Just did my first oil change - nothing blew up (or better yet siezed)!

[danp]

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^^ This

oil changes at home on cars is a waste of time and money. messy too, then you have to bother with clean up and disposal.


no need to have a "friend" most car dealers are very competitive for full synthetics. my Honda dealer offers full synthetic oil changes for $59 using a factory oil filter. Cant beat that.

In and out service, and should any warranty issues arrive, i know Im covered. Oh yah, and I get a free cappuccino in the lounge to boot!


https://ontariohondaservice.com/oilchange/

A 5L jug of synthetic oil often goes on sale at canadian tire for $30. Another $10 for the filter and that's still a lot cheaper than taking it to the dealer, plus you know it's done right.

As for the mess you can suck the oil out the dipstick tube with an extractor pump, that way there's no mess. I alternate and do one oil change that way, and one the traditional way just to give me the chance to get under the car and inspect things, but there's no harm in using the extractor every time.

 

[bikepike]

You removed a bolt and refilled oil, congratulations. Hope you know how to check tire pressure

 

[nobbie48]

^^ This

oil changes at home on cars is a waste of time and money. messy too, then you have to bother with clean up and disposal.


no need to have a "friend" most car dealers are very competitive for full synthetics. my Honda dealer offers full synthetic oil changes for $59 using a factory oil filter. Cant beat that.

In and out service, and should any warranty issues arrive, i know Im covered. Oh yah, and I get a free cappuccino in the lounge to boot!


https://ontariohondaservice.com/oilchange/

A friend is the service manager at a GM dealership and he says they lose money on every one of those. They recoup the hit by keeping the customer coming back for the big stuff like brakes, tune-ups, tires etc.

My independent mechanic charges about $100 for a change but while the oil is draining he checks the brakes, suspension and steering. I think my dealer wanted about $100 for those little inspections.

For the bike I do my own. Service schedules suck at M/C shops.

 

[moarmoto]

On a bike it's simple and quick.

For my car, I take it to Ford dealership for their works package. Oil change + inspection + tire rotation for around $100.

I did buy a floor jack recently to change brake pads and rotors so I might not need to go to dealership anymore.

I do like working on motorcycle but not so much on car. I don't know why

 

[Blackfin]

You removed a bolt and refilled oil, congratulations. Hope you know how to check tire pressure

Must be a tech at a dealership angry that another person has figured out the $100/hr labour scam.

 

[bigpoppa]

Must be a tech a dealership angry that another person has figured out the $100/hr labour scam.

lol

 

[bikepike]

Must be a tech a dealership angry that another person has figured out the $100/hr labour scam.

Not at all. Going to post a thread after I clean my chain to let everyone know that I clean my chain, you can also congratulate me for doing so

 

[bigpoppa]

Not at all. Going to post a thread after I clean my chain to let everyone know that I clean my chain, you can also congratulate me for doing so

You got fire retardant? because you're gonna get flamed

 

[Riceburner]

I do as much work on my vehicles as I can. Oil, brakes, tire rotation, etc. That way I know what's done and it done right.

 

[Joe Bass]

Not at all. Going to post a thread after I clean my chain to let everyone know that I clean my chain, you can also congratulate me for doing so

Some of us are not mechanically inclined. Some things like oil changes, that to most here are second nature, are intimidating to people like me. I watched a few YT vids, read some posts and asked some questions. And tbh the first time didn't go so smoothly, but it ended well. And yes, I felt proud.
Things that are easy for me are not so easy for others....I think nothing of getting in front of a crowd and talking. Or getting on stage and singing. We all have different stengths and weaknesses.
That being said, there will always be people that can't or won't do certain things, which keeps others employed.

Sent from my purple G4 using Tapatalk

 

[PhatBastard]

Well spoken brother Joe
To almost all of us, cleaning a chain looks very easy, of course until ones fingers are caught in a sprocket. Some of us do not have the knowledge to do repairs safely. I have lost count of how many stories I have read about people getting crushed by there car because the jack failed. As a mechanic friend used to say 75.00 per hour if I do the work, 150.00 per hour if you started the work

 

[sburns]

You removed a bolt and refilled oil, congratulations. Hope you know how to check tire pressure

oh maybe you can help me with that? No wait seeing as you forgot about the oil filter, probably not.


Sent from the moon!

 

[J_F]

oh maybe you can help me with that? No wait seeing as you forgot about the oil filter, probably not.


Sent from the moon!

and all the other things you looked at and checked
the oil change is minor
I bet it was also a good inspection/cleaning??

 

[Owen]

Are oil changes even worth doing yourself anymore?

My mechanic does a full synthetic oil change for my bike and car for $40 and $60 respectively. He is a family friend though.

Bikes. Yes
Car. No

My bike is done in the time it take to put on my gear. Or the time it takes to wait at the register to pay for said oil change.

Cars...not even worth it to jack it up and crawl under that thing. Cost of oil is cheaper to pay a local shop while I'm in the LCBO and grocery store shopping around.

 

[sburns]

Here's a good video on clutch adjustment for big twins: https://youtu.be/4p_vjd0GtCk

Thanks!

 

[sburns]

I bet it was also a good inspection/cleaning??

Somewhat, there was a ton of dirt rammed into places under the bike, had to take a scrub brush to clear off the drain plug.
I kinda made more of a mess taking off the oil filter. Will have to figure that out for next time.
I really need to give it a good clean, tons of bug splatters, but it was to nice of a day, yesterday, to hang around.

 

[J_F]

^ a can of brake clean is handy to have around when doing your own maintenance
for any spillage on the bike, or on the floor if your cardboard doesn't catch it all

 

[Roadghost]

I'm another who changes both oils at the same time. I use dino oil in the engine and synthetic in the trans. I also use a Scavenger on my Blockhead to flush the remaining old oil out of the engine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H34d59WEIdc

 

[DJM]

Well done SB.

One thing about brake cleaner, it's an awesome cleaner but depending on the chemical composition it can really mess up painted surfaces.

I use S100 and an assortment of paint brushes to get into the different grimy areas.

 

[GreyGhost]

I'm another who changes both oils at the same time. I use dino oil in the engine and synthetic in the trans. I also use a Scavenger on my Blockhead to flush the remaining old oil out of the engine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H34d59WEIdc

So you do a normal oil change and then use the scavenger while pouring in more oil to get the old oil out of the galleries? Interesting, I hadn't seen that done before.

I am shocked/confused that well over a litre of dirty oil stays in the engine. That should be enough to turn the new oil black in a few minutes which doesn't happen so I don't understand.

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