Is a DIY (Do It Yourself) oil/filter change worth it ?

[jeez]

There are no Ford dealers in SF proper, this is the only Ford dealer for a 1+ million area population.

They take liberties because they can, they have no nearby competition.

That would be a great reason to move.....No dealers means little business opportunity.

Sponsored

 

[NTXTremor]

Back in the late 90s, I managed a quick lube which was a local chain of former Jiffy Lube locations. Over the time I worked there, I did every single job in the store from vacuuming cars, transmission services, oil changes, etc. to balancing the books. Some oil changes were easy while some were a royal PITA.

For me, if my car is under warranty, ALL work related to parts under warranty, including oil changes, are done by the dealer. Period. I know that the dealer screws up like any other place, but until the warranty has expired, I want one throat to choke if something goes wrong. I don't want to give the dealer any loopholes to void the warranty by claiming shoddy workmanship by myself or other shops.

After the warranty is up, I have no issues taking it to quick lubes or doing it myself, and if I do it myself, most quick lubes around here will take the used oil, so that is not an issue.

I haven't even looked to see if it is easy to do an oil change on the Ranger, but I can tell you that some cars are not worth the effort. I think it was a mid-90s Honda that had an oil filter between the engine and firewall. The only way to access it was from on top of the engine. Not only was it virtually impossible to remove the filter without burning yourself, the oil from the filter would drain out onto the transaxle. It was always a huge mess.

 

[briwill70]

I worked at a dealership for a couple years in college. I once saw our "master mechanic" drain the oil out of a brand new Firebird, replace the filter, lower the car and drive it out of the shop. I pointed out the oil sitting on the bench and he almost crapped himself. He actually started the car and drove it back in the garage to refill. I could hear the rocker arms making a clatter as he pulled into the shop. That is why I change my own oil.

 

[lou5560]

Definitely did. Totally wrong.

 

[Utah_Bound]

I 100% prefer to change my own oil. Like others have said, it is a great time to ensure that other things are still in working condition and you know all of your bolts, air dam, skid plate etc are all properly installed. True story, I was sick and my wife was taking her jeep out of town the next day so she went to a local place for an oil change. When she got home, I noticed the entire skid plate was missing. I asked her and we found out they didnt put it back on. I called and asked for it back, but it was already in the dumpster. I made them an offer, Go dumpster dive it and ALL of the OEM hardware to secure it, or they can purchase a new OEM one with hardware ($500+ for a TrailHawk Renegade). They went dumpster diving, but it was all smashed up so they got to pay for all new stuff. I am not saying all places do stuff like this, but their excuse was that it "wasn't needed", and that a Renegade will "never go off-road", and that it was "a woman driving it". It was a real WTF moment. So now, even if I am sick, I will do all of the oil changes and other basic maintenance things, on all of my vehicles. Just my $0.02

 

[Msfitoy]

For me it isn't about the price as knowing it was done correctly. I wouldn't trust any of the "quick change" places (Jiffy Lube, etc) to do it correctly or with quality oil and filter. When I do it, I know what was done and it was done right. Your costs above illustrate that quite well. If it cost $36 jsut for PARTS for an oil change, how can it be done for just a little bit more at one of those places? I know they get a better deal on oil, but there HAS to be somewhere that they are cutting costs. And my guess is the quality of the oil and/or the filter.

Exactly...not trusting my baby to some $15/hour wrencher...what could go wrong? Over/under fill oil...over/under tightened drain bolt...oil cap left off so you can get a happy surprise hundred miles later...no thanks...

 

[YaBoiNewton]

Is a DIY (Do It Yourself) oil/filter change worth it "cost wise" compared to a Ford dealer or other oil change businesses?

Approximate costs for parts and disposables for a 2019 Ford Ranger oil change*:
Oil filter - Motorcraft Oil Filter part # - FL-910S - Ford P/N BE8Z-6731-AB ------------ ~ $5.80
Oil drain plug with built-in washer - Ford Part # 9L8Z-6730-A --------------------------- ~ $6.60
Oil 6.2 quarts rounded to 7 quarts of Motorcraft 5w-30 "synthetic blend" oil - Part# XO-5W30-Q1SP -- $3.35 qt x 7 = $23.45 (RockAuto.com)
Approximate DIY oil change total cost (your labor is FREE?) ~ $36

*Please Note: Prices does not include local/state sales tax, parts shipping (if required).
Prices will vary greatly between parts vendors!

