oil changes

[Mike.357]

I have this to do today, actually it is draining right now. Just waiting for the drips to stop.

So who else changes the oil in the personal vehicle?

I have the truck going now, and the fixings to do the filter and oil on the tractor. Going to try to get the quads done next weekend.

Only two options on the poll, I figure if you do your own, on occassion you may go to a speedy lube place, but if you don't do your own, you don't sometimes do it yourself.

Sometimes I go to a quickie place, but at least 9 out of 10 times I do it.

Edited March 28, 2009 by Mike.357

[Guest db99wj]

I don't at the moment on my Jeep or my wife's Dodge Grand Caravan. I am about to buy a new Jeep and I think I am going to start doing it myself. The mini van is hard to get to everything without lifting the front end or driving up ramps. Proabably won't do hers.

So currently, I got to Vavoline Instant Oil Change place. I specifically use Synthetic for high mileage in my Jeep.

[Guest Traumaslave]

I do all of my oil changes on the wife's and my SUVs. It only takes about 15 minutes to do and I can check everything else out. I even bought a grease gun for the lube. I reamed her a new one when we were dating, she told me she went to Jiffy Lube and they bent her over the hood. Oil, antifreeze, tranny, blades,,,,, they saw her coming a mile away. I don't trust them to do the job either. I have 2 friends who blew their engines cause the idiots didn't put the drain plug back in tight.

[TripleDigitRide]

I would normally change it myself, but due to my current living situation, I'm forced to pay someone else to do it.

The apartment complex I live in does not allow residents to perform oil changes in the parking lot.

I don't have any family within 500 miles, so using their driveway/garage/yard is out of the question.

I have a regular mechanic that I use, and if I take him the oil and filter, he will change my oil for $10. He's only 2 miles down the road, so it's well worth it.

[DuallyNewt]

Yes I do my own just dont trust some of those places...

Thanks

[56FordGuy]

In my truck, I do all my own mechanical work. In my company provided service truck, I have to take it somewhere and have them do it. The company pays for it, though.

[bvarnell]

I used to always change my own. Then I got an Expedition 4wd., which has the filter so well hidden (above axle and back 4 or 5 inches) that even the garage gets a pretty good spill they pull it.

Just something about laying on my back and getting old oil dumped in my face that's not as much fun anymore.

[Guest GUTTERbOY]

It's been many years since I paid anyone else to do work to a vehicle I own, save for getting tires mounted.

[mac12]

I have two Toyotas and take them to Toyota dealership to have oil changes. A few years ago I took one to independant shops, but it costs as much as dealerships and they didn't inspect other things. Who knows your vehicle better than a shop that sells that brand? Also there's the responsibility of recycling the oil if you do it yourself. You might be able to save a few bucks if you do it yourself, but if you are going to keep a vehicle long term, you may be money ahead by having it maintained by the professionals. Just my .

[oldogy]

Why I Still Do My Own.

Many years ago I had a part time job while in college. One of my duties was to schedule and have the maint. done on the small fleet of vehicles on our job site. My employer was a mechanical engineering group based on a very dirty site. The project engineer had a contract with a local independent 'service station' that was to use only premium oils and filters and we had 1,000 mile maint interval scheduled on all vehicles.

One day I dropped a vehicle off for maint and was headed to the bank, another of my duties, and realized I had forgotten something in the first vehicle. Upon returning to the service station I found the vehicle being serviced with the cheapest oil the station had, not the premium stuff. So that was the end of our contract with that station and why I try my darndest to service my own stuff.

[Guest v3bahumut]

I wouldn't trust anyone else to change my oil, especially since my car is modified and no longer uses the OEM size filters.

[LazyAce]

I have my own shop so I do all of my own work on everything I own. The only time I take something to a outside shop is if it needs to be put on a scope or for some tranny work. I put the used oil in a 55 gal barrel and when it is full I have two or three shops that will come and get it out of my way for free as they burn it for heat.

[BrasilNuts]

For me it depends on the vehicle. I can crawl under my F-350 so I do it myself, well, that and it is really expensive to get the oil changed in a diesel. If I can't get under it without lifting it somehow then I take it to have it done.

[Guest bkelm18]

Now that I own a vehicle that I can get underneath and reach the plug without jacking it up, yeah I do my own. Every 6000 miles.

[deerslayer]

Do it myself--too many BAD experiences with the dealerships to count. It's rarely a real mechanic who changes oil at the dealership anyway. I won't even get into the Jiffy Lubes and Valvolines...

[Guest db99wj]

Do it myself--too many BAD experiences with the dealerships to count. It's rarely a real mechanic who changes oil at the dealership anyway. I won't even get into the Jiffy Lubes and Valvolines...

