Oil change shops $$$$$!!!

Holy Cow . HOw high are they going to go to change oil in these oil change shops that are so popular ! I just got a quote of $40 for my wifes Montero at Jiffy Lube . I been paying a $100 to have my Ford Deisel done .I just said forget it and headed to the auto parts store . $10 later I had my oil and filter for her car . While I was there I picked up a filter for my Ford deisel and 4 gallons of Shell Rotella .
I figured I saved close to a $100 dollars in changing the oil on those two vehicles today .Tomorrow I will drop my used oil off at the recycler . It took me about 1 hour total to do both cars . I do not mind in helping out the economy ,but geez ! Where does this end !

Sushi! Sushi! Here Sushi!

Hey Al, how much is the cabin air filter on your car?

PBinWA said:

Sushi! Sushi! Here Sushi!

Hey Al, how much is the cabin air filter on your car?

Click to expand...

LOL !!! Oh Man ! I knew that was coming !
I think the difference here is I did not go out and buy the parts and expect the shop to discount their charges by using my parts . I just did it all myself .

I've been using a local oil change / Detail shop. I just got a letter from him saying that he is discontinuing the oil change part of his buisness. He can't afford it at the current prices.
Tough year so far. My barber moved away and now this with my oil change guy. I hate finding a new barber and hate the thought of having to find another oil change shop I can trust. So, I'm considering doing what you did Al. Change it myself ....or pay my boy to do it.

I buy my own oil and filter and take them to Fleet Farm. They do my car for $10 and Truck for $15. This include the tire rotate and balance (bought the tires there.)

$10 -15 is worth my time and disposal hassle.

Av8r3400 said:

I buy my own oil and filter and take them to Fleet Farm. They do my car for $10 and Truck for $15. This include the tire rotate and balance (bought the tires there.)

$10 -15 is worth my time and disposal hassle.

Click to expand...

Sounds like you and sushi were twins separated at birth!!

Doc said:

Tough year so far. My barber moved away and now this with my oil change guy. I hate finding a new barber and hate the thought of having to find another oil change shop I can trust. So, I'm considering doing what you did Al. Change it myself ....or pay my boy to do it.

Click to expand...

Just don't go out and do your own hair cuts Doc

Doc said:

I've been using a local oil change / Detail shop. I just got a letter from him saying that he is discontinuing the oil change part of his buisness. He can't afford it at the current prices.
Tough year so far. My barber moved away and now this with my oil change guy. I hate finding a new barber and hate the thought of having to find another oil change shop I can trust. So, I'm considering doing what you did Al. Change it myself ....or pay my boy to do it.

Click to expand...

The nice thing about changing your own oil, is that you get to do a really good look around while you are down there taking the plug out and changing filters. Not much to grease on the newer models, maybe two or three points verses dozens and dozens on the pre seventies models.

Having someone change your oil is a service. Some like to use that service -- why, I don't know. I can do both my wife's and my car much faster than driving just one of our vehicles to the establishment, waiting around and driving home.

Trouble with a lot of your Jiffy Lube-type places is that, even though the fees for doing the oil change are pretty reasonable, they dream up lots of extras. "Oh this belt needs replacing". It's this or that for which they charge nutzo rates. If you're not mechanically knowledgeable, they'll charge you for a Flabberfitzer filter that, of course, doesn't exist. They're rip joints!
Best to do your own service if at all possible. In the northern climates, most auto shops have waste oil heaters and will gladly take your used oil off your hands to help defray their heating costs.

The amount that you pay depends upon the location, the GM dealers that I have had do it, charge about $30, we only have one vehicle that gets changed more than once a year and that is where that one is done. The tractors, one which gets changed 3 to 4 times a year, I do.

I do agree on the Jiffy Lube places, down in Florida when I had the Explorer, the only was changed at 3,000 before we went back and they came out and said how extremely dirty it was and it needed some cleaner or other, which I passed on, of course after watching for a while, they came out and told that to everyone.

One of the quick lube places changed my oil, when I used them. They wanted to show me how clean my air filter was and then put it back in. 100 miles later truck wouldn't run right and check engine light was on. Took it to the dealer for a check up. Lo and behold, the air filter had a rip in the cone on the end of the filter. Dirt got on the Mass Air Flow sensor and it burnt out. $400 later I had my truck back. I tried to file a claim and they said "Prove we ripped it or that we were the last ones to remove/replace the filter".

Okay, I'll admit it; I have never paid anyone to change my oil and I've been cutting my own hair ever since college.

Oh yeah, the last few years I've also ordered my own tires over the net (cheaper) and mounted and balanced them myself as well. Does that make me cheap?

Watch em.

I was in a local chain and the counter guy came out and told another customer her transmission fluid looked filthy, way overdue to replace. She said she had just changed it.

The Service Manager said never mind then, the computer prints that on every invoice where they haven't changed it recently.

