Dealer rant... didn't change oil!

Hell, I grew up with a dad who was a diesel mechanic in the navy and whose hobby was rebuilding totalled cars. I was handing him wrenches beginning when I was in elementary school.

We never took something to a shop unless it was to press a bearing or something requiring specialized equipment.

Nowadays many things just aren't worth the time and aggravation for me, I enjoy it sometimes but more so when I want to do it vs have to do it.

So no worries about someone else doing your oil changes. These days the price difference is a lot less than it was years ago, or perhaps $20 isn't as big a deal to me now as it was a couple decades ago. Depends on situation specifics I guess.

An electric impact driver, floor jack, and jack stands all make tire rotations easier, especially on a Wrangler where you might do five-wheel rotations... You can literally do okay with a couple jack stands and the truck's jack, but a floor jack would be easier. Impact driver does make removal much easier. I still prefer to use a torque wrench for final tightening, if only because it's stored a few feet away -- I just tightend lug nuts by feel for many years and lived to tell about it.

 

I use the TCM as well. After the mileage though its about 50% cheaper to do it yourself.

 

Using the dealer is the smart route, in my opinion, especially if the service is free. I work until after the dealers on my area are closed, and 2 Saturdays a month. I have 2 kids, and usually have my free Saturdays filled with family stuff, so the dealer is very inconvenient for me. If I could get a oil change done in under 30 minutes at the dealership, I would go there. If all your service is done at a dealership, there is a detailed record of what was done, and only one place to point the finger of blame, if something goes wrong. Changing your own oil is kinda fun, but by the time I buy the oil and filter myself the cost is about the same, plus half the time I spill oil on the driveway, or myself, or both. Then I have to take the old oil somewhere and have it recycled. When I was a kid, we used to pour it along the fence line to kill the grass and weeds. The wife works for the EPA, so that won't fly around my house.

 

The thing is that I try to put it in perspective on how much my time is worth. There is always room for error, regardless if you take it to the dealer vs. doing it yourself. Mistakes happen so we can throw that argument out the window.

But I know how much I charge per hour when I am working, and if it takes me an hour to go get everything for an oil change, clean up, and dispose of old oil - then it is a better value to take it to the dealer and drop it off. My wife follows me down the road and I just leave it there for the day....easy enough to see if a new filter is on the truck and the oil looks new on the dip stick. I spend my time with my wife and child at home instead of laying on my back in the driveway.

There are certain things I do myself (replaced all my brakes a couple weekends ago) because it was cheaper for me to do it than drop it off at the shop. I took me 3 hours and the cost of parts - the dealer would of cost me more money. I don't always follow this rule, but certain things are more justifiable to me this way.

 

At the bare minimum just a bucket and wrench (14mm I believe). Thats it really.

 

https://youtu.be/oNfLLRzAMQc

Same guy did a video of him doing it at 1000miles too, no filter change so ya.
A lot of people like to change the oil after the first 1000 or so after break in, incase any metal filings etc. I'll be doing an oil change on mine early as well so ya.
Lots of people like to do it for peace of mind

 

I've heard a lot of people saying that toyota will not change the oil for them early though.

 

I don't understand why everyone is talking about diy oil changes when the issue is the dealership not doing what they were supposed to do.... which happens to be "change the oil."

 

So you're telling ME, that a tacomaworld tread has wondered off from the original topic?

 

We poured it on the gravel road. Keeps the dust down.

 

"Do you have ANY IDEA what that does to the environment?" I hear this phrase once a week at least from my better half

 

used to hear it all the time from one of my exes who was going to school for some environmental thing haha.
My jetta TDI pours black smoke, she used to get so mad about it hahaha

 

Should have recorded her reaction when she came home to me burning some PVC pipe in the fire pit.

 

Gives the hot dogs and marshmallows a bad taste days later. I use to burn plastic in my fire pit also. Oil jugs to get the fire going!

 

We are encouraged to take it to the local gas station here in the 5 qt. containers for recycling . The ranches then pick it up for pouring on the brush piles to get them lit and keep them a burning .

 

You are correct. My bad.

 

Even I don't recommend burning PVC. The fumes wouldn't rise, and they surrounded the house. I seriously thought the dogs would die. Bad decision.

 

Farmers do that around here also. The local shade tree mechanic has a oil burning heater in his shop. He has people bring him there used oil. Free heat for him.