5-minute oil change place
5-minute oil change is a lie. The car ahead of me has been in there for over half an hour. I cannot leave because there are cars behind me, blocking me in. I think this lady has seen more filters than an AC repairman.
Update: Car ahead of me took 50 minutes. I pulled into the bay and sat for 10 minutes. They did nothing and I finally left.
The reason that an oil change should take time is that it takes a while for all of the used oil to drain out. That's why commenters are recommending you do it yourself, because you can leave the car for 20 minutes to just drain. Then you remove the filter, and don't be surprise if more oil drains out. Replace the filter and then refill with oil.
Quickie Lube places that promise a 5 minute change are either lying about the time or lying about changing the oil. You would also control how frequently the filters are changed. You don't have to change the filter as often as the oil, but certainly every other oil change. I replace mine every time, but I recognize that's probably unnecessary.
All in, the process will take you about an hour, maybe longer the first time you do it. A pro with all of the equipment laid out and a proper garage can cut it to 30 minutes at best.
I do mine every time. I don't like trying to figure out where I am on the cycle and $7 is cheap
If you have the space, I would recommend learning how to change your oil yourself. It only takes some basic tools and can save you a lot of money in the long run.
No luck in that department. Garage is too tight and sloped enough to make me worried about getting under the car
My driveway is uphill to the garage. I point up hill, use ramps, chock the rear tires, and only slide in from the front.
But I do hate doing oil changes. Oil gets everywhere on the tools, everywhere on my hand when I get the filter, everywhere on the ground when it splashes, and everywhere on the outside of the containers. Then it lightly oils everything between my garage on the disposal site. But, once I stopped getting $45 employee pricing on dealership synth blend changes and started getting $120+ normie pricing, I got fed up. I liked having a professional, trusted mechanic have eyes under a lifted car rather than my casual eyes laying under ramps, but shit, prices are absurd. Hello Kirkland oil.
I also hate splash shields. They're mildly infuriating. I got the harbor freight Maddox oil filter socket set and now can generally avoid removing splash shields on my fleet
What do you do with the used oil? When I was a kid my family would dump it in big barrels, then we'd bury them once they got full. Obviously not something I want to do now. But I've asked the oil change places around here and they charge a fee to take the used oil.
If they sell oil they have to dispose of used oil. Never heard of anyobe charging a fee. They re refine it anyway
Check auto parts stores, they should take it. However, they won’t take it if it’s contaminated with anything, like coolant. So instead I take it to my local dump, they have a place to dispose of oil and other fluids for free. Maybe that’s an option for you as well.
How do they even 5min those car with fully covered engine splash guard? I usually take 30min to do oil and filter change and then check the fluid and air, 5min mean they did none of those, and the oil isn't even drained.
They typically intend (and indeed, try to) use their machine to suck all the oil out of the dipstick tube and replace it via the same. That's generally doable within the 5 minute allocation but it's also only half of the job since that inevitably involves not replacing the oil filter.
Never use those quick lube places. Find a reputable mechanic and get it done there.
I had started changing my own oil about 10 years ago and my wife had a fit that I was spending $70 on oil and filter plus some supplies here and there compared to the $50 oil change.
We took the car there next time with the coupon. Wife came with me so she could make sure.
Oh, I only use synthetic, it says so in the manual. That was an extra $30.
The car takes 6 quarts, not 5. +$15
The filter wasn't included. +$20
No, that's not my air filter. I just replaced it last time.
Can you please deflate my tires back to 32 psi? 60 is too high. It says so here on my door frame.
+???? & Tax came out to $130.
5 minute oil change took like 30-40 minutes.
I still do so my own oil changes.
The fact that these places always exclude the filter from their price and treat it as a "gotcha" add-on is deeply hilarious.
You have to replace the filter when you change the oil. That's just how it works. It's not special and it's not extra. It's literally the intended procedure.
If you care at all about your car please follow this advice.
Quick lube places survive off of up sells like wipers, belts, and filters. Plus they'll impact on your oil drain plug which will strip and stretch the threads. The oil filter will go on with no oil on the gasket, and every single ugga they can dugga will be used to tighten it on there. The oil they use is the cheapest they can find.
Find a good mechanic that won't try to sell you every minor repair your car needs.
I used to go to a quick change place until yep, they did indeed strip the threads of my drain plug. The next oil change I got was at a nicer place and cost less. They replaced my drain plug. I just had to drop it off for a couple hours.
That's assuming they remember to put the drain plug back. My brother lost an engine that way
It's important to use a regular shop for routine maintenance because you'll build a relationship for when something major goes wrong. The extra cost is worth it.
Plus, imagine what kind of "mechanic" works in these places. Accepting low wages implies they can't get a job at a real shop because they suck, or because they have no experience.
Yup, I used to hit up those places because quick and cheap are my favorites!
But, sure enough, one of them screwed everything up so bad, the next place refused to even attempt it.
The dealership where I bought my last car offers free inspections each year, so I just have them do the oil during that.