Pros & Cons of Do-It-Yourself Oil Change

[nipsirc]

Pros & Cons of Do-It-Yourself Oil Change

Been thinking of doing the oil changes to my car and van myslef. However the investment costs to buy the equipment and tools, etc to do it rather than have it done at a fast lube place for about 20 dollars or even cheaper + the convenience is holding me back.

Please advise.

[Brian R.]

Do it yourself.

The lube places have many opportunities to really trash your engine or cause leaks.

Installing the oil filter.
First of all, they have to remove the old filter and install a new one (not a given). In general, they use a poor quality oil filter. You can buy a high quality oil filter at any part store that is much more reliable and efficient than the one they sell you (Purolator comes to mind).

The oil filter has to be put on correctly tightened, with fresh oil on the gasket, they should clean the gasket surface, they have to install the filter in such a way that the new filter gasket doesn't touch something dirty and cause a leak, and they have to make sure the old gasket is removed with the old filter.

The fresh oil on the gasket is not really critical, since the gasket surface on the engine is coated with oil in the first place (since they don't clean it), but any of the other mistakes or omissions will possibly trash your engine from a serious oil leak if you drive it home.

Installing the drain plug.
They must install the drain plug with somewhere near the correct torque. The most common mistake is to overtorque it and strip the threads in the oil pan or at the least, totally crush the seal washer, making it suspect.

Another potential problem is not tightening it at all. Both these are very common, the latter will kill your engine eventually. The first will cost you money to fix. Possibly much more than you saved over the course of a couple of years of getting your oil changed at the lube place. If the drain bolt is overtightened and the seal washer is crushed, the next time they change the oil, they will not change the washer and you will have a leak.

A less common but possible problem is cross-threading the drain bolt. This is a serious problem since the gasket may not seal any more.

Adding the oil.
They will commonly overfill your crankcase with oil. If this is serious enough and if you don't catch it, it will cause you to make expensive repairs to your main engine seals in a short period of time. Underfilling is less common, but will happen and that can be disasterous. You have to watch them like a hawk. An occurance that will happen sometimes is they will fill your crankcase with oil before the drain plug is replaced and the new oil will drain out as it is poured in. Unless they check the oil level before they start the engine, they will never know. Sometimes they will check before they start it, sometimes they will check it after they run it and turn it off, but many times, they won't do both, as they should.

Also, they will often leave a mess on your engine from not being careful with the fill tube. This builds up over time and eventually looks like you have a leak everywhere. It will be your job to clean it. They will also damage your paint by leaning over your car with belt buckles and scratching your finish.

A "plus" to doing it yourself, besides avoiding the above problems, is that you can look around under the car while you are there and spot potential problems before they surprise you. Look for coolant leaks, transmission fluid leaks, any kind of leaks are bad. check the CV joint boots, check the muffler/exhaust system for damage/rust - if you can poke a hole in it without effort, it is bad. Rust and holes in your floorboard. Damage to your car from hitting curbs, road hazards, etc. (particularly if you are not the only driver of the car). The list is long...

The only "plus" to doing at a lube place is you don't have to do it. Don't forget that they don't care about your car and it is one of 500 they did that day. They are tired, underpaid, and untrained. Your car will last much longer with the original engine if you do it yourself.

Check out this topic I posted:
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=277783

[rob3]

What about disposal of the old oil?

[gator2764]

Originally Posted by rob3

What about disposal of the old oil?

Most auto parts stores will take it free of charge. Advance takes mine. Good points on all of those suggestions (Brian)by the way. Only YOU care about your car!!

[Brian R.]

I take my oil to the dump where there is a special set of drums for used motor oil.

[GSS123]

Change the oil yourself and take the time to learn about your car. You will identify other general maintenance items that will save you money and down time repairing them early.

You will be surprised at how little the fast lube employee knows about your car. Some professional mechcanics call fast lube places job security.............by providing them a steady stream of engine rebuild work.

[ProMan]

There is only one person cares about your car, that is yourself! Others just care about your money. So, take care of your own car just like how you take care of your own kids.

I seldom let others touch my vehicle, because they don't care and if they mess up, they are not gonna tell you and you are the one that gets hurt later when you find something is not right. I do almost everything myself, all you need is time and patience, learn little by little. You can find all the repair info from libraries.

You only need to buy tools once. And you probably will make a mess the first time. But you will enjoy down the road.

[Brian R.]

Buy the best quality tools you can afford. Not only reliable, but safer.

[don24mac]

I've always changed my own oil. That way, I guarentee myself it's done right, I use Toyota oil filters now on my 2000 Camry, but there's plenty of good aftermarket filters out there. As an example I used Fram filters on my 90 camry for it's 188,000 miles that I had it. It never burned any oil, even with that high milage on it.

Also, you can choose the quality of oil. I've always used Vavoline durablend, which is a synthetic/standard blend.

I dispose of my used oil at the town transfer station for free. They have a large tank for that. I use an old 6 gallon fuel can to put it in until I bring it there. That's about 6 oil changes that will fit into that can.

Also, if you choose to change your own oil, and especially if it's still under warranty, keep a record of the dates of the changes, mileage, what brand and weight of oil you used, and also keep the receipts of the oil and filter purchases from the auto parts store. I just stuff mine in an envelope, and write the records on the back page of the owners manual in the glove box.

The tools will pay for themselves after doing two or three changes.

[nipsirc]

Thank you all very much for your advise. Your suggestions affirm my belief that I should do it myself.

Much obliged !!!

[Brian R.]

You don't have to do it yourself. Just don't bring it to a fast lube place. If you just don't want to or don't have the time, bring it to a reputable mechanic.