A Guide to Oil Change Prices
Oil Change Prices – How much should you pay?
Everybody wants to save money these days. Of course it is important to make sure that those efforts at economizing do not lead to unexpected results that actually end up costing more money than might ever be saved by pinching a few pennies. Due to the rise in costs for gas and all other petroleum products over the last year or so, oil change prices have gotten much more expensive. This has led many people to explore ways of reducing the amount of money they spend on oil changes.
There Are Ways To Save Money On Oil Changes
While many people were raised in an era when the oil in a car or truck needed to be changed every 3000 miles, that is no longer the case for newer vehicles. Most manufacturers now recommend changing the oil every 5000 miles. Going with the manufacturer’s specifications saves about 40 percent over the very conservative interval recommended by most oil change services, all of whom depend on maximizing their repeat business.
Many oil change specialists offer discounts from their usual prices on their slowest days. It is therefore a good idea to keep an eye out for the discount period, usually Tuesday or Wednesday, when you can get the exact same service for lower oil change prices.
In general, oil is oil. There are a few car models that require the use of special lubricants. Not putting these specific products into a vehicle can actually void the warranty. Unless you own one of these high performance or special purpose vehicles, you can get by with just about any major brand of oil in your car or truck. It is all made from the same base product and is most often refined in the same plant. There is no need to pay extra for something you are just going to throw out in three or four months anyhow. If you like a particular brand name of oil , that is fine but there is no need to pay extra for it. One caveat: avoid the super cheap off-brands of oil or at least read their labels carefully. Sometimes these extra inexpensive brands lack certain detergents and oil additives designed to keep everything clean and well lubricated.
Avoiding the upsells is a major way to reduce the steep rise in oil change prices. Many shops push ancillary products such as new air cleaners, transmission fluid and filter changes, and even differential fluid changes. These are things you can generally live without or, in the case of a new air filter, can easily take care of yourself at a very substantial savings.
For those in the market for a new car or truck, it is possible to get your oil changed for free by buying your new dream machine from a manufacturer or dealer that offer free oil changes over the warranty life of the vehicle. Paying $20,000 for free oil changes makes no sense, of course. However, if you are going to buy a new car regardless, you might as well squeeze this little extra bit of savings out of the transaction. Be sure and ask your salesman if this is available to you. Some dealers will throw this little perk in to clinch the sale, even if it is not something they regularly advertise
Change your oil yourself. More on this in the next section.
Do It Yourself And Save (Sometimes)
In theory, knowing how to change oil in a car ought to save people a lot of money. In practice, this is sometimes true and sometimes a cruel joke on the practitioners of self-sufficiency. Many auto parts stores offer sales on oil change kits that include a five quart container of oil and an oil filter at a very reasonable price.
The basic process is fairly simple. A container is placed underneath the vehicle and the oil pan drain plug is unscrewed. The oil pours out into the container and is taken away for recycling. Special tip to those who are new at this: When doing it yourself, always drain the oil out of a vehicle that has already cooled down. Basting your arm in boiling oil is not a way to save money. Once the oil is drained, the oil drain plug is replaced.
Another special tip: This is one of the most frequent failures of both professional and amateur oil changes. People forget and then ruin their engine when they start it up with no oil in the crankcase. The oil filter is removed and replaced as well. New oil is poured through the filler inlet usually located in the center of one the valve covers of the engine. Check for leaks before starting up and then you are finished.
The one problem with a home grown oil change is that all of the grease fittings on the vehicle do not get lubricated. Make sure you visit your local oil change professional at least once a year to get this done as part of their full service operation. You can beat oil change prices in many ways, but make sure that you do not damage your engine by doing it improperly.