Oil change
30-Nov-2010, 09:41 PM
#4
DIY all the way.
i knew a guy who worked at mr.lube, he said they barely check what consistency of oil they used (5w30/10w20/5w20/etc)......after hearing that i never trusted any other mechanic to do any lubrication/oil change for me....
its very simple too.
i knew a guy who worked at mr.lube, he said they barely check what consistency of oil they used (5w30/10w20/5w20/etc)......after hearing that i never trusted any other mechanic to do any lubrication/oil change for me....
its very simple too.
30-Nov-2010, 10:39 PM
#5
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Mississauga
Posts: 1,672
Oil change is like 35 bucks. Buying oil ( 4 liters) about 20 bucks ( if on sale) , buying filter is like 5 ( maybe more) , so you are only saving 10 bucks .... Now if oyu have a nice shop and the right tools then its a whole different story
Last edited by rick10; 30-Nov-2010 at 10:40 PM.
30-Nov-2010, 11:52 PM
#6
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: N/A
Posts: 4,641
Right tools consist of a 17mm wrench or a socket and a ratchet, a pan to drain the oil, and in most cases you get the filter off by hand. If not, you can either get the cheap oil filter tools, and if you are cheap [like me, until i actually got one of those tools] use a screwdriver, poke a hole right through it and turn it. Once it moves you can take it off by hand once its done draining. Hell i swapped cats with bolts that did not want to work with the replacement cat at -15deg [stupid me left the garage door open for few hours], and survived. And Rick, you go to centennial, im sure you could talk your way into getting your car on the hoist there somewhere.
For disposal, Just poor it back into an empty jug and toss it in the garbage or a container somewhere. Filter goes in the garbage once its empty.
For disposal, Just poor it back into an empty jug and toss it in the garbage or a container somewhere. Filter goes in the garbage once its empty.
01-Dec-2010, 07:46 AM
#7
not very simple if it is -20 outside and you dont have the right tools. Disposing the old oil ( if you just dont throw it anywhere) can also be a pain
Oil change is like 35 bucks. Buying oil ( 4 liters) about 20 bucks ( if on sale) , buying filter is like 5 ( maybe more) , so you are only saving 10 bucks .... Now if oyu have a nice shop and the right tools then its a whole different story
Oil change is like 35 bucks. Buying oil ( 4 liters) about 20 bucks ( if on sale) , buying filter is like 5 ( maybe more) , so you are only saving 10 bucks .... Now if oyu have a nice shop and the right tools then its a whole different story
and you just drop it off at canadian tire. they dispose of the old oil for free.
As for prices, canadian tire always has a sale on oil for about 15 bucks, motomaster filter is like 3.99..... good to goo...and after you finish the job you feel like "The mannn"
01-Dec-2010, 09:24 AM
#8
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Mississauga
Posts: 1,672
yep, you only really need one wrench...or channel lock.. i loosen the oil filter by hand..or the screw driver method, and for collecting the oil my and a buddy have used a garbage can lid, bucket, (attempted) once to try and drain it straight back into an old oil container.
and you just drop it off at canadian tire. they dispose of the old oil for free.
As for prices, canadian tire always has a sale on oil for about 15 bucks, motomaster filter is like 3.99..... good to goo...and after you finish the job you feel like "The mannn"
and you just drop it off at canadian tire. they dispose of the old oil for free.
As for prices, canadian tire always has a sale on oil for about 15 bucks, motomaster filter is like 3.99..... good to goo...and after you finish the job you feel like "The mannn"
You actually need
A wrench
jack
channel lock
a container where to drain the oil
sheets to clean your mess
gas to drive to canadian tire to buy the oil and gas to drive back to dispose your oil
castrol gtx is 21.99 plus tax ( Castrol GTX Motor Oil | Canadian Tire)
Where I m getting at is that for what people are charging to do an oil changing ( about 35 bucks ) , you may as well spend an extra 10 bucks and avoid freezing your nuts in the cold weather, getting dirty and doing it wrong , and it could happen if you dont tight the nut right or put the filter right ( especially when rushing)
Ive done it before in the summer and its not that bad , but its still pain in the butt getting everything set up , getting dirty , then cleaning it all up .At the end of the day if you add it up , you are no saving much.
And I do a lot of stuff myself , I just cant justify going through all that to save 10 bucks. In the other hand I installed my interior lights and save 60$ in labour , that i can justify
. Or when I changed my set of summer tires for winter tires , I also saved 35 bucksNow thats from a saving point of view , now , if you are into fixing your own car as a hobby , then its a different story.
01-Dec-2010, 09:27 AM
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Mississauga
Posts: 1,672
Right tools consist of a 17mm wrench or a socket and a ratchet, a pan to drain the oil, and in most cases you get the filter off by hand. If not, you can either get the cheap oil filter tools, and if you are cheap [like me, until i actually got one of those tools] use a screwdriver, poke a hole right through it and turn it. Once it moves you can take it off by hand once its done draining. Hell i swapped cats with bolts that did not want to work with the replacement cat at -15deg [stupid me left the garage door open for few hours], and survived. And Rick, you go to centennial, im sure you could talk your way into getting your car on the hoist there somewhere.
