Changing the oil in a vehicle is an important service procedure that all car owners have to deal with pretty regularly. Keeping your car properly oiled by following the recommended maintenance schedule is one of the essential things you can do to prolong the life endurance of your transportation. This goal is achieved by lubricating moving parts, corrosion prevention, and the engine cleaning and cooling.
Below there is a list of tips on how often you should change your car’s oil, do-it-yourself change guide, prices on this service and a list of coupons offered by a range of maintenance service centers.
Oil change coupons
Everybody’s looking for the cheapest oil change near me. Here are the prices and a list of coupons that are presently being offered by automotive service companies in the US.
- Big O Tire Coupons – $19.99 full cheap service filter and oil change, offers change according to the location near me
- Express Oil Change Prices – coupons with $7 off discount on express full-service (done up to 10 minutes)
- EZ Lube – coupons $10 off on cheap full-service change
- Firestone Oil Change Price – $19.99 synthetic blend oil and filter change and other offers
- Goodyear – the prices on different cheap auto maintenance service: $24.95 Conventional, $39.95 Synthetic Blend, $59.95 Full Synthetic
- Grease Monkey Oil Change Price – various coupons, $3-$6 off regular and $10 off synthetic
- Jiffy Lube Oil Change Price – discount coupons $5 off on cheap Jiffy Lube signature service (prices are about $25-$30)
- Meineke Coupons 50 Off – prices depending on the classification of service: $24.95 basic change, $34.95 preferred, $54.95 supreme and more
- Midas Oil Change Coupon – prices range: $19.99-$30.00 and other cheap offers depending on the store
- Discount Tire Alignment – $19.99 change, tire rotation and pressure check
- Oil Can Henry’s – really cheap service: save $8 to $15 (prices are $19.99 to $24.99) on their famous 20-point full-service
- Pep Boys oil change price – list of prices: $24.99 conventional, $5 off high mileage and $10 off synthetic changes including 5 quarts and 25 point check and other cheap offers
- Sears Auto Center Near Me – discount coupons guarantee $21.99 (reg. prices $29.99) conventional or $8 off high mileage/synthetic
- Take 5 Oil – coupons with $5 off on various other service discounts
- Valvoline Oil Change Prices – oil change coupon synthetic: $5 off conventional, $7 off synthetic or synthetic blend
- Victory Lane – $5 off discount coupons on complete service at participating locations near me.
If you are aware of any coupons, prices or discounts near me that isn’t included in this list but is currently available, it would be nice if you could inform us via the contact page, after that we can add it to this list and share it with all the readers!
How to change oil
The majority of car manufacturers recommend replacing the oil and filter every 7,500 miles. Some of them recommend the next schedule – every 10,000 miles. Thank recently made improvements and new technologies used in the cars and oil, both things are much more efficient, newer vehicles are allowed to follow the 7,500-mile schedule.
Cars older than 10 years or so should have their oil checked more often. The recommended frequency depends on the type of vehicle, style of driving, the type of fluid and filter used.
Remember it! It is also advised to swap out synthetic fluid every 6,000 miles and those which are petroleum-based every 4,000 miles. Check your vehicle’s maintenance manual tips for more detailed recommendations and any extra requirements.
Changing-by-yourself is an easy and, more importantly, cheap process. It depends on the make and model of the vehicle, but the basic stages are the same for almost all cars. As we cannot provide you with every last detail for every type of vehicle, we will reveal the general procedure so you can to do it yourself.
You’ll need the following supplies:
- floor jack
- safety stands
- engine oil
- filter
- funnel
- drain pan
- shop towels
- wrench
- filter wrench
- approved disposal container.
Step-by-step guide:
- First, check your owner’s manual to find the type and amount required. Make sure you get the right viscosity. Note any special requirements defined by the American Petroleum Institute (API). Drive the car a bit (e.g. to the store to get the oil) to loosen everything up and heat it up so it flows faster. Let the car cool down a bit so that it is warm (not hot) so you don’t burn yourself during the procedure. It’s not often necessary, but you should find a proper lift point and raise it up using the floor jack if you need better access.
- Support it with the safety stands, then proceed to position the drain pan beneath the drain plug & filter (or the drain plug first if they are far apart from each other). Loosen and remove it using the appropriate wrench. Take the filler cap off to let it run out more quickly and remind you to put more in before starting your car. Clean and control the drain plug to see if it needs a replacement washer. Once all of it has drained from the drain pan, re-install it. Tighten it to the proper torque specifications, located in your car’s maintenance manual. Then, find and slowly loosen the filter. It will drain from the filter very fast.
- After diminishing the flow, continue to loosen it until it is able to be delicately removed from its housing. Make sure that the housing does not have a rubber gasket or O-ring left behind from the old filter. Dip your finger into either the used or the new oil and lubricate the gasket on the new one, then proceed to screw the filter into the housing, following the instructions provided on the packaging.
- The next thing you should do is to remove the drain pan from beneath the vehicle. Raise it enough to safely remove the jack stands, and then slowly lower it until you can move the jack to a safe location. Locate the oil cap on the top of the engine. Remove the cap, insert the funnel, and dispense the required amount into the engine. When completed, replace the cap.
- Use the dipstick to check the level. If the level appears in the marked safe zone on the dipstick, replace the dipstick, enter the vehicle, start the car, wait 30 seconds and turn it off. Wait a few minutes after turning it off and check the level one more time. If it is near the top of the marked safe zone, your work is done. If the level is near the bottom of the safe zone, add one-half quart, then check again. Be sure that you do not get it overfilled. In the end, locate a tool that accepts used fluid and discard it there.
Cheap oil change prices near me
Where can you find the cheapest oil change near me? The average prices to have cheap vehicle’s engine oil and filter changed near me is around $20-$40. This price includes the labor, shop supplies used, filter, gaskets/o-rings/seals and usually the cost of disposing of the used fluid either. The prices basically depend on whether the work is done by an independent mechanic, a car dealership or a retail chain that specializes in this type of service.
Another important factor is whether the engine needs synthetic or regular, and what type of filter is required. The synthetic oil change prices usually are about $40-$70. Depending on how many quarts you need (the prices are about $5-$10 per quart), by doing the work without any professional help will just cost you $10-$20.
Oil change coupons near me
Finding the cheap oil change places near me is easy, but there are things every driver should be careful about. Stay away from the companies that have a bad reputation because of careless staff or bad customer service. Ask your friends or family about their experience with such service or find information online.
In order to avoid problems, it is always a smart decision to choose a national chain near me that offers warranties for their services.
A “free inspection” is sometimes provided as a gesture to check for other issues your car might have. But be careful as this is often a way for shops to convince you that your car requires additional work and that you should pay them to have the problems fixed.
They can find a lot of many other problems if they want to earn more on your car. That is why low-cost chains might be great for swapping out old oil, it is usually a good idea to leave the more complicated and serious repairs to a mechanic you know and trust well.
Remember:
- find cheap reliable service near me;
- don’t ignore discounts and use coupons;
- change car oil in time;
- optionally, learn how to change oil by yourself.
Following these tips, you will see how much you’ll save and your car will always be in good condition.
Frankly speaking, this web page is giving all necessary information about how to keep your car in satisfactory condition. It is a must read for inexperienced drivers, it is easy to understand and all the basics are mentioned here. What makes it more attractive and useful is an ability to find the nearest maintenance shop in near. If something urgent occurs there is nothing better than to find a help in a click.
If you are a happy owner of the new car you are obliged to read the manual information. On this web page, you can find out the main aspects of taking care of your car. To get the more profound info you should find your car from the list and follow the link. The information on the main page may be not updated, so it is better to find the proper section on the site map.
I strongly recommend for everyone to be attentive with the warranty period if you don’t want to pay much for mechanic services it is better to check twice the warranty paper. Who knows, you might have a chance to have your car repaired for free. What is more, the warranty may include different options, so before visiting a mechanic inspect all documents you have.
I have read the article and made a decision to drop the pan and now I can say that it was not so terrible as you can imagine. The instruction is simple and quite clear. The main thing is that I have spent only 50$, I think that the next time I will do the same.
If you want to save some money on mechanics, you have to be smart to do it. The best way to pay less is to get a discount you can easily find them on this site and other similar services. Almost all famous companies have special offers, however, they are limited in time in locations. For example, if you are from Arizona your discount may not be available in Florida. Be attentive.