Cheap oil change

Any recommendations in the surrounding area?

Greg14 Greg14
Jul '14

They all pretty much cost the same ~$30 for a regular car. I think Walmart (Mount Olive) is the only one with the $9.95 oil change.

Just remember... cheap does not = good.


I recommend to stay away f/cheap...I tried a jiffy lube for my vehicle, left there and within the day the engine was knocking terribly...took it to my regular mechanic and he changed the oil again and put a bosch high performace filter and the knocking went away.

I thought I was saving time but I wasn't

Summer Summer
Jul '14

Even some dealerships even put the lowest grade oil available in their 70 dollar oil changes. I know this for a fact, one of my friends works for a distribution company.

If you want cheap, with quality products, learn to do it yourself. Buy a couple of necessary tools from harbor freight. You also get the satisfaction of doing something on your own. Otherwise, make sure whoever you go to uses quality material.

Penningslandscaping Penningslandscaping
Jul '14

Lube-It-All in Hackettstown has been my go-to place for many years.

I've been happy with their service.

They are on Mountain Ave. across the street from the convenience store.

Andy Loigu Andy Loigu
Jul '14

you never know what oil they are putting into your car.

a lot of the drums they use have 'reconstituted' , used oil that's been cleaned with chemical agents and screened to remove particles. it's not always new oil.

i don't trust these oil change guys, they don;t let you see what it is they are really using.

and then there are the weight questions, it's a crap shoot if you get 5w-30, you're lucky if you get 10w-30, and the new cars with 5w-20? keep dreamin', most shops don't even have it, and i think sometimes they don't track what weight oil your car actually needs and just fill it from the used, (but scrubbed with caustic agents and then filtered) shop barrel.

don't even get me started on cheap filters . . . . . . look close, did they even put a new one on? are you sure?

do it yourself, save your old oil, run it through a coffee filter and then use that for your chainsaw, or take it to a recycle center, buy your oil off the shelf, it's the only way you know what you get,

again, this is the type of thing that the teenagers are supposed to be doing for us old folks on saturday mornings, change the oil, wax the car and then change the plugs, set the points and adjust the timing, (Dought !!. . . .!!) (did i forget to mention switching the snow tires in April?)

BrotherDog BrotherDog
Jul '14

Thanks gang - I appreciate it

Greg14 Greg14
Jul '14

Just curious, what is considered a cheap oil change these days? I do my own oil changes and can remember easily over 5 years ago buying cases of oil on sale for 99 cents a quart ($12 bucks for a case!! And this was quality name brand oil! Ahh the good old days!). With conventional oil at least $3 to $4 a quart these days plus a filter you have to ask yourself how does a shop make a profit offering a $9.95 oil change or even a $20 oil change for that matter?


they use cheaper oil, recycled oil, it's reprocessed, cleaned, scrubbed and then filtered, sometimes it's been bleached so it looks cleaner (lighter in color), they buy it in big 55 gallon drums at a time.

it's not the same oil you buy in quarts.

BrotherDog BrotherDog
Jul '14

My truck costs $32 just for the oil and filter for me to do it myself. That's Walmart pricing too...

Mark Mc. Mark Mc.
Jul '14

Mark, but at least you know there's actually a new filter and fresh oil in there!

Penningslandscaping Penningslandscaping
Jul '14

Mark is that a full synthetic oil change? Best deals these days on oil both conventional and synthetic remain at the warehouse clubs during their coupon promotions.


I agree with Penningslandscaping. The only way you will know what goes into your engine is to do the oil change yourself.

For around $25.00, I get 5 quarts of Synthetic oil (from a major brand) and a filter at Walmart. Same thing for my older car, in which I run high mileage oil....That's what I have been doing for the last ten years, and I will keep doing as long as I am able to.

My motivation is not so much saving money (one factor). Rather, it is knowing that the job was done right... There's no better service than self-service.

ithree ithree
Jul '14

It makes me wonder.....
Why change the filter at every oil change?
I could see every other change, and if you read the specs in your owners manual,
it will say,"(the quantity of oil ) with filter.
Mine for instance is 7 liter's with the filter.

