One of the most basic parts of car ownership is taking care of basic maintenance. The most frequent item that should be addressed is changing your vehicle’s oil , and that’s a task that comes down to a simple choice: Do you do it yourself or take it somewhere?
As we’ve established, I was a grease monkey in a prior life. But even with those skills and know-how, I elect to have someone else handle the job. Why? Well, time is money, and the money you save by doing it yourself, you might have to reinvest many times over in labor, risk, and cleanup. I was trained to work on cars standing up; crawling under is a hard adjustment. But I’m cheap and picky, so I’m selective on where I get an oil change done.
Let’s run the numbers.
As Matt has recently shown us, oil, through the right retailer, is cheap. And based on lab testing as David discusses in “Expensive Oil Is Waste Of Money,” there is little difference between the performance of the cheap stuff versus pricey oils. [Ed Note: I hated the headline “Why Expensive Oil Is A Waste Of Money.” I didn’t write it. That headline, without the word ‘sometimes’ after ‘is,’ is misleading. -DT]
However, if you’re going to a shop for an instant oil change or even the dealership, you might feel like you’ve just lost an arm and a leg. It just depends on what the shop is prioritizing and what you’re willing to accept.
For this demonstration, I’ll be using my Ford Maverick hybrid. It takes 5.7 quarts of 0W-20. When I called the nearest Valvoline, they quoted me:
- $107.68 for full synthetic oil: $99.99 for 5 quarts and a filter, and an additional $7.69 for the remaining 0.7 quart
- $75.99 for synthetic blend oil: $70.40 for 5 quarts and a filter, and an additional $5.59 for the remaining 0.7 quart
- $55.88 for conventional oil: $50.99 for 5 quarts and a filter, and an additional $4.89 for the remaining 0.7 quart
Now let’s look at the nearby Ford dealership where I took my Maverick to address four recalls.
- $98.47 for 5.7 quarts of Full Synthetic Oil and a filter
Welp, that’s the last time I ask someone to do an oil change without asking the costs ahead of time. And now the Chevrolet dealership in Mishawaka that I took the truck to last May.
- $55 for 5.7 quarts of full synthetic oil and a filter
Between the highest and lowest prices, for the same type of oil, that’s a 95% difference in price! So what are the differences between these places?
Let’s Talk Labor Costs
At Valvoline in 2016, I was making $10.50/hour as a Senior Tech. I was one or two steps above entry level and was a keyholder, a shade below Assistant Store Manager. Then in my second stint with Valvoline in 2021, I picked it up as a second job in an attempt to pay off bills, and my primary source of income was just enough to break even; I was making $15/hour. Based on this trajectory of increase, I’ll use $18/hour as the going rate for labor in 2024.
For a two-bay store, there’d typically be between four to five staffers at a time; one or two customer service advisors, two toppers, and one pitter. Each car would take at most 15 minutes, barring any complications or additional services. Based on this, on a busy day, the store could get through at least eight cars in an hour.
Labor cost per car with four staffers:
$18/hour x 4 staffers ÷ 8 cars = $9 in labor/car
Labor cost per car with five staffers:
$18/hour x 5 staffers ÷ 8 cars = $11.25 in labor/car
Seems straightforward enough! Yet, while eight cars in an hour would be ideal for profit, like any business, there are rushes and dead times throughout the day. A possibly more exact calculation would be to look at the average number of cars a quick lube shop sees in a day and the total hours paid out for that day.
Using my primary store in Midland, we would see roughly 32 cars a day and hopefully have at least five people scheduled for eight-hour shifts.
$18/hour x 5 staffers x 8 hours ÷ 32 cars = $22.5 in labor/car
Cost Of Oil And Filter
Oil is cheap! While that might run counter to current prices at a quick lube, you can get 5 quarts of full synthetic for $18.98 at Walmart, $21.99 at Meijer, or if you’re getting more outdoors supplies, $24.99 at Tractor Supply. I’ll stick with using full synthetic oil for the rest of this exercise because if you need to use 0W-20 oil, it’s probably the best option. And the Maverick is my queen and deserves the best.
