First oil change
09-03-13, 12:19 PM
#31
For me, I can do the oil change myself, but choose not to. Not only is it dirty, but also dangerous if you don't have the proper tool to lift your car up. Even at the dealer, cars do fall off the lifts if they're not careful.
For those who do the oil changes themselves, I don't see anyone mention the cost of the proper lifts, air tools, and the risk of injury or incorrectly procedure followed. Sure you can use the included tools in your trunk to lift your car up (the ones for the spare tire), but they're not the safe tools for an oil change and tire rotation.
To save some money, I take my 2002 Acura MDX to the Honda dealer and they charge me $35 for an oil change that includes a wash and vacuum. To be fair, they use regular oil instead of synthetic.
Bad experience I'd like to share - During a tire rotation, I forgot to tighten the lug nut tightly to the proper specification and my tire was wobbling while driving. It almost came off the car. Luckily, I stopped to check out the weird noise I was hearing. Another time, I forgot the tighten the oil nut tightly, causing the oil to leak all over the place. If I were to drive on a long trip after the oil change, I wouldn't have noticed the leak and it would have cost me an entire engine. One time, the car fell off the lift. Even though I was using jack stands, the car was not on an even surface. My garage or the street are not even surfaces. As you can see, I suck being a home mechanic :-)
For those who do the oil changes themselves, I don't see anyone mention the cost of the proper lifts, air tools, and the risk of injury or incorrectly procedure followed. Sure you can use the included tools in your trunk to lift your car up (the ones for the spare tire), but they're not the safe tools for an oil change and tire rotation.
To save some money, I take my 2002 Acura MDX to the Honda dealer and they charge me $35 for an oil change that includes a wash and vacuum. To be fair, they use regular oil instead of synthetic.
Bad experience I'd like to share - During a tire rotation, I forgot to tighten the lug nut tightly to the proper specification and my tire was wobbling while driving. It almost came off the car. Luckily, I stopped to check out the weird noise I was hearing. Another time, I forgot the tighten the oil nut tightly, causing the oil to leak all over the place. If I were to drive on a long trip after the oil change, I wouldn't have noticed the leak and it would have cost me an entire engine. One time, the car fell off the lift. Even though I was using jack stands, the car was not on an even surface. My garage or the street are not even surfaces. As you can see, I suck being a home mechanic :-)
04-25-14, 11:03 AM
#32
DIY oil changes on the 2007ES is a piece of cake and not dangerous. Just traded the 07 in for a 2014 and hopefully will be just as easy. Long ago I screwed together 2 sets of a 1 foot by 4 foot piece and 1 foot by 3 foot piece of 3/4" plywood to create a mini ramp. You drive the front wheel onto this, thus lifting the car 1.5 inches. This is enough room even for a big guy like me to squeeze under the car to gain access to the drain plug and the oil filter canister. I use BTW either Red Line or Royal Purple synthetic oils since I learned many years ago that Mobil 1 started then to use a base stock based on a highly refined and tweaked petroleum stock (but they still call it 100% synthetic). I have a PhD in chemistry and to me 100% synthetic means that all of the components of the oil originate from chemical reactions starting with pure individual chemicals.
04-28-14, 08:08 AM
#33
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Quick question re: the free first 5K and 10K service at the dealer:
Does it have to be at the dealership where the vehicle was purchased? I bought the car out of state but there is a Lexus dealership approximately 5 miles from where I live. If I take it to the local dealership will it still be "free"? Thanks for your help.
Does it have to be at the dealership where the vehicle was purchased? I bought the car out of state but there is a Lexus dealership approximately 5 miles from where I live. If I take it to the local dealership will it still be "free"? Thanks for your help.
04-29-14, 08:30 AM
#35
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Yes, the free service can be done at any dealership. I bought mine out of state and used the local dealer for the free services. I'm done with the 10k, not looking forward to paying for the next one.
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