WTF no one tagged me on this post??? Everyone here needs to #focus.

I used to change my oil.  But after doing the math, the mechanic only charges $5 more than my cost.  So I just give him the business instead.  Only takes him about 30 mins.

Edit-Or you can dump it on ant hills at the range..cough cough.

Not just the cost.  If anyone has purchased a new car lately, you get free oil and filter changes at the recommended intervals.  After the initial warranty period, usually 3-5 years, you're basically conditioned to having the oil changed as required by the owner's manual, taking it to have done is more of a conditioned response than decision.   

Factor in if you have 4-5 cars in the family, and it's just more convenient to let the wife or daughters take their cars in for that work. 

As for "horror stories," that happens in ALL repair/oil change shops.  Not a horror, but I took my Mercedes in for regularly scheduled work, and the oil light came on while driving home right after picking it up.  I immediately called to see if I should stop somewhere and top it off.

The service manager told me the car should be fine for the weekend.  Just bring it in Monday, and they'll take care of it.  The thing holds 12 quarts of oil  -- C240 6 cylinder. 

So, if you have one of those, 12 quarts of oil is a lot to drain, recycle (or dispose of), and replace.  But, maybe you can get the Costco case discount!   

As with everything in the country, only take your car to places you trust.  I trust Flagship, since one of their employees hit my Merc -- while I was just driving through the parking lot, not getting service done (the one near Waipio Costco).  The manager paid the repair estimate for a new license plate bracket in less than a week.

There are so few things we can even try to do ourselves on our own cars, we're pretty much living at the mercy of repair shops and dealerships anyway.  Worrying someone is going to screw up a simple oil change should be the least of our worries.

I take it in because I trust my mechanic .  1 time my car was making a funny sound.  I called him and he said I can come by now if I'm in the area.  He sprayed some cleaner on the fan belt and the sound disappeared.  I asked him how much he wants and he said free.  So I came back the next morning with a case of beer.  So for $5 more, I give him the business.

Little did I know he owns a SCAR.  Would have dropped off some ammo instead.

men who don't change their own vehicle's oil are the same one who get manicures and brows waxed.

men who don't change their own vehicle's oil are the same one who get manicures and brows waxed.

Nothing wrong with getting brows waxed, as long as you tell them to make it look like the peoples eye brow 24/7.

when i'm changing the oil and i'm under the car, its a good time to look at things under there
see if anything else is leaking, check the headers and exhaust that its all clamped down good, check the oil line to the turbo, and just look for anything out of the ordinary   

Im pretty sure she not allergic to steel and blued steel. Just sayin’   

CERAKOTE 

Just buy a Tesla and be done with it.

BTW, the OReillys on Dillingham near Popeyes Chicken had lots of those quick change boxes, including the big size that can hold 12 qts of oil.

Just go wimmens way

Men vs. Women: How to Change Oil 1
WOMEN:

1. Pull up to Jiffy Lube or Valvoline Instant Oil Change when the mileage reaches 3,000 miles since the last oil change.

2. Drink a cup of coffee while they change the oil.

3. 15 minutes later, write a check and leave with a properly maintained vehicle.

Cost: $29.99 oil change, $2.00 coffee. Total $32.00

MEN:

1. Wait until Saturday, drive to the auto parts store. Buy a case of oil, oil filter, kitty litter, hand cleaner (don't forget a little tree air freshener). Approximately $50.

2. Stop by 7/11 on the way home, buy a case of beer. $20.00.

3. Drive home with oil and beer.

4. Open beer, enjoy it.

5. Spend 30 minutes looking for the jack stands.

6. Find the jack stands (finally) under the kid's pedal car, jack the car up.

7. Open another beer, drink it.

8. Place drain pan under engine.

9. Look for 9/16" box end wrench for drain plug

10. Give up looking ten minutes later, find crescent wrench.

11. Unscrew drain plug.

12. Drop drain plug into pan of hot oil. Splash hot oil onto your hands and face in the process. Cuss and swear.

13. Crawl out from under car, wipe hot oil from hands and face. Throw some kitty litter on the spilled oil.

14. Open another beer while watching the last drops of oil drain.

15. Spend 30 minutes looking for the oil filter wrench.

16. Give up looking for oil filter wrench, crawl under car and hammer a flat-head screwdriver through the oil filter and twist it off.

