slo’s TUESDAY poll - Oil Change

[skittles67]

I'm old school. I don't believe a woman should have to do car maintenance if there is a man around, unless she wants to. I don't even fill the gas tank. My husband does all of that stuff. I don't take out the garbage either.

Yup! My husband used to do all maintenance on our cars - oil change, tires, brakes...etc. until a few years ago. He says he's too old now (LOL) so he takes it to a local garage. I've also never taken out the trash, mowed a lawn, or shoveled snow. My husband and sons do all that.

 

[dez1978]

Suburbs. Unincorporated area of Sacramento about 3 miles outside the city limits. Sort of the stereotyped suburbs to me. Three major malls within 4 miles, 4 major chain grocery store chains within a mile, just head, North, South, East or West and you run into a grocery story. My mom worked so taking me to school was not an option since she had to be at work at 6 am. But we had school buses. But the schools were set up on grids with the goal of having every elementary school student within one mile of their school, every Junior High School student within two miles, and every High School student within 3 miles.
While two of the three malls are gone now, two of the grocery stores gone, and the schools closed due to declining enrollment, it would be different today. But with Amazon and grocery delivery, mom may have driven even less. Although in retirement, until age 89 she walked to the grocery store every few days to pick up a few things.

Thats waaaayyy too people-y for me. Our entire k-12 enrollment is like 500 and 82% of our districts kids live on gravel roads. And that is the largest of the 3 school districts in the county. our closest target/mall large shopping center is about30 miles. We don't have grocery delivery or even curbside pick up in the nearest town,

 

[amcnj]

I always did it myself, starting from way back when 3,000 miles was the recommended change interval. I commuted a fairly long way, 45 miles each way for 14 years, and then 67 miles each way for 18 years. So oil changes were pretty frequent. Then I purchased a vehicle that came with free oil changes and I got out of the habit.

My current vehicle does not have free changes, but I only drive 6,000- 9,000 miles a year now. In addition, oil change intervals are much longer and I don’t get down under a car as easily as I did before! So I basically have been getting an oil change and tire rotation once a year, maybe twice if I had a long trip that year.

Where I go charges right around $70 for the oil change and tire rotation, taxes and disposal fees included. Plus the manufacturer sometimes has discount offers, like the one in December which save me $20. They have a free shuttle to take you home, but I usually just walk, as it is three miles away and I can use the exercise!

 

[Mysterian]

I gave up on the free oil change after sitting in the waiting room for 6 hours. I can do it in the garage in 5 minutes.

I didn't take a car into the shop for about 20 years until I lost the garage and flat driveway. Now I can't do it on my sloped driveway and the way cars are designed, I can't get it lifted on jack stands high enough anyways, or at least high enough but yet still be comfortable to go underneath. My nose is still touching the plastic shrouding with my car lifted as high as I'm comfortable with.

A dealership would be the last place I would take a car in for an oil change. Low man training is the guy who's doing your oil changes at the dealer. If I'm having someone do it, it's a small operation I'm going to where I'm hanging out chatting with the owner who I trust as he changes it on his lift during the state inspection.

I wouldn't mind doing it myself, but during the months when it's really hot, nah. I don't have a garage big enough or with AC. That said, I would still rather take it to the dealership than take it to one of the Take 5 branches, as those places half-as$ the job in favor of speed.

 

[mrodgers]

I wouldn't mind doing it myself, but during the months when it's really hot, nah. I don't have a garage big enough or with AC. That said, I would still rather take it to the dealership than take it to one of the Take 5 branches, as those places half-as$ the job in favor of speed.

It's said that the techs get paid 0.2 on an oil change. That's 12 minutes of pay whether they get it done in that time or not. The dealership also works half-as$ in favor of speed by their lowest techs.

Local independent is what I recommend, like I said, I'm standing right beside him inspecting the condition of the rest of the car that I can't see while he does it.

 

[Bama Mom]

I chose my spouse but that's because sometimes he just changes it himself but most of the time he takes it in to have it done for me. Only because he teaches at the local community college so we take it to the auto mechanic shop there and they do it for us (or rather have students do it) so he just drives it to work one day and it is done while he is at work.