Do oil changes yourself. It’s very simple and kind of fun. First time took me 45 mins. Every time after that, about 10 mins, and most of that is sitting around waiting for the oil to drain before screwing the plug back in.
Really, for most cars, if you can pump gas then you can do the oil and oil filter, fluids (coolants, brake, power steering, etc), air and cabin filters. They generally involve unscrewing or unclipping something, then popping it back on. Brake pads are also very simple. These are parts designed to be replaced regularly so are quick and simple with 1 or 2 tools, if a tool is even needed.
I’m with you, but keep in mind that some people live in apartments, so no garage to work in, or a driveway, and also they have nowhere to store any tools they buy.
And the initial investment is something, right? Get a decent jack, get a drain pan, learn how to dispose of the used oil, buy the wrench, buy the paper towels or degreasers or whatever.
And if you fuck it up, your car is ruined. All that being said, more DIY is probably a good thing, but we all gotta find out own comfort zones and decide what’s worth trying out.
Was it synthetic oil? Synthetic used to be a little more uncommon and was more expensive, now it’s more common and the same price as conventional oil. But oil change places still charge double for synthetic.
Oh my god. I know that’s a coupon for a discount but oil changes became 10 times more expensive no wonder why it always felt like such a burden. We really need to break card dependency because it’s just playing old not affordable
Yeah, I’ve been making it a habit to budget $300 for routine maintenance when I have to go to Valvoline. At least the car runs well, even if I’m hungry.
I just spent $109 for a Valvoline oil change in the Los Angeles area. I found this old coupon from 2014. Crazy how much it’s increased.
Do oil changes yourself. It’s very simple and kind of fun. First time took me 45 mins. Every time after that, about 10 mins, and most of that is sitting around waiting for the oil to drain before screwing the plug back in.
Really, for most cars, if you can pump gas then you can do the oil and oil filter, fluids (coolants, brake, power steering, etc), air and cabin filters. They generally involve unscrewing or unclipping something, then popping it back on. Brake pads are also very simple. These are parts designed to be replaced regularly so are quick and simple with 1 or 2 tools, if a tool is even needed.
I’m with you, but keep in mind that some people live in apartments, so no garage to work in, or a driveway, and also they have nowhere to store any tools they buy.
And the initial investment is something, right? Get a decent jack, get a drain pan, learn how to dispose of the used oil, buy the wrench, buy the paper towels or degreasers or whatever.
And if you fuck it up, your car is ruined. All that being said, more DIY is probably a good thing, but we all gotta find out own comfort zones and decide what’s worth trying out.
For conventional or synthetic? That’s pretty fair price for synthetic.
Was it synthetic oil? Synthetic used to be a little more uncommon and was more expensive, now it’s more common and the same price as conventional oil. But oil change places still charge double for synthetic.
Yep
Non-synthetic is $50
Oh my god. I know that’s a coupon for a discount but oil changes became 10 times more expensive no wonder why it always felt like such a burden. We really need to break card dependency because it’s just playing old not affordable
Yeah, I’ve been making it a habit to budget $300 for routine maintenance when I have to go to Valvoline. At least the car runs well, even if I’m hungry.
Americans seem to do oil changes way more often than anyone else… Maybe this is the sign that you should cut down!