rsssguy

I change my own oil in my Callaway and muscle cars and normally do so in all my other cars.Recently been super busy so my daughters Jeep and the wife's Denali went to a local quik change place. I just changed both myself and literally had to jack them up and use a breaker bar to get the plug out. Almost rounded bolt head on both using a 13 Pt and ended up having to use a 6 pt. No more quik changes for me. I had more time invested in getting the plug out than I did with whole change. Thank goodness they didn't break it off in the pan or block!

boraxman

Im a do-it-yourselfer all the way, something gets screwed up I have no one to blame but myself.

torquetube

Those 13-point sockets are murder on bolts. Ha.

Bowling Green likes (or liked) to torque the living daylights out of the oil _filter_. Removal of mine required a filter wrench, some shims wedged in there to keep it from slipping, and a breaker bar. This was mid-roadtrip on my way back from Museum Delivery.

Tonylmiller

I ABSOLUTELY HATE having anyone else
work on my car. If I need a TPMS replaced, I take the wheel off myself and just give them the wheel. I even hate giving them the wheel!

Fortunately nowadays most things that break can be fixed by the owner.

rsssguy

Me too.....one of my sensors was acting up and I had a nightmare they used air tools and marred the finish of my black lugs right after cracking my ZR 1 CF splitter when pulling it up on rack. My car has 3400 miles but when I switch to the PS 2's, I have a feeling I will be loading 4 tires up in a truck......

carpe dm

At least you had a plug to remove..... I have heard of them coming out after a "fast change" experience! I hope I never get too old or stiff to change my own oil.

rsssguy

I think that after all the horror stories associated with the places and being sued for negligence for not installing or tightening the plug, they are taking it to the extreme. I agree that I would prefer to use a breaker bar than reach down and unscrew it with my fingers. I'm doing all of my own from here on out, regardless of how busy I am!

davidtcpa

I am way too busy to DIY with my Vette. I let HP Sales in Pompano do everything. I trust nobody else!!

turbod

I'm 67 years old and I change my own oil in all four of our vehicles. Don't trust anyone else.

Since most garages won't let you behind their doors (for insurance purposes?) to observe, how do you know the flunky filled the engine before starting it and seeing the red oil light, then turning it off to fill it afterwards? Don't think it doesn't happen? I'll sell you a bridge!

C6ROLLER

Well based on all these stories I guess im gonna have to invest 1K+ on tools and become a DIY guy, im 34 but not really mechanically inclined...just gonna have to learn thru CF!

chevahaulic

Bought my daughter a couple year old Malibu while she was in college. As she was a hundred miles away sometimes she would take the car to a local garage for oil changes. The 4 cylinder engine had a cartridge filter in a plastic case. I had placed a dob of grease on the back side with a pencil mark. The garage charged her for the filter but never removed the cover. Through references she found another place for service. When I checked the top was wiped dry and the filter was changed. Only to find a longer filter was smashed into the cavity.
I know this style filter is more expensive but please sell the correct part you are getting paid for.
Like the old saying goes.... want it done right, do it yourself.

rsssguy

After about your third change, whatever you invested in tools would be covered. Most expensive will be the hydraulic, low profile, jack. One hockey puck, one jack,one wrench for plug and a filter wrench. Unless you use a quik change place. Then you might need a four post lift and a breaker bar

ParisTNDude

I regularly get coupons from my dealership for oil service for $17.95 and I use them for all of my cars oil changes. For the Vette, I buy my own oil and and they change it for $11. My dealership has three franchises and the Chrysler service takes less than an hour.

village idiot

Related: After seeing so many parts, draincocks, plugs, etc come flying off at the race track, I'm very inclined to safety wire my drain plug and oil filter. Sometimes, stuff just wiggles loose. Sometimes, you misread a torque wrench. Sometimes, a torque wrench isn't accurate (and that's how my college roommate's VW TDI got a new engine after a timing belt swap).


My only fear is a future buyer will look at it and think it was a track car.

Unrelated: Back in college, some jackass I got into a road rage incident with at my apartment complex (he damn near ran me over while I was stopped and somehow it was my fault). He loosened the draincock on my motorcycle and all the oil came pouring out on the highway- directly on to my rear wheel at about 75mph.

Johnathon59

Ok... here's my story, not on my vette but on my previous 2011 Denali, came home from the Chevy dealership where I bought it from, just had an oil & filter change, pulled into my garage & went in to have lunch, 45 mins. later went to leave & smelled something burning in my garage, thinking possibly a few drops of oil on manifold (which is common) opened hood to find engine compartment full of smoke ! looked down & saw a shop rag laying on exhaust manifold smoldering !! DAMN !! pulled it out & looked for damage, non found, I'm happy it didn't catch anymore on fire & burn my house down, I called the dealership & told them the story & all I got was "I'm very sorry" **

dvilin

I have a fine, trusted mechanic who knows Vettes and that is all he works on. Been servicing my Vette since new. He changes the oil I have a nice coffee and doughnut, all is good..

7thgeneration

I take my cars to the dealer for alignments, and THAT IS IT !

Tonylmiller

If you make some wooden ramps, you could buy everything you need to change the oil for less than $100, I bet. Including the ramps.

Mad*Max

I got everything for less than $40.

Forget the quick lube places - before I started doing my own I used to go the dealer and when I did mine the first time took me 20 min. to get the drain plug out.

corvetteflier

I've used Rhino Ramps for years. Put a 2x4 in front of them and the car goes up easy. Slight scraping of the air dams backing down, but what else is new? Have free oil changes for 30 months from the Dealer, so will take it there. Otherwise, would never go to a quick lube place. I trust the Dealer--they know Corvettes, but I trust myself more.