DIY Oil Change Worth It?

[regal]

People generally not always but generally put care into their work what they are paid. Thos quick lube places don't pay well. Therefore well you should understand what I'm saying.

One time I was on a cross contry tryp and had to pay to have my oil changed and they stripped the threads. Thats the only time in 25 years I've had someone else change my oil.

Plus you get a chance to check your magnetic oil pan plug (get one) you are sure of the quality of the oil you are using. Some places use the cheapest oil the can find not SN certified as our cars require. There is just too much risk in letting someone else change your oil unless you have a bad back or something then I would find a kid I trust and work with him.

[regal]

Originally Posted by finch1750

Do you have data to suport this? The UOA i just did along with others on the board have run engines hard (auto x/track/canyons) and are fine with 7500 intervals. Hell, they told me to run to 9500 next time.

Maybe but I follow the manual and it says 3500 miles unless you drive like grandma. A UOA doesn't show even 10% of the additives in the oil.

[finch1750]

Originally Posted by regal

Maybe but I follow the manual and it says 3500 miles unless you drive like grandma. A UOA doesn't show even 10% of the additives in the oil.

Maybe not, but it does show wear rates of the engine based on metal content. Readings in PPM is better than looking at a magnetic oil drain plug like you mentioned above. If those are in check then I think it's OK. Isn't the the point of oil?

[RickyBobby]

Originally Posted by regal

Maybe but I follow the manual and it says 3500 miles unless you drive like grandma. A UOA doesn't show even 10% of the additives in the oil.

You must be referring to the Severe Schedule. My maintenance manual says for Normal driving to change the oil and filter every 7,500 miles.

Severe
Repeated short distance driving; driving in extremely cold weather, replace
every 3,750 miles or 3 and 3/4 months, whichever occurs first

[Miniata]

Originally Posted by Whitesoul

I don't know how to do an Oil Change; but would it be worth learning and more so the money I could save? a Good Oil Change is around $30-$40 where I'm from.

Definitely worth it in my book. I do it for the money savings, convenience factor, and satisfaction of knowing it was done right. In the 28 years I've been driving, I don't believe I've ever paid to have my oil changed. I did have the oil in my Mini Cooper changed at the dealership a few times since free maintenance was included for the first 3 or 4 years, and the Mini/BMW dealer had a nice waiting room with good coffee.

[CoupedUpSubie]

As far as interval goes, it really depends on the oil. If you use cheap gulf 0W-20 synthetic then 5,000 miles is all I would leave it in for. Go with Amsoil Signature Series and their filter and Amsoil will guarantee the oil for 15-25k miles depending on the vehicle. I will be doing a UOA on mine after around 7,500 miles pretty soon.

As far as if it is cheaper, only if you use the same quality of oil the dealer or shop uses. If you run royal purple or Amsoil then it will be more, but the oil will be of a higher quality.

Only use for a magnetic drain plug is pretty much for piston rings or cylinder walls. The rest of the metals produced by wear are non-ferrous, meaning they won't stick to a magnet.

If you have the space and want to change your own oil then get what you need and do it. Just be sure the filter old gasket comes off before you put the new filter on. If you don't it could be goodbye engine, and the dealer could say too bad, it's not covered because you screwed up.

[frs10]

get the valve, worth every penny

[Andrew025]

Originally Posted by frs10

get the valve, worth every penny

I love it.
The hose attachment makes it very easy and mess free to drain directly into containers for recycling.

[radroach]

I prefer doing my own oil changes because I don't like waiting 1-3 hours at a subaru dealership, having to see the salesman, and also deal with their markup and also you'll pay tax as well for the service. I feel like they talk down to me too, since I could have been doing the service myself instead of wasting time and money at their shop.

I wouldn't take my car to a regular shop. They won't have an OEM filter, and you won't know if they used a drain plug crush washer or not. I just went by the subaru dealership and picked up a few oil filters and crush washers.

Good tip on the fumoto valve. Might pick one up. Doing an oil change without requiring tools would be awesome.

[radroach]

Originally Posted by CoupedUpSubie

If you have the space and want to change your own oil then get what you need and do it. Just be sure the filter old gasket comes off before you put the new filter on. If you don't it could be goodbye engine, and the dealer could say too bad, it's not covered because you screwed up.

I've never seen this happen before. Are you saying the rubber seal on the filter could stick to the oil filter pan area?

[radroach]

The approx cost of my first DIY oil change on the BRZ, getting all the parts necessary to do it- well here it is itemized:

Rhino ramps - ~$45

Cheap socket wrench kit - $15

Oil filter - $5 at Subaru dealership

Crush washer - $1 Subaru dealership

6 quarts of synthetic oil - $40

Oil funnel - $5

Oil drain pan - $10

Oil recycle jug - $10

Shop towels - $5

Fast orange - $5

So about $150 for all this to get setup, after that DIY oil changes should cost maybe less than $40-50 each. Cheaper than the $90 oil changes at Subaru dealerships.

[Shady195]

Threads like this referring to dealer charges/bs really makes me wish i got to enjoy the era of the garage bay/tool rentals and wish they were still around.

[Miniata]

Originally Posted by radroach

I've never seen this happen before. Are you saying the rubber seal on the filter could stick to the oil filter pan area?

I've seen it happen on other cars. Had the oil filter seal stick on my sister's Ford when I was changing her oil awhile back. Didn't catch it, installed the new filter (now with two seals on), and oil started gushing out. Luckily I caught it before I gave the car back to her. Rubbing some oil on the new filter seal before installing the new filter helps eliminate the problem.

[Frishkorn]

I take mine to a shop around the way to get the oil changed. This way I can still use the oil that I want. For me it doesn't matter if it's cheaper or not. It's dealing with the used oil, trying to get it from my dip pan back into bottles to take to the store. I don't know about you guys, but my time is valuable. Wasting an hour to get it contained and taking it back to the auto parts store for recycling is a cost that isn't added to the oil, filter, and labor.