Looking for cheap but acceptable filters, Bosch filters for my Maverick start at $2.60 a piece at Rock Auto.
Obviously, places like dealerships and Valvoline get fluids at wholesale prices. A quick search for bulk quantities and I learned you could order a 55-gallon drum of 0W-20 full synthetic oil from the Miami Oil Company for $654.75. That works out to $2.98/quart or $14.90/5 quarts. I’d assume there are even better rates for Valvoline and the like but I do not have access to their books.
Ticket Price, Or ‘How Did I Just Come In For Just One Thing And Leave With Five?’
The ticket price is the hidden number customers don’t see. It’s a target corporate sets as the desired revenue per car. At Valvoline, if your store did well on the number of customers you saw per month, the average “ticket,” and customer reviews, you’d get a bonus. This obviously encouraged CSAs to upsell when possible.
That could be from suggesting customers try a full synthetic oil instead of a mix, or attempting to sell a coolant or transmission service. Heck, air filters were/are a big part of this too. As of now, Valvoline charges $24.99 for an engine filter and $54.99 (!!!) for a cabin filter. While researching prices for my significant other’s 2012 Honda Fit, I saw Rock Auto sells Bosch engine and cabinet filters for $4 and $9 respectively. This is one of the more uncomfortable aspects associated with working in quick lube.
I was texting one of my closest friends whom I met while working at Valvoline. I had expressed my shock after discovering Valvoline’s new prices. He gave me permission to share his response.
Adding It All Up
So working with limited data, my best estimate is that it costs at least $22.50 in labor/car and at most $17.68 in materials costs for my Maverick, for a grand total of $40.18 for a quick lube oil change. Subtracting that from the original quote of $107.68 leaves $67.50 to go towards overhead costs and net profits.
Now looking at the Mishawaka dealership, labor costs are slightly different. The best-going rate I can find when calling around is a $25 labor charge when I supply my own oil and filter. If an oil change takes 15 minutes, that’s $100/hour in labor costs, not an unheard-of number. $25 in labor + $17.68 in materials = $42.68. Subtracting that from the $55 overall cost leaves $12.32 for revenue, a much more reasonable number.
I once asked one of the dealership’s service managers why the cost was so low, relatively speaking, compared to their competition. He said it’s an intentional loss leader. They didn’t care about squeezing the money out of an oil change because that’s not their main business – they want to sell cars. By offering cheaper oil changes, they establish a positive reputation in the community and increase the number of people who visit their dealership. And boy, did it work. It wasn’t uncommon to see the dealership’s driveway filled with cars in line for oil changes.
For me, my go-to is grabbing oil and a filter for $29 while I’m grocery shopping at Meijer. I then take it to whichever dealership has the best quote for labor. I’m okay with that because I don’t have jacks or stands (yet) and my apartment complex frowns upon wrenching in their parking lot. But one day, I’ll have a house with a pole barn and a lift. Then just watch me. I’m sure I’ll find new, unexpected ways to make mistakes and get messy. [Ed Note: And write about them!]
Topshot: oil container via Valvoline; background image by methaphum/stock.adobe.com
If you want a cheap oil change using the proper oil and good quality oil filter, you have to do it yourself.
I’ve seen too many cases of ‘cheap’ oil changes resulting in incorrect filters being used, wrong oil being used, oil pan plugs getting overtorqued or stripped… no thanks… would rather do it myself.
And when I do it in my own driveway, I actaully SAVE time as I don’t have to drive anywhere to get the job done, wait while they do it and then wait in line to pay.
Same deal when it comes to ‘free’ or ‘cheap’ tire rototations… better to do it myself. Have observed too many cases of overtorqued lugnuts, undertorqued lugnuts and cross threaded lugs/studs.
I own a business (not an oil change place, mind you). But your oversimplifications make for a poor article in that it allows for a lot of misinterpretations and misunderstandings. Not trying to be overly harsh, but this one is really sub-par for the Autopian.
