Oil change cheaper at quick lube place than DIY?

[Vdubchaos]

lol.

Actually now that my local Jiffy Lube has been replaced with a Chipotle it would probably be a good time to start changing my own oil again. I keep saying I need to invest in a decent floor jack and some jack stands.

Both are dirt cheap

 

[pauldun170]

reading fail?

5quart walmart brand 5w20 = $13
oil filter = ?

but the quick lube place is $17.
do the math.

and I pass my quick lube place daily. I always go (with coupon) when I see an empty stall. in and out in 5 min.


i was saying 5quart walmart brand 5w20 synthetic is $17.50, $5 more than regular.

Yup,
Reading fail.
Sounds for you, just take it where ever.
For me, DIY is the way to go.

 

[Raizinman]

The stealership?! are u freaking nuts?
they're the worst at upsell!

plus it takes hours to get an oil change.
as I said above, my quick lube place takes 5min from enter to exit

Little Jims Auto Repair (independent shop) has a much higher propensity to cheat/steal from you than a dealership. Dealerships are almost always a franchise and their franchise can be quickly pulled and closed down if the manufacturer get wind of cheating/stealing. Manufacturers don’t want to be associated with dishonest dealerships and all the publicity it brings. Little Jims Auto repair can just close down and move to another part of the city under a new name.

Little Jims Auto Repair his nobody monitoring his shop and can cheat and steal to his heart’s content.

Many dealerships have a guaranteed 30 minute in and out oil change and have a few dedicated techs doing this during busy times. Any shop can get busy from a rush of customers, especially right after a coupon has been printed in the newspaper. Personally, I don’t like the 30 minute in and out, as I don’t want the tech RUSHING on my car. I would rather wait longer and have him double check his work and spend a little time looking over the rest of the car. Whether I decide to purchase something else (upsell) or not is completely up to me.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

I've had worse service, higher costs, and way longer wait at the dealership for oil changes. Jiffy lube>DIY>drunken hobo>dealership

 

[Vdubchaos]

Here is my quick lube experiance

Winter time > too cold > 19 years old > bring my own Synthetic AND filter. Sign outside says $15 bucks, figured with my own oil and filter would be like 10.

They pulled my car in right when I got there. 20 min go by.....nothing.....30 min...nothing.....40 min........I get up and ask as 3 people came and went.

Guy comes back and tells me how German car are complicated and require extra work. he was referring to belly pan that has 5-6 half twist screws to undo.

Boss man comes out 15 min later and says $35 dollars.

I thru $15 bucks at him, took the car and GTFO out of there. proceeded to check my car when I got home and of course belly pan wasn't secured correctly.

Never again. Every since then, well you go ahead and look up Jiffy lube scam or customer BBB claims.

:biggrin:

 

[pauldun170]

Fortunately, I've never had to lift any car I've owned for an oil change. Always room enough room to do the job.

 

[jagec]

Little Jims Auto Repair (independent shop) has a much higher propensity to cheat/steal from you than a dealership. Dealerships are almost always a franchise and their franchise can be quickly pulled and closed down if the manufacturer get wind of cheating/stealing.

Oh, dealerships tell you straight-up that they're going to rip you off, and then they do just that. After I went to the local Honda dealership to grab some parts for a DIY repair, they started sending me coupons in the mail for their $50 oil change+tire rotation (Synthetic oil is additional, plus tax and shop supplies, hazardous disposal fees are extra). Yeah, no thanks guys.

Ripping people off isn't the same thing as "cheating", but that doesn't exactly make me eager to have it happen to me.

 

[Carson Dyle]

I alternate between doing it myself and taking it to the independent Subaru shop that does my other work. Mostly depending on how lazy I'm feeling and/or how cold it is outside. I buy a dozen OEM oil filters and crush rings at a time online, and when I take it to the shop I supply them with the oil, the filter, and the crush ring.

Changing your oil is one of the easier things you can do to save a couple of bucks on maintenance. It can also be a gigantic, dirty, hot mess if you have no clue what you're doing.

