Questions about oil change

[szh]

Checked at Wal-Mart while I was there for a new set of Silverstars (Ouch) and the M1 was something like $4.30/qt (maybe $4.28?)... The 5Qt Jug was $19.xx so a small savings.

I'll have to check Sams to see if they have anything...

Did they have the 0W-40? Not all Walmart's have that apparently ...

Z
Modified by szhosain at 10:14 AM 10/13/2004

[szh]

Wasn't Mobil 1 you saw for $3.88. Perhaps Mobil dnio juice.

Good point! Or maybe he saw the Mobil 1 synth-dino blend. This price usually falls in the middle of the price between dino (usually less than $2/quart wherever you go) and full synthetic (usually more than $4/quart).

Z

[Q451990]

Did they have the 0W-40? Not all Walmart's have that apparently ...

Not sure... I typically use 10W-30. I'll look the next time I'm there (about once a week)

Heath

[Jesda]

My local Wal Mart does not have 0w40, but does have M1 5w40 in individual bottles.

[szh]

My local Wal Mart does not have 0w40, but does have M1 5w40 in individual bottles.

What was the price?

Z

[IvoryJ30t]

You mean 15W-50, I think ... I have never seen 15W-40. Okay for turbo-charged engines and warmer climates (where it never gets near freezing.)

I prefer Mobil 1 0W-40 as a result - even though I live in the SF Bay Area.

Z

Modified by szhosain at 3:29 PM 10/11/2004

15w40 exists. i used to use mobil delvac in 15w40 in my 7.3L powerstroke.

[dareo]

I'm the service writer at my local Walmart Tire Lube Express, and here's the deal about the "15 Point"

You get a sketchy oil change--Your car's fate is in the hands of whatever tech is currently in the pit, out of all the guys that work in my shop, theres ONE that i'd actually let touch my Q. Requirements to work at the TLE are few and training isnt very extensive. A lot of techs at Walmart are really good techs, and some are just not.

Some of the services aren't performed--Virtually no car goes through with every single point of the 15 point checked. Stuff gets overlooked a lot, like the battery test, and checking all your lights. Its really just a quick vacuum job, windshield wash, tire presure, washer fluid and oil change.

Who knows what they choose to fill your fluids with. On my last day off someone filled a Tacoma's transmission with the wrong kind of ATF and he has transmission problems now.

$34.50 plus 4.77X2 and your over 44 bucks. Bulk packed basic Fram filter. Compare that to buying your own oil at Costco or on sale at $4 a quart, you pay much less and you are guaranteed quality. ~28 bucks for the oil, 6.50 for a mobil 1 filter from Everything infiniti and your set.

But, if walmart does screw something up they will pay to have it fixed 100% of the time. but do you want the hassle and downtime involved with this?

With the synthetic oil change you can get any kind the store has instock, 0w40, 15w50, Castrol, Valvoline, even Supertech Synthetic for the same price.

All things considered i don't think Walmart is the place a Q45 should be. A Civic or Sentra yes but an expensive luxury sedan no. If you are lazy or live in a complex where you can't perform work on your car, just make sure the guys who work in your local TLE aren't boneheads.

[AZhitman]

Good info, Dareo!

I satand over the guys and watch them like a hawk. I make it VERY clear that I'm knowledgeable about the car, and I make sure to ask them not to overtorque the filter, make sure to include a new copper crush gasket, I ask them how the old oil looked (even though i know it was still see-thru) and make sure they put in 7 quarts of oil.

I don't care about the "15-points", I just want my oil changed. So far, so good. And they've never charged me for the 2 extra quarts of oil, so i pay $32.99 (and I bring an OEM Nissan filter).

That's less than I'd pay for the oil alone.

[Jesda]

I did my first DIY oil change today. $25.00 for Valvoline Maxlife and a Bosch Premium filter. In a thread in General Chat there's a $14 rebate for 5 qts or more. The hassle and mess wasnt worth it. Then again, its the only time I can pick up my favorite news shows on XM since I dont have a home kit for it yet. Total cost ended up being $11.

Normally, with my favorite synthetic oil it would have been about $42 just for the oil and a Mobil 1 filter. Wal-Mart will do the work for $33 and include the oil. I can watch them through the window if I get paranoid, but the guys there have done a good job so far.

It also saves me the hassle of vaccuuming. My main reason for doing the oil change myself this time was to save money I dont really have, and because lately Wal-Mart has been quite busy, causing a 1-2 hour wait.

-Jesda

[qship96]

Hitman,7 quarts? every oil change that I have had done on the Q has required EXactly 6.0000 quarts to refill to the top of the full line on the dipstick.There has been much debate over refill capasity on the Q,even the 96 FSM states 6and 3/8 quarts-yet many here say that was a misprint,etc.does your readings show overfilled after the oil change?

[Jesda]

I used 6.5 quarts.

[pito11213]

yeah I would say that that figure of 6 3/8 is just about right. Mines took 6.5 though. And the fill was right at the middle of the stick

[PoorManQ45]

Ok guys. I went to Walmart again. The Mobil 1 Full Synthetic is $3.38 a quart. I bought all that they had.

