Oil Changes and other routine maintenance

  • Thread starter Thread starter RustRunner
  • 19 comments
  • 751 views

Do you do your own maintenance?

  • Yes

    Votes: 18 75.0%

  • No

    Votes: 5 20.8%

  • I get my signifigant other to do it

    Votes: 1 4.2%

  • They're after me car!

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    24
R

RustRunner

Messages
31
Do you prefer to change your own oil, or is the thought of getting that slippery fluid all over yourself just plain disgusting? Personally, I prefer it doing my own maintenance, I trust me better, let your opinion be known!
 
My dad always did the oil changes and things for our cars. I never really learned how.:indiff: That (like driving a manual) is a car skill I wish I had.

But with a lot of new cars, the manufacturer requests that you take the thing in to the dealer for that. The one or two oil changes we have done for the GTI were done by VW.
 
philly cheese
But with a lot of new cars, the manufacturer requests that you take the thing in to the dealer for that.
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Actually, it's not true, and I work for the service department of a Honda dealer. If you read the service section of your manual closely, it will state that you should keep all receipts if you do not have it performed at the dealer. Of course, they all strongly suggest you have it done at a dealer, and that any warranty-related work must be performed at an authorized repair facility.

You only void your car's warranty (or particular section thereof) if repairs are performed improperly, and have to be performed correctly at the dealer. Or if you heavily modify a section of the car, and it goes blammo, asplodes, or damn-thing-won't-start.

I've changed my own oil before, but I get maintenance done where I work. Which, paradoxically...is an automobile dealer. It's much more convenient that way.
 
I normally change the oil and rotate the tires myself, that is, when it isn't bitterly cold (it is Michigan after all...). Otherwise, I usually take it into the VW dealer or to a specialty VW shop to get anything complicated taken care of.

...I've got the Jetta going in tonight actually, the front suspension needs work...
 
I have changed my oil ever since I started driving. My dad showed me once, and from then on every 3k miles I did it myself. Either me or my dad do all of the maintenance on all of our cars. We have done everything from brakes to replacing a blown engine from my old Prelude. The most recent thing that we did was a timing belt and all other belts on my current Prelude. That was kinda funny because we actually had to do it 2 times because I went to get some belts that I forgot once we got it all taken apart, while I was gone he put the old belt back on by accident. We found out about that once we got everything back together and we had to do it again. His friend also got his hand stuck between the cam gears, and the body. LOL
 
I don't do most of the routine work. It's the work that's not routine that I do for myself. Example: Interior door handles to a 2001 Corolla... Those broke on my bros ride and the two of us took care of it in minutes (for about %1 of what the dealer asked).
However, with Oil, I get my oil changed for about 20 dollars. After buying the oil and taking the time out of my day, that's just not enough difference for me to worry about doing it for myself.

So as bad as it sounds, I think I only do work on cars when it has a cost advantage. 👍
 
I change my own oil and filters, etc. That's as basic as it gets. But if a timing belt needed changed, or something like the clutch that'll go in soon, I'll have a mechanic do it. I'm looking forward to helping, though.
 
I don't really have the time or energy to do maintenance work myself. Once the dealership stops sending me service coupons, I'll probably start doing the little stuff myself.
 
i do as much of it as i can.

i have a good independent mercedes mechanic for jobs that are too big or when i dont have time.

as a former merc mechanic theres few that are too big, i just dont have facilities for doing something like a transmission mount swap. street parking sucks for car maintenance.
 
Yes, I do most of my own maintenance on my car, except jobs that I'm not willing to risk my car on, such as a timing belt.
 
My dad and I do all the maintenance on our vehicles - Brakes, oil changes, all the small stuff. The biggest jobs I've done are a timing belt, and a complete brake job on my car, though I've farmed out a couple jobs (Rear wheel bearing, and soon will be giving a shop a clutch and my car keys) when I don't have the time or special tools.

The exception is my step-mom's Smart - Still less than 6 months old, so the dealer takes care of everything.

I think I should be doing an oil change on my car this weekend or next: I've got about 6000 KM on full-synthetic oil. I've been running Castrol Syntec 10w30, but I'd like to try Mobil. It's bloody expensive, though - Almost ten bucks a litre. Times five litres and one for top-ups (My car consumes about a litre to a litre and a half every 5000 KM, depending on how I drive it). Plus a Wix oil filter (None of that Fram crap to be found on my car), or a K&N if available.
 
I'm my own mechanic. I'm comfortable digging into any part of my car (besides the transmission) at this point.

And the mid-engined supercharged layout of my car which is crammed into a tiny space behind the seats really isn't the easiest/most fun thing to work on. But I love it.
 
How much are you supposed to get from an oil? Mine gets changed whenever I get a service, about once every 10-15K.
 
I can do a lot of the routine maintenance on my truck but I choose not to because it works out to be about the same price for me to go to one of those 10 minute places to get my oil changed. It's $22 and they change the oil, grease the fittings, top up the fluids, check wear items, inflate the tires, clean the windscreen, and make sure my bulbs are all working properly...I can't really complain about that. Also my tire rotation is free due to buying my tires from Discount Tire.

Plus I don't really have the time or even the tools to do it myself.
 
My brother is a Ford technician so he does all my servicing. I just check my fluid levels once a week to make sure everything is as it should be.
 
I do most of my own maintenance, though I've gotten pro help from time to time. I miss my father, both for his skills and his shop. He was not a pro, but that man could fix anything, and what he couldn't fix, he could fabricate.
 
Slicks
(None of that Fram crap to be found on my car)
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👍 to you good sir. No Fram Bombs on my truck either. And, I will do a clutch on certain vehicles. My trucks are prime examples, since one need only yank driveshaft, shift linkage and bellhousing bolts to gain access to it. I love old trucks!



philly cheese
But with a lot of new cars, the manufacturer requests that you take the thing in to the dealer for that..
Click to expand...

Another reason to buy an older whip in good shape.


I prefer Motorcraft filters(Rebranded Purolators, usually) and either Motorcraft, Valvoline or Havoline synthetics. I'ma put my truck on a diet of 10W40 next summer, this weekend it's getting a fresh change of 10W30.

With me, I'll do pretty much any repairs I have the tools for, and if I don't have the tools, I'll try to get them. I guess growing up, literally, around auto repair does that to ya.
 
When any of our cars need washing. I drive them through the carwash all by myself.

So yeah, we let the dealership garages handle basically everything.
 

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