$100+ for an oil change?

Question

When i called they said it starts at $32 but can go up to $100+ depending on the oil you use, is there a difference in the type of oil, are some higher quality and better than others? how does it affect your car? what if you use the basic cheap stuff?

Answer 1

Tranny flush etc cost me a hundred bucks, I have not heard of spending 100 dollars on a simple oil change, but I do stay away from synthetic because it is more expensive and I believe frequent oil changes are better for the engine.

Answer 2

I think what everyone is forgetting is there are different types of oil and some cars take more than 5-10 quarts. I'm an Amsoil retailer and where the better grade oil comes in is with less frequent oil changes. I have synthetic oil in my wife's truck and in my car that I only change once a year rated for 25,000 miles with normal driving (15K severe use). I check the color and level every 5K and always easily make the 15K. People have this mentality learned from the past about oil without any real knowledge about the oil, base stocks or anything else for that matter.

I did an oil change on a VW Touareg that cost the customer over $90 because the oil has to meet a certain VW spec (There is a TSB about it -VW502 & VW 50501) for warranty purposes, make the 10K change interval, it was 7 quarts (8 for the V8) & uses a filter element which is more expensive. Before people comment about how much an oil change is, you have to look at the vehicle in question and whether or not it must meet a specific manufacturer requirement. If the engine lets go and they sample the oil, especially on highend cars with engines exceeding 10K, they can fight the warranty claim for months if not longer.

Many newer highend cars have actual oil quality sensors that determine the quality by electric conductivity. Regular oil will never meet the long oil change intervals on European cars and used in Europe so obviously the oil is more expensive that will last for the 10K- 13K OEM recommendations. Since 98, all Mercedes Benz vehicles were put on Synthetic oil. I do oil changes on a weekly basis on cars