My bet is that the first couple of times you try it, you'll end up with searing hot oil running down your arm into you armpit, ruin your shirt, and spill at least 1/2 a quart of filthy black oil on your driveway or floor. If you're lucky, you won't overtighten the drain plug and strip the oil pan threads. If you're really unlucky/stupid/forgetful you might even put the new oil in before remembering to replace either the filter or the plug.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

I guess these quick lube places dont make much $ off oil changes. they upsell for profit?

Yes, they upsell for profit. And they get a much better price on oil than you do. They might put $12 in parts into a groupon oil change that costs $17. But they also put $12 of parts into a normal price oil change at $29.99. And all it takes is one customer out of ten to agree to a $30 air filter that costs them $2 or a bottle of fuel injector cleaner for $20 and their margin goes way up. The thing about quick oil change places is that they're catering to people who know NOTHING about cars and that's a great demographic. It's not hard to convince people to spend $50 on service they don't need by fear pimping the thought that their new $30,000 car might explode without it.

 

[Torn Mind]

You don't need a Rhino ramps for oil/tranny oil, just get yourself a couple 2ft long 2x4, one for each wheel. I no long use ramps because it scare the sh t out of me everytime, I rather jack it up.

I can usually finish my oil change within 30min and I know exactly what I am putting in the engine. I usually stay with big name on oil, Castrol, M1, Mutol, Molly..etc

Oil $25, filter $5

Jacks without jack stands are more dangerous. Perhaps the hydraulics just happen to fail or the scissor jack just decided to crap out. Then you'll be in the funeral home.

 

[Zargon]

most quick lubes aren't going to use the right oil, but they will assure it synthetic

a friend worked at one for a month in HS and quit when they had him pumping cheapo oil out of a 55 gal drum into Mobil 1 bottles to stock the shelves with...


dealer destroyed a drain plug on me, and had to end up doing the next oil change for free because of it

 

[Denly]

Jacks without jack stands are more dangerous. Perhaps the hydraulics just happen to fail or the scissor jack just decided to crap out. Then you'll be in the funeral home.

Of course if using a jack it have to be with a jack stand or two.

 

[Raizinman]

Oh, dealerships tell you straight-up that they're going to rip you off, and then they do just that. After I went to the local Honda dealership to grab some parts for a DIY repair, they started sending me coupons in the mail for their $50 oil change+tire rotation (Synthetic oil is additional, plus tax and shop supplies, hazardous disposal fees are extra). Yeah, no thanks guys.

Ripping people off isn't the same thing as "cheating", but that doesn't exactly make me eager to have it happen to me.

Wow, that’s pretty interesting. So, any company which gives me the option of having service performed or not is a rip off? So I guess my dentist who tells me ahead of time that a cavity is going to cost $200 is also a rip off. Or my lawn service who tells me it will cost $300 for grass seed is also a rip off?

Just because the price doesn’t suit your standard or you reminisce about the 1960’s when oil changes were $9.95 doesn’t mean spending $50 or more for an oil change is a bad deal. Many people are not able to change their own oil and want the security of having it done by a representative of their OEM manufacturer, meaning the dealer.

What should an oil change really cost? Five quarts of premium oil for a late model Honda is easily $25. An OEM oil filter is another $5. A technicians time to do the oil change, check all other fluids, tires, and usually a 19 point safety check is easily a half hour, add another $15 for this half hour of labor. Then add in additional minimal fluids used for topping off, such as brake fluid, power steering fluid, washer fluid, transmission fluid, etc along with the time for the parts person, the cashier, and service writer add $5. So a dealer now has about $50 into your oil change. Is the dealer required to sell his oil change for less than cost? Is a dealer who wants to sell his oil change for $50 a rip off? Just because there are quick oil change shops that sell an oil change for less than cost or use inferior products to make up their cost, doesn’t mean $50 is a bad price for an oil change.

Another reason to support your dealer is that even after your warranty is over, should you have a problem, the dealer will look at your customer history to see what type of customer you have been. If a good customer, they will extend extra benefits to you. They have the power and option to offer you a ‘Goodwill Repair’ even after your warranty has expired. Most all dealers will also offer better deals to repeat new car customers. The more loyal you are to your dealer, they better chance you have should a problem arise that it will be resolved in your favor. To many people this is a great reason to support your dealer.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Of course if using a jack it have to be with a jack stand or two.