17. Crawl out from under car, splashing hot oil everywhere from newly made holes in oil filter.

18. Cleverly hide used oil filter in trash to avoid those pesky environmental penalties. Open another beer.

19. Install new oil filter, making sure to apply a thin coat of oil to the gasket.

20. Pour the first quart of new oil into engine.

21. Oops! Now remember the drain plug (removed in step 11). It's still swimming in the now-warm oil in the drain pan.

22. Throw more kitty litter on the quart-sized oil puddle on the floor.

23. Open another beer and drink it.

24. Find drain plug with a minimum of spillage, hand-tighten in drain plug socket. Drink beer.

25. Crawl under car (getting oily kitty litter embedded in neck and arms). Tighten drain plug with crescent wrench, but this time, it's slippery. Bang your knuckles on the frame while tightening drain plug.

26. Throw crescent wrench across the garage in anger. Throw a fit because crescent wrench hits bowling trophy (which wife wouldn't let stay in the house).

27. Open another beer and drink it.

28. Clean hands, bandaging where needed to stop blood flow.

29. Pour in five quarts of fresh oil.

30. Lower car from jack stands. Smile at your handiwork. Open another beer and drink it.

31. Move car back to discover oil puddles you missed; apply more kitty litter to missed areas.

32. Test drive car to make sure oil doesn't leak.

33. Get pulled over a block from the house by local police, get arrested for DUI.

34. Call loving wife and bail bondsman.

35. Next day, get car out of impound yard.

Cost: $50 parts, $20 beer, Impound fee $75, Bail $1500, DUI $2500 minimum.

Total: $4145 (but you know the job was done right!)

Just go wimmens way

Men vs. Women: How to Change Oil 1
WOMEN:

1. Pull up to Jiffy Lube or Valvoline Instant Oil Change when the mileage reaches 3,000 miles since the last oil change.

2. Drink a cup of coffee while they change the oil.

3. 15 minutes later, write a check and leave with a properly maintained vehicle.

Cost: $29.99 oil change, $2.00 coffee. Total $32.00

MEN:

1. Wait until Saturday, drive to the auto parts store. Buy a case of oil, oil filter, kitty litter, hand cleaner (don't forget a little tree air freshener). Approximately $50.

2. Stop by 7/11 on the way home, buy a case of beer. $20.00.

3. Drive home with oil and beer.

4. Open beer, enjoy it.

5. Spend 30 minutes looking for the jack stands.

6. Find the jack stands (finally) under the kid's pedal car, jack the car up.

7. Open another beer, drink it.

8. Place drain pan under engine.

9. Look for 9/16" box end wrench for drain plug

10. Give up looking ten minutes later, find crescent wrench.

11. Unscrew drain plug.

12. Drop drain plug into pan of hot oil. Splash hot oil onto your hands and face in the process. Cuss and swear.

13. Crawl out from under car, wipe hot oil from hands and face. Throw some kitty litter on the spilled oil.

14. Open another beer while watching the last drops of oil drain.

15. Spend 30 minutes looking for the oil filter wrench.

16. Give up looking for oil filter wrench, crawl under car and hammer a flat-head screwdriver through the oil filter and twist it off.

17. Crawl out from under car, splashing hot oil everywhere from newly made holes in oil filter.

18. Cleverly hide used oil filter in trash to avoid those pesky environmental penalties. Open another beer.

19. Install new oil filter, making sure to apply a thin coat of oil to the gasket.

20. Pour the first quart of new oil into engine.

21. Oops! Now remember the drain plug (removed in step 11). It's still swimming in the now-warm oil in the drain pan.

22. Throw more kitty litter on the quart-sized oil puddle on the floor.

23. Open another beer and drink it.

24. Find drain plug with a minimum of spillage, hand-tighten in drain plug socket. Drink beer.

25. Crawl under car (getting oily kitty litter embedded in neck and arms). Tighten drain plug with crescent wrench, but this time, it's slippery. Bang your knuckles on the frame while tightening drain plug.

