How much $$$ for oil change?

CAM Challenge in Topeka is next weekend, change oil light just popped up on my 2010 F150.  I want to get it done before I go.  I've always done ALL of my own maintenance/oil changes/everything.  I ask my wife to call a local mom & pop oil change place to see if they can get it in because I just don't have time.  They tell her $70 for an oil change!?  I say no thanks and have her call the dealership, dealership tells her they start at $55 but it would be more if it uses more than 5 qts of oil.  Is this normal?  I thought I remembered places advertising $19.99 oil changes.

Labor rates have gone up.  Also, a lot of those $19.99 jobs were loss leaders, meant to get you into the shop so they could aggressively try to upsell you on a whole  bunch of other things you don't want.

70$ for a oil change out here is the very very cheap rate. I would have no issue paying that. 

Holy crap, when did those insane prices happen? 
 

We paid $50 for my wife's car at the Honda dealership this week. 6qts of synthetic oil, OEM filter, multi-point inspection, and a car wash. I don't think that's a bad deal, I'd be out about $30 in oil, $7 for a filter, and some time. Plus, the oil change will be documented in the Carfax.

I end up paying about $80 for Mobil 1 and a car wash.  Sometimes I'm disappointed at how lazy I've become. 

Local lexus dealer and toyota dealer rates locally:

$45 for synthetic oil change 4 cyl

$60 for synthetic for oil change 6 and 8 cyl 

** above prices are coupon prices I get in mail monthly**

both come with free car wash and inteiror vacuum 

It costs me $60 to change my own oil!

6or 7 quarts of synthetic, filter, drain plug gasket(?), shop supplies (gloves, solvents, rags) and twenty minutes of shop time. Sounds about right. Not saying I like it, but I pay nearly $20 to change my own oil with 4 quarts of the cheapest 5w30 and a decent filter. 

I just did my Sedona and it was about $30 for 5 quarts of Mobil 1, $8 for oil filter, o-rings, and crush washer at the dealer. 

Total:

$38 in material, and  labor involves having to provide room and board for my 16 year old.

I think $70 is probably a bargain. 

At my old apt. I was happy to send the Miata down the street for a $40 oil change. I'd drop it off  the night before or early am and grab it by 5 pm ready to go. If I still lived there now would still go for it at $50-60 probably.

Sine_Qua_Non said:

Holy crap, when did those insane prices happen? 
 

 

It's been that way for awhile.

When I had my Mustang GT Track Pack. I think an oil change at the dealer was $130? And this was 2013.

Labor, filter, misc, 9 quarts of 5w-50 synthetic.

My 135 was the same. After the break he got AMSOIL and filters, I paid him for the change for what I'd just pay for the supplies. Then I have to do it, dispose of the oil, etc.

At 72 I really have only so many crawl underneath and save a few bucks.  3-4 years ago I stopped doing my own and let younger men earn some of my retirement money.  I'll spend well over $50 for Moble 1 ( on sale)  filters ( with coupons ) etc. $10-$15 dollars to not have to do it?  Seems fair. 
Brakes?  Are you kidding me?  For that money I'll gladly do my own!!! 

My F250 with the 7.3 was 107 the other day with rotella t5 and a 25% off coupon.  I go to take 5. 

Ha!  Try taking a newer Porsche to the dealer for an oil change.  8 quarts of fancy synthetic oil.  I had a friend that paid the dealer $500 for the job.  It costs me $100 to do it myself.

The Toyota dealership that I bought my van from runs a $40 oil change special twice a year.  When I get the call from them, I can't drive the van over there fast enough.

wearymicrobe said:

70$ for a oil change out here is the very very cheap rate. I would have no issue paying that. 

DUDE you must be FLUSH with cache......party on Garth

Sine_Qua_Non said:

Holy crap, when did those insane prices happen? 
 

 

Yeah. You have to pay some dude $6.00 per hour, find a gallon jug if the cheapest swill from the refinery, dig a hole in the back yard so the dude can climb under the truck and let the oil drain out on the ground.  Then, you need a straw tick out back to sleep on, so you don't have to pay for a home because it's such fun to work for free.

759NRNG (Forum Partidario) said:

wearymicrobe said:

70$ for a oil change out here is the very very cheap rate. I would have no issue paying that. 

DUDE you must be FLUSH with cache......party on Garth

Dude, 6-7 quarts of full synthetic oil and a quality filter is at least $50 just to do it yourself. $70 for a dealership change on a 2010 F150 seems perfectly reasonable.

I still like to do my own oil changes. The dollars saved probably aren't worth all the time it takes, for cleanup and all, but I know for sure what oil went in.

As for those $19.99 specials, they do make their money selling other repairs that may or not really be needed.  When my back was hurting and I went to the nearby tire store for an oil change and tire rotation special, they left it 1/2 quart low, didn't use the correct tire rotation pattern and tried to sell me ball joints, brakes, and serpentine belt tensioner that were not needed. I did the brakes myself, three or four years later, and the truck still doesn't need ball joints or tensioner, eleven years later.

I have been a proponent of the"take it to the dealer" oil change for a while but last year started doing the oil changes myself. 16 quarts of AmozonBasics 5w30 (Focus has 100k Wrangler has 50k GS has 260k), three filters and the jacks and stands and I am in and out. $80 in oil and $20 in filters for three cars. 

Oil change in my 2018 GTI is slightly north of $225 CDN at the dealer.  No other services provided.

The last oil change I did on my E46 M3 at the dealer was around $150 CDN (for the Castrol 10w60), and the car was returned washed and vacuumed.  I also drank my share of Perrier . . .

$70 US is about what I'd expect to pay at the local oil franchises around here, more or less.

I've done lots of major mechanical things, and consider myself competent with a wrench.  But I've never done an oil change. 

buzzboy said:

It costs me $60 to change my own oil!

+1

I just changed the oil in the minivan.  6 quarts of synthetic oil plus a Mopar filter was almost $60.  I also do a tire rotation when I change the oil.

If the timing works out, I'll sometimes have the shop that does my annual state inspections do the oil change since and they usually only add a few $$ since they'll have it inside and on their lift anyway, although I almost always provide them with the oil and filter since I want to know what oil goes in - especially with the MINI. Having them do it saves me the disposal hassle. 

Keep in mind, if you have a mom & pop shop just do an oil change, it'll be taking up a bay and labor time that would otherwise be doing a job that makes them money.

On most vehicles at our dealership we still charge $39.95 for a Dexos (GM synthetic blend) oil change, $49.95 for an oil change with tire rotation. The newer trucks are $79.95 though because they take 8.5 quarts of 0W-20 synthetic. And diesels are something like $99.95 because of 10 quarts of 15W-40. 

I keep the materials on the shelf. An oil change is as easy as telling Toymanson#2 or 3 to go change the oil in...

$25 in oil and filter, and less than 30 minutes of time. I'm not paying $70 for that. I understand why they charge that, but I'm not paying it. 

I think the local (central NJ) VW dealer charges $80 or $85.  Given that the kit from a reseller (correct oil, filter, gaskets, drain plug) costs $55ish, it's not a bad deal but it's not worth my time.  I actually have included maintenance for 3 years and it's still not worth my time.  :)  It's super easy to change from the top with a vacuum setup.