How much do you pay for an oil change?

VintageBetter

VintageBetter

Senior Member
Where do you go and what do you pay and do you listen to them when they urge you to get that 100% synthetic oil even when your owner's manual says regular oil is fine?

I have not been there lately, but when I called the Valvoline place I think their least expensive oil change for my modest Toyota is now $80.00. I have an AARP coupon, but still, it's crazy to pay that much, IMO.

I have tried GroupOn coupons, but people line up at 6:00 a.m. at those mechanics to get a $45 oil change. And then wait an hour because there's five others in line too.
 

Do an oil change myself.

Mobil 1 High Mileage Full Synthetic Motor Oil 10W-30, 5 Quart
Now $24.97

FRAM Ultra Synthetic Oil Filter, XG10855, 20K mile Filter for Hyundai and Kia Vehicles
$14.47

Take my car to Walmart get the same oil & filter, tire pressure & tire wear checked, fluids checked, belts & hoses checked for $54.00 beats the work involved in DIY & then disposing of the used oil.
 

Decades ago, I used to change my own oil when there were roadside collection sites and other locations to take it. Now, itā€™s become difficult to find places in my area where you can legally dispose of waste oil. That, and the fact that I donā€™t want to crawl under vehicles anymore causes me to pay an average of around $60 at my trusted mechanicā€˜s garage for an oil changeā€¦
 
I've always changed my own oil, but let Ford do it for the current and previous F150 as it is a pain. Because they were new and I had coupons, the annual change was free. But the one I just got was $101. I was shocked, but all things considered, it seems appropriate.

On the Wife's 2014 Edge, I continue to change it myself. It is always "Mobil 1", which runs about $35 for a gallon and a quart at Walmart. A higher end filter runs about $12, so it cost about $50 with tax. I have ramps, and the SUV is one of the easier ones to do an oil change.

FYI, many horror stories have come out of the various "quick oil change" places. Usually its too little or too much oil, and not properly tightening the drain plug or the filter. A loss of oil can cause an engine to seize, and that is often enough to "total" the vehicle.
 
Mobilman44 said:
FYI, many horror stories have come out of the various "quick oil change" places. Usually its too little or too much oil, and not properly tightening the drain plug or the filter. A loss of oil can cause an engine to seize, and that is often enough to "total" the vehicle.
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I've heard of this too. Leaking oil after an oil change. I would save money but I don't go to the quick oil change places.

I think I paid about $137 for an oil change. Synthetic oil. I tried two different mechanics. My car is due and I think I'll go to the dealer just for the convenience factor. I believe I will be billed about the same amount. It feels like a terrible rip off.
 
I feel your pain... But it pales to the cost of replacing a vehicle, and appropriate oil changes are the epitome of "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".

BTW, I was present at Mobil Oil's testing labs in New Jersey back in the early '70s and saw the test motors that were torn down after 100,000 miles using Mobil 1. They were in almost new shape, and the relative absence of gunk/sludge was absolutely remarkable.

But the biggest draw was when you used Mobil 1, you knew those cold winters wouldn't keep your car from starting (due to thickened oil).

Yikes, sorry for the commercial, but its true.
 
Our car uses so much oil that we never have to have it changed. It uses about a quart every two weeks. It is a 1997 Toyota, with over 200,000 miles on it. Still sounds great, and always has fresh oil running through it. :)
 
I do my own. My son has a lift and hydraulic grease gun that operates off his compressor. He had a pole building put on his lot. It makes everything easy. I pay him back by keeping the oil filled so we can do all the familyā€™s vehicles. I think all of our vehicles use 5W-30.
 
I recently paid $72.50 at the dealership. I went there to have the tires rotated and a battery test done as well as getting any software updates and recall work done if the part had become available yet (nope).

Felt pricy but I considered the source. However the previous oil and filter change at a 3rd party clip joint was $90. Sure they threw in a wash with a light show, but sheesh.

Dealers need the work, and if they can be this competitive even when I don't have coupons and discount codes with me... why not?
 
Mobilman44 said:
I've always changed my own oil, but let Ford do it for the current and previous F150 as it is a pain. Because they were new and I had coupons, the annual change was free. But the one I just got was $101. I was shocked, but all things considered, it seems appropriate.