Unfourtunately, they only had one quart left. Avidently, someone else realized that this was a really good price. So, they bought almost all of it.

But, the good thing is that Walmart is awesome. There was another walmart about 2 miles away, and they carried mobile 1 oil, also. But, their price was over $4.50 a qt. But, I got them to match the price of the other walmart. So, I got 5 qts of 5w-30 for ~$17

[AZhitman]

SCORE!

There's a deal for ya.

Mine always takes 6.5 - 6.75 quarts.

If I ever do this damn oil cooler / filter relocation project, it'll be more like 7.5 - 7.75.

[maxnix]

SCORE!

There's a deal for ya.

Mine always takes 6.5 - 6.75 quarts.

If I ever do this damn oil cooler / filter relocation project, it'll be more like 7.5 - 7.75.

Mine only take 6 qts., 6.5qts. if envirolution flushed.

[PoorManQ45]

Mine usually takes about 6.75~7 qts to fill. That's probably because I use an oversized filter.

I'm wondering, how long do you guys let the oil drain before you put the plug back in? I usually let mine sit for between 1-2 hours. I jack up the car 4 times, one from each location. For me, this seems to get an extra .5~1qt out of it.

If I ever do this damn oil cooler / filter relocation project, it'll be more like 7.5 - 7.75.

Which one are you talking about? Is it the one that you recommended to me? The filter relocation kit for the 300zx that allows you to use 2 filters. Is that the one?

[PoorManQ45]

This is a question for Fred or any other oil experts.

Have you ever seen an oil analysis of Supertech Full Synthetic?

I'm wondering how it compares to the leading brand names, ie. Mobile 1, AMSOIL, Pennzoil, etc...

For simplicities sake, lets just compare 10w-30 to 10w-30, no other weights.

[Jesda]

I drained it while the engine was near operating temperature, so it took only 20 minutes or so. I took a baseball break for a bit (Houston got owned!) so it could have finished draining much sooner.

This was also my first DIY oil change, so I'm wondering... where do I take my jugs of old oil? Do I have to pay a disposal fee?

Thanks!-Jesda

[elwesso]

No... Most places shoudl take it for free...

Please dont dispose of it the way you were talking about at my place (read: Grass)

i know advance takes it for free, but might just call ahead to be certain...

[IvoryJ30t]

just go to a gas station. ask a mechanic where the used oil goes. there is usually a tank on the side of the building.

[DAEDALUS]

There could be state laws regarding that. In CA you pay a fee when you buy the oil, and by law all places that sell it are required to accept used oil for free. I think Jiffy Lube here actually pays you a few cents for each quart.

[szh]

By the way, here is a way to reduce the costs a bit:

Mobil 1 web site

Look under "Mobil 1 Rewards", register and save some bucks when you buy Mobil 1. Check it out!

Z

[szh]

There could be state laws regarding that. In CA you pay a fee when you buy the oil, and by law all places that sell it are required to accept used oil for free. I think Jiffy Lube here actually pays you a few cents for each quart.

Here is a site that shows you where you can recycle oil (uses zip code):

The site

Z

[dareo]

If your not getting charged for each opened bottle of Mobil 1 after the 5th, those 2 quarts are essentially dissapearing from Walmart. Yet another obvious sign that techs working on your car don't know how to do their job. Or they just like your car and hooked you up, either way the employee is stealing.

[PalmerWMD]

This is a question for Fred or any other oil experts.

Have you ever seen an oil analysis of Supertech Full Synthetic?

I'm wondering how it compares to the leading brand names, ie. Mobile 1, AMSOIL, Pennzoil, etc...

For simplicities sake, lets just compare 10w-30 to 10w-30, no other weights.

SuperTech Syn is a aGroup III oil.A great oil if teh Price is right.Mobil 1 is Group IV which means better cold starts and better long drain (say 5000 miles+) behavior.

I dont know how good teh additive package is on the Walmart Syn but its likely a repackgaged syn from one of the major refiners.

Probably a pretty good oil but no Mobil1.Still if the price is right a Group III is nice to have, especially if the alternative would be a Dino.

SO those who want syn but want to pay the least possible its an acceptable choice ( as is the NAPA SYn).

When talking about inexpensive oils the absolute champ for the Moeny is Chevron Supreme.One of the best Dino oil money can buy a group II+ oil for $1.14.Compare Pensszoil another group II+at approx $2 / qt a lot of places.

There are cheaper oils than Chevron Supreme but none that have as impressive a pedigree.There are better oils than Chevron Supreme but they all full syns, or the better Blends (barely better).

Fred..

[AZhitman]

^ There you have it - good info from a man who knows his lube!

[PoorManQ45]

Thank you Fred.

Do you think that Supertech Full Synthetic is good deal(compared to others) for $2.97 qt? Of course, it can't compare to Mobile 1 for $3.38 qt, but is that a good price for the Group that it is in?

[PalmerWMD]

If your M1 price is only 39c extra, then the M1 is a better deal.

[PoorManQ45]

I'm sorry, I didn't finish my thought.

I meant to say that since mobile 1 is usually over $4 qt, Is Supertech Synthetic at $2.97qt a good price compared to others in its group.