Changing your own oil?

[Wizard1183]

He better, he is my little brother (aka shop foreman at local dealer)

That’s the only way you’re getting that treatment with big 3 is if you’re either working within or you spent $500k+ on vehicles. So regardless. It’s moot because 90% won’t get that sort of treatment. Aka bragger lol

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[rmillermich]

Sorry if this has been mentioned before but I'm not reading over 7 pages of oil change info, but the only issue in 40 years of changing my own oil was the rubber O-ring from the old oil filter stuck on the engine block and I put a new oil filter right over it. Let's just say 2 O-rings are not better than 1 especially since I didn't notice it until 7 miles down the road. What a mess but I never made that mistake again.

Happened once in my life on a 94? Cherokee. First car I bought for my son and I worked with him to change the oil the first time and the old square profile o ring was stuck from the old filter and i put another on with the new filter. All zipped up, started the truck and after about a 15 second delay, "Ugh, Dad?" What a mess. should never happen again.

 

[Hoofnmouth]

Happened once in my life on a 94? Cherokee. First car I bought for my son and I worked with him to change the oil the first time and the old square profile o ring was stuck from the old filter and i put another on with the new filter. All zipped up, started the truck and after about a 15 second delay, "Ugh, Dad?" What a mess. should never happen again.

In every neighborhood in america there is a house on the block that has a squirt trail goin from driveway around the block and back you and your son are not alone. The old double o ring trick.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

That’s the only way you’re getting that treatment with big 3 is if you’re either working within or you spent $500k+ on vehicles. So regardless. It’s moot because 90% won’t get that sort of treatment. Aka bragger lol

Small town, small dealer. It is kind of do a good job or die.

I think he runs a pretty good ship.

 

[Austin26]

I plan on using a pump on mine... Its proven to do just as good a job. Some engines don't even have drain plugs anymore. I use a 12volt version made for marine engines. Don't even need to get on the ground.

I just went down a rabbit hole on oil extractors thinking I may have found an improvement. for the Ecoboosts i found it to be discouraged as it needs to drip for 20-30 minutes as there's oil somewhere tucked away that needs to get out due to the auto start stop feature. Perhaps if you sucked as much as you could and then waited a while to get some more would accomplish the same thing but I'd look into it.

 

[Gotdesl]

I do my own services for multiple reasons, the least of which is saving money. That said, I do save money doing it myself. Driving a Cummins 6.7, I am dealing with a much larger volume of oil than a gas engine and I do use the best oil and filters that I can find. Tell your oil change place specific fluids and filters that you want used and see what that ticket is then.
Doing your own fluid changes will make you much more familiar with your vehicle, you will be more adept and comfortable doing your own larger services and repairs (real money savings), and I guarantee that you will care more in how something is done than anyone you could pay to do the work. I commend you for taking it upon yourself to learning new skills and being responsible for your own vehicle. What you gain from doing so is priceless.

 

[Nobody]

This is me changing the oil on my 3.5L ecoboost.

 

[orion]

I always work on my own vehicles. I'll only ever take it back for warranty work.

Even then, I hesitate! I have a 2017 Super Duty, and right before the 3yr/36k warranty expired I noticed my rear pinion seal had a leak. I took it in and was expecting them just to fix the seal, nope! They did all of the recall work that I intentionally didn't want done, because I don't want people touching my cars if they don't have to. Well got it back and they performed the block heater recall and the seat belt tensioner recall. I thought to myself, great - what did they eff up??? So I checked the block heat, all good except the routing was not quite right and one of the tabs was not inserted into the frame for the wiring. Then I checked the seat belt tensioner area, both B-piller covers were scratched up like the were pulled of and just thrown on to the floor and slid.

Then, our Explorer started chiping paint on the hood. So we took it in, hesitantly again to get it fixed. Instead of repainting they needed to replace. ??? Anyways, the new hood came in, and was replaced at an autobody shop. Well, when we got it back, the hood lettering, EXPLORER, across the hood was jacked. The first E looked very crooked. Called dealer to let them know it needed to be redone. He agreed and ordered the new lettering kit. The body shop installed again, not to my satisfaction but it will be OK. Then, the we went to use the wipers for the first time since getting the new hood and guess what, not working like they're supposed to. Hmm, figures, just another reason I will try my hardest to never let anyone touch my stuff. Tried replacing the nozzles, nope. It needed the whole new hose assembly. Pulled the hood insulation off and started pulling the original hose off to replace. I think only one tab was still usable on that hose. The rest were broken like the just grabbed it and ripped it off instead of using patience and the right tool for the job!

