Can you change you own oil on your car? Have you ever?

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I can and I have changed my oil but these days it's easier and sometimes cheaper to have it done. The filter in my F150 is not easy to access.
My wife's Toyota came with oil changes included so I let them do hers.
I changed the oil in my tractor. When they bolted on the front end loader there was a brace covering the drain plug. There was NO way to get a wrench on it so I bought a manual oil vacuum from Harbor Freight and spent 2 hours sucking the oil out through the dip stick hole with a 1/4" tube.
 
I taught my wife to change oil in the Jeep Cherokee.
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I could on my Tacoma, there's enough clearance underneath. I don't have a lift or a pit so I don't change oil on anything else. After a friend got killed under his Bronco when it came off the jackstands, I've never been able to go under a car on jacks. I just pay the money and have the local shop do it. Takes 10-15 minutes and I never have to get out of the vehicle.

The Tacoma came with 2 years of scheduled maintenance so I don't have to mess with that yet, either...
 
When my pickup was brand-new, I took it to a Goodyear tire dealer for its very first oil change. After the oil change, I drove it home and parked it in the shed. The next morning, while backing out of the shed, I noticed a large pool of fresh oil on the garage floor. I immediately killed the engine. I could see that the oil was dripping from the oil plug. I got out my wrench to tightened the plug. Funny thing, it wouldn't tightened. It just keep turning and turning.

I filled the crankcase with oil and quickly drove it to the Goodyear dealer. "Your mechanic must have used the air wrench to tighten my oil plug yesterday because the threads are now stripped and it is leaking oil."

The shop took a look at it and tapped in a new, larger plug. I have changed the oil on that pickup myself ever since.
 
I haven't changed oil in about 20 years.

I have buddy from high school that is my mechanic and I give him my business. I take the Jeep to im to change the oil and look for anything else that he can find.

Ben
 
Stepdad taught me how when I was 9. Took over that job a year later on all vehicles and tractors and small engines included. Worked as a mechanic for many years and kept up doing mine for many years. Till it got to the point my time was worth more than the cost of an oil change. I still do my tractors and small engines.
 
I can on all the cars, but it's really not a cost savings, especially in winter. The local Subaru dealer is always sending coupons for money off. It's 10 bucks more than my cost for oil and filter from Walmart. I don't have to go to walmart, do the work (especially in winter), then haul the used oil to the recycle center. I get to sit in a nice waiting room, shoot the **** with Jeff (Encore Delivery Specialist) and have free coffee and snacks. So, I can indeed, and I stock oil and filters ( In case SHTF), but I chose not.

I did it on the smart, it was WAYYY cheaper than the Mercedes Benz dealer.
 
Neb said:
I haven't changed oil in about 20 years.

I have buddy from high school that is my mechanic and I give him my business. I take the Jeep to im to change the oil and look for anything else that he can find.

Ben
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Me either, did too many in past decades.
The local dealer does an oil-change & tire rotation for fifty-bux as a loss-leader.
Of course when you pick it up they tell you that it is in dire need of:
A brake system flush $99,
A cooling system flush $99,
A transmission oil flush $99,
Complete brake job $400.
(BTW, it only has 25,000 miles on it.:oops:)
Thank you very much, but no.:LOL:
 
Supervisor42 said:
Me either, did too many in past decades.
The local dealer does an oil-change & tire rotation for fifty-bux as a loss-leader.
Of course when you pick it up they tell you that it is in dire need of:
A brake system flush $99,
A cooling system flush $99,
A transmission oil flush $99,
Complete brake job $400.
(BTW, it only has 25,000 miles on it.:oops:)
Thank you very much, but no.:LOL:
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I would authorize it. Add in a front bearing...

Ben
 
Ramps. Use ramps, not jackstands.
They are made of some high grade plastic now, but I've got three sets of the old steel ones. One set I bought in 1974 to work on my F-100.
For the last 6 years I've worked part time at an auto parts store, and with the employee discount all three of our vehicles run full synthetic oil and the best filters we well.
 
I took an automotive maintenance class for women in college, kind of an odd class for the college. I learned to change the oil, and to do tune-ups in that class. For many years after that, I did my own oil changes, and tune-ups. Eventually, I let the pros do the tune-ups. When I got my first Volvo, the oil plug was very difficult to remove without the oil pouring all over me, due to the location. I decided it was not expensive to have someone else do an oil change. For a few years, I had Grease Monkey do them. Now I have my mechanic change the oil and sometimes a place that specializes in oil changes.