On the Wife's 2014 Edge, I continue to change it myself. It is always "Mobil 1", which runs about $35 for a gallon and a quart at Walmart. A higher end filter runs about $12, so it cost about $50 with tax. I have ramps, and the SUV is one of the easier ones to do an oil change.

FYI, many horror stories have come out of the various "quick oil change" places. Usually its too little or too much oil, and not properly tightening the drain plug or the filter. A loss of oil can cause an engine to seize, and that is often enough to "total" the vehicle.
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I won't trust Walmart anymore. I've had some bad tire experiences there so I won't return.
 
Mobilman44 said:
I feel your pain... But it pales to the cost of replacing a vehicle, and appropriate oil changes are the epitome of "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".

BTW, I was present at Mobil Oil's testing labs in New Jersey back in the early '70s and saw the test motors that were torn down after 100,000 miles using Mobil 1. They were in almost new shape, and the relative absence of gunk/sludge was absolutely remarkable.

But the biggest draw was when you used Mobil 1, you knew those cold winters wouldn't keep your car from starting (due to thickened oil).

Yikes, sorry for the commercial, but its true.
Click to expand...
I know oil changes are very needed for the car, but I don't even spend $80 to get my hair colored and that would take 90 minutes. It takes them 15 minutes, very little skill really, and out the window goes $80. It's painful, IMO, because I remember the $40 oil changes at the same place.
 
On my car the headlamps are a pain-in-the-rear to change - several YouTubers who have made videos on the matter agree on that - so I called a dealer and a local mechanic to see how much they would charge to do it. I was willing to pay $20 to have someone do that 10-minute chore for me.

They each wanted $45 per headlamp. That's probably increased to $60 by now thanks to inflation.

So, to heck with that, for $90.00 I will watch many videos and learn how to do that chore myself. Which I have.

But can you imagine? There are probably millions of people out there spending $120 for bulb changes. RIP OFF.
 
When Mrs.L bought her current car, she paid up front for a 3 year service plan which includes oil and pollen filter changes. It also includes a general service, any necessary adjustments and a statutory MoT road worthiness test. Cost Ā£300 - about $350.
We don't tend to rotate tyres in the UK.
 
I paid close to $100 3-4 mos ago. They wanted $112, but I got them to reduce it by asking for a senior discount.
That was for my 20 yr old VW Beetle.

They did send me a coupon via email for $12 off to use in 6mos.
 
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I do my own oil changes - and will continue to do so until I am no longer physically able. My vehicle calls for regular oil (not synthetic). I do buy an official Toyota filter. I just have to deal with oil disposal.

I would never go to one of those quick lube places. There are tons of horror stories out there. Dealers will rip you off, but their mechanics seem to know what theyā€™re doing.

If you canā€™t (or donā€™t want) to change your own oil, I would recommend an independent mechanic. Price is usually somewhere between the quick lube places and the dealer.
 
We have 5 vehicles including my daughterā€™s car so I change oil on them most of the time. A local dependable guy with an older shop will do it for $25 if I supply oil and filter, so that comes to about $50. I have the local guy do it if I need him to check and refill grease fittings on two of the vehicles.

Mostly, I donā€™t like spending all the time taking the vehicle in and I donā€™t trust ā€œQuick Lubeā€ shops staffed by 18 year olds - one time they stripped out my oil plug and did not tell me they did so.
 
911 said:
I do my own. My son has a lift and hydraulic grease gun that operates off his compressor
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Man, if I had that setup, I'd still service my own rigs

Valvoline has treated me right
Good shop, good kids
and they don't push the promos
$30 - $40 w/coupon
I can't get filters and oil for that

I do it every 3K miles

Both rigs have over 250K miles

The Wrangle is tight
The GMC leaves a small spot (not a big deal .....yet)
 
Fyrefox said:
Decades ago, I used to change my own oil when there were roadside collection sites and other locations to take it. Now, itā€™s become difficult to find places in my area where you can legally dispose of waste oil.
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Fortunately, a local shop uses waste oil for their heater!
Paco Dennis said:
Our car uses so much oil that we never have to have it changed. It uses about a quart every two weeks. It is a 1997 Toyota, with over 200,000 miles on it. Still sounds great, and always has fresh oil running through it. :)
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We have a 99 Camry like that, but I still change the oil every 3K or even sooner. After a change, it burns less oil for the first 1500 miles and then at an increasing rate after that, which tells me that the old oil (and filter), even though I have replaced half of it, is in tough shape.
 

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