Yep, not taking my stuff anywhere, even Ford, unless the motors blown.

 

[indio22]

Varies dealer by dealer. Mine, for example, picks my cars up at the house on a flatbed, takes them to the shop for service, and is also an authorized installer for all my aftermarket work. I am a huge fan of single throat to choke. No matter what's wrong with the car, they did it.

I have no idea what to expect from Ford service departments, assume NOT my current setup. Will have to see once the Bronco arrives.

Also in play is how much a dealership is making from a given customer. Seeing as you take 5 cars to the BMW dealership for service, and you've used them for modifications, makes sense for them to treat you well.

A buddy of mine is a big spender at a dealership (including paying too much for cars because of his aversion to haggling). He told me the dealer loves him and family and treats them so good. Damn straight, if running that dealership, I would roll out the red carpet.

 

[RiverRat001]

Remember: no one cares more about your Bronco than you do. Get the right tools, take your time, enjoy that peace of mind.

To echo @Tilzbow: start a physical file/journal. Keep receipts of your oil+filter, and record dates/mileages of your services. Warranty shouldn’t be an issue.

Always double check the fine print here though. Example: the owner’s manual states oil change interval is 5k-10k depending on type of driving. But the warranty may only be valid if you stay under 5k between changes. Usually this is only a factor for extended warranties though, not factory warranties

 

[BEM-S4]

Also in play is how much a dealership is making from a given customer. Seeing as you take 5 cars to the BMW dealership for service, and you've used them for modifications, makes sense for them to treat you well.

A buddy of mine is a big spender at a dealership (including paying too much for cars because of his aversion to haggling). He told me the dealer loves him and family and treats them so good. Damn straight, if running that dealership, I would roll out the red carpet.

Yep. My only point in any of this was that the dealer isn't ALWAYS a ripoff or doing crap work. Good dealer service departments, if you can find them, are worth their weight in gold. Just makes everything so easy and you never need to worry about your warranty.

 

[dcmdon]

The hardest part, by far, is finding containers to store, transport, and find a legal place to dispose of the used oil (always seems to be extra oil in the pan from a lawnmower or something that won't go back in the empty new oil jug.

I stopped changing my own oil when I lost access to the lifts and disposal facilities at the dealership I used to work at.

Though I have to say that the top mount oil filter makes me think about doing it again.
I have used a fumoto valve ( fumotousa.com ) and trust them.

With a fumoto valve and top mount oil filter, it might be worth doing myself. Though where and how the drain plug is located will really determine that.

To be worth doing myself, the plug would need to be accessible without removing skid plates. To use a fumoto valve, the location would need to be protected.

 

[ATHIKER]

The hardest part, by far, is finding containers to store, transport, and find a legal place to dispose of the used oil (always seems to be extra oil in the pan from a lawnmower or something that won't go back in the empty new oil jug.

AutoZone takes your used oil at no charge

 

[FerkinBlonco]

This is my budding old man skepticism kicking in.... nobody is going to care more about doing a proper change than you are. Due to the reasonable prices that many places offer for changes, there is probably an incentive to get things done quick. Couple that with generally less experienced folk being willing to accept the pay that kind of job offers, and I don't think you can guarantee you always get the right level or oil grade.

Idk if this is why, or if it's just my luck, but the few times I've paid for a change it's been overfilled. To me, it's been plenty worth my time to do it, just for peace of mind. Plus, if you're waiting an hour in line anyway... might as well spend that hour dinking around and figuring out the change. As others have said, it's not too bad.

@Vigor, my advice to you - invest in an OK torque wrench so you tighten that pesky drain plug just right, RTFM for oil quantity and ratings, and if all else fails YouTube is your friend. And we are too

 

[BadlandsBill]

The hardest part, by far, is finding containers to store, transport, and find a legal place to dispose of the used oil (always seems to be extra oil in the pan from a lawnmower or something that won't go back in the empty new oil jug.

Man local Wally Worlds take old oil, they gladly except mine even mixed with trans and dif fluids. My son took his Mustang GT to quickly change type of place, they forgot to add oil, toast down the road, he had his stereo blasting didn’t hear starved engine. it still ran he added oil and traded it in. Change your own freakin oil if at all possible. Don’t be cheap, these Eco Boost’s must have full synthetic.

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