This post was inspired by a classmate of mine who just doesn’t get “it”.
OK, so everyone agrees that changing your car’s engine oil is a good idea. People however don’t agree on who should do it. Some get all smug about it and scream “I CHANGE MY OWN OIL and NOW I’M A MAN!”. Others just take their car to the local Jiffy Lube or wherever, pay 20 bucks, and get it done.
I fall into the 2nd group. And people at school (actually just the one person mentioned above) give me shit about it every time I mention I need an oil change (Note to self: stop mentioning it!) The conversation goes something like this:
Me: Oh yeah, I need to get an oil change soon.
Douche: Oh really? You can get a good deal on the oil at [some random store].
Me: Good to know, but I’ll probably just make an appointment at the local oil change shop.
Douche: OMG. Why the hell would you do that? You’re not a man unless you do it yourself, you know that right?
Me: Um…no, I did not. I actually thought I was a man because I had a penis but maybe I was wrong.
Douche: Whatever, I can’t believe you’re such a pussy and don’t change your own oil.
It pisses me off because he assumes that I don’t know how to change my oil and acts like he’s the fucking inventor of the automobile.
Neither of those two things is true.
Here are the reasons why I don’t change my own oil:
1. It’s a pain in the ass. I’m sorry, but driving/idling to get the oil warmed up, jacking the car up, unscrewing a bunch of shit, cleaning up the oil spill that’s bound to happen, and putting everything back together is not my idea of a good time.
2. Winter. In Ohio, it’s cold for like 4 months out of the year. I’m almost guaranteed to need an oil change at some point in the cold weather. I’m sure as hell am not going to sit under my car for an extended period of time when it’s snowing.
3. It doesn’t save time. I can schedule an appointment and be in and out of the lube shop in 30 minutes. Compare that to doing it myself where I would have to:
- Change clothes
- Go buy the oil
- Unscrew shit
- Wait for the oil to drain, just like I do at the shop
- Clean up any spills
- Clean up myself
- Oh, and dispose of the oil myself!
The last one is ironic, because guess where I would probably take the oil. Yeah, that’s right, the Midas shop 15 minutes from my house!
So that is why I don’t change my own oil. It’s not because I don’t know how. It’s because I choose not to. I know it’s not hard, I even watched a video showing the steps here.
After I watched it, I said “f**k that” and now I’m calling Midas as soon as I hit the save button on this post.
If you’d like a different perspective, one from someone who does change his own oil and isn’t a douche, check this out.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Changing your own oil is great IF you have a house with a garage. However, if you don’t have access to a garage, then forget about it. Don’t try doing it in a public area or parking lot, people will bug you and the cops will harass you.
For many years, I changed my own oil, I’ve even done it discretely in parking lots!! I have to agree with you that paying someone else to do it is CHEAPER than doing it yourself.
If you take you car to Jiffy Lube, Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, etc. They tend to make a lot of MISTAKES with your car. I have read stories of people driving off, the oil light comes on and they see oil draining out of their engine onto the road because the technician forgot to remove the OLD gasket from the oil filter. Also I once saw someone who owned a Subaru and they drained the TRANSMISSION FLUID by mistake thinking it was the engine oil…
I always take my car to the DEALER to get my oil changed because they are experienced with your car and model and they know what they are doing. This however can be a problem if you live in an area where there is no dealer in the area.
This is especially true if you own a Mercedes or Porsche or something that is really nice because you don’t want anyone working on it other than the dealer.
I’ve heard some bad stories about quick lube shops, but have never had a problem myself. The employees at the location I go to always seem knowledgeable. Thanks for the comment!