Your labor rate is not just odd in the way you came up with one. I mean, cmon, there’s data out there from alot of government agencies if you just tried to look. You only take into account the employee’s wages, not the company’s cost on those wages. At a minimum it’s about 9% from taxation, let alone any benefits provided to the employee. But it’s also low simply because not everyone made the same amount. I’m guessing the manager made a lot more even in your store. And there’s the franchise amount that goes to Valvoline. It’s probably 5% of revenue, but you could look that up and get a lot better article.
You’ve also left out indirect costs, the area manager of all the Valvolines and/or the HR person also keeping all those shift employees working and paid.
Again, the conclusion of your article that there’s “$67.50 to go” is just plain silly.
My coworker paid an extra $400 for “lifetime free oil changes” when he bought his new 2006 Honda Civic. The dealer allowed for an oil change every 3,000 miles with that program. He then proceeded to drive his Civic for 460,000 miles before hitting a deer and totaling it. He said they tried to upsell him on something every single time and of course he turned them down every single time. $2.61 oil changes along with a whole lot of free coffee made that the best oil change deal I’ve seen.
I started going to the dealer for my Volt after I bought it as they used to have $35.00 full synthetic oil change specials regularly, plus I only needed to change it once a year at most. I could hardly buy the oil for that price, but nowadays the “special price” is $60+, so I just pick up some Mobil 1 from Sam’s Club and order the filter from RockAuto which comes in right about at $30.00. Most of the rest of my fleet see yearly oil changes, or sometimes longer depending on how clean the oil looks.
I do save my used oil – I’ve got a couple of perpetually broke tenants that appreciate having a “free” supply to add to their leaky hoopties.
Beyond actual dollar price, there are two combating “costs”. Yes, time is money in some sense, but I have to drive the vehicle somewhere, wait around or leave it, then drive it home. That is also time spent. But even worse, that time is a huge burden of inconvenience to me. When I do my own oil, I’m at home. I can take 3 hours wandering in and out of the house if I want. I can include my kid and spend time teaching and hanging out. So I prefer to save the cash and do them myself.
Hell, I have a two post lift, and I’m usually too lazy to put the car up on it. Easier to just do it in place where I’m parked in the garage.
I remember the time that one of the techs told me that I needed a new cabin air filter in our 2008 grand cherokee. Hell of a find, because the WK wasn’t equipped with one. I guess TECHNICALLY it “needed” one, but that would require a kit and retrofit that I”m pretty sure would not be stocked by the average quick lube, but I digress.
I do all my own oil changes so I can buy the overkill oil David thinks is useless ???? and still have it all cost less than a dealer or most quick lubes. I also used to work on cars so it’s painful to pay someone for something so simple.
When we had an Audi q7 tdi, I would take it to the dealer for oil changes. it was ussually $125-150 and they would wash the car and top off the DEF. It used 9qt of fancy ass oil that would cost me north of $100 so it was worthwhile. In my downmarket honda pilot I do it myself with kirkland oil 6 qts for $20 and a filter off amazon. I do transmission fluid changes too since we tow and that is the weak point on my camper.
Like tire rotations it is often faster to do it at home than to drive somewhere and wait.
Long ago I more than paid for the Race Ramps and special tools (making things easier). 30 minutes or less and I’m done.
I get filters from Rock Auto and oil from Costco (Kirkland or M1).
No more buggered oil pan bolts. No more scammer upsells*.
Tech showing me some black oil saying that I need a differential service on my FWD car. Or showing a cabin air filter that is clearly the wrong size for my car.
I have nothing to add, as I change my own oil in my garage or with the aid of my dad’s lift. I remember how much of a pain in the ass it was to do the oil changes on my two cars back when I lived in an apartment after graduating from college. I always had to try to time it with a visit down to my parent’s hours 2 hours away just to avoid a quick change place touching my cars. I also totally acknowledge that not everyone has the physical or technical ability to do so themselves, regardless of whether or not they have a garage or driveway.
