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Geez, oil changes are getting expensive

Anybody bitching here has never changed the oil on their...Piper Pawnee tow plane. Our club paid $500 for a routine change at the 59h point. At which time, I remembered that we changed our own oil and filter on our Cessna.
 
LOL.. 7 quarts of oil is getting expensive at $500. An hour tops to pull the HP screen and put it back, or a quick $40 filter change, and a sump screen check. 30 minutes for cowl on and off.

Now this oil change is gonna cost me about 30 grand...
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LOL.. 7 quarts of oil is getting expensive at $500. An hour tops to pull the HP screen and put it back, or a quick $40 filter change, and a sump screen check. 30 minutes for cowl on and off.

Now this oil change is gonna cost me about 30 grand...View attachment 1766293

Sounds like there's no 68 Charger for you this year.
 
Nobody does their own oil change ?
Yes, I change it myself for my 4 old cars and our 2 daily drivers. I let my wife take her new Lexus in for its first complementary oil change at 5,000 mile. They gave her a hard time about bringing it in ahead of the 10k recommended interval and didn’t want to do it. I told her to tell them to change the damn oil now and we will forfeit the second complementary change they owed us. Good riddance. As far as I remember that is the only oil change on one of my cars that I haven’t done myself since 1968.

They said I could have a complementary oil change on my new 23 RAM 1500 when I bought it but I didn’t bother with it and just did it myself.
 
The local chain brake shops used oil changes as their "loss leader". You'd get a "16 point inspection", oil, filter, and maybe zerks if applicable for $18.99.

The idea was a bad CV boot, worn brakes, uneven tire wear, etc would be reported and the shop would get the job.

My friend who was the manager of one of the shops said with increasing labor rates they couldn't afford to offer those $18.99 oil changes anymore and decided to make oil changes a "quick turn profit center".

Bulk oil prices and Chinesium oil filters makes a $60 oil change profitable especially when you consider it's in and out in under a half hour.
 
I've always changed the oil on cars, trucks, tractors, whatever around here...
but in the last couple years, I've found it easier on this carcass of mine to have the Charger done at
a good quality "fast lube" in an adjoining town - mostly because of not having a quick way to get that
low-assed biyotch of a car up in the air simply/quickly.
Gotta admit, it's nice not to have to deal with the near 2 gallons of waste oil, too.

Now, anything else that friggin "wife's car" has ever needed, I've done (radiator swap from hell comes
to mind...) - and I even do Fred's changes rapidly still - but the oil change on the Charger is a luxury
I allow myself to be done by others. Wife and I make a day of it, enjoying breakfast at the next door
Waffle House as I watch them work on the car intently through the restaurant window. :)
 
Bliss?? No it’s not at 75yo. Up & down is a real pain, fun when it’s done tho.
 
The last time I had an oil change done was about 6 or 7 years ago, I brought my 2008 Pontiac Torrent GXP to one of those in-and-out joints. On the drive home, it kept wanting to stall and I had to step on the accelerator pedal to keep it from crapping out. It turned out when they were checking my air filter as a "value added service", they must've unbolted the intake tube to the throttle body and didn't bolt it back on securely. It took me a few days before I discovered it. :BangHead:

Now I continue to do all my own oil changes. It's messy and a pain, but at least I know *I* am reliable...
 
I’ve pretty much always changed my own oil in my Plymouth. About ten years ago, my neighbor gave me a set of ramps because his wife told him she didn’t want him under the car any more. I change the oil out in the yard and never had a problem, until a few days ago. The yard was a little moist and the rear tires were slipping. I made an adjustment and made another attempt getting on the ramps. This time I didn’t get on the brake quick enough and went too far. I had to jack up the car to get the ramps out of there. From what I can see, the only thing that happened on one side is a barely noticeable bend at one one point where rocker panel is welded. The other ramp sunk in the ground a couple of inches thankfully. It could have been really expensive.
 
I’m proud to say I’ve done oil changes on all our vehicles , never have taken to anyone.
 
Yep they are low and a pia compared to the old cars. Race Ramps.

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Wait 'till you do your REAL car with a Wix filter and Penngrade oil.. LOL
That's what I use on my 65, the sames as a 05, 5.7 Chrysler 300, Pennzoil Platinum 5/20W and only Wix filter, I have used Castrol. I do my 65 every 2000 miles. My Durango goes to the dealer only. I don't drive it enough to worry about what it costs. Oil change and tire rotate every 3000 miles or, I think it says 55 percent left, in the car on the information read out. Obviously I do all the air filters on both of them and the cabin filter on the Durango.
 
20 weight is too thin for the 5.7. Don’t care what Chrysler says. Never a tick. 0-30.

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The only vehicle I don't do the oil myself is the wife's '20 kona, which is still under warranty.
I have changed a tire on it, though.

I've had a run of finding big and small block Mopar oil filters at thrift stores lately.
Go figure.
 
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