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Cost of oil change

12K views 128 replies 50 participants last post by  jarata 
#1 ·
With the cost of an oil change being around 40.00 here in mass for conventional oil.
How many of you change your own oil
 
#3 ·
Six quarts of oil ($3/quart on sale) + Motorcraft filter ($5 at Wal-Mart or AZ) = $23

You can clean off and grease your front-end zerks while it's draining, and run the used oil to your preferred local recycler every few changes. But more importantly, you have the opportunity to look things over under the hood and chassis, and see how your latest mods or repairs are holding up.

In nasty weather I have succumbed to Jiffy Lube specials, but I usually crawl under it afterwards to check on things anyway.
 
#85 ·
Never seen it that low. Used to be $89. Jumped to $118 I think because they are using semi synthetic. But at least they have it on record in case the motor goes boom.
 
#8 ·
Always done my own oil changes...personally I go to wally world and get the high mileage oil and filter and it comes out to 25 or 30 bucks. Only vehicle that gets special treatment is the Porsche lol
 
#9 ·
I usually do my own oil changes also, but I recently took my new Ram truck in to the dealership for the 1 free oil change they promised. It took them an hour and a half to change the oil and do their "checklist". (but these experts couldn't figure out how to reset the oil change light)
I could have done it myself and been halfway through a 6pk of PBR in that time!
 
#11 ·
Do all my own oil changes. Only takes 20 min and I know it has been done right.
 
#12 ·
I don't do anything on my wife's CRV, but do all oil changes and other things on my Wrangler. I also rotate my tires at the same time. I like not having to jack it up for the oil and lube.
 
#14 ·
If you can find a good special at the local dealership "coupon" they will regularly have it on their web site I would just go do it. With buying oil, filter, and disposing the oil. You are not saving much. Money wise its a loss. The dealership can get bulk oil and pass the discount to the customers. The catch is they will try to up sale you with other services. But if you like to work on your jeep I would just do it for satisfaction on knowing it's done well. I will never go to any "quick lube" like Jeffy lube or Oil Can Henry's. They don't hire quality mechanic and have known to not tightened the oil filter or forgot to remove the old filter gasket and just put new filter over it. "Double gasket".Or even forgot to put back the oil fill cap and damaged many engines. I work in legal service and served many of these companies with small claims of damages to customers engines. I have my own shop on my property so its nice just crawl underneath and out of cold and rain and change the oil. So if you wanted to save some money and time or don't have a garage or shop just go to a dealership.
 
#89 ·
They don't hire quality mechanic and have known to not tightened the oil filter or forgot to remove the old filter gasket and just put new filter over it. "Double gasket".Or even forgot to put back the oil fill cap and damaged many engines.
This happened to my 2001 Miata when the oil was changed for "free" at the Mazda dealership. The idiot mechanic forgot to put the oil fill cap back on and it lost about 2/3 of the oil on the ride home. And I usually checked everything afterwards but that time I didn't. :pullinghair: :rant:

I had oil all over my engine and it got into the INSIDE of the hood and for months it would drip out and run up the hood as I was driving it on the highway! I suspected the bearings got scorched due to the low oil condition because it started using more oil after this happened than before. I probably should've sued them.

Since then I've never let anyone change the oil in any of my cars or in my daughter's car. I've always changed the oil in all my cars over the years but the Miata was a PITA due to it being so low and the oil filter was hard to get to and required taking the tire off so I was feeling lazy. I learned my lesson.

I'm spending Black Friday changing the oil and filter and rotating the tires on my daughter's Mazda 2. All in all, it will take about an hour. It's much easier than a Miata but still requires the car to be jacked up a bit. Having a good floor jack helps.

I changed the oil in my TJ and Ford van last week. They are both super easy. Just climb under and drain the oil. The Ford's oil filter couldn't be easier as it hangs down and is about a foot away from the oil pan. Takes all of 15 minutes to change the oil in that vehicle. The Jeep takes 25 minutes because I have to go from above the engine to get to the filter due to the skid plate. No need to jack either up.

I only use synthetic oil and a Purolator PL14670 filter got a great deal of $25 each for the 5 quart Mobil 1 containers on Amazon. I buy the filters off Amazon too. When I change the oil I rotate the tires, check everything else, top off fluids, tire pressure and lube. I bottle up the old oil and drop it off at the garage down the road.

Also I know it's done right with good oil. :happyyes: As for the cost, paying for synthetic oil and a good oil filter would probably put me at $100 or more. I checked once for my daughter's car and was quoted this at the dealership. I probably pay $40-45 total for 6 quarts and a filter for the Jeep.
 