Sidebar: Hello fellow Hoosier! (assuming the Mishawaka you are referring to is the Indiana one, and not the Colorado one)
Temporary Hoosier! I started working in Mishawaka, IN in Feb. 2022 and then left in June 2023 for a job in Flint closer to friends and family. However, I made more friends in Mishawaka/South Bend post-college than ever had anywhere else, and I visit when I can. Nedderman’s Steak Place and their mushroom/steak tip sandwiches and the side of green beans with bacon are killer. Big Joh Steak and Onion is solid here in Michigan but doesn’t stack up haha.
Once a Hoosier, always a Hoosier! I’ll have to try Nedderman’s next time I’m out that way. My wife has family in New Carlisle pretty close to Mishawaka, so I may have to check that out!
I’m a northern Hoosier as well (from Indy originally), but I’m in Valparaiso about an hour west of you a few miles south of the Dunes.
My spouse always gets the cabin air filter when she takes a car in for an oil change. She knows exactly what she is doing, which is spending $50 on making sure that I will always do the oil change run.
Thats just her making an investment in her future. She’s not getting ripped off. She’s making a deposit for future time she isn’t doing oil change runs!
At this point in my life, I’m just too damn lazy to do my own oil changes. I usually get a co-worker to do mine, but I always buy my own oil & filter. $60 or so for an employee oil change is still too much, even compared to buying a K&N filter and my usual Pennzoil Ultra-Synthetic. I think that’s roughly $40 all in for my next oil change? Normally I’d do a Mopar filter cause employee discount, so I’m like barely over $30 at that point.
I think I’m gonna do my next one though. I used to do everything on my vehicles, that I could. I got tools not being used, so I might as well use them!
Not everyone has the time, confidence or physical ability to do their own maintenance (yes, even the most basic tasks) and it always came off as silly to me when people act like they do; to say nothing of different people’s different financial and living situations.
Yeah, it’s kind of unfathomable to me to not just do this kind stuff myself even if I have to sneak it in during the weekend at my apartment or drive 20 minutes to my boss’ house; but I’d be lying if I said that their weren’t simple jobs that I knew were simple that I nonetheless was worried about myself (anything that specifically takes jackstands and not ramps or a jack comes to mind). That being said, in those instances I go to a dealer or (when I still lived in NY) my personal mechanic. I’ve not gotten to the point where I needed to go to a specialist yet, luckily.
The combination of threadbare profit margin, push for throughput, focus on upsell, and lack of accountability confirms that places like Iffy Lube should be avoided.
DIY is not for everyone, but even paying $100+ to a reputable shop is well worth it on a high failure-consequence job like an oil change.
Has anyone else seen the photos with satellite images of quick-lube shops with oil tracks leading out from the service bay exit?
This is the worst part about moving away from home. When I first moved out of my parent’s house it wasn’t too bad, because I could just drive across town and use their spacious country driveway. I also had a great system so making sure to ask my dad permission before doing so. Now really I didn’t need to do this. I had keys, and he wouldn’t mind me showing up unannounced.. But by telling him I wanted to come change my oil he’d usually mention that his truck, or my mom’s van also needed the oil done.. He’d offer to pay for my oil/filter if I would pick up the supplies to do the oil on his vehicle/s as well. A little extra labor in exchange for a free oil change was well worth it.. I usually also got a meal out of the trip as well.
Now I live a state away in an apartment and am stuck going to quick lube places. I found a place nearby that does a full synthetic change for $75, and my car didn’t explode after the last trip, so I’ll probably keep going back for the time being.
I took my JDM car to the local Jiffy-Lube (or something) as my usual mechanics were swamped. They gave me a $10 discount because they liked the car, and since their computer had no clue what parts it might need they didn’t try any upselling whatsoever. Hah!
I think you buried the lede on this one. Who the heck is making 0W-20 conventional and how?
Valvoline’s policy back in 2015 was when a customer demanded an oil change, and wouldn’t pay for anything more than convention, was to use 5W-20 and explicitly tell them it wasn’t to manufacture spec and put that on the receipt. I believe that’s how they’re still quoting a “conventional” price for the Maverick.
I don’t care about the cost, I just don’t trust anybody besides the dealer. But I prefer to avoid their price.
