Reading a 2005 forum thread about car maintenance flipped my opinion on DIY oil changes

I used to think changing your own oil was a waste of time. For years I paid $60 at the quick lube place and figured the convenience was worth it. Then last Tuesday I stumbled on a thread from 2005 on some old car forum, a guy named something like 'BlueCollarBob' was explaining how he'd done it for 30 years and broke down the cost. He said a 5 quart jug of synthetic was $25 and a filter was $8, so he was saving like $27 every 5,000 miles. That math hit me different. But what really got me was him describing the crushed washer under the drain plug, how if you don't replace that little 50 cent part you'll get a slow drip that ruins your driveway. I'd never even thought about that. So I tried it last weekend on my 2017 Civic. Took me about 45 minutes, made a mess with the drain pan, but honestly it felt good to know exactly what went in. Now I'm wondering, for those of you who do your own, do you bother with the torque wrench or just snug it by feel? Seems like a lot of people skip that part.

2 comments

2 Comments

ramirez.daniel14d ago

That crushed washer detail reminds me how guys like that always know the small stuff the rest of us never think to check.

lindaw2913d agoMost Upvoted

That "small stuff" mindset is the real tell, @ramirez.daniel, cause it means they've been burned before and learned the hard way.