Oil changes are an easy, quick, and stress-free way to save a couple bucks, right? Think again. In reality, DIY oil changes are dangerous, time-consuming, and you barely save any money! Read on to learn why it pays to have a professional handle oil changes for you.
Potential Damage
Damage to your vehicle, and yourself, is the most important thing to consider if you want to change your own oil. Oil changes usually require lifting the car from the ground. Without the proper tools, like lift stands and wheel chocks, it’s extremely dangerous to crawl underneath a raised vehicle. Not to mention, you’re almost sure to collect a few scraped knuckles and forearm burns while you’re down there.
Your body isn’t the only thing that’s liable to be damaged! Choosing the wrong oil weight can wreak havoc on your engine, and missed steps can result in the premature death of your vehicle. A missed crush washer or an oil filter screwed too loose could fail within seconds of driving. Trained technicians know all the tricks to prevent these mishaps, and are usually liable for any damage caused by service errors.
Cost
An oil change at Go Auto Leduc’s Wash N’ Go service shop is a very reasonable $65. Once you’ve bought your own oil and filter, you’ve probably already spent around $30-$40. Hopefully you already have a floor jack, wheel chocks, jack stands, ratchet set, and loads of extra rags. If not, you can expect to spend an additional $300 or more before your first change. Not to mention, you can’t just throw used oil in the garbage. Sometimes there is an environmental fee charged by waste centres who accept disposed oil. It’s a whole lot of work to change your oil for miniscule savings.
Time
If time is money, then you’re better off mowing lawns than changing your own oil. First, you’ll have to find out what oil your vehicle takes…somehow. Once that’s settled, take a trip to your local Canadian Tire for lubricant. Synthetic or conventional? How high-mileage does a car need to be before needing high-mileage oil? If you’re feeling lost in the sea of options, you could always just ask an always-knowledgeable and always-locateable Canadian Tire employee.
Assuming you haven’t given up yet, now it’s time for the acutal oil change. Warming, jacking, securing, draining, removing, replacing, refilling, and lowering are all part of the process. And you’re done! That is, assuming you have an EcoStation-approved oil receptacle nearby. If not, start looking for a location where you can legally dispose of your used oil. Pro Tip: they’re usually on the outskirts of town. As you can see, changing your oil ends up being far more work than you may initially expect.
Save yourself the hassle, and let a pro take care of your oil changes. You can book an oil change appointment at our service garage, and spend all the time you saved reading other maintenance articles.