Then I ask, what does the filter filter? I opened (cut open a filter once) one that had 5,000 miles of service, and inside the filter, was just dirty (dark brown) oil.
That same dirty oil was also in the drained oil...
I proceeded to (just out of curiosity) pull apart the paper wound filter media, and found nothing ; absolutely nothing but just dark brown oil. No grindings , no water , no debris!.....Nothing!!
That observance, then made me think of what then does it filter? Why is it needed?

The oil pump suction sits at the bottom of the oil pan so that there is oil available to be sucked into the pump, and then as the pump rotates, it pressurizes the oil to distribute it to all the oil ports built in the engines rotating parts to add a film of protection to those rotating or sliding metal to metal parts....

Now, with that in mind, there is also a fine mesh screen, that the oil, before it is sucked into the pump, has to pass though, and assure no metal filings or debris is fed through the filter and the rotating components.

So my question is.... why a filter? Why not a cleanable strainer?

Then my thoughts are: Why is there no filter on my lawn mower engine, or on my 17 Horsepower Emergency Generators engine?? .... "You would think there would be one on the generator at least....right?

I had a friend that had a new Volvo. He was a chemist at Proctor and Gamble;
( not that it meant anything ) but, he NEVER EVER Changed the oil or filter.
The car had 237,000 miles on the 5 cylinder engine, and he never had any mechanical engine problems. The car was traded only at the time of buying his wife a new car. All he did was top off the oil with fresh oil. That was it!

Makes me wonder!!!

"Think about it!!"

Embryodad Embryodad
Jul '14

Here is some research done on various brands of oil filters....
Pretty good info!

http://www.austincc.edu/wkibbe/oilfilterstudy.htm

Embryodad Embryodad
Jul '14

Valley Auto & Tire 250 main St Hackettstown. Saturday morning 8 to 12. No appointment necessary. 1st come 1st served.

https://www.google.com/#q=Valley+Auto+%26+Tire%2C+Main+Street%2C+Hackettstown%2C+NJ

Cliff R Cliff R
Jul '14

cliff r -

where do you get your oil from? (vendor name?)

what kind of oil is it? (new or recycled?)

do you have 5w-20 in stock, ready to go? (yes/no?)

do you have 'high mileage' oil available on request? (if yes, what weights do you have that in?)

BrotherDog BrotherDog
Jul '14

anyone know of people using amsoil full synthetic with a filterbypass?

http://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-product/filters-and-by-pass-systems/by-pass/filters-and-mounts/

Skippy Skippy
Jul '14

"Mark is that a full synthetic oil change? "

That's for 7 quarts of semi-synthetic 5W-20 and a filter. I do the actual oil change myself in the driveway.


"Mark, but at least you know there's actually a new filter and fresh oil in there!"

Absolutely. It's not a "fun" job, but with a truck there is plenty of room underneath and the Ford engineers made it as simple as possible with a molded drain under the filter that directs the oil into a pan. The filter is right on the front of the engine and there's about 8 feet of room to get your hands and tools on it. When I had a Civic Si you needed to be a contortionist to even see the oil filter (behind the front wheel/suspension).


"Why change the filter at every oil change? "

Because it only costs $3 extra dollars. Cheap insurance on a multi-thousand dollar engine.

Mark Mc. Mark Mc.
Jul '14

Remember the commercials?

Pay me now, or, PAY ME LATER.

Andy Loigu Andy Loigu
Jul '14

Costs me about $95 for a 6-quart full synthetic (Mobil 1) 5w30 oil change on my VW at Lube Plus in Pburg. That's why I get it done every 7,500 miles instead of 5,000. I could probably stretch it to 10,000 miles between changes but I don't want to push my luck too much. The car is about 9 years old with 150,000 miles and no engine issues whatsoever so far.

ianimal ianimal
Jul '14

$95 for a grease job and oil change that's highway robbery. i just did a tuneup on one of my vehicles new plugs[8] new distributor cap and new wires and pay a hell of a lot less than that about 70

oldred
Jul '14

ianimal Message ianimal
3 hours ago

The car is about 9 years old with 150,000 miles and no engine issues whatsoever so far.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If I said. or thought about that, ....It would be "The Kiss Of Death!" L O L

My knuckles would be all bruised from knocking on all the wood I could find! hahahaha

Mine is a 1997 (Yeah! Remember the 19 hundreds?) ...with 200,000 mi soon to happen!
I told the wife, Now would be a good time to give you a AAA card for your birthday.
She said,"As long as you aren't in the car when it turns 200,000...cause you are a Jinx!"

embryodad embryodad
Jul '14

oldred, if I were to do it myself, and buy the materials from Advance Auto... 6 quarts of Mobil 1 is about $45 and the oil filter cartridge I need is $16. So that's $61 just in materials right there. Plus, they grease and check/add other fluids as well.