Samples of oil change approximate cost from a business**:
Ford's Quick Lane: "The Works" $49.95 includes tire rotation and pressure check, brake inspection, vehicle inspection, fluid top-off, battery test, filter check, and belts and hoses check. <--- This is a great deal?
Fastlube: Synthetic Blend ~ $52.99 (for 5 quarts) - you need 6.2 quarts for an extra cost!
Jiffy Lube: Synthetic Blend ~ $75
Walmart oil change: Synthetic Blend ~ $50 (for 5 quarts) - you need 6.2 quarts for an extra cost!

**Please Note: Prices does not include local/state sales tax. Any coupons and vendor discounts will reduce the costs further. Prices will vary from time to time due to inflation or vendor's cost increases or decreases.

Is a DIY (Do It Yourself) oil/filter change worth it? Ranger5g members make the call?

I pulled the skid plates off while cleaning the undercarriage after a trip to Georgia last fall. Noticed the water looked a little shiny on the ground while spraying mud off the oil pan skid plate. Immediately looked back under the truck and noticed oil stains around the plug. The drain plug was only finger tight.

I used points for a free oil change and tire rotation at the ford dealer before the trip. The tech didn't torque down the drain plug and I was very lucky to not have dumped all my oil in the middle of the Chattahoochee national forest. It may cost more, but at least I know everything is correct when I do it myself.

 

[SteelWheelDeplorable]

Do it yourself with a clear mind and plenty of time/proper tools. I’ve been in the auto industry my entire life with how poorly techs are treated/paid it’s sadly a gamble leaving your truck in someone else hands.

 

[Michel Jeanneau]

When I bought my truck, my chatty car dealer was like:"you are gonna bring the truck here for services, right?" and "you don't change your own oil, do you?"...."NO" and "YES" were my responses. I took one look at the motley crew of grease monkeys they had out back and that was that. Not that it would have changed my mind if it were otherwise. I have changed my own oil and done all my services (brakes, coolant, exhaust, head gaskets, water pumps, timing belts/chains, etc) since age 18....not stopping now that I know what I'm doing

 

[DRVMN]

I have brought my 2021 Ranger back to the dealership for four oil changes now. I make my appointment for 7:00 AM when they open, which usually puts me in the first lane right next to the waiting area. They have a huge window and I can see everything they are doing. I watch them like a hawk, making sure they actually change the filter, drain the oil, torque the plug, etc. I'd rather do it myself, but my lifetime power train warranty doesn't allow it. I may have my oil changed at the dealership every 10,000 miles now and change it myself at the 5,000 mile mark in between and just not reset the oil life monitor. What I've hit 5,000 miles in the past, the oil life monitor is no where near 50% yet.

 

[YaBoiNewton]

Do it yourself with a clear mind and plenty of time/proper tools. I’ve been in the auto industry my entire life with how poorly techs are treated/paid it’s sadly a gamble leaving your truck in someone else hands.

100%. I find it hard to be angry at the techs in this situation. I've met plenty of mechanics in their mid-20s like myself and a lot of them are just worked like dogs. Easy to see how a 24 year old could mess up if I was the 20th customer to come his way that morning.

The mechanic life is a tough choice to make and God bless the ones that do...but I'll be doing my own work as long as I have the tools and ability.

 

[Zetterbeard]

Can anyone speak on filter quality? Is there much of a difference in quality out there?

 

[Dr. Zaius]

Not sure if it's still true today but Fram was junk for a long time.

I do my own oil changes on all my vehicles and I use a Purolator, Wix, or Motorcraft filter.

I'm sure there are other good ones out there but these 3 brands have always worked well for me.

 

[Michel Jeanneau]

Early on, when I started doing my own services, it was NAPA oil and filters ...then wallyworld showed up, so ot was FRAM and castrol oil...that kept a 76 corolla, an 84 escort and an 84 EXP HO going. The worst was the EXP. Then I traded for an 89 Probe and since the one trip to jiffy lube where tjey stripped my oil plug, never again...OEM filters on whatever I owned(motorcraft on my rangers, MAN on my BMW, and hyundai and subaru...now bacl to motorcraft on my 5g).

 

[YaBoiNewton]

Can anyone speak on filter quality? Is there much of a difference in quality out there?

Some of them cost more than others

Sponsored