Do you change your own car oil?

Par for the course.
My brother is an auto mechanic. And a thief. When I saw how he ripped off customers, I decided to lease a new car every 3 years & NEVER need a mechanic.
Most mechanics get away with it. My brother ripped off customers for years. Many sued him. Only half won. One of them resulted in a fraud conviction but he only paid a fine, even though it was a felony conviction.
 
I do virtually ALL of my own vehicle maintenance....not only because of the "games" many car shops play, but also the cost. About the Only time I've gone to a shop, in years, was last year when the water pump on my old Dodge Dakota started making screeching noises. That's more of a job than I can handle. The local Dodge dealer wanted over $1000, but my neighbor told me about a local garage. They replaced the pump, the hoses, thermostat, flushed the engine and installed new anti-freeze for just a little over $400...and no problems since.

Newer cars, with all their technology, are a real source of customer rip-offs. Unless a person has an expensive "code reader" there is no telling what the real cause of many of the electrical problems might be. Many of the major auto parts stores have good readers, and will test the car for free. If a person just goes blindly to a dealer, they can easily be roped into paying hundreds of dollars for the replacement of a $50 part.

I have the factory repair manuals for my car, truck, tractor, and even riding lawn mower. If/when a problem occurs, I can do my own research, and almost always fix it myself, for pennies on the dollar, compared to what dealers/shops charge. About the Only routine maintenance I never do is a transmission oil/filter change....a massive mess to drain the oil, and a PITA to remove/replace the transmission pan and filter. And then, I "wander" near where they are working to see that they aren't screwing with something else.

I feel sorry for those who have no mechanical skills/knowledge. They are prime candidates for the rip off artists.
 

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I can't figure out for the life of me why I'd actually WANT to change my own oil. It's a hell of a lot easier to just look for an oil change place you trust than to grub around under your car, even if I wanted to grub around under my car, which I don't.
 
Just replaced the Timing belt in the Daughters VW Jetta,,,,
including waier pump, plugs wires and yup... an oil change
But I also ran a shop part time at the old house for years....
 
I used to change my own oil back when my area had used oil collection centers, some roadside, where you could easily take your used oil for recycling. Changing your own oil was more economical and satisfying, and you could do it whenever you wanted. Then they did away with such centers, and disposing of used oil became just about impossible, forcing people to buy into garage services and their pricing. At least I can still change and rotate my own tires!
 
Ripoffs extend to plumbers too. A house I was considering buying had one bathtub faucet frozen so it would not budge. The realtor called a plumber to look at it, and the estimate was hundreds of dollars and included ripping into a wall. When the seller's father was informed, he came over and just did an easy faucet fix for a few dollars.

Another is hot water heaters. One of the heating elements in mine went bad. I concluded this myself with familiarity with electrical / electronics. Suzy homemaker would end up buying a whole new water heater. I just had them replace the heating element since a plumber I'm not. The water heater is glass lined so I don't anticipate corrosion problems, and thermostats and heating elements are easy and cheap replacements.
 
Used to be, oil change outlets would do it so cheap, it'd cost more to buy the oil and do it myself
Not any more
It's nuts
$50-$60 here
One outfit, I won't mention their name, but they do things in a jiffy, kept advising me of what else needed tending.
Told 'em, 'just change the freaking oil and filter'

I've gone back to doing my own PMs
The used oil makes good fuel for the burn pile out at the cabin
 
I do very little, in vehicle maintenance, today. Change a brake light, maintain all fluid levels and change air filter, but that's it. We get the Oil Change Package from Dodge Dealer and they change the oil. Back in my 30's thru 40's, I did some (note the word "some") vehicle repairs, but nothing very major. Wiggle under the vehicle and change oil, using Pep Boys Disposable Box, replace starter-generator-any belts and that was about it. One time, took off carb, had it rebuilt, and put it back on the engine. Luckily, the engine started and ran!

With today's electronics/computer, I don't trust myself messing with most anything under the hood. Mess up the computer and, well, won't go there!

We have an engine repair place we got to and a tire place we go to. Go to Dealer for oil change and that's about it. My old "backyard mechanic days" are definitely over! It costs, but I let the experts/experienced guys handle most everything.
 
I can change my own oil in less time than it takes to drive to the nearest auto repair shop, so I do it myself. I don't like anyone else touching my vehicles--especially not some kid making minimum wage. It amazes me that people will spend upwards of $30,000 on a car and then take it to one of these discount oil change places.
 
I do all of my own maintenance On my vehicle and my antique vehicles, All engine, trans and drive train work including changing differential and axles. I love to get a quote and compare the prices to what it costs me. It is unbelievable what they charge and what they want to repair. My daughter in law had her oil changed at one of these quick oil change places and they stripped out the drain plug and put in the wrong oil!

That being said, I buy the wife a new car every two years so I don't have to touch it and we have a vehicle in case I'm working on mine.
 
I'd try changing the oil myself but getting the oil filter off and putting a new one back on would be a big problem for me. Wouldn't want the filter falling off while I'm driving.
 
Also important, where oil changes are concerned, is the frequency the change, and the quality of the oil. When buying a new car, it is important to change the oil and filter after the first 1,000 miles. All new engines have a "break in" period, where minute metal particles are "flushed" from the cylinders and pistons. These are collected in the filter, so the cylinders don't get "scored". Replacing the oil/filter early, on the first change, can help insure a longer life for the engine. Also, it is important to stay with the same "brand" of oil over the life of the vehicle. Brands have different additives, that can interact with other brands, and shorten the engine life. If a person is going to go to a shop for oil changes, they would be wise to specify the brand/viscosity of their oil....some of these "quick change" shops probably use the cheapest oil/filters they can get.
 
I can change my tires. Had to use my spare last week. I check my oil about everytime I fill up on gas, can change wiper blades and check other fluids but that's about all.
My vehicle has 178,000 miles on it!

Why didn't they teach the girls auto mechanics in school back then?
 
My son is a service writer at the dealership where I bought my car,so he picks up my car,leaves me his to drive for the day and brings mine back that night.Just did it yesterday.He even pays for it:love: Otherwise,we would never pay dealer prices for any vehicle service or repairs.But being in the auto body repair business forever (hubby still is) we have go-to mechanics that we know are honest.
 
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