26. Throw crescent wrench across the garage in anger. Throw a fit because crescent wrench hits bowling trophy (which wife wouldn't let stay in the house).

27. Open another beer and drink it.

28. Clean hands, bandaging where needed to stop blood flow.

29. Pour in five quarts of fresh oil.

30. Lower car from jack stands. Smile at your handiwork. Open another beer and drink it.

31. Move car back to discover oil puddles you missed; apply more kitty litter to missed areas.

32. Test drive car to make sure oil doesn't leak.

33. Get pulled over a block from the house by local police, get arrested for DUI.

34. Call loving wife and bail bondsman.

35. Next day, get car out of impound yard.

Cost: $50 parts, $20 beer, Impound fee $75, Bail $1500, DUI $2500 minimum.

Total: $4145 (but you know the job was done right!)

After all of that, he forgot to do an inspection for "other stuff that needs fixing" while under the car, as well as checking the owner's manual to discover you bought the wrong type of oil because you just grabbed what was on sale.  You also didn't check the owner's manual for other things in need of regular maintenance.  Flagship has an inspection checklist that's based on the mileage of your specific vehicle.  They'll even offer services like:

Air Filter Replacement
Battery Testing & Replacement
Cabin Air Filter Replacement
Cooling System Services
Drivetrain Services
Engine Services
Fuel System Cleaning Service
Suspension Services
Transmission Services
Windshield Wiper Replacement

Yeah, you save money by doing some things yourself, but given the time of buying the parts/supplies and actually doing it, at what cost?

I've changed my oil over 100 times, if I'm just doing that it'll take me 20 minutes. I dont have to drive anywhere , get stuck in traffic, or wait in a line
I use full synthetic,  premium filter, costs about $35, use my own disposable box
You'll pay double that at an oil change place for full synthetic and premium filter
By the time all you WOMEN drive to the place and back, I'm already done and I already drank 2 beers
And mine is half the price

It's time to MAN UP!!! 

I've changed my oil over 100 times, if I'm just doing that it'll take me 20 minutes. I dont have to drive anywhere , get stuck in traffic, or wait in a line
I use full synthetic,  premium filter, costs about $35, use my own disposable box
You'll pay double that at an oil change place for full synthetic and premium filter
By the time all you WOMEN drive to the place and back, I'm already done and I already drank 2 beers
And mine is half the price

It's time to MAN UP!!! 

Costco's going to have a sale on case Mobile 1,  $5 off, I think that comes out to $25 a case.  I usually buy the max allowed, 5 cases.  That's good for 20,000 miles.  I'll drink a few beers changing oil, don't drive anywhere after.  15 20 min if in a hurry, couple hours taking my time, letting the oil completely drain till it stops dripping, rotate the tires, etc....

I don't throw my tools anykine place, so I know exactly where everything's at.  Paid too much for them to put them willy nilly..

So, straight synthetic LOF costs me about $35 too.  AND my drain plug and lug nuts aren't stripped and ruined, tires are the correct air pressure, light is reset, all good....   

I've changed my oil over 100 times, if I'm just doing that it'll take me 20 minutes. I dont have to drive anywhere , get stuck in traffic, or wait in a line
I use full synthetic,  premium filter, costs about $35, use my own disposable box
You'll pay double that at an oil change place for full synthetic and premium filter
By the time all you WOMEN drive to the place and back, I'm already done and I already drank 2 beers
And mine is half the price

It's time to MAN UP!!! 

heads

Po peopo lik me havta change ma own oil cuz I stay too po fo pay sumbody fo do um fo me.

I enjoy not having to make and keep an appointment to have my vehicle serviced. I do it as it suits me, no need to adjust my schedule. Freedom
Most diyers keep a log of work done. I also attach an old school door jam service sticker as a back up reminder.
I have been doing this for many years. Just some old habits I like to keep doing.