re: First time car owner oil change

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I guess I’m getting fricked spending damn near 80 for an oil change

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Assuming 5 qts of oil and a filter:

Conventional oil is about $5/qt, so $25
Decent oil filter is about $7.

That gives you about $32 in material.

For full synthetic oil, I'd probably double the oil price, but that is high if you watch for sales.

Those are prices you'd pay as a regular Joe buying in a store like Autozone. The dealerships and shops buy in bulk and probably pay about 25% of that.

Yeh, if you're paying $80 for a gasoline engine oil change, I hope they're saving a little oil to lube you up first.

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I used to go to firestone. I quit because every time I went there they’d tell me something else was fricked up and needed to be replaced.

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Oh absolutely. You know going in you'll get the upsell call from them. I usually tell them when I drop it off just an oil change, don't have the money for anything else. They still give you a print out of suggested items. It's aggravating but it's right next door to my office so it's convenient.

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make sure they don`t strip the oil pan plug.

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This.

Also, I just had to go through this, but after years of taking mine in to have the oil done, apparently they never did replace the crush washer on the plug. I never realized it, but it had fused itself to the underside of the bolt head to where I thought it was part of the bolt. So when I started doing it myself, I was doubling up on the washers without realizing it. Over time it developed a leak, and I had to order a new plug for a few bucks. It was an OEM part, but being a 10 year old car I was wound up pretty tight threading that new plug in the first time, as I was afraid it wouldn't fit and I would strip the threads.

Make sure they replace the crush washer every time.

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If you are going to bother doing that you might as well change it yourself.

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I do, and for more reasons than that.

I am going to start doing my own oil changes. Where do you dump the old oil? I remember dumping it down the storm drains but apparently that is a no no now

Can I bring it in a 5 gallon bucket and dump it in an oil trap?

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Yeh, if you're paying $80 for a gasoline engine oil change, I hope they're saving a little oil to lube you up first.

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Depends on the engine. While most cars you can buy 5qts of synthetic like Mobil One and a good filter for about $30-35 there are some that require you spend a little more money. I have one gas engine that takes 7 qts and needs a rather unusual imported Castrol blend (Amsoil and others make similar oil) but even ordered on the net it runs ~$70 for the oil and filter cartridge.

I've brought a 5 ga container of waste oil to Autozone many times and they have never refused it. Just don't mix any other fluids with it.

My last oil change was around $90. 6 quarts of synthetic oil + filter + labor

Worth it to not have to get under my car and do it myself like a poor