£78.00 oil change?

[Welly]

Her indoors Astra needs an MOT tomorrow and we normally get it serviced too (an annual service) the Garage I use regular want £78.00 (inc Vodka and Tonic) for an oil & filter of Vauxhall OE spec.

I was going to do it myself in a few weeks but can't be bothered with the mess and hastle. I know the price of oil is steep but is this about right? I can trust the place 100%, used them for 12 years now.

I'm thinking by the time I've sourced the Oil & Filter, got under the hateful thing (I only have the spare wheel jack ) then disposed of the old stuff I'm not really going to save much in real terms? (I ought to really buy a proper jack for a start).

[steve_earwig]

It comes out the ground too Did you check the price of the oil elsewhere? I know garages usually get this stuff cheaper than we can & this offsets the labour cost but it's only a Vauxhall so you could use Mazola in there...

Btw if you do discover your savings from doing it yourself a couple of time will pay for the jack, don't count on one of those Lidl etc. "why's my head a strange shape now?" toy trolley jacks

[scotty73]

Welly did you see Sam's link on here a few weeks back? i think it was national tyres oil change http://www.national.co.uk/oil-vehicle-search.aspx

[Welly]

Yes noted about the jack

I remember vowing after changing the 406's oil I would never do it again. I was wearing latex gloves and my hands were sweating; the amount of force I used with my bare hands to attack the old filter actually removed a good few layers of skin between by thumb and forefinger I don't know why I did that really. It took a good two weeks to heal.

Then, when I thought the job was done, with hand stinging and burning and me really pissed off after 'making' fixings for my beloved undertray, I lastly removed the floor 'protection' to find the garage floor screed underneath looked akin to the Exxon Valdez oil spill I hung up my oil changing boots from that day on

[Welly]

Welly did you see Sam's link on here a few weeks back? i think it was national tyres oil change http://www.national.co.uk/oil-vehicle-search.aspx

Yes I did thanks but I hate those sort of places with a passion. Luckily there's not one near me

[steve_earwig]

I know eggzactally where you're coming from, every time I change oil it always ends up everywhere no matter how careful I am. I think the last time it was ok right up until the point where I put it in a can for disposal - there was this *gloop* as it was going in and there it was everywhere again The BX 16 valves were the worst, the engine had some weird way of building up an air lock as you filed it, no matter how slowly it went in suddenly it's just gop a whole load of (clean, admittedly) oil all over the top of the engine. Then there's messing with sump drain plugs, which are always somewhere you can't get enough leverage without jacking the car up 12 feet in the air, and oil filters that weld themselves in place so you need to get the chain wrench out to somewhere inaccessible and then they gloop oil out as you're trying to move them... These days I have a garage with mate's rates

Oh yeah, and just because you've been going there for 12 years doesn't mean they don't see you as anything more than another mug. Look how insurers treat return customers

[grasmere59]

I know my mate who runs his own garage shops around for his drums of oil etc and the cheapest deal sometimes comes from vauxhall for anti-freeze and oil and of all things batteries,all genuine,i wouldn't like to hazard a guess what your garage is paying for 5 ltrs of oil and a filter but i spose with labour n overheads they have to make a living.

[Welly]

They'll probably see £30.00 out of it for themselves. OK £30.00 is £30.00 and it's better in my pocket but with the hassle etc I just can't really be bothered and the car needs to be there for the MOT anyway.

Oh and I get a loan van including insurance for the day so I don't need a lift to/from or anything.

Wiggy - my oil catching solution was a butchered 5ltr screenwash bottle (big hole cut in the side and laid down ready) there was the initial excitement of "guess where the first spurt will go" (where is Puggy today btw?) followed by me dropping the sump plug into the container.....later there's the "how can I manouvre this wobbly plastic container full of stinking oil up to waist height so I can attempt a decant using that old funnel into yet another container" and then there the rags/cloths I started with one or two and now have at least 30 oil soaked rags lastly there's the question of what to do with the old filter - I reckon you could up-end one of those for two years and it'll still drip oil

[steve_earwig]

No problem, straight in the wheely bin

[gumby6371]

I use an old builders bucket for oil catching and a claw type filter removal tool, the claw type are excellent and you'll never go back to a strap after using one. They fit onto a 1/2 inch ratchet but most of the time you can just use your hands to squeeze them onto the filter.

[leestudd30]

My local garage want £70 for an oil and filter on our picasso, the local frenchie specialist charge only a little less!

[Welly]

No problem, straight in the wheely bin

But which one? I have three in different pretty colours

[Welly]

a claw type filter removal tool.

I've seen something which kinda fits the 'fluted' shape of the filter body - like a giant filter-sized socket, is that that you mean? they look handy to be fair.

I've got an old leathery strap thing with a kinda buckle/foot grippy bit - it is royally shyte in the extreme.

[scotty73]

No problem, straight in the wheely bin

But which one? I have three in different pretty colours

Doesn't oil come under recycling?

[steve_earwig]

Oil's made out of dead animals and plants, do you have a bin for compost?