What do you pay for an oil change?

[effingpot]

Hi Chaps,
Honourary Brit here. I'm due an oil change on my 5.4L V8 and it seems expensive. In my local (UK) garages I've been quoted £80 ($102) and £122 ($155) if I supply the filter! To be fair it's 5.7L of engine oil. On amazon.co.uk the oil alone costs about £50 so the £80 deal doesn't seem so bad! I seem to recall when I lived in the USA it was way cheaper, and basically a drive-through experience for around half of the money! That was a few years ago though.

What do you USA based folks pay for the same thing?
cheers
Mike

 

[Don Hall]

My 2004 Expedition with standard tires provided plenty of room to perform oil/filter changes without jacking the truck. Just slid a piece of cardboard for ease of movement under the truck, and it took just a few minutes.

Now, at 88, with very limited driving, oil changes are a thing of the past.

Don't know your Expedition model year, or the type of oil being used, but at 63, you
should fit nicely under the vehicle to change oil/filter.

To answer your US cost question, Valvoline (was Oil Can Henry's) charges $39 - $89
depending on type of oil, and quantity. Coupons are readily available ($7 - $10).

Costco has periodic sales 6 quarts Mobile-1 for $31 ($10 off).

 

[effingpot]

Don, Since I can get oil easily and have filters I was wondering about just doing it myself. Can't be that hard right? I have an impossible 2015 XLT 5.4L V8 but the holes are in the same place I reckon!
I hate the thought of being ripped. Disposing of used oil here is not that easy though - a bit regulated to ensure it's not dumped!
$39-89 is a bargain!
We do have Costco in the UK but haven't looked at their oil costs - good idea though!
cheers
Mike

 

[Don Hall]

.....Since I can get oil easily and have filters I was wondering about just doing it myself. ......

Mike, absolutely do the change yourself. You will need a filter cap tool (photo) that is driven by a ⅜" socket wrench to remove the filter, and a funnel for the oil. Make sure the filter tool fits the filter.
There are several sizes.

A shallow oil catch pan is desired, available at most auto shops
(see photo below).

The filter cap fits over the bottom of the filter. Many choices available. Caution: do not over tighten the filter. Most just require secure hand tightening. Check for leaks when finished.

Many gas stations/auto shops will recycle oil. Check with the local stations/shops.

Shallow oil change pan:

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

Do it yourself. It's really easy on the 5.4L V8. No need to jack it up and everything is easy to reach. The only part where I occasionally find myself fiddling around a bit is getting the new filter started. I don't know what your options for disposal are in the UK, but here in the US a lot of the auto parts stores allow me to dump up to 5 gallons in 1 trip. I just drain it, dump it into a 5-gal water jug and bring it down to the store after a couple oil changes.

 

[Boostedbus]

I buy A 6 qt. case of Mobil 1 5w-30 Full synthetic on sale at Costco for $28.00 and a FL820S MOTORCRAFT filter from Advance Auto Parts for $8.50 .... with 6% sales tax that = $38.69 then I take the waste oil back to Advance and dump for free.

 

[Aspen03]

Same, Costco Mobil 1 when on sale for the $28, My father in law and I buy the FL820S filters by the case for under $4 a pop. $32+tax is hard to beat for a full synthetic oil change. I'm sure pricing is significantly different over there but surely considerably less than those shop prices.

I just slide under the expedition, as long as you havent had too many beers in life you should fit without a jack. I do, just barely. Lol. I wish I could do that with the navigator but with the air ride I dont trust it. I can turn it off after being pumped up but should something fail I become the airbag, no thanks.

 

[Boostedbus]

Same, Costco Mobil 1 when on sale for the $28, My father in law and I buy the FL820S filters by the case for under $4 a pop. $32+tax is hard to beat for a full synthetic oil change. I'm sure pricing is significantly different over there but surely considerably less than those shop prices.

I just slide under the expedition, as long as you havent had too many beers in life you should fit without a jack. I do, just barely. Lol. I wish I could do that with the navigator but with the air ride I dont trust it. I can turn it off after being pumped up but should something fail I become the airbag, no thanks.

Where/Who do you buy the case of MOTORCRAFT filters from?

 

[Don Hall]

Where/Who do you buy the case of MOTORCRAFT filters?

Walmart, Amazon, Autozone, Ford dealers..... just to name a few.

 

[07navi]

Always do it yourself. My oil changes on the Excursion I had for 12 years were about $6 plus the filter, total. I got the oil from garage sales and mixed it all but the v-10 still ran great at 200k miles when I sold it. Can you beat that ????????no.