I bought a new transfercase because of one...

[Guest 70below]

I shudder to have most shops service or repair my transmission. I rebuilt a few when I was younger and the biggest enemy to a rebuild or transmission service is dirt. Take a look around the shop next time you take a tranny in to be repaired, serviced, or rebuilt. If you can't eat off the counters, its not clean enough.

But back to the topic.....I try to change my own oil as much as possible, but as I travel alot, sometimes there just isn't time.

[Guest db99wj]

I shudder to have most shops service or repair my transmission. I rebuilt a few when I was younger and the biggest enemy to a rebuild or transmission service is dirt. Take a look around the shop next time you take a tranny in to be repaired, serviced, or rebuilt. If you can't eat off the counters, its not clean enough.

But back to the topic.....I try to change my own oil as much as possible, but as I travel alot, sometimes there just isn't time.

This place forgot to put this retainer clip that helps hold the drive shaft in proper position, so it was leaking and it wore out the output housing, a few months later, the whole thing went out. Couldn't prove what they did. The mechanic got fired the same day he worked on mine...

[jimic]

Have used dealership for the last few years.

Had a very bad experance with Polaris dealer in my area. I was forced to do my my own service because i had to go behind the dealer to confirm work was completed,cost me some big buck to get Ranger back in good condition.

[Guest 45AUTO]

do all the cars and trucks myself. way pay someone else to do somethin you can do yourself.

[PackinMama]

I do my own in my Camry and my GMC pickup. For the most part, you just can't trust those quick lube places or Walmart. When I got my Camry, I had Walmart do it the first 5 times. They always give you a receipt that says exactly how much oil the vehicle takes.....on all 5 receipts, the amounts were different....3.6 qts., 3.8 qts., 3.5 qts., etc., but the oil was always right on the full mark. When I started doing it myself, I noticed that it takes a LONG time for the oil to really stop dripping. I let it drip for like a half hour and it always holds EXACTLY 4 quarts of oil to get it right on the full mark. Those guys are in such a hurry that they don't let all the oil drain out before they put the plug back in.

Years ago I was getting my GMC done at a Tire and Maintenance shop and they always overfilled the oil. Every time, after they pulled it out, I would check it and it would be between half a quart to a quart over filled......so then I'd make them pull it back in and take the extra out. This happened over and over like 8 times so that's when I decided to start doing the truck myself too.

The Camry is easier than the truck because it doesn't need lubed.....but I can get to both of them without jacking them up which is a plus.

[deerslayer]

A friend of mine (actually MemphisMechanic on this forum) turns wrenches for Toyota. One day he told me, "Well, a guy w/ a 2006 4Runner won the Wal-Mart oil changing sweepstakes today." "Huh?" I said. He replied, "yeah, every 12th oil change at Wal-Mart gets you a new engine." I said, "what the hell are you talking about?" He said that Wal-Mart leaves the drain plug loose or doesn't tighten the filter or screws up something so often that Wal-Mart pays for a customer's new engine now and then.

[S&WForty]

A friend of mine (actually MemphisMechanic on this forum) turns wrenches for Toyota. One day he told me, "Well, a guy w/ a 2006 4Runner won the Wal-Mart oil changing sweepstakes today." "Huh?" I said. He replied, "yeah, every 12th oil change at Wal-Mart gets you a new engine." I said, "what the hell are you talking about?" He said that Wal-Mart leaves the drain plug loose or doesn't tighten the filter or screws up something so often that Wal-Mart pays for a customer's new engine now and then.

No surprise... I know an employee at a Jiffy Lube that jokes about their screw ups - usually involving a new engine for a customer.

I do everything I can on my own. When I have to take a car to a shop, I cringe.

[Tobashadow]

My wife had a nice walmart tire lube place not even bother to drain the oil or change the filter.

Just put 5 quarts on top of what was already in there.

Two days later motor is smoking and i pull the dip stick and you know that full line?

Try about 8 inchs above it.

Even after showing them the filter was not even one they stocked they still would not touch it.

Here's to yha Athen's TN tire lube express.

[-boatman-]

Also there's the responsibility of recycling the oil if you do it yourself.

\

Aint that the truth. I still do mine myself most of the time but disposing of the old oil is a hassle. With four vehicles and two boats, one with twin engines and a gen set, I have a lot of used oil to get rid of. I carried off about 15 gallons last week. If anything causes me to start getting someone else to change it this will be the reason.

If you check around there are some good places to get it done that does not cost that much more. I just hate to go some where and wait for anything. Yeah I know I'm impatient.