DIY oil change? Or do you bring it to a shop?

[KillaCam]

I dont have the tools to change oil myself,

So i take it to my frd who is a mechanic...

What tools? Ramps and a wrench? Doesn`t cost very much.

EVERY time I`ve gotten my oil changed by a mechanic they get oil all over my hood and bumper. Pisses me off.

[Nizmo]

I DIY oil changes and other routine stuff on my vehicles. With the VW the nearest dealer is 1.5hrs away and charge $100 for an oil change and with my small rural area, German cars are rare. The local mom and pop shops scratch their head when they see one come in I bought a set of ramps, torque wrench, and oil filter tool (Hazet 2169 for the VW, $40 ouch!) for less than $150 so I will actually save labour cost in just a couple changes. I keep stock of filters for the vehicles along with my oil stash, so I rarely have to go on store runs. Believe it or not dealers are cheap on their OEM filters (VW for example $12 at autoparts store, they were $8.75 at the dealer in Hagerstown, MD), so I stock up when in the city. Walmart has excellent prices on oil; I use Rotella T6 5w40 in the VW which is only $20 a gallon on sale and Rotella T5 10w30 I use in the Chevy is only $16 a gallon on sale. Whenever there`s a sale there is some coming home with me. At one time it looked like WM`s oil isle in my garage, but right now it`s down to the minimum.

[skibik]

Chassis lube? What`s that?

I think those days are gone. Not sure my new car even has that in the maintenance section.

[IDGAS]

I do all of my own work (if I can) (even warranty things) including oil changes. I can easily afford to to pay for it, but an oil change in the convenience of my own garage, at my convenience, rather than an appointment, hour at a dealer sitting in some waiting room, appeals more to me. Plus, it is that added feeling of accomplishment. Now that all of my cars have the oil filter on top, I just use an oil suction method, and never even have to get under the cars. Just sit and watch and have a beer.

[Dogfather]

I think those days are gone. Not sure my new car even has that in the maintenance section.

Actually, I just ordered new sway bar links from Amazon and they happen to come with zerk fittings. Something to do while my oil is draining.

[IDGAS]

Actually, I just ordered new sway bar links from Amazon and they happen to come with zerk fittings. Something to do while my oil is draining.

All decent quality replacement parts (sway bar links, tie rod ends, etc. etc.) come with zerks.

[RTexasF]

So do you change your own batteries? (guess that would be similar)

Yes I have as of late. Toyota batteries are crap and both of our (bought new) 2008 RAV4 V-6`s are on their third battery. The last ones being definitely NOT Toyota brand. The OEMs split and leaked acid which the dealer replaced after powerwashing the mess. Replacements lasted almost two years and I replaced them with Autozone Gold with a 3 year over the counter warranty + pro rate.
Fortunately both crapped out right in my garage within two weeks of each other so I could take the "good" car to go buy a battery for the other......then do it again two weeks later.

Batteries don`t last long in South Texas heat. My longest so far is 37 months (Honda) which was one month out of warranty, of course. It was at the dealer for an alignment when it conked and a hurricane was coming so I pretty much had to pay them the bend over price for another of the same ilk.

[glen e]

I have made friends with a local perf shop that does Vette work. He is great about putting the car up on a lift and letting me change it for $25. With my old back, I prefer changing "standing up". I highly recommend Eric at Lashway Motorsports in Fort Lauderdale if you are looking for a straight shooter. I don`t engage in the Oil wars, I use Mobil 1 as it`s good and cheap as hell at Walmart in the 5.1 size. I have an "oil minder" system in the Vette but ignore it, and change every 5000 or 9 months, which ever occurs first.

[RaysWay]

I have made friends with a local perf shop that does Vette work. He is great about putting the car up on a lift and letting me change it for $25. With my old back, I prefer changing "standing up". I highly recommend Eric at Lashway Motorsports in Fort Lauderdale if you are looking for a straight shooter. I don`t engage in the Oil wars, I use Mobil 1 as it`s good and cheap as hell at Walmart in the 5.1 size. I have an "oil minder" system in the Vette but ignore it, and change every 5000 or 9 months, which ever occurs first.

Thanks for the recommendation. I have family in Ft. Lauderdale and visit often so I`ll keep that in mind.

[RaysWay]

Alright I decided to let someone else have the fun after watching a youtube video on how to change the oil on my car. I went to my local Jiffy Lube and received amazing customer service. As soon as I stepped out of my car I was greeted by a friendly employee who even opened the door for me and offered me a cup of coffee out of their Keurig machine. After I handed him my keys and watched him pull my car around, I watched three employee walk around my car with grins on their faces. One of them came back in and asked me if I just waxed the car I told him I detail it regularly. I used a $5 off coupon I found online and left with a big smile on my face. The "damage" that was done wasn`t too bad. With the regular oil change, they do offer to clean your glass and vacuum the interior, but I declined both.



Random smudges around the hood and door handles.



Small stain on the drivers seat.



But it wasn`t anything a quick wash couldn`t fix.

[Bunky]

I changed the oil in my MKZ with over 85k miles yesterday. I used Motorcraft 5W-20 and a Wix oil filter. The valve train through the oil filler looks clean - no varnish, etc.

If you use ramps, it is easy to do an under body inspection to check on any loose items or damaged CV joints.

[Don]

DIY all the way for oil changes, the last time the DEALER changed my oil, they left the cap off. I found out 2 days later when getting gas, I went to check my fluid levels and found oil all over the engine and the cap missing.

[Bunky]

I changed the oil in my house generator yesterday. Generac specs 200 hrs or 2 yrs but did it in 1 year anyway. I used Shell Rotella 10w-30 and a Generac filter (for warranty reasons). Generac makes it so easy with a long drain hose with a screw cap.

[Old Pirate]

I have mine done at the dealer because of the maintenance warranty it has.