DIY Oil Changes

[Gr8bawana]

You can do your own oil changes in about 30 minutes tops. You will save a ton of money in the process and learn things about your truck. You can also save a lot by not wasting your $$ on synthetic oil. It's a waste of money.
I can already hear those that swear by it yelling. But by religiously changing the oil in both of my vehicles between 3,000 and 5,000 miles with conventional oil, one has 297,000+ miles on it and my '97 Ram 1500 has 267,000 miles on it. So one one can tell me synthetic oil is necessary.

 

[Pull Ya]

Did you ever have a lab do an oil analysis when you changed oil?
Jay

 

[dexter]

error

 

[Gr8bawana]

Did you ever have a lab do an oil analysis when you changed oil?
Jay

Why bother? No need to waste more $$. I think I've more than gotten my money out of both these vehicles.

 

[JDLonghorn]

Why bother? No need to waste more $$. I think I've more than gotten my money out of both these vehicles.

I agree 100%. I've been changing my own oil for 40 plus years and never used synthetic. I've ran a couple of cars over 200,000 miles and several over 100,000 and never ever had an oil related failure. My last Hemi in my '09 300 had 100,000 when I traded it off and it never had synthetic in it either. Is synthetic "better" ? absolutely! Is it necessary? I don't think so.

 

[69GWC]

Part of the reason to run synthetic oil is for the longer oil change intervals.
You spend about the same money just run it twice as long, so you only crawl under the truck half as often.

 

[rotwiler]

At 24.95 for 5 quart jug of penzoil ultra platnium and current $10 off mail or Internet penzoil rebate, is great deal and amazon ships to door.

 

[tidefan1967]

Synthetic oil keeps the Hemi tick at bay for me so I would consider it to almost be a necessity unless you don't mind hearing that nasty ass clatter on a regular basis. I generally change my oil twice a year so we're basically talking $20 extra. That's 45 minutes of pay or 6 cans of chew so I don't think it will break the bank for me but to each their own I guess.

 

[1500canoe]

Conventional at 3k intervals or synthetic at 6k intervals and not quite 2x the price. I'll spend less time under the truck and have less used oil to take somewhere by running synthetic.

With that said, no, I don't think there's anything "wrong" with running conventional oil.

 

[rotwiler]

i regret not buying new covers with drains on them for my vehicles without a drain lol, my cheap butt just won't learn sometimes lol

13 and up Rams have drain already, I didn't even know and was going to buy a cover, then discovered the drain plug.

 

[tbird71]

I used to change all my oil and still do on my Titan in IL, but down here in FL I use the Ram dealer I dont run syn just mopar semi syn dino oil and they change it for $25 OUT THE DOOR with the coupon. (they match anyone's coupon and there's always one of those in the flyer each month just bring it in) It's also part of the truck's history should any drivetrain or motor work be needed in future which I like. They also inspect and note any issues should they come up. I cant possibly change it myself for anywhere NEAR that price.

 

[Outdoors76]

I used to change all my oil and still do on my Titan in IL, but down here in FL I use the Ram dealer I dont run semi syn just mopar dino oil and they change it for $25 OUT THE DOOR with the coupon. They also inspect and note any issues should they come up. I cant possibly change it myself for anywhere NEAR that price.

wow that is CHEAP!

 

[rcmedic]

I have been a Master Mechanic for a large portion of my working life and must agree with Socal's comment above, Doing your own oil changes and many other small scale repairs and
maintenance goes a long way with keeping you (the Owner) in tune with your vehicle. Someone above also mentioned that no matter how good they are, VERY few will ever care as much about your truck as you do. Knowledge is good. Changing your oil, while a little messy, is not difficult and it affords an opportunity for you to put your own eyes on parts of your truck that many never do.

 

[stormRammer]

Is it safe to assume that the oil filter is still in the same location between a 2012 and a 2016 5.7, right above the steering?

 

[Alweeja]

Historically I've paid for my oil to be changed in my 2014 ram 1500 by a small mechanics office in my old town and he was really good, but I usually paid around 90 bucks for oil change and tire rotation by him, using full synthetic 5W-20, since I have moved to a different state and cant seem to find a small mom and pop mechanics shop I'd like to start changing my own oil, I'm wondering if it's worth it to do it myself or just keep taking it to someone to get it changed, am I saving any money or just getting myself dirty for no reason

 

[Alweeja]

I get my oil changed @ dealer for $35.00 ( semi-synthetic) which is cheaper than I can do it @ home.

 

[Outdoors76]

at my dealer it is $90 for synthetic and about $70 for blend.

i wonder if the price difference is a regional thing....

 

[Christian1500]

I thought it was important to do the oil change service at the dealer so they can have that in the maintenance records? So when you want to trade or sell your car you can show that you did the maintenance services.

 

[gixxer]

Get the heavy duty wheel ramps and just drive up and you’ll have lots of room. No need to jack it up or squish under.

Also, it’s the peace of mind knowing it’s done right.

Do they really check everything even though they are supposed to. The guys who tchange oil in some of those shops aren’t allowed to change a tire. Does he really know if something is off or failing.

Lastly, speed is not a good thing. If your engine is running a good chunk of the oil is still up in the heads. I let mine drop out for a few hours and pour a quart of cheap oil through to get any last bit out.

My sister took her vehicle to an oil change place with her own oil. They used half of the oil. So she paid for 50% new and old.

 

[Randee]

I have a 2500 Diesel. My local dealership charges $160 for an oil change using Mopar filter and Rotella 4T oil. I can change it myself for $60 or so if I can find oil on sale. Sam's has the 6 gallon case for $65 when I can catch it on sale and Amazon has Fleet Guard filters for $27 for a two pack.

I almost always find coupons from the dealership for $90 for the oil change and filter.