In a 3 year span, I had (2) different shops drain the transmission instead of the engine on my 2008 Subaru Impreza and send me on my way. Both times I realized something was wrong before making it out of the parking lot. Never again does a quick lube place touch a car I own.
I also enjoy sipping my morning coffee while the oil drains down from the Fumoto valve (I have installed on every car I own).
+1 for Fumoto valves, I love those things!
I will never go back. Been using them on every car for about 6 years now.
I’ve always had a completely irrational fear of those things. I have ZERO reason not to trust them, but I have this bizarre fear they will be the cause of a hemorrhaging oil leak and destroy my engine. So instead, under the hood on each of my cars, I have the WIX oil filter number, the oil capacity, and the wrench size I need to do the job. Makes it fairly easy, though notably, not as easy as a Fumoto valve would be.
I was a little unsure about the valve at first. But when I first got my hands on one I was pleased with the quality and operation. The lever would be impossible to have open on it’s own, and just to be safe, I put the plastic ‘lock’ on my valves.
I do all our vehicles because I don’t want anyone else touching them or doing it for us. I think filter choice matters much more than oil choice but I do still use specific oils for my Miatas. Both of the Miatas get Rotella T6 and Purolator Boss filters. I like the Rotella for the extra detergents and performance with higher heat from the turbos since it resists breakdown and the added zinc is nice too. The Malibu and S10 get Purolator One filters and Kirkland Signature’s finest synthetic which is extremely cost efficient. The Mach 1 gets Mobil 1 synthetic that I buy when it goes on sale at Costco and ironically an AC Delco filter. The AC Delco is not my preferred choice, but it is the ONLY one I have found that fits lengthwise with my unique setup as a result of retrofitting a supercharger from a Cobra on to it but not wanting to use the Cobras failure-prone factory oil cooler setup. The AC Delco is the one typically for Corvettes and Camaros of similar year to the Mach 1 so should be enough.
The dealer changed the oil on my new WL when I had free services remaining. But I do all our cars now. The Grand Cherokee is pretty easy and my 2000 XJ is probably the easiest oil change you could ever ask for. It’s lifted, so I don’t even need ramps. My 2022 K5 on the other hand, is a pain in the ass. The drain is designed to dump as much oil as possible onto the underside engine cover. I ended up modeling and 3d printing a special funnel to stop the mess.
Here if anyone is in the same jam:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6533859
The only reason I change my own oil is because I have an old 2005 grand cherokee with plenty of lifter tick, a bit of weeping around the valve covers and an occasional wisp of coolant smell.
I want to have a look at the oil and see if I can notice any issues – of course any major issues would likely commit the rig to the crusher due to rust and age but I still like the piece of mind.
I don’t love getting on my back but with ramps, some chocks and jack stands and a flat driveaway its only about a 30 minute job.
You need to lift a Grand Cherokee? I’d have thought one of those should have all the clearance you’d need.
You could probably wriggle under there and do it with trex arms but I certainly dont.
I used to work under my XJ with regular, non T. Rex arms just fine. If anything it was the roomiest vehicle I’ve ever been under. It was also the heaviest which is why I avoided lifting it.
With ramps, a three ton quick jack and 4 3 ton stands ..I’m basically never not lifting a vehicle to work under it.
I think if I had one car, and it was new, it would go to a dealer. But with a fleet of multi-decade old 4 and 2 wheel hoopties you just learn to do it. Maybe rotate the tires, too, while giving the car a once-over.
Plus, now I have enough chainsaw bar oil to cut down every tree in the county while smelling like my garage.
Car maintenance is a lot like eating; there are times when you want to enjoy the process of preparing and cooking the meal, and sometimes we don’t have the time or inclination to go through everything to cook a meal. But you still have to eat…
Personally, I tend to take my car to my primary mechanic for oil changes, and never go to quick spots. The cost, is basically the same. But at least I have someone I trust a decent amount doing it.
