Why aren't you changing your own oil?

[MAT1955]

@s197richie agreed. I do not have data on initial oil pressure on startup of recent engines BUT my 2024 and 2026 Mustang GT's initial oil pressure readings on the gauge were pretty high, I'd say about 4 bar that drops to 2 bar when hot. When we built racing engines we pre-filled the oil filters for lubrication AND to avoid what we called "oilshock". When we built the racing engines we found that the initial shock of oil pumps shooting oil through the oil filters at start-up would do varying amounts of damage to the oil filters ranging from putting some of the oil filter's filter media into the oil stream to blowing oil filters open. We never had a case of that after pre filling filters.

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[Sofa King]

There have been some funny vids of people draining the oil on some old POS cars and seeing how long they run. It's really amazing, but it is usually not under load.

A local car show does that every year... guess how long it will run and win a prize.

 

[rockman 2738]

I'm 80 years old, back trashed, pain in every step and bending over, neuropathy from my feet to my thighs, and to top it all off, I have balance and dizziness. On every car or truck I owned, I used to change the oil myself every 3000 miles. Those days are over. I purchased the service contract from Granger and let the dealer do it at least twice a year. They let me look at it on the lift and have been super, Gaudin Ford Las Vegas. Gave my creeper, jack, axle stands, and filter tools to the neighbor who does his own work. Just too screwed up to do it myself anymore.

 

[lcseds]

I'm 80 years old, back trashed, pain in every step and bending over, neuropathy from my feet to my thighs, and to top it all off, I have balance and dizziness. On every car or truck I owned, I used to change the oil myself every 3000 miles. Those days are over. I purchased the service contract from Granger and let the dealer do it at least twice a year. They let me look at it on the lift and have been super, Gaudin Ford Las Vegas. Gave my creeper, jack, axle stands, and filter tools to the neighbor who does his own work. Just too screwed up to do it myself anymore.

Do you have to wait on the maintenance monitor for oil changes? How does your dealer handle oil changes not be called for?

 

[COBill]

Way too big a hassle to remove all the underbody fasteners.

I can afford to have someone else do it these days.

 

[Charger68]

I change my Challenger RT and Charger RT Road and Track oil. Biggest pain is lining up the 4 bolts for the belly pan. However, I got the first 2 GT changes on FoMoCo, and I’m so glad. I really don’t feel like messing with the over complicated belly pan, and 10 quarts of oil.

 

[Cavedog]

I've always done oil changes myself until recently. Two factors have caused me to have my dealer do the oil changes on my S650 Mustang GTs. The first is my age (81). The second is the ridiculous number of fasteners that have to be removed to access the drain plug and filter.

I am 79. I have the ramps battery, powered ratchet, creeper, all the tools I need. If I get on the floor I'll need the EMTs to get me up. I then have the clean up and disposal to deal with. My mechanic charges $30 for the job, stupid to do it myself.

 

[GrabThatBlue]

We live in 2026 and still car manufacturers can't make it easy to change oil. They do it on purpuse to keep the dealers alive.

 

[goodlettjr]

We live in 2026 and still car manufacturers can't make it easy to change oil. They do it on purpuse to keep the dealers alive.

I understand your sentiment here, but I would say that all OEMs do it for production. What is quicker and easier to assemble on the line. Engineered to put together, not to service.

 

[robvas]

 

[DarkHorsePremium]

I envy those of you who live in locations where you can get an oil change for $50 or $60 bucks. If you live in the wonderful state of California and especially the Bay Area, you're going to pay $150 plus. I think my local dealer 5 miles away from my house charges about $180 out the door.

It's not that I can't afford it. I can, but it's just something that I prefer to do myself. Fortunately, I remain capable for the foreseeable future .

 

[rockman 2738]

Do you have to wait on the maintenance monitor for oil changes? How does your dealer handle oil changes not be called for?

I bought the every 5,000 miles service plan, and I hadn't made that mileage, but the car was in for warranty, and the service writer told me I was due for an oil change. She said I had 2 a year coming under my plan. The oil and filter were changed on the plan. Who am I to argue? A pleasant surprise.

 

[AZ_Ryan]

I envy those of you who live in locations where you can get an oil change for $50 or $60 bucks. If you live in the wonderful state of California and especially the Bay Area, you're going to pay $150 plus. I think my local dealer 5 miles away from my house charges about $180 out the door.

It's not that I can't afford it. I can, but it's just something that I prefer to do myself. Fortunately, I remain capable for the foreseeable future .

Its not a California thing. Its a dealer thing. The same oil change varys by quite a bit in all states depending on the dealer. They set their own pricing. Its the same here is Arizona. And population dense cities are always going to cost more. Mine was $120 for full synthetic. Dont forget were also talking about 10 quarts of oil.

 

[IFFV68]

Whe I was younger. I always changed my own oil.
Since i’m older, I never changed my own oil.
I always purchased the maintenance plan and the extended warranty..
It may cost more but its convenient & a chance to get out the house on a nice summer day.
i’m almost 80 and crawling under my car isn’t something I care to do.

 

[Rocky400]

I’ve always changed my own.

that said, when I did my first oil change on the DH a month or so back, I thought, “this is the biggest pita oil change I have ever done…”

Removing the felt undercarriage cover really sucks. I reinstalled it but I have half a mind to leave it off next time. Do they make a kit with some quick clips or something???

Same. I've always done my own oil changes and compared to my 06 GT, the DH is a complete pain especially being on the garage floor. I've not found any quick clips etc. to make the process easier.

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