Do you change your own oil?

[Jimzz]

I still chuckle at the importance people place on synthetics over non synths. The piston rings, camshaft and crankshaft bearings..etc inside of motors will outlast the rest of the car on average, most people have long sold the car before it wears that badly anyway. Meanwhile most people never change their shocks when they go bad or even realize it, same with bushings, seals, lines....but oh, gotta use synthetic oil.

I've rebuilt a lot of motors, trannies and rear ends when I was young, I'm amazed at the things people neglect vs the things they would have been better off neglecting instead. If it's same price fine, but don't waste money on synth otherwise. The Consumer Reports teardown of NYC taxi cabs project to compare wear and tear proves that you can just replace with cheap oil and it lasts just the same.

I agree for most cars regular oil will be fine. I like high mileage oils as they have a better add pack but that's just preference.

But the CR story on oil was highly flawed, like most things they "review" and "survey" for the automotive market.

 

[who?]

My 2006 Focus also has a flat bottom. A lot of manufacturers are doing that to improve airflow and fuel economy.

 

[z1ggy]

PS just changed my gf's oil and I'm about to do mine this weekend. $30 at Walmart for 5 QT of full synthetic and $6 for a filter. STS wanted to charge me $65 and they'd prob F it up too, LOL.

 

[Muse]

I do mine around Memorial Day, only drive around 1500 m/year. Got a set of ramps off Amazon.

Costco has $10 off on case of 6 quarts of Mobile 1 full synthetic right now until July 3. I think the base price is $36.99, so it's $10 off that. I figure to pick up the limit in a couple of days, which is 3 cases.

 

[FeuerFrei]

Yeah, I do. Ever since I moved out of the apartment.

 

[Muse]

I still chuckle at the importance people place on synthetics over non synths. The piston rings, camshaft and crankshaft bearings..etc inside of motors will outlast the rest of the car on average, most people have long sold the car before it wears that badly anyway. Meanwhile most people never change their shocks when they go bad or even realize it, same with bushings, seals, lines....but oh, gotta use synthetic oil.

I've rebuilt a lot of motors, trannies and rear ends when I was young, I'm amazed at the things people neglect vs the things they would have been better off neglecting instead. If it's same price fine, but don't waste money on synth otherwise. The Consumer Reports teardown of NYC taxi cabs project to compare wear and tear proves that you can just replace with cheap oil and it lasts just the same.

I use synth because I heard that for cars that aren't driven that much you can go longer between changes with synth. I have been driving on average around 1500 miles/year. My 19 YO car is a bit under 30,000 miles. I change the oil with synth once a year.

 

[Raizinman]

I've rebuilt a lot of motors, trannies and rear ends when I was young, I'm amazed at the things people neglect vs the things they would have been better off neglecting instead. If it's same price fine, but don't waste money on synth otherwise. The Consumer Reports teardown of NYC taxi cabs project to compare wear and tear proves that you can just replace with cheap oil and it lasts just the same.

Dude, how old are you? The NYC Taxi Cap project was back 20 years ago! July 1996 to be specific. The oils tested back then are not even used in todays engines. Also, back in 1996 very few auto manufactures recommended a synthetic.

 

[bryanl]

I agree for most cars regular oil will be fine. I like high mileage oils as they have a better add pack but that's just preference.

But the CR story on oil was highly flawed, like most things they "review" and "survey" for the automotive market.

What were the flaws in their oil review?

 

[GoodRevrnd]

A sloping drive way can assist you as long as your oil drain plug is facing down the slope. Would certainly make draining the oil faster. As for places that use the vacuum machine to suck it out the dipstick; in an emergency or such, sure it works for getting about 90% of the oil out of the pan. But keep in mind that the dirtiest, crudiest oil is at the bottom of your oil pan, which is where this vacuum tool cannot get. It will leave about a half cup of oil in your pan.

I use a Mityvac pump. It's just so much easier. I think the amount removed probably varies with the car. Some enthusiasts tested this on ours and found only about 2 tbsp drained out after vacuuming. I just drain every couple changes to get last bits out and check the magnetic plug.

 

[thomsbrain]

I still chuckle at the importance people place on synthetics over non synths.

I drive 30,000+ miles a year, so getting under the car twice a year instead of six times a year makes Amsoil worth its weight in gold, not to mention actually cheaper per mile than dino.

 

[pete6032]

No. It's cheap to change the oil at a shop, about $25. Not worth doing it myself to save a few bucks.

 

[Jimzz]

What were the flaws in their oil review?