When you factor in the time it would take me to drive to the store and back and then do the work... it's a bargain. $34 doesn't buy much of my time; free time is at a premium these days, lol.

ianimal ianimal
Jul '14

I get mobil1 synthetic in the 5 qt jug for 23.99 plus filter I do synthetic change for a little over 30 bucks myself.


"If I said. or thought about that, ....It would be "The Kiss Of Death!" L O L

My knuckles would be all bruised from knocking on all the wood I could find! hahahaha"

I hear ya, embryodad... what the hell was I thinking?

ianimal ianimal
Jul '14

Jdem, is that Walmart price for the Mobil 1? That's a pretty good number. It's $37.99 for the 5-qt jug at AA. Of course, you probably waste that $14 in the extra time it takes you to negotiate a Walmart these days and I also always wonder if the "Walmart grade" is the same as everywhere else. I assume it is but who the hell knows for sure?

ianimal ianimal
Jul '14

bet you would save a lot more than $34 you have to remember that the windshield fluid brake fluid power steering fluid and grease will last you if you're engine is in good shape 5 or 6 oil changes if not more it's not like you use whole cans of fluids every time you do an oil change you only top them off I guess if you don't know how to do all this stuff it would seem a little overwhelming. But I have done it my whole life buy yourself a chilton book on your vehicle and you will see how easy it is to do the lot of the maintenance yourself. There are a lot of places out there that charge five/six times what it actually costs them to do the job. My neighbor was complaining about going to a garage for new front brake pads he said the last time he was there they charged him $225 I told him to go to the auto parts store and pick up a pair good ones about $70 not the cheap ones that garages put on. And a sixpack and I would show him how to do it. Now he does nearly all his maintenance on his car and has saved thousands over the years

oldred
Jul '14

Chilton manuals are crap... I would spend the extra money for the Bentley if I was so inclined. Back when I didn't have money, I used to do a lot of work on my car myself; I certainly wouldn't ever pay someone to change my oil on my '81 Scirocco. But now, the time is much more valuable than the $95 I spend three times a year.

ianimal ianimal
Jul '14

I do go to Walmart for the oil. At least on mobil1's website the FAQ section states they are the same. My father always bought mobil1 from Walmart and I did a head gasket on his car with 210,000 miles and the motor was spotless and no cylinder ridge after that I always used mobil1 in my cars.


do not goto jiffy lube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiCAJ8ULnaI

and i used to goto walmart for the convenience but it is a night mare, the old guy behind the counter is really nice but types with one hand and takes forever!!! and the guys working back there are slow and dont know what they are doing, one time there was nobody!! in there getting service and it was 2 hours before they close and the guy told me he is on break then he is going home because its almost closing time, i called the manager and she freaked out on him, i no longer go there because of that and the fact i wind up shopping while im waiting 45 minutes and spend 200$

blueline blueline
Jul '14

Remember, if you can't do the oil change yourself. Cheap things are of no value. Valuable things are not cheap. As Andy said, pay me now, or pay me later.

Ms Fishy Ms Fishy
Jul '14

Stopped at Walmart tonight and all the Mobile 1 is on sale for $22 and change for the 5 quart jug. Picked me up 2!

LJRubi LJRubi
Jul '14

be wary of places that charge you extra for removing a guard or panel to perform the change. It literally takes them 1 min tops to remove all the screws from a skid plate under the car, or a few seconds to pop off a plastic engine cover to get to what they need to do, but because they can get away with it, some charge as much as $15 more if they have to do it. I used to go to Lube-it-all back in the day before I learned to do my own, and I do remember them posting the charge notice on their services "menu" but most people may not notice. It just seems like nickel-and-diming since a lot of cars come with these guards these days and the mechanics are cashing in on an extra fee.

elian elian
Jul '14

This about sums it up:

http://funny2.com/oil.htm

MeisterNJ MeisterNJ
Jul '14

All over the hotdeals online forums this morning:

Castrol gtx synblend at autozone for $1 a quart with free shipping! Im in for 24 quarts. Will be interesting to see if they cancel orders since it might be price mistake.

http://m.autozone.com/autozone-mobile/en/accessories/Castrol-SynBlend-engine-oil-SAE-5W-30-1-qt/_/N-26qqZ1z13y4tZ1z13xbk?id=186722


I hope not, I just grabbed 24 quarts as well! Thanks for the tip.


Very good Greg! For those just reading this now, Autozone is now out of stock on these. Hopefully the deal will stand for those lucky enough to have gotten orders in earlier today. We shall see....


I would suggest investing in some ramps, a drain pan, funnel and the proper wrench to do it yourself, if you can (and almost anyone can.)

Wal-Mart 5w-30synthetic has carried my Honda Fit to 185,000 miles with negligible oil burning ( and 6-10 thousand mile change intervals...I didn't buy their 5w-20 recommendation, either.) My son and daughter's cars (Saturn and Ford) with 190,000-plus miles are pretty much the same, though the Saturn is now going through half a quart every 1.5-2K.) Great deal for $18 per 5 quart container!

BTW, I was with my mother when she had a bad experience at Lube-it-all a few years ago (mouse nests on air cleaner and cabin air filter...really?!!) and a missing transmission dipstick, to boot. Beware if the techs there show the slightest indication of a smirk....you might be getting a bigger bill than you bargained for.

jjmonth4 jjmonth4
Dec '14

Dad always used to say. "Cheap things are of no value, and valuable things are not cheap". Wish I were strong enough to change my own, but those days are gone forever.

Ms Fishy Ms Fishy
Dec '14

"(mouse nests on air cleaner and cabin air filter...really?!!)"

Rodents love to nest in weird places...

I'm in the middle of changing my intake manifold gasket on my old truck, and I had to vacuum out some acorn shells from the nooks and crannies around the valve covers. Some old dirt bikes that sat for years in my parents shed have had huge piles of bird seed inside the air boxes.

Mark Mc. Mark Mc.
Dec '14

Well Mark, the car was not garaged and was in regular use with no other evidence of rodent infestation.

Finding them in both places seems to be a bit of a stretch, and it never happened before...or since... then.

They lost any trust I might have placed in them, but YMMV.

jjmonth4 jjmonth4
Dec '14

There is some of the $1 oil still available, I order 24 quarts of 10-40 form my mercedes, some stores still have 5-30

Darrin Darrin
Dec '14

I've seen mice nesting in the car many times. For most people who drive their car daily this is a non issue, but if your car sits for a few days or more then you're prone to having mice move in. This is especially true if your car sits outside during the winter

sack
Dec '14

I just got got my email from auto zone saying my 1 dollar oil is ready for pickup. ...seems they will be standing behind the orders

Darrin Darrin
Dec '14

Re: Cheap oil change

Just picked up my order, and bought everything left on the shelf, the price is right! According to autozone they are phasing out this oil

Darrin Darrin
Dec '14

Damn....just received an email from Autozone saying my online order has been cancelled. Reason being they have insufficient stock on hand of a discontinued oil. To their credit they said they will be sending me a $20 gift card for a future purchase.


Yeah I think the online sales flew through the roof before they could get the out of stock signs up!

Glad I went with the in store pickup and went to get it as soon as the ready to be picked up email came in.

I did try to ship my order originally, but the site kicked it back and said being the oil is hazardous it could not be shipped

Darrin Darrin
Dec '14

I just received an email regarding my cancelled order as well. Oh well.


Heads up for DIY oil change folks. Walmart has rolled back prices on the various weight 5qt jug containers of Mobil 1 oil to $23.88. I picked up one earlier this morning on the way home from work at the Rockaway Walmart. The best part is that there is also a $12 rebate attached to this roll back price!

Mailable Rebate form here:
https://apfco.net/secure/R8235W/Content/OfferForm.pdf

Rebate can also be submitted online here:
https://apfco.net/secure/R8235W/Home/Entry


Surprised to see not all Walmarts have the same rollbacks. I noticed the Flanders location this morning did not have the Mobil 1 rollbacks that Rockaway does. I haven't been in the Mansfield store lately so not sure about them.


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