People here seem to think paying someone to do an oil change is a sin whose punishment shall be a tar and feathering, but there are definitely some rational reasons (at least for me) to have someone else do it:
1) Oil filter location: I changed the oil on my former SX4 twice. Nobody with normal sized hands is getting their mitts on that filter confidently. I ended up rigging up a weird contraption out of pipe clamps to get it off, but good luck being confident about the amount of torque you’re using twisting it back on! Anyway, yeah, some cars the filter is located like shit. Subarus win here with the incredibly easy filter location right under the hood.
2) Tire rotations/inspection: I try to time an oil change at inspection time where the cars have to go to the shop anyway, and also, rotating your own tires is a massive PITA. Also an opportunity to get the car on a lift and make sure nothing needs urgent attention. If you have some level of trust in your mechanic and you know what you’re looking at, it’s nice that a lot of shops will now send you pictures of the condition of various components.
3) Life is insane: It may sound easier to just do it yourself, but I would bet that anyone with young kids who has a 200 item long to-do list would rather drop their car off for the day like I often do. The amount of effort here varies, my mechanic is within walking distance of my house.
Subaru may have some easy ones, but on the older (mine was a 2008) 2.5 the damn filter was in between the exhaust manifolds. You were not getting that thing off without burning yourself. I hated changing the oil on that stupid car!
Ah, probably should have qualified that with ‘modern’ Subaru, ha.
Haha it’s so weird to me that a 2008 is old now. That thing was new and fancy when I had it back in 2010. Well to me it was fancy anyway.
OTOH it shouldn’t be long before the tiny hands of reason #3 can solve reason #1 while you “supervise” from a lawn chair while enjoying a cold beer.
Plus you can pay them in sugar!
“The amount of effort here varies, my mechanic is within walking distance of my house.”
That makes a huge difference and really skews your personal calculation. If I have to drive 20 miles to the dealer, wait for the oil change and then drive back home, I’m saving pretty much nothing. DIY on the other hand makes a financial and time saving argument – I can do other stuff while the oil is draining.
I buy the oil myself, I let the garage get an OEM filter from the dealer network, a crush washer and let my garage do it. I wait and watch while they do it, we open the filter to see if there is anything bad there, they drain also the oil cooler and of course close it with a new crush washer.
I could do that all on my own but then I’d be stuck with 8+ liters of engine oil. Disposing oil here costs more than the labor costs I’d save.
I think the crux is to have a good reliable garage. ‘My’ garage did oil changes, transmission fluid changes, RMS seal changes (twice), LSD install, EGR valve replacement, countless tire changes, brake pads, brake rotors, brake lines (braided), VVTi ‘discs’ replacement, installed high performance camshafts, new valve buckets and removed the exhaust to clean it up.
And then I’m forgetting the replaced trunk lock, a rear light LED module, a power steering pump, alternator.
Not all at once luckily. Another garage changed suspension, found a bent wheel hub knuckle and replaced engine mounts, twice (first after market, then OEM).
This is just from 4.5 years, not all at once. Could I have done half of this myself? Sure, with a lot of swearing, frustration and maybe negative outcome in some cases.
So I rather work some hours doing what *I* am good at and use that money to pay people which like to do this work.
Where do you live that they charge you to dispose of used oil? All the auto parts here take waste oil and coolant for free.
Well I don’t live there unfortunately. If I do it the official way it will cost me money. If I do it the unofficial way then I will be polluting the groundwater but I will get away with it. Hence I let the garage do it.
I was genuinely asking because I have never heard of people being charged for that before
I don’t think he was being rude or ironic. In the US at least, both Oreilly and Auto Zone nationwide take up to 5 gallons at a time for free. Its a way they draw people in to the store. They also accept the used oil filters.
I think he meant it as a legitimate car culture difference question. Its foreign to us to have to pay for oil disposal.
I heartily approve of linking to an Internet Archive version of articles from The Other Site so they don’t get clicks.
I’m not going to begrudge anyone getting clicks but Kinja broke images on a lot of old articles. Thankfully, the Internet Archive has versions saved with them. This also means Torch’s delightfully unhinged sketches have been preserved for time immemorial.