expensive oil changes?

I changed the oil on my Honda Civic Hybrid which also uses 0W-20 oil. I could pick it up locally at O'Reilly's for about $6-7/quart or order on amazon for $50/6 quarts. I did the changes myself. I plan on doing the same with this car after I get finished with the free ones

 

At a lot of shops, the mechanics own tools, and they're very expensive, and they don't want them stolen.

 

M1 is fine but I prefer Royal Purple. As soon as I'm outside the 35k the 0w20 Royal Purple 'racing synthetic' is going in. Easily lasts 10k+ miles with a decent filter.

 

I'd agree with the oil change part, but I know I couldn't rotate my own tires if my life depended on it. I haven't the tools nor the strength to do it.

 

It doesn't take strength, you use your legs!

 

Much safer to pay someone to do it or simply purchase a set of tires from a company like Costco or America's Tire Company who will perform free tire rotations for anyone in your family. Work smart, not harder.

 

Quick and easy tire rotatations need jackstands and a hydraulic jack to put up up both ends at the same time. The strenght portion is minimal in that standing on the lug wrench will be sufficient. Tourquing the nuts equally may take a bit of care, but a torque wrench can easily be procured if desired.

As I have mentioned prior, a single purchase of tools enables years of savings. Once shown, known. Every young female I have shown maintenance items to has been excited with the knowledge and power of overcoming the unknown and previously mysterious car stuff. Give a person a fish (tire iron), etc, etc...

 

*Clarification*
For tire rotations, both ends of the car up in the air and on jack stands need be done only on one side at a time.

My apologies.

 

I wish I had been taught basic car maintenance when I was growing up. No one in my family did any of that stuff. To be completely honest, I don't really have the desire to do so now. I'm okay with paying people to do it at this point in my life. Perhaps that will change later on (like when I have a garage/driveway of my own). Judge me if you will, but doing your own car maintenance is just not necessary anymore. I feel I have better ways to spend my time. I understand that it has its advantages, and I'm not saying people shouldn't learn it, but it's not necessary to look down on people who can't do it, or choose not to.

This isn't directed at anyone in particular, just expressing my thoughts on the issue...

 

No worries, Ashley.

I used to do every bit of basic maintenance on my cars. Then while on chemo and multiple surgeries over the last 4yrs I have stopped doing many of the more taxing activities and am happy to pay someone else to do it. IMO just because someone doesn't want to work on their car doesn't mean they are any less than the typical DIYer.

 

Some people might not have the ability to do their own maintance. As much as I would love to do my own oil change, I am not going to be lay down in my apartments parking lot in the winter time to do it. Yes dealerships should charge money for the service they do but they shouldn't be commiting highway robbery either.

 

BS.
You do realize some people can have injuries or ailments that simply preclude them doing this type of maintenance? Also if people have the freedom to decide to DIY...people should also have the freedom to decide to simply have it done by others...

And NOBODY deserves to be ripped off in either case.

 

Prior to 2002 (when i got my first maintenance contract on a new car), I was all about DIY maintenance. I loved giving a full tune-up to my old Toyota pickup, and my Corolla after that. Rebuilt a carburetor once, even. As long as I can get the service for free, I see no reason not to take advantage of it.

 

I find it most expedient to just raise the whole car, albeit just high enough, say an inch clearance under the tires, that's all you need, and it makes lifting easier. Be sure to break loose all the lug nuts, slightly, not completely, before raising the car. So you're not fighting a fully torqued lug nut with the car sitting on jack stands.

One other thing: I find the front rocker panel jackstand points to flimsy on the Prius, basically a single thickness of sharp sheet metal. I've taken to putting the front jackstands under the main underbody beam, near it's front end. It's a little hard to describe, will dig up a pic tonight and post.

 

Carlsbad Toyota Dealer quoted me $64 for an oil and filter change. $465 for the 30K service.

 

Obviously, DIY depends on multiple factors.These encouragements are for the young, healthy, cash strapped Prius Owner that is desirous of doings and learning. I am 77 and am still a DIY because I still have interest. Being a former mechanic and Technician makes repair come naturally to me. I would not expect someone not in good health or someone not knowing what a lug wrench is to crawl under a car. Any aversion to oil contact can also be put up with but not comprehended. If I malfunction a repair, I am responsible, if a mechanic screws up, you the owner may be SOL. Never in any way would I look down upon anybody that has thier car maintenance done. Basically I seach PC for maint. Tips, But some use it for comparison shopping, that's all right too.

 

Another factor which prevents me from doing my own car maintenance these days is the weather. It is almost always too dang cold or too dang hot to spend more time outdoors than is absolutely necessary. We get, maybe, two months of "decent" weather in this town, and usually my cars don't need anything done during those months!

I am not crawling under my car when it's 118 degrees outside, nor when it is 60 degrees.

 

Ah, Vegas, my boyfriend's parents just moved from there. I've heard about the miserably hot summers. Here we have rain 9 months of the year

 

Vegas isn't all that dry, Ashley. You'd be amazed how wet our winters are. We even get snow every few years. We go from one extreme to the other. Late May and early October are usually fantastic weather, the rest of the year - BLEH. And don't forget the winds... the first year I was here, we had one wind storm which was so strong that it moved a full-sized cast iron oven about 20 feet across the back patio.