We have to make sure, cause we have seen many go....

 

[bononos]

Jacks without jack stands are more dangerous. Perhaps the hydraulics just happen to fail or the scissor jack just decided to crap out. Then you'll be in the funeral home.

Shouldn't a scissor jack be quite solid? It shouldn't crap out suddenly like a hydraulic jack which is more complicated, where things like oil leaks, air not being bled out etc could cause it to fail.

 

[jlee]

Shouldn't a scissor jack be quite solid? It shouldn't crap out suddenly like a hydraulic jack which is more complicated, where things like oil leaks, air not being bled out etc could cause it to fail.

Scissor jacks are generally cheap and wobbly. They can topple over (I had to rescue a friend who was changing a tire in a parking lot when a scissor jack failed).

 

[ControlD]

Back when I was still changing my own oil I just used ramps and blocked the rear wheels. I would certainly never trust a jack by itself, either the cheap scissor type or a hydraulic floor jack. At the very least I would use jack stands and a jack as backup.

Unfortunately, I "loaned" my jack and stands to someone years ago and never got them back.

 

[996GT2]

This is why you never, ever go to a quick lube place if you care about your car:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiCAJ8ULnaI

I'd rather go to the dealer and pay twice as much before I even thought about going to a quick lube place.

 

[Vdubchaos]

This is why you never, ever go to a quick lube place if you care about your car:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiCAJ8ULnaI

Yep, and this knowledge has been out there for 10+ years.

apparently they are still in business.

Which tells me A LOT about the people/public.

 

[ControlD]

Yep, and this knowledge has been out there for 10+ years.

apparently they are still in business.

Which tells me A LOT about the people/public.

I don't think it says that much about people personally. People are busy or not mechanically inclined and would rather not have to deal with changing and disposing of their own oil. I can understand that. If you want to get your oil changed at a dealership and you work a normal schedule, you are going to have to use vacation time to get an oil change. The quick change places are convenient and they are open during hours when working people can actually get there.

 

[Raizinman]

It is not just Jiffy Lube. Our TV station did this same thing with Firestone, Goodyear, Walmart, Sears, and others. The ratio was about 50% of shops who were not honest. With dishonesty so high, it's not really if you are going to get ripped off, but more like when.

 

[BUTCH1]

Quick lube places are the worst possible place you can bring your car to.

Don't EVER do it.

IMO, paying MORE and doing it yourself is better. I will tell you why.

Unless you do shit yourself, it won't get done right.

Nobody cares about your items/cars as much as you do.

I learned this pretty early on when I first started working on cars on my own. I bought a lates 90s VW that had free maintenance. Even the "expert" dealer managed to over tighten the plug, leave the oil cap off and even not bothered to change the filter.

After numerous horrible experiences, I just started doing it myself.

I've been doing oil changes on ALL of my cars and families for past 15 + years.

Did it save me money? I don't know, probably broke even. But even if I paid more, I would not do it any other way.

What's in bold goes for just about ANYTHING in life (from what I've found over the years).

My brother brought his Honda to Jiffy-lube for a LOF, next AM he went to go to work and found a huge puddle of oil under the car, turns out the drain-plug was hanging on by a couple of threads!

 

[jagec]

Wow, that’s pretty interesting. So, any company which gives me the option of having service performed or not is a rip off? So I guess my dentist who tells me ahead of time that a cavity is going to cost $200 is also a rip off. Or my lawn service who tells me it will cost $300 for grass seed is also a rip off?

If the dentist across town will do an equivalent-quality job for $50, then yes, it's a ripoff.

And going to the dealer for service so that eventually you can build up enough warm fuzzies for a "goodwill repair" is like achieving high-roller status in Vegas for the free hotel rooms. It makes no financial sense.

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

I get mine done at a nearby Mobil 1 quicklube place.
Bring my own oil (M1 EP 5W20) + filter, pay the guy $10 off the books, and I get to watch him do it (even collect samples for UOA analyses).

 

[Fenixgoon]

If you don't care about the oil that goes in, then you can save a few bucks..I spend more and DIY but I know I have good oil and a good filter, and my drain plug and filter won't be overtorqued by 3x.

bingo :thumbsup: