How often do you guys change your oil? Is it even worth it to do it yourself or just have the shop do it?

 

Do it yourself, its super easy....the longest part is waiting for all the oil to drain out. Not to mention you'll save yourselfe about ~20 bucks

Check this link out for the procedure
http://www.c-speedracing.com/howto/oilchange/oil.html

3k miles in generally considered a good interval to change your oil.


[Modified by SupaTegRS, 5:16 AM 11/15/2002]

 

every 2k, i do it myself. ITs easy but messy.

 

I change mine at around 2500 or less

very worth doin it yourself...dont have any worries about some schmuch screwin up...
and for the money you will spend, u get the best oil and filter for ur money, not the bulk crap at jiffy lube thats been sitting in a barrel for months

and plus its really easy

 

go to kragens or autozone and get one of those plastic oil change drain containers.

go there and you'll see what i'm talking about. takes all the mess away.
and when you're removing the oil filter...use a paper towel.
also, disposable latex gloves work great from protecting your skin/hands.

 

1500...

<--- City Driver and Expert Yellowcab Dodger

Also consider the Transmission fluid every other oil change

 

Living in AZ, you should change it about every 2500 miles....I still do mine at 3k. Just because I'm a broke ***. It's a really simple process...If you don't want to do it yourself. I-17 & Bethany Home RD. 22BUCKS for a complete FULLY SYNTHETIC OIL CHANGE. Good price

 

oh yea, and that place is called JAPANESE ENGINE WORKS

 

I change my oil about every 3K.. I use Mobil1 oil and a premium filter like Mobil1, Purolator Pure One, Bosch Premium, STP or OEM... for the $20 or so I'd spend on the synthetic oil and premium filter.. I could spend the same $20 and get bulk/generic dino oil and a generic/standard filter... also the time it would take me to do it at home would be less than the time it would take me to get dressed and drive to the oil change place and pay $20+ for bulk/dino oil and a generic filter..

also doing it myself I know it was done by someone who cared about the car (me) and that it was done right.. and not by some kid paid minimum wage to do your oil change and that your cars "just another customers car".. not to mention they might impact wrench your drain plug on and overtorque your oil filter...

I've always done my own oil changes since HS.. except in college when I didn't have the space or tools.. the management of the condo's I lived at said no working on the cars in the lots.... anyway I'd say do it yourself... you can buy better parts and do it for the same price as taking it to someone...

 

I would do it myself, if I had a place the and tools to do it.

Anyways, I just go to Acura - $19.95 total

 

You kids changing your oil at 3K and less are wasting your hard earned money.

 

3000 miles & I change my own oil. Its easy, just make sure you have the right tools. I just started using Royal Purple. This stuff stays clean & works like champ. No problems here.

 

I change mine every 3500 miles, mobil one full synth. But, unless you drive 100 miles a day like I do, I think it's overkill to change it that often when using synthetic.

IMHO, of course.

 

Any comments as to why?

 

Depends on which one of my vehicles we are talking about. The race car gets its oil changed every 3 track events. This is mostly due to the fact that I run 15w/50 oil in it and I want to keep it fresh and thick.

My other cars? I hate changing oil so I do it quarterly . . .

Synthetic oil is good for 5000-7500 miles in normal, everyday use. The problem is that the filters are not unless you are using the pricey synthetic filter that is designed for longer life.

Drew - Whose oil changes quite often consist of a filter swap and top off

 

why so, at 1500 miles my oil is already dirtly. As long as you use conventional oil and change frequently its not a waste in my book.

 

You can go longer on sythetic. I change mine myself w/honda filter (dont forget the $.25 washer lol) and Royal Purple, but last time the filter was wedged so we did the screwdriver method and when we finally got it off it looked liked the filter exploded, it was messy.

 

if the filter is stuck, use a piece of coarse sandpaper, works every time. I had switched to Mobil1 synthetic back when I first got my car, but I have recently switched again to Valvoline MaxLife since I'm now back in school and have no job. Changed every 3K miles, it works great. Along with an STP filter, the oil change costs me about $12. I also have a stash of drain plug washers that the Honda dealer in nashville gave me the last time I bought a Honda filter. I drive my car fairly hard, taking it to redline at least once a day, or at least once every time I drive it (sometimes not every day). So I think every 3K miles is necessary.

*note* I also used to get Mobil1 synthetic for $3.60 per individual quart at this one Wal-Mart in Nashville. I've never seen it that cheap anywhere else, which is another reason why I decided to stop using it after I moved back to school.


[Modified by PatrickGSR94, 1:18 PM 11/15/2002]

 

Try one of these:



They are about $40 at Home Depot and in 3 years of being a mechainc I only had about 4 filters that I could not get off with them. 2 of which were because I couldn't get the pliers in to reach the filter.

They will fit up under any Honda with no problems.

Drew - Who dusts off his 5 different filter wrenches once every few years just for the hell of it

 

I use to do it myself, but after a while. I finally realize that the price I pay for the doing it myself and letting the shop do it is about a $3-$5 difference. Most places around my house change oil&filter from $14-$18. I thought of it and was thinking, ****, it cost me like $10+ to do it myself, afterward I have to bring the oil to get it recycle. Not worth the trip. I rather pay $5 more each time, get a receipt, and be done with that. The shop most of the time will even do it for me right away when I come in the morning. The most I ever waited was a hour. They even use a decent oil and filter too, none of the generic crap. Heck, it's only about $20 more for me in one year to let the shop do it then compare to myself.

 

but DIY, you are assured that its done correct, and the filter has been replaced.
DIY saves a few bucks, but the peace of mind

 

I do it myself, but if a shop charges you a good price why not have them do it? They even get rid of the oil for you....

 

Buy the oil n filter on ur own, then take it to the dealership and have them do it. They will charge around 7 bucks and they wash ur car too. So u can think of it as a 7 dollar car wash plus watever u paid for the oil/filter as the cost of ur oil change.

 

There was a huuuuuuge thread about oilchanges.

Regular oil change is about every 3k. Full synthetic oil change however, should be every 5k~7k. When you're changing full synthetic oil every 3k, you're wasting your money and not taking full advantage of synthetic.
5w-30 or 10w-30....etc was also debated. I believe that thread went over 23 pages.

The weather and driving conditions must be considered as well.

 

Quite a few of my friends have had oil analysis done at Blackstone labs, testing how long they can go on oil change intervals. 7-8K miles is the norm on a good synthetic in a car in good tune.

I do 5-6K changes w/mobil 1.