I can change the oil and filter on both my car and my wife's van in 30 minutes including clean up. I, like others previously posted, take the time to look around and under my car. I want to know its condition. The quicky-lube places don't look out for me. Besides, who's to know if they strip the threads on the drain plug.......

K

Kwiens said:

I can change the oil and filter on both my car and my wife's van in 30 minutes including clean up. I, like others previously posted, take the time to look around and under my car. I want to know its condition. The quicky-lube places don't look out for me. Besides, who's to know if they strip the threads on the drain plug.......

K

Click to expand...

....or even tighten it properly!

Hey Al, how much is the cabin air filter on your car?

Click to expand...

Hey, bite me. YOU pay someone $36 to put a air filter in. Not me. Especially when at the time I only had a few hundred in the bank. If you want to pay full-boat on things you can do yourself with little to no effort go for it.

I always change my own......dont trust the 6 dollar an hour guy on my 45 thousand dollar truck.

Besides......ever notice you almost NEVER get the same dude twice to change your oil?

I at least mark the filter to make sure they change it. Mostly take my PU to the dealer, they send out coupons for $19.95 for bait to get ya in there. NO, I do NOT let them sell me a $30 or $40 air filter!

urednecku said:

I at least mark the filter to make sure they change it.

Click to expand...

That's a good point. A friend of mine took his Nissan pickup back to the dealer for the 15k mile service - oil, rotate tires, check alignment, etc. He got $150 taken off the bill when he showed the service manager his marks proving the billed tasks hadn't been done.

My experience was somewhat similar. I bought a Subaru and played around with enough to know it was flawless. The next day after I paid for it and picked it up I discovered they had pulled fuses to kill the horn, one headlight, the gas gauge, plus some other flaws I think I would have noticed like dead power windows. I'm certain this was to force me to bring it back the next day so they could try to sell me the warranty or something.

I took it to the other local dealer (who had had '$2,000 Additional Profit' stickers on his cars) and got about $50 of warranty work completed at Subaru's cost, all before the car had 50 miles on it. I think it was all sabotage by the selling dealer. I haven't seen another problem in the nine years I've owned it so far.

I've had real bad luck with other people changing my oil.

Caravan needed oil changed and new front brakes. It was winter and I didn't have a garage or even a dry spot ... Took it to a dealer. They let the oil out, replaced the brake pads and took it for a test drive. made it almost a mile....

Had Midas change the oil in a 8 cylinder Dodge Dakota. They put 8 quarts in. Barely ran well enough to get the 1 mile home and let out 2 quarts of oil.

Jiffy lube type place changed my oil and i headed to Canada. Took a while to figure out what the sticky film on the back window was .....

But on the good side... I had a GMC Safari and i could NOT get the hood open. Took it to a dealer and asked for a oil change...didn't say anything about the hood

Doc said:

I've been using a local oil change / Detail shop. I just got a letter from him saying that he is discontinuing the oil change part of his buisness. He can't afford it at the current prices.
Tough year so far. My barber moved away and now this with my oil change guy. I hate finding a new barber and hate the thought of having to find another oil change shop I can trust. So, I'm considering doing what you did Al. Change it myself ....or pay my boy to do it.

Click to expand...

Well I don't have that problem... I change my own oil and most of my hair fell out....\

Besides, the last time I did take my "Brand New" 2004 GMC pickup (at the time) in to do a first oil change at a "Fast Oil Change" joint because I was in a hurry, they broke my air filter by over tightening a corner screw after removing the air filter to try to sell me a new one... You don't know that until you check it a few months later and of course, "They" couldn't have done it...it was sooo long ago.

Had the wife drop off the new Dodge at the local dealership here in Ely for an oil change before we headed to CA. They drop the truck off at night about an hour before we headed to Ca. The next morning when I'm waiting for the wife to get back in the truck I noticed an oily hand print on the plastic grab handle. A bit ticked I reached down and grabbed a napkin to wipe it off. As I look up I see a huge oil stain on the light grey felt sun visor and right next to it on the light grey headliner is a spot about 8x12! I hit the roof and instantly called the idiots. They apologized and said they could clean it up no problem. I told them if I could see ANY trace then they would be buying me a new headliner and visor! Almost a week later I take it in and sure enough they cleaned it all off! I will be watching the spot to see if any sign shows up. What kinda grease monkey idiot touches a visor and headliner with his greasy oily hands? My children know not to EVER touch the headliner! I swear the people these places hire have no brains!


On another note BOBP went to Midas I believe and had them change his oil in his diesel work truck. He drives to my house a few hundred miles away and I tell him his diesel sounds really loud! I check the oil and there is NOTHING on the dip stick! He checks his reciept and they put in 5 quarts! I believe that diesel takes 3 gallons! It took all the quarts of oil I had in my shop to fill it up! What a bunch a Morons!