They used Taxis that were rarely if ever turned off so they ran all the time.
The biggest area of wear on a engine is the cold start. The cabs were run all the time so the engines never saw a cold start. The thing that can load a oil up is the cold start when the car runs rich and if its not driven to full warm up it will not burn off any blow.

So the engine and oil neither saw the biggest issue that causes them to wear. In cases like that even the cheapest oil out there that meets spec will be fine.

I do agree that Syn oil for most cars is a waste and regular oils are much MUCH better today, many very close to syn base quality now. Most regular oil is a 2+ base while most Syn in the US is a 3 base. The additives are usually weaker in a regular oil as they are not meant/rated to go as long. That is why a high mileage oil like Castrol or Valvoline Maxlife offer the best bang for the buck IMO.

 

[Jimzz]

I drive 30,000+ miles a year, so getting under the car twice a year instead of six times a year makes Amsoil worth its weight in gold, not to mention actually cheaper per mile than dino.

But 30k a year is not average, you would be a outlier. I do agree a good syn is worth it in your case. Same as those with air cooled, heavily modified, etc... motors.

But many change their syn oil way to often.

I do mine around Memorial Day, only drive around 1500 m/year. Got a set of ramps off Amazon.

Costco has $10 off on case of 6 quarts of Mobile 1 full synthetic right now until July 3. I think the base price is $36.99, so it's $10 off that. I figure to pick up the limit in a couple of days, which is 3 cases.

If you only do 1500 miles a year regular oil will be fine. If worried use a HM oil like Castrol or Valvoline Maxlife. They are both semi-syn.

 

[who?]

If you drive 30K a year your oil stays at normal operating temperature and boils off contaminants all the time. Driving short trips when the engine doesn't get warmed up resulting in low mileage totals is harder on oil.

 

[natto fire]

I always have, but I just changed it for the first time on my new to me '02 Ford Focus. In typical Ford fashion, the filter is a gigantic pain in the ass to get to. I am going to pay to have it changed next time.

 

[leper84]

Uh, lots of folks don't criss-cross tires. In fact, many manufacturers tell you to only go front to rear.

Just to back up what you're saying.

Crossing the tire changes the direction of rotation. Even on a non-directional tire the belts will settle in; changing the direction can cause vibration and even balance issues.

If you rotate every 5k-ish with your oil change its usually not an issue. The problem is 99% of people only rotate their tires once in a blue moon so much more chance of an issue.

Most places just rotate front to back to eliminate any problems from the get go. Doesn't cause any tire wear issues.

 

[BUTCH1]

I used to back when I couldn't afford to have it done. Now that I can, I realize changing your own oil is for poor suckers. I used to be lazy and dumped the oil, so it's probably for the betterment of the world that I pay to have it done.

While it's true your not saving a lot of $$ by DIY at least you know it's done correctly and what oil is actually in the car. My brother took his to a Jiffy-lube and the next AM found a puddle of oil all over his driveway, looking underneath the drain-bolt was only on by 2-3 threads. I had the dealer do the changes on mine while it was under warranty so if an engine issue arose I had the receipts showing proper changes. When I did my first DIY (after the warranty was over) the drain-plug was on so tight I had to raise the front end and use a breaker-bar to loosen the bolt, had to be 90-110ft-lbs of torque on it. Filter was equally challenging too. After one change I checked it when I got home to find it over-filled by a full quart, had to bring it right back.

 

[BUTCH1]

If you drive 30K a year your oil stays at normal operating temperature and boils off contaminants all the time. Driving short trips when the engine doesn't get warmed up resulting in low mileage totals is harder on oil.

True and GM's OLM factors that into it's % of oil-life left. My current job is 2.5 miles from home so the OLM drops the % much more quickly than when I used to drive 13 miles.

 

[Brian Stirling]

One of the reason I use synth, is the interval of 8,000 miles rather than 5 thousand miles, and also they don't expire with age.

Also switching back to conventional oil decreased my fuel economy by ~1.75 mpg. Car's an 01 integra with 200k miles.

I've gone as high as 8000 miles on my oil but tend to change between 5000 and 6500 as that's the tire rotation interval and I try to kill two birds at the same time. Also, although the oil last's longer the combustion crud still gets into the oil so I try to not run it that long.

My cost is less than $30 for oil and filter so, figuring 6000 miles on average that works out to about half a penny per mile. I'm averaging nearly 39mpg on my gas mileage so at, say, $3/gal for gas that works out to about $0.077/mile of gas and with oil change a total of just over 8 cents per mile operating cost not counting tires and non-scheduled maintenance.

If I changed the oil and filter every 8000 miles versus 6000 miles the cost differential would be about $0.001/mile or about $200 over the life of the car...


Brian