#16 ·
It takes all of 20 minutes t change your oil. Ive been doing it since the day i got my first jeep. the best part about it is i know whats in the engine. six quarts of mobil 1 high mileage synthetic. Also its always on sale at any pep boys, auto zone etc. about 25$ for six quarts and a mobil 1 filter
 
#19 ·
It takes all of 20 minutes t change your oil. Ive been doing it since the day i got my first jeep. the best part about it is i know whats in the engine. six quarts of mobil 1 high mileage synthetic. Also its always on sale at any pep boys, auto zone etc. about 25$ for six quarts and a mobil 1 filter
Six quarts of Mobil 1 for $25?? Not around here! Is $10 or $11 a quart around here but I still use it in everything I have.
 
#17 ·
If more people would do their own oil changes (especially back east in the rust belts) we would probably see a few less "I think I have a rust problem" threads. Still beats me how someone can let the frame rust plumb through before seeing it or taking action, but that's just me.
Lets me get out in the man cave, get dirty, drink a few beers, maybe smoke a good cigar and most importantly.....find something else I "need" whether it is a tool or a jeep part.
 
#24 ·
Yeah, I put Red Line in my transmission and my differentials where it's more of a long-term deal, but for the engine (162K) I use plain ol' Castrol GTX and a Mopar filter. Even if I was going to run synthetic, as I do in my Silverado, I'd use Mobil 1.

Nobody else works on my Jeep. I do everything on it.
 
#31 ·
I have changed my oil on every vehicle I have owned since before I had my license. Since I got my Jeep a year ago I get all my oil from Costco. Usually get it on sale so $24-$26 for 6qts of Mobile 1 synthetic. Then go to Orielly's and pick up a filter with a discount from a local club.

My girlfriend is impatient and never wants to wait till I can change hers and she gets screwed every time she takes her car to Goodyear. I will never take my Jeep anywhere to get it fixed/maintained unless its way past my skill level.
 
#32 ·
I don't trust anyone else to do it. Who needs a lift, you're working on a jeep, just slide under. I have a thick rubber mat as the floor for the back bed of the Jeep. I pull it out and slide it under the jeep in between the front wheels. Slide under and drain the oil. While I'm there, I'm checking out the underside. Takes about 15-20 minutes TOPS. When you go to the Stealership or Jiffy Lube, you sit around and look at the dumbest shit ever. Board out of your mind WAY TOO LONG! Hoping to God that you didn't just get screwed, and usually did. For about twice as much as it would had you done it yourself. I just purchased 6 quarts of Synthetic oil and Pure1 filter for 25-30 bucks. I didn't lie to myself saying that I noticed I need an Engine flush and that I have a leaky seal (which is actually dry as a bone).
 
#59 ·
When you go to the Stealership or Jiffy Lube, you sit around and look at the dumbest shit ever. Board out of your mind WAY TOO LONG! Hoping to God that you didn't just get screwed, and usually did. For about twice as much as it would had you done it yourself. I just purchased 6 quarts of Synthetic oil and Pure1 filter for 25-30 bucks. I didn't lie to myself saying that I noticed I need an Engine flush and that I have a leaky seal (which is actually dry as a bone).
This is my most favorite comment ever! I'm dying laughing. So true.
 
#34 ·
I've been changing my own oil for over 40 years on every car I have owned. Never really trusted anyone to do it right. At a weak moment I signed up for a "free lifetime" oil change once on a new Pathfinder I got in '93. They screwed it up on two occasions by overfilling the sump. Not just a little, they must have pumped oil in until it ran out somewhere. I still think this was why my rear seals blew out prematurely.
Face it, there are sooooooooo....many ways to do an oil change wrong and it's not a difficult or time consuming project to do yourself. Why trust your large investment to some minimum wage flunky who doesn't give a RA about you or your rig?
 
#36 ·
I change my own oil on the Jeep, the Saab, and usually on my wife's minivan. Sometimes, if I am just feeling lazy, I may let the local grease monkey do the minivan. I typically use Mobil 1 Synth that I get from Walmart. I buy the five quart jug and if it's the Jeep, I will buy an extra quart. This last time, I went with plain ol' Castrol Dino. I am coming around to the theory that even if Dino isn't as good, I would rather change it every 3000 compared to every 5000-7500. I've done Fram and Mopar filters for the Jeep and Bosch high mileage for the Saab and Fram or Purolator for the van. Typical costs is about $25-$35. Like others have said, I like doing it myself because it's an opportunity to know that it is done right and to check around underneath and see if there are any issues.
 
#38 ·
Now days new vehicle go around ten thousand miles between oil changes. It will cost more but you are not changing it every three thousand miles. My first oil change on my 2015 Honda Fit was at ten thousand miles. The computer in the car knows your driving habits and tell you when to change the oil. So cost isn't so bad if you change it maybe 2 or 3 times per year.
 
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