re: Am I overpaying for oil-changes?

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So what do I need to change about my order to reduce my price? Different type of oil?

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Just about every place has coupons and some will give you a discount if you just ask. I usually google it as I'm waiting. It's always worth $10-20.

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Oil change prices have definitely gone up on the last year

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Same with housing, gas, food, car insurance, home insurance, utilities, etc...

Its great.

I do my own. Last change was Quaker State 5w30 blend from Amazon @18.82/5 Qt.. Purolator filter from Rock Auto at $2.28.

I can get it changed here in town reasonable at the co-op. Last time I went though was about 10 years ago and I paid $7 labor with my own oil. I've mostly done mine myself all my life. I took it down there that time because we were in an extended rainy spell and I wanted to get it done. I like to get under the car and look at everything. Found a power assist steering boot leaking. I highly recommend if you have your oil changed elsewhere to mark your filter before you take it there.

I am talking about the plastic covering on the bottom of the car. Not the oil filter.

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I buy 6 quarts from Costco at $20 (dexos). I buy a filter for $5. All in for $25 and about 10min of time to do my own.

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where are you dumping your oil?

When I dont do it myself I get it changed at an express oil change place near me (Take 5 are other ones near us), but I bring my own oil and filter still (buy the Mobil 1 at Costco when on sale or the kirkland brand oil).

It's slightly more expensive to do that (they give me a small credit for providing my own, $4 for oil filter and $8 for oil), but even then I just took my wife's MDX recently (have the bill in front of me) they charged $40 for the labor basically. The oil was $29 at costco for 6 quarts of full synthetic 0w-20 and the filter I got from Amazon for $6, I also always provide a new washer for the drain bolt so they use that.

So total for all that was $40 for labor, $29 for oil, $6 for filter = $75. IF I just change it myself it's $35 for oil and filter.

So yes, you are getting had a bit. Especially considering you are only getting synthetic blend and not full synthetic for that price and changing every 5k. We are on 9k-10k mile change intervals with our full synthetic changes which amount to $35-$75 depending if I do it or it gets taken somewhere.

Oil change places have gone up A LOT recently. I only started going to the one near me in 2021 and back then the labor they charged if you brought your own stuff was $27. In 2022 when I went back with a car it was $37. This past time I went it's now $40. So still nowhere close to what you paid but from $27 to $40 in a 2 year span is quite a big jump up. I'm in and out of there in about 10-ish minutes I'd say so they are making decent money on that charging $40 for labor alone.

My Yukon takes 8 quarts of full synthetic. I have a dealer that does it with tire rotation for $80. It’s worth it to me for the convenience to sit there for an hour. I bring my work computer so it’s really not that much time

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stopped going to Take 5

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I was driving by the Take 5 on Bluebonnet last week and they had 2 workers holding up signs on the corner and they were openly passing a blunt back and forth. I don’t give a crap about smoking, but it was an obvious sign those folks don’t give a crap about that job.