Daughter likes to do things like change the oil, because she can.
 
Pearl said:
Would never let anyone else do it!
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Weedygarden said:
I took an automotive maintenance class for women in college, kind of an odd class for the college. I learned to change the oil, and to do tune-ups in that class. For many years after that, I did my own oil changes, and tune-ups. Eventually, I let the pros do the tune-ups. When I got my first Volvo, the oil plug was very difficult to remove without the oil pouring all over me, due to the location. I decided it was not expensive to have someone else do an oil change. For a few years, I had Grease Monkey do them. Now I have my mechanic change the oil and sometimes a place that specializes in oil changes.

Daughter likes to do things like change the oil, because she can.
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I think that's my problem! If I can do it I do!!
 
I know how to check my oil and how to add more if it's low and I know all the steps to change it, but I've never actually done it. So I have my mechanic do it for me and he's the cheapest around for quality work.......my son
 
Cabin Fever said:
When my pickup was brand-new, I took it to a Goodyear tire dealer for its very first oil change. After the oil change, I drove it home and parked it in the shed. The next morning, while backing out of the shed, I noticed a large pool of fresh oil on the garage floor. I immediately killed the engine. I could see that the oil was dripping from the oil plug. I got out my wrench to tightened the plug. Funny thing, it wouldn't tightened. It just keep turning and turning.

I filled the crankcase with oil and quickly drove it to the Goodyear dealer. "Your mechanic must have used the air wrench to tighten my oil plug yesterday because the threads are now stripped and it is leaking oil."

The shop took a look at it and tapped in a new, larger plug. I have changed the oil on that pickup myself ever since.
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A guy I know took his vehicle in for an oil change. They drained the oil, put the new filter on and forgot to put oil back in. I don't remember if his engine was damaged or not. I do know that this guy lived 7 blocks from the place.
 
JustMe said:
I know how to check my oil and how to add more if it's low and I know all the steps to change it, but I've never actually done it. So I have my mechanic do it for me and he's the cheapest around for quality work.......my son
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When I bought my Tacoma, the dealership twisted my arm until I downloaded the Toyota app. I didn't want it but they said, Trust us, you'll like it. You know what that thing does? I don't have to open the hood to check the oil. I just open the app and it tells me if the oil is low. It also tells me when I'm due for an oil change. It's nice, but I think it's making me even lazier than I already was...
 
I have done it before but i really dont bother doing it myself these days.
I live in an apartment complex too so there is that.

I would prefer to do it myself if I had a garage and some ramps which I do not.
 
I can do a lawnmower, tractor, chainsaw, car, truck.
Ten years or so ago I would say every man & most women can do it, some wives do the cooking & leave the car to the husband, what ever works for you.
My son comes home a seventeen to tell me he show another seventeen year old how to change his flat tire. He owned a truck & did not know how to check fluids or change a tire. My son learned it all, short of replacing parts, spark plugs & up, when he was twelve years old.
 
I grew up farming, a skinny little kid... who was conveniently small enough to fit underneath every vehicle, tractor or piece of equipment on the farm. I learned early.

Sort of funny... I got a new truck years ago but had to wait a month for delivery. While waiting I bought the "Driveability Emmisions Manual", basically the shop manual from Chevrolet. It had everything, maintenance schedules for every part/component, trouble shooting and part replacement procedures for the mechanics. I wanted to study the wiring schematics, build my own security measures.

I was in another state at 3000 miles. I took it to a recommended dealer. I wanted a full maintenance check. I'd studied the manual. This service manager tried to tell me the truck needed an extra check for $$, something very technical.

The shop manual was in my rear seat. I pulled it out and asked him to show me! The man actually stuttered and walked away, said something about checking on a part. :rolleyes:
 
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I did it for many years until I could afford to have a mechanic do it. I could do it again if I had to, but I really don't want to get on the floor, underneath the car. To me it is money well spent.
 
I would really have trouble, letting someone work on any of my stuff, I like to do my own oil changes , because then I get to see what is going on underneath, getting oil somewhere is a given, and getting dirty is pretty much guaranteed,but not stripping the drain plug is a bonus, how do people do that, it's not hard to put a drain plug in, clean lubed thread, tend to be easy, spin it in with your FINGERS til the gasket touches and snuggit up, same with the filter, they print instructions on filters for a reason, think of the money saved if they didn't.
 
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