 

[Boostedbus]

I never looked for cases of oil filters at discount prices but makes perfect sense. My Expedition and Explorer both take the same FL-500S filter and my E350 Van and F150 both take the same FL-820S filters, so it would pay to stock up. Years ago every Ford I owned all took the FL1A ..... now only my 69 Eliminator still takes it. Pretty soon that filter is going to be hard to find.

 

[Don Hall]

...... My oil changes were about $6 plus the filter.
Can you beat that? NO!

I can't beat that price..... "A new track record".

 

[Trainmaster]

If you fight with the filter wrench throw it out and buy one made in USA. It will make the job 100% easier than fighting with the Chinese wrenches that just barely fit. With good tools, the job takes ten minutes without a jack.

 

[Boostedbus]

I buy the FL820S filters by the case for under $4 a pop.

I just bought 12 in a case of the FL-820S For $42 and change ,and the FL-500S case of 12 for $44 and change from Amazon Prime.......thanks! Why didn’t I think to buy by the case before????

 

[Aspen03]

Where/Who do you buy the case of MOTORCRAFT filters from?

RockAuto routinely has them for $3 or so ea before shipping when you purchase 12qty. We try to order with other parts to save some shipping costs. Everytime Costco does the oil sale I buy 2 6qt boxes, the limit they usually have. In laws dont have a membership but theres enough to go around since it pops up every 3-4 months, buying 6-8 boxes per year. If I need more my parents pick it up for me on theirs. They have leased vehicles with service built in so no need to buy oil themselves. Theres always 12qt sitting in a cabinet should a need arise.

 

[Boostedbus]

Everytime Costco does the oil sale I buy 2 6qt boxes, the limit they usually have.

Same here

 

[Boostedbus]

Theres always 12qt sitting in a cabinet should a need arise.

My garage is like an oil warehouse. I’ve not only change the oil in the five vehicles I previously mentioned, but also my diesel dump truck, my dads old work van, my Jeep,2 riding mowers, 1 push mower, 4 ATV’s, 2 generators, 1 log splitter, and once in a while my gas compressor. I usually take 4 five gallon buckets of waste oil in at a time. It’s hard to stay up on everything, I usually try to do a couple at a time if they are close on intervals. My bad... the one ATV is a 2 stroke. Thank god my 2 leaf blowers, and 2 weed eaters are also. Damn I forgot about my skid steer and Yanmar tractor over at my shop.....I’m starting to neglect

 

[Aspen03]

His is similar, having owned a shop he has 16 ft of rack space in another garage...has 2 2 car attached garages that kinda meet in a corner w a common entryway...the house ironically has in laws quarters, a spare apartment more or less. One rack is full of all sorts of fluids, oil, coolant, gear oil, etc. He used to race trucks and hornet cars, has a boat and still works on all of that stuff for people during downtime. Theres a 250g oil tank out back for the used stuff w 2 of the 20g catch tanks he used to use w the lights at the shop. They have an air fitting transfer to the big boy out back and once a year or so a guy comes and pulls it out and takes a couple pallet/totes of scrap.

My garage is full of stupid shit, you can barely park a bicycle in there let alone work on a car. It's on the list, I had arranged help w a couple friends and sure enough, 3 days later a spring broke jamming the door at a wierd angle. Planning to fix that next week when I'm off if I'm in the mood.

This past week has been a mess. We left for vacation minutes (wasnt aware until we got to our destination) after two of my friends were ambushed by some crazy **** in a cemetery and were shot and had to arrange for our kids to be watched 2 states away w family so we could return. One friend made it, unfortunately the other did not and he was laid to rest today. A random guy at a stoplight in a truck saw the commotion next to his truck after it was hit by a stay bullet right as the shooter was pointing a gun at my friends head as he's trying to fight for control of the gun. Truck guy gets out and put one in the head of the shooter, ending the altercation. Swift justice was thankfully delivered, hard enough dealing w the loss, I couldn't imagine waiting out a trial for something like this...

 

[Boostedbus]

Truck guy gets out and put one in the head of the shooter, ending the altercation.

Wow, I’m glad at least one friend survived. I don’t really understand how people think banning guns and even defunding or abolishing the police is gonna do anything but put law abiding citizens at more risk.

 

[Trainmaster]

I don’t really understand how people think banning guns and even defunding or abolishing the police is gonna do anything but put law abiding citizens at more risk.

That's the intent.