Its getting ridiculous

[tommyt654]

So I went to get 5 qts of oil to do an oil change on 1 of my vehicles today and even the cheapest grade of oil was over $4.25 for a decent gradient, thats absurd. I can get 5 oil changes and tire rotation done at my local dealer for $65 right now, guess big oils jackin up the prices since they won't be getting any more subsidies in the near future, even at Walmart the oil was higher except the lowest grade which was $3.79 a qt, I hate em

[Cochese]

Suppose it depends what you are buying.

Going up to grab a 5g of full syn and a filter for $34, which isn't too far off of what it's been for awhile.

Might grab pads for the SUV as well. Need 'em.

[cabinetman]

I used to do my own oil and filter changes, but have been taking it to an independent dealer. My last visit was around $30, which includes tire check, topping off fluids, and interior vacuuming. I'm in and out in about 10 minutes (the sign says so).

.

[greenacres2]

I'm 7.5 quarts of full synthetic (Mobil 1 0w40 no less). It's salty, but i can get 10,000/change and i may be able to go a while longer without trading cars. I'm at 142,000 miles--trust the engine, suspension is pretty fresh and the tranny is tight with another 58,000 to the next service. Oil is cheaper than a car!!

earl

[tommyt654]

Well I used to get QS for about $2.19 a qt just 3 months ago at wallyworld, now its $4.69 there, its just price gouging by big oil and its needs to stop along with the gas gouging going on as well. We are selling more gas overseas now than ever before and corporate profits are huge, what ever happened to helping the country get back on its feet by sacrificing for those less fortunate, guess big oils in someones back pocket, guess I really shouldn't complain as without them I would have never gone to college and still have stock in Chevron,but I'm sellin it now as I have lost faith in them as far as corporation credibility goes. But that deal at the dealer cost less than I can do it in the store,used to never be that way ,its just price gouging plain and simple.When I queried a guy at advance auto about it he said they just went up like crazy about 2 months ago, why? theirs no oil shortage that I can see or drop in production, what ever happened to supply and demand economics, screwy

[Cochese]

Man, you should be the last person I should be telling to check the circulars for the auto stores.

5qts (which is what I meant earlier) of full syn QS and a decent filter for $25 at Advance. Figure the filter is going to be $8 retail, that's $3.40/qt.

[chopnhack]

Agreed, switch to synthetic and extend your mileage with the oil. Better for your economy and the environment. The one thing I do is swap the oil filter out in between changes since that is where the junk stops (hopefully)

[atgcpaul]

This will be interesting. All of us free oil changes for life customers are feeling pretty good about this right now.

[dbhost]

I use Royal Purple in both the Saturn and the truck. The truck is down right now due to non lubricatable ball joints (Chevy, Ford, Dodge, they all did this stupidity), but otherwise the truck is at 94K on the odometer and I would trust it, post suspension work, to drive cross country today...

The Saturn same deal. Except 110K...

I get 10K between oil changes, but they hurt like the devil when I do change them. $100.00 each service...

[woodturner]

So I went to get 5 qts of oil to do an oil change on 1 of my vehicles today and even the cheapest grade of oil was over $4.25 for a decent gradient, thats absurd. I can get 5 oil changes and tire rotation done at my local dealer for $65 right now, guess big oils jackin up the prices since they won't be getting any more subsidies in the near future, even at Walmart the oil was higher except the lowest grade which was $3.79 a qt, I hate em

Check the oil change deals at the auto parts stores, typically free to $15 for 5 quarts of oil and a filter. Doesn't matter which oil you get, as long as the service grade meets or exceeds the manufacturers requirements for the vehicle and the SAE grade is right. Oil is a commodity product, price fluctuates with the price of crude.

Some like synthetics, but unless the manufacturer requires it or you live in a truly severe climate (like the arctic) there is no real benefit for auto use. Some like to extend the change interval with synthetics, but in addition to voiding the warranty, that will cause more wear in the engine. Oil needs to be changed primarily because of the buildup of combustion by-products in the oil, as well as the particles clogging the filter media. The contaminants are a result of the combustion in the engine rather than the type of oil, which is why synthetics have to be changed at the same interval as conventional oils.

Another option is to do an oil analysis to determine when the oil actually needs to be changed, but at $20 or so a test, it doesn't seem to make economic sense. It's more cost effective to change the oil for $15 than test it for $20.

[Cochese]

Check the oil change deals at the auto parts stores, typically free to $15 for 5 quarts of oil and a filter. Doesn't matter which oil you get, as long as the service grade meets or exceeds the manufacturers requirements for the vehicle and the SAE grade is right. Oil is a commodity product, price fluctuates with the price of crude.

Some like synthetics, but unless the manufacturer requires it or you live in a truly severe climate (like the arctic) there is no real benefit for auto use. Some like to extend the change interval with synthetics, but in addition to voiding the warranty, that will cause more wear in the engine. Oil needs to be changed primarily because of the buildup of combustion by-products in the oil, as well as the particles clogging the filter media. The contaminants are a result of the combustion in the engine rather than the type of oil, which is why synthetics have to be changed at the same interval as conventional oils.

Another option is to do an oil analysis to determine when the oil actually needs to be changed, but at $20 or so a test, it doesn't seem to make economic sense. It's more cost effective to change the oil for $15 than test it for $20.

I'm sorry, but who told you this?

[woodturner]

I'm sorry, but who told you this?

Like most universities, we teach it in tribology classes. Nearly any tribology text will cover this topic, but I still kind of like Ludema, probably because that's the text used in my first tribology class, many, many years ago.

An internet search would probably locate more information as well. For example, Motor Trend covered the issue and explained why change intervals cannot be safely extended with synthetics, but it would not be considered an authoritative source.

[Stytooner]

I was a manager at a quick change oil shop for a little time. We took a class on it as well and they basically taught us the same. Oil change shops generally recommend faster intervals between oil changes than the manufacturer suggests. That is strictly for profit and is wasteful IMO.

[cabinetman]

Synthetic oil will not void warranties. Example: BMW and Porsche both are factory filled with synthetic oil, and recommends it for oil change maintenance.

.

[Cochese]

Like most universities, we teach it in tribology classes. Nearly any tribology text will cover this topic, but I still kind of like Ludema, probably because that's the text used in my first tribology class, many, many years ago.

An internet search would probably locate more information as well.

Missing an oil change doesn't void your warranty. Extending the interval doesn't either. If something were to break (and something would have to go wrong, they just don't void it if you stroll in late), they would have to prove that it was a direct cause of what you did or did not do to the car. Unless your intervals are 20k, they simply can't do it. Not within the realm of the current warranty periods, not with engines built within the timeframe of existing warranties.

The results I've seen on most tests show that the oil is good longer than the recommended interval, dino or syn. Syn typically for much longer. Where I've seen the best results is a filter refresh half-way through the cycle. Of course, you are switching out about a half-quart, depending on how large your filter is. The filter is a big one. Cheaping out there isn't worth the couple of bucks.

You have to remember that car manufacturers are intentionally thrifty with their recommendations on two levels - more money to be made from service, and less chance of them having to fix something. These UOAs I see (and there are thousands of them) are showing there is merit in the syns and the longer (than they used to be) intervals. Gone are the days of the low-tolerance engines and the 3k oil changes. However, if one was trying to choose between the options of great dino vs crappy synthetic, I'll go great dino.

I just ordered a new test kit for me, it's been a long time since I've ran one. I'll be changing my oil before it gets here, but when it's due after that (I'll go when my MID tells me to, usually between 5k and 7.5k) I'll send it in and share the results.

For about $10 more per oil change (and the peace of mind knowing I can go longer from like UOAs), I'll stick with synthetic.