Maintaining your car is one of the most important things that you need to do every few weeks and one of the things that you will need to do is to schedule regular oil changes for your car. While oil changes are usually not too expensive, knowing how to save money on oil changes is something that everyone should know how to do. Even little bits of savings can make a big difference in your budget.
How to Save Money on Oil Changes
Stop getting oil changes every 3,000 miles –
The first thing about saving money on oil changes that you should know is that the mileage for oil changes typically recommended is 7,500 – 10,000 miles, not the 3,000 miles that most oil change shops put on your dash window sticker. Make sure and check your vehicles owners manual and see what is recommended. I have asked my oil change company to make my dash sticker say 7,500 miles until it needs it again. They also will do free top offs anytime if you feel you are getting lower on oil too. So by not getting your oil changed so frequently you can save up to 50% off.
Look for coupons –
Tire and lube places often put out coupons in the newspaper or your local weekly free ads. These coupons can often help you score your oil change for as little as $14.99. Before you take your car into have the change done, be sure to scour around to look for a coupon. Doing so can save you 50% or more off of the work that you need done. Most companies also have online coupons that you can just pull up on your phone and show them to save money. Here are a few online coupons:
Jiffy Lube Coupons
Pep Boys Oil Change Coupon
Firestone Coupons
Oil Can Henry’s Coupons
Use Groupon –
The last time that I had an oil change done on my car, it was done at Sears for $9.99. How? I used a Groupon. While Groupon is usually more for fun activities and eating out, occasionally you will find something such as an oil change to really help you save money. It never hurts to check and you may just find yourself getting lucky with a deal.
Stay away from the dealership –
I know that this sounds like a bad idea, but hear me out for just a moment. Dealership repair sites are great for specific repairs that your car might need such as a major fix with your engine. For smaller repairs though, like an oil change, they are usually much more expensive than other places.For these types of repairs, going to the local chain business or a mom and pop business will generally save you quite a bit.
Skip the Do it Yourself Oil Change –
Now I’m usually an advocate for doing things yourself. And when I was growing up I changed my own oil all the time. However, if you do a cost comparison for doing it yourself vs at an oil change shop, the price is usually only a few dollars different. For example my van takes 5 quarts of 5W-20 Synthetic blend ($25 at Walmart) plus $10 for the filter making it around $35, not including the basic equipment you need to get started, your time and labor and disposing of the old oil. Most oil changes at a shop you can get for around $30-$40 depending on your location, and with a coupon you can almost always get the price even lower than doing it yourself.
Prepare yourself for the Add-Ons
Have you ever been to an oil change shop where they haven’t tried to up sell you something, like your air filter needing replaced? Yeah, me neither. They always try to up sell me something. So keep track of when your car actually does need to be serviced or when the last time you replaced that air filter was. You can always say “maybe next time” if you know you don’t need it.
Got any other tips for saving money on oil changes? Leave a comment, I’d love to hear!
You are absolutely right on all manufacturers contracting the oil filter build out and just putting their paint job/logo on the shell. Honda, Toyota, and Mitsubishi have totally cheaped out on filters in the last decade. Until the early 00s the filters were made in Japan, larger, heavier, and just better in quality. The Honda filters are the cheapest ones these day so I would not be surprised if they are rebranded “Orange can of Death”. I personally like Mann oil filters since they are OEM equipment in Volvo, BMW, and Mercedes, If they are good enough for a $20K engine in a $120K car they should be okay for my car. On rock auto they cost under $3 each in most cases. For oil I usually go with the Castrol full synthetic 5 quart jug at Walmart for $22-24; can’t beat that price on a full synthetic anywhere. Of course, full synthetic oil will cause leaks in a high mile engine were conventional oil has been used so it’s not always the best choice.
if you are looking to save money and still use Full Synthetic (widely regarded as the best for most engines), source your own oil and filter, Many independant mechanics will perform the labor for $20-$30 or sometimes even less.
Recommendations:
Carquest (CANADA/USA). Their House brand Full Synthetic (which is manufactured by Amalie, a reputable US Company) is only $21CAD for a 5L jug, their filter quality is also decent, even on their econoline. (Also Economical in the USA (Don’t have exact price) and also available at Advance Autoparts) * I have not yet seen Dexos 1 Specs on Canadian Bottles, US Bottle have it prominently displayed.
Walmart (US Only): Supertech Full Synthetic which meets GM Dexos 1 requirements, goes for between $15-$17USD for 5L (Manufactured by either Citgo, Warren, or Mobil) Also quality Motocraft oil filters often go for $5 or less. *For Canadian’s oil and USA made oil filters such as Motocraft, Purolator, and STP can be brought across the border duty free as part of NAFTA (as long as Trump doesn’t screw it up)
Canadian Tire (Canada Only) : Formula 1 (Canadian Tire’s House Brand) Full Synthetic (Manufactured Shell Oil Products US aka SOPUS, which is also the maker of Penzoil, Quaker State, and Formula Shell) frequently goes on sale for $24 or less for a 5L, They also have European Formula which is unbelievably approved by Volkswagen-Audi, Mercedes Benz,and BMW, as well as a GM Dexos 1 approved Formula. Both costing slightly more.The Chinese built Motomaster filters are ok, cloned from Purolater filters so similar construction quality, much better than the former Motomasters or the Current Orange Can reject quality Frams.
If you are looking to be extremely frugle order your oil filters from Rockauto. Often $5 CAD or less for your manufacturer’s oil filter or a quality Bosch, Wix, Denso, AC Delco, or Motorcraft filter. Mind you do need to buy a couple filters or other parts to offset shipping and customs charges (in Canada). Air and cabin filters are also often much cheaper through Rockauto.
*Oil Manufacturers can be confirmed by viewing the MSDS sheets for said oils