For disposal, Just poor it back into an empty jug and toss it in the garbage or a container somewhere. Filter goes in the garbage once its empty.
For disposal, Just poor it back into an empty jug and toss it in the garbage or a container somewhere. Filter goes in the garbage once its empty.
Nahh , i just pay 35 bucks and get it done... Its just oil , they cant really screw it up and I dont have to ask my dad to let me borrow his driveway and clean it all up after , or get yell at for dripping oil ....
But i do agree that doing maintanence yourself can save you a lot of money , i just dont think its worth it when doing oil changes. Unless of course you do it as a hobby
And I cant even talk my way into getting into the sheet metal lab for some extra hours
, and the teacher knows me dad PLOP
Last edited by rick10; 01-Dec-2010 at 09:30 AM.
01-Dec-2010, 09:32 AM
#11
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Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Where my car is.
Posts: 5,460
Doing your own oil change is not just about saving money. At least, not to me. It's about getting to know your own car. You see the underside of your car, see how things work. Makes you aware of the condition of your car incase a mechanic doing some other repair decides to try to scam you, you can call them on it...hehe.
Also, once you can do an oil change, it opens the door to learning how to do other simple maintenance tasks. When you learn to change your own tranny fluid, brakes, and other fairly simple procedures, that drastically saves you money down the road on labour costs. You get to know your car inside out. Makes you appreciate it more and enjoy it more. The less you have to take it to a shop, the better!
Doing my own oil changes, I definitely don't save money in that respect. Last oil change I threw in royal purple synthetic at $8 a litre (on sale). That's about $50, filter included. The difference is I have the piece of mind knowing I did it properly and checked other things while I was under my car at the same time. I did it with my own hands and saw everythig with my own eyes. I know everything is cherry.
I agree it is hard to screw up an oil change. I also agree, not everyone can or wants to do their own maintenance. There's nothing wrong with that. But just knowing what I know and from the stories I've heard, it's worth it to me to do it myself, and I say to those who have theirs serviced at a shop, just be careful is all.
Also, once you can do an oil change, it opens the door to learning how to do other simple maintenance tasks. When you learn to change your own tranny fluid, brakes, and other fairly simple procedures, that drastically saves you money down the road on labour costs. You get to know your car inside out. Makes you appreciate it more and enjoy it more. The less you have to take it to a shop, the better!
Doing my own oil changes, I definitely don't save money in that respect. Last oil change I threw in royal purple synthetic at $8 a litre (on sale). That's about $50, filter included. The difference is I have the piece of mind knowing I did it properly and checked other things while I was under my car at the same time. I did it with my own hands and saw everythig with my own eyes. I know everything is cherry.
I agree it is hard to screw up an oil change. I also agree, not everyone can or wants to do their own maintenance. There's nothing wrong with that. But just knowing what I know and from the stories I've heard, it's worth it to me to do it myself, and I say to those who have theirs serviced at a shop, just be careful is all.
Last edited by MPR; 01-Dec-2010 at 09:41 AM.
01-Dec-2010, 09:41 AM
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Mississauga
Posts: 1,672
Doing your own oil change is not just about saving money. At least, not to me. It's about getting to know your own car. You see the underside of your car, see how things work. Makes you aware of the condition of your car incase a mechanic doing some other repair decides to try to scam you, you can call them on it...hehe.
Also, once you can do an oil change, it opens the door to learning how to do other simple maintenance tasks. When you learn to change your own tranny fluid, brakes, and other fairly simple procedures, that drastically saves you money down the road on labour costs. You get to know your car inside out. Makes you appreciate it more and enjoy it more. The less you have to take it to a shop, the better!
Also, once you can do an oil change, it opens the door to learning how to do other simple maintenance tasks. When you learn to change your own tranny fluid, brakes, and other fairly simple procedures, that drastically saves you money down the road on labour costs. You get to know your car inside out. Makes you appreciate it more and enjoy it more. The less you have to take it to a shop, the better!
but for you its a hobby. You are involved in fixing your car , tuning cars, and probably have the tools to do it. In the other hand I also live in a condo where I cant do my own maintenance and my dad is not really happy when I bring my car in his driveway to do maintenance. So its a different story for me
16-Feb-2011, 10:42 PM
#14
Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Mississauga, Ontario
Posts: 34
I agree, let the pro's do an oil change for $35. Mr Lube is almost $50 so I won't go there. I am no mechanic so I go to my regular mechanic for oil changes, and he looks at the other stuff when it's on the hoist. That's how I catch stuff early.
Doing your own tire swap, I know a couple of shops that will do seasonal swap for $20. So that's your saving. I let the shop do it, they get the bolts on there nice and tight.
Doing your own tire swap, I know a couple of shops that will do seasonal swap for $20. So that's your saving. I let the shop do it, they get the bolts on there nice and tight.
16-Feb-2011, 11:51 PM
#15
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Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: oakville
Posts: 1,701
DIY is your best choice if u dont want anyone to mess it up, unless you dont have the right tool or place to do it since its lovly n cold outside lol, just get it done at a mechanic shop you trust or know and try to talk with the mechanic and be nice and you wount have to worry about a thing, unless the mechanic some sort of honda hater then your in a hole lol
17-Feb-2011, 02:04 AM
#16
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Cool World
Posts: 778
Right tools consist of a 17mm wrench or a socket and a ratchet, a pan to drain the oil, and in most cases you get the filter off by hand. If not, you can either get the cheap oil filter tools, and if you are cheap [like me, until i actually got one of those tools] use a screwdriver, poke a hole right through it and turn it. Once it moves you can take it off by hand once its done draining. Hell i swapped cats with bolts that did not want to work with the replacement cat at -15deg [stupid me left the garage door open for few hours], and survived. And Rick, you go to centennial, im sure you could talk your way into getting your car on the hoist there somewhere.
For disposal, Just poor it back into an empty jug and toss it in the garbage or a container somewhere. Filter goes in the garbage once its empty.
For disposal, Just poor it back into an empty jug and toss it in the garbage or a container somewhere. Filter goes in the garbage once its empty.
or you can do it the economical way and bring the empties back at night to crappy tire or any shop that does oil changes. At least this way they have proper methods on how to dispose of the used oil.
17-Feb-2011, 11:06 AM
#17
Inactive
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Where my car is.
Posts: 5,460
I agree, let the pro's do an oil change for $35. Mr Lube is almost $50 so I won't go there. I am no mechanic so I go to my regular mechanic for oil changes, and he looks at the other stuff when it's on the hoist. That's how I catch stuff early.
Doing your own tire swap, I know a couple of shops that will do seasonal swap for $20. So that's your saving. I let the shop do it, they get the bolts on there nice and tight.
Doing your own tire swap, I know a couple of shops that will do seasonal swap for $20. So that's your saving. I let the shop do it, they get the bolts on there nice and tight.
If you have found a good competent mechanic who doesn't scam you and does good work, that's great. I have nothing against that.
But some "pros" out there shouldn't be called "pros". I've heard too many stories from too many people. There is only 1 shop in my area that I would trust leaving my car in their hands, and even still I would hesitate. I do any and all work on my own vehicles and if I don't have the tools, I go buy them. They generally still cost much less than what I'd pay in labour costs alone to have a shop do it for me.
About seasonal wheel changes, meaning jacking the car up, unbolting the winters and bolting on the summers... you're out $20+ for something you can very easily do yourself. And the lug nuts are supposed to be torqued to a specific value (~90ft-lbs or so for a civic). I'm not sure what you mean by "nice and tight", but I sure hope they don't just jam them on hard with an impact gun... It's not good to over-torque them as that can stress the studs to the point where they can break or the threads will strip. Not to mention if you ever get a flat, good luck getting them undone with the cheesy tire-iron that comes witht he spare tire.
Don't get me wrong folks. I realize not everyone wants to or chooses to or can do any kind of work on their own cars. Again, everyone is in different situations. I respect that and hope you find or have found a good reputable, competent shop/mechanic. I just believe that if you do have the inclanation, space and time to do some basic work on your own car, that you are better off learning and doing this kind of stuff on your own.
17-Feb-2011, 12:16 PM
#18
Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Mississauga, Ontario
Posts: 34
Agreed, but you like to do things yourself.
I am not handy at all. But yes I coulld likely do the tire swap myself.
And you are also correct that the bolts potentially over tightened. That said torquing bolts to manufacturers specs may not be something I could attest to knowing how to do either.
The last flat I had was on the 401. I let CAA take care of that one.
As you siad they are things to be done yourself if you are inclined. I also know that a lot of members here are inclined to DYI. I may be in the minority choosing to go to a shop but I found that appears to be honest.
There are quite a few people I know who have had bad experiences with mechanics.
I just responded to a post.
I am not handy at all. But yes I coulld likely do the tire swap myself.
And you are also correct that the bolts potentially over tightened. That said torquing bolts to manufacturers specs may not be something I could attest to knowing how to do either.
The last flat I had was on the 401. I let CAA take care of that one.
As you siad they are things to be done yourself if you are inclined. I also know that a lot of members here are inclined to DYI. I may be in the minority choosing to go to a shop but I found that appears to be honest.
There are quite a few people I know who have had bad experiences with mechanics.
I just responded to a post.
17-Feb-2011, 02:10 PM
#19
Inactive
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Where my car is.
Posts: 5,460
^Yeah, no worries. Everyone is in a different position and not everyone who is in to cars is in to working on cars. That is something I have to remind myself of a lot, so I apologize if my previous post came across a bit harsh...lol.
I just caution those who take their cars to shops to be careful is all.
Sounds like you've found one you can trust, which is good to hear.
I just caution those who take their cars to shops to be careful is all.
Sounds like you've found one you can trust, which is good to hear.
