Price Cost of Oil Change

[fatlazyless]

Price to do it myself with a 5-qt Castrol Edge, for engines over 75-k miles, $25.98, plus Fram tough guard oil filter, $$7.17, plus rotate tires, $0.00 ...... total $33.15 ..... and I probably get better oil and a better filter.

Rotating tires requires a good floor jack and at least one good jack stand.

Plus you get the experience of working on your car outside in the winter cold out in the driveway ...... .

[BroadHopper]

Occasionally have a coupon in the LaDaSun for $49.95 oil change. A bargain considering they use euro spec Castrol oil. Most European cars take 6 or more quarts, with the Porsche dry sump taking 7 or 8.
They even check all your fluids, and visual inspection underneath your chassis and under the hood! I think it is a bargain!

I can tell you horror stories of my own when going to places like Jiffy Lube, Quick Lane, and Valvoline Speedy Express.

For non-European cars, I recommend Neil's Laconia Garage.

[8gv]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Price to do it myself with a 5-qt Castrol Edge, for engines over 75-k miles, $25.98, plus Fram tough guard oil filter, $$7.17, plus rotate tires, $0.00 ...... total $33.15 ..... and I probably get better oil and a better filter.

Rotating tires requires a good floor jack and at least one good jack stand.

Plus you get the experience of working on your car outside in the winter cold out in the driveway ...... .

If you have a spare tire you can rotate your tires using one jack.

[Biggd]

As a retired mechanic, I still change my own oil. I always used Mobil 1 but with price increases I'm going with a cheaper synthetic.
I bought two 5qt containers of Kirkland synthetic oil at Costco for $30, $3 a qt! My GMC truck takes 8 qts, so that's about a $35 oil and filter change for me. My wife's car only takes 5 qts.

[ApS]

Originally Posted by 8gv

If you have a spare tire you can rotate your tires using one jack.

Such is so, but radial tires are "rotated" front-to-back. Bias tires are to be "rotated" in an "x" pattern. Also, don't use an old spare. (Say, older than five years).

A note just came up to read the ULAs (legal issues) for your new vehicle; however, I suspect only a few of us will be interested in your new vehicle's "limitations".


https://youtu.be/A_DmgjTfwD4?si=4ymuc5M0_6K-uSqN

[Skippermark]

Originally Posted by ApS

Such is so, but radial tires are "rotated" front-to-back. Bias tires are to be "rotated" in an "x" pattern. Also, don't use an old spare. (Say, older than five years).

Because of so many changes in the past few years to vehicle types and tire design, there's no longer a "one size fits all" answer for rotating tires. Things like drive train, 4 wheel or all wheel, front or real wheel drive, size of tires and directional or non directional all play a role in how they should be rotated.

ApS is totally correct in that you don't want to start adding a spare to the rotation if it has never been done before. Having one tire with a different amount of tread ware is not a good thing. That's usually why reputable shops won't replace one bad tire with a new one. All 4 usually need to be replaced.

Michelin has a good guide linked below, but the most important guide to follow is your vehicle's manual.

https://www.michelinman.com/auto/aut...o-rotate-tires

[fatlazyless]

Anti-seize, white lithium grease, or red tacky grease ....... what's best for the five lug bolts on each wheel when rotating the tires? Me-thinks it is anti-seize because the lug nuts and bolts do not move.

What gets used for grease on the lug bolts on my Subaru at a service business like Tilton Walmart or Belknap Subaru?

And, how tight to tighten them when using a 4-way universal lug wrench?

[8gv]

Originally Posted by ApS

Such is so, but radial tires are "rotated" front-to-back. Bias tires are to be "rotated" in an "x" pattern. Also, don't use an old spare. (Say, older than five years).

A note just came up to read the ULAs (legal issues) for your new vehicle; however, I suspect only a few of us will be interested in your new vehicle's "limitations".


https://youtu.be/A_DmgjTfwD4?si=4ymuc5M0_6K-uSqN

The spare is used as a way of keeping the car up while moving the other tires around. The last movement frees the spare so it can go back to where it is stored on the car.

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by 8gv

The spare is used as a way of keeping the car up while moving the other tires around. The last movement frees the spare so it can go back to where it is stored on the car.

Many cars have a mini spare or a full spare on a steel wheel that doesn't match the wheels on the car.
Personally, I just rotate them front to back every 10,000 miles or every other oil change.