Ws6
Originally Posted by PimTac
Tighten the chassis? That's a new one. How do they do that?
Obviously I mean the bolts holding the underpinnings together.
Have you seen them actually do this or are you simply going by Mazda maintenance list?
I know my mazda lists checking various chassis bolts, but I have never seen it done, nor did I ever do it in 180k miles I have owned this car.
One thing the dealers are good at is making the customer think they are doing all sorts of things for "free" with their checklists etc. The focus is on customer experience, not actual quality of service. Their goal is to make the customer thinks they got a great service.
+1
When I moved out of state after college, I had my Ford F-150 maintained by the local Ford dealer in Pa. I paid to have the inspection, oil change, and tire rotation. After 1.5 years, I moved to NC and paid for the same deal at a local Ford dealer. After about 6 months, I had an odd vibration on the rear tires and took it to a Goodyear dealer. I found out that the tires had never been rotated in about 20k miles.
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Originally Posted by 2002 Maxima SE
Originally Posted by KrisZ
Originally Posted by Ws6
Originally Posted by PimTac
Tighten the chassis? That's a new one. How do they do that?
Obviously I mean the bolts holding the underpinnings together.
Have you seen them actually do this or are you simply going by Mazda maintenance list?
I know my mazda lists checking various chassis bolts, but I have never seen it done, nor did I ever do it in 180k miles I have owned this car.
One thing the dealers are good at is making the customer think they are doing all sorts of things for "free" with their checklists etc. The focus is on customer experience, not actual quality of service. Their goal is to make the customer thinks they got a great service.
+1
When I moved out of state after college, I had my Ford F-150 maintained by the local Ford dealer in Pa. I paid to have the inspection, oil change, and tire rotation. After 1.5 years, I moved to NC and paid for the same deal at a local Ford dealer. After about 6 months, I had an odd vibration on the rear tires and took it to a Goodyear dealer. I found out that the tires had never been rotated in about 20k miles.
Glad my dealer isnt like yours, then.
Originally Posted by KrisZ
Originally Posted by Ws6
Originally Posted by PimTac
Tighten the chassis? That's a new one. How do they do that?
Obviously I mean the bolts holding the underpinnings together.
Have you seen them actually do this or are you simply going by Mazda maintenance list?
I know my mazda lists checking various chassis bolts, but I have never seen it done, nor did I ever do it in 180k miles I have owned this car.
One thing the dealers are good at is making the customer think they are doing all sorts of things for "free" with their checklists etc. The focus is on customer experience, not actual quality of service. Their goal is to make the customer thinks they got a great service.
+1
When I moved out of state after college, I had my Ford F-150 maintained by the local Ford dealer in Pa. I paid to have the inspection, oil change, and tire rotation. After 1.5 years, I moved to NC and paid for the same deal at a local Ford dealer. After about 6 months, I had an odd vibration on the rear tires and took it to a Goodyear dealer. I found out that the tires had never been rotated in about 20k miles.
Glad my dealer isnt like yours, then.
Originally Posted by kstanf150
I enjoy changing my oil mainly because I don't trust the retail shops to do the right thing
When I do it myself I know 100% for sure what's in my engine
And when you screw something up (as we all do), you also know who to blame.
Like my recent adding almost all 6 qts of Pennzoil Platinum to my Santa Fe when I realized I heard a weird noise, which turned out to be the oil draining out still.
I enjoy changing my oil mainly because I don't trust the retail shops to do the right thing
When I do it myself I know 100% for sure what's in my engine
And when you screw something up (as we all do), you also know who to blame.
Like my recent adding almost all 6 qts of Pennzoil Platinum to my Santa Fe when I realized I heard a weird noise, which turned out to be the oil draining out still.
I enjoyed changing my own oil until I got this '19 RAM Hemi. The oil filter is in a ridiculous location that spills all over stuff and the drain plug dumps onto the front sway bar. It's a 2 year lease though so I guess that one oil change I did already should be enough for the remainder of my time with it. It's a darn messy job. Stupid.
I do it myself, and I don't hate it, but I don't get all excited about it. It's just a boring, routine oil change. I get more excited about more involved, complex repairs. I like a challenge, and doing something new. I especially like diagnostics, such as studying wiring diagrams to diagnose an electrical problem, then figure out the problem, then buy parts only after I've diagnosed it. Very satisfying when I replace the part and it's fixed the first time, confirming my diagnosis.
I like changing my oil, but I hate changing other people's oil for them if it is a vehicle that is not normally maintained by me. The reason for this is that there always seems to be some kind of issue created by the last person that did it (stripped drain plug, filter put on by the hulk, etc).
Some vehicles are also a bit more of a pain just due to the layout of things.
Some vehicles are also a bit more of a pain just due to the layout of things.
Mostly, I love doing all services to all my vehicles. There are a few services that I don't enjoy, such as adjusting valve clearances on the 5-valve Yamaha motocross bike which requires removal of the camshafts (only if the clearances are out of spec). But that's not too terrible, I've become pretty good at it over the years. I also don't enjoy pumping the gear oil out of the Corvette's differential, because it has no drain plug. (What the FFFrench, GM!) But that's once every 6-7 years so it's not too terrible either.
I also enjoy changing my own oil. A few hundred miles before it's due, I will get out all the stuff: filter, new oil jug, drain pan, wrenches, gloves, etc.
On-topic, here are a few (small) things I DON'T enjoy about oil changes:
Waiting for the oil to cool down so it doesn't burn my hands. Usually I'm pretty patient, except when it comes to this specifically. I never change oil when it's cold.
Pulling the old (hot) filter down into the drain pan without splashing, can be annoying depending on the filter placement.
Trying to get a good oil level reading -- new oil can be very hard to see on the dipstick.
These are little gripes, but hey, I have to chime in once in a while
I also enjoy changing my own oil. A few hundred miles before it's due, I will get out all the stuff: filter, new oil jug, drain pan, wrenches, gloves, etc.
On-topic, here are a few (small) things I DON'T enjoy about oil changes:
Waiting for the oil to cool down so it doesn't burn my hands. Usually I'm pretty patient, except when it comes to this specifically. I never change oil when it's cold.
Pulling the old (hot) filter down into the drain pan without splashing, can be annoying depending on the filter placement.
Trying to get a good oil level reading -- new oil can be very hard to see on the dipstick.
These are little gripes, but hey, I have to chime in once in a while
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