It may seem advantageous to change the oil on your car, but there are serious drawbacks. Here are four reasons right to reconsider:
Tools and parts are expensive
If you think tools are cheap, guess again. A professional car mechanic spends thousands of dollars on tools. They need many tools to meet the demands of the job. To change motor oil, you must purchase these tools, and if you’re not careful, the number will grow. For example, if you buy the wrong size wrench, you must return and exchange it. What happens when the tool or part is wrong and the car is disabled? You’ll need a bicycle to use as alternative transportation to the auto parts store. Add “bicycle” to your “tools to buy” list. Watch it grow.
Service garages see incomplete Do-It-Yourself projects occasionally. The cost of oil and tools is marked up at the auto parts store, making the venture costly. On the other hand, the oil your mechanic uses comes in bulk in a drum. It costs them less and they pass on the savings to you.
Elevating your Car is Dangerous
Your car jack enables you to change the tire, but not much else. It should not be used to create clearances so the owner can crawl beneath the car and work. There are tools available for that, like ramps or floor jacks, but they’re expensive. These tools also take up storage space in your garage that you may want to use for something else.
You Could Make a Mistake
Maybe the biggest trick in changing your oil is getting the right oil filter to fit correctly. If it’s the wrong filter or it’s loose, the new motor oil will cycle out of your engine and on the ground. Driving a car without motor oil is a costly mistake. Another hazard is not using the correct torque to tighten the oil plug screw. Screwing it down too tight may thread the hole, and then a trained mechanic must re-thread it. We hope that he sympathizes with your goal. For you, it’s just another added expense.
The Big Cleanup
Consider the Exxon Valdez. The ship spilled its oil off the coast of Alaska twenty-five years ago. What an enormous mess. Petroleum is a hazardous product before and after its been in your crankcase for 3000 miles. It can harm your uncovered hands, destroy your clothes, wreck your expensive work boots and create a HAZMAT incident if you spill it.
Even if recycling the oil isn’t cost prohibitive, the drive to the recycling station takes time and gas. Consider spending the same amount of time at a job working for a wage. You may come out ahead. In addition, transporting motor oil requires special pans with covers to do it safely. Without expensive oil containers, you could spill dirty, toxic oil on the carpet in your trunk. This makes the carpet ugly and causes a smell. As stains go, it’s impossible to get used motor oil out of the carpet.
If you factor in the time and money you will spend finding tools, motor oil, filters, doing the steps and then cleaning it all up, you would be better off going to a service station. Check out Desert Oasis European Auto Service and Repair on the web and find out how inexpensive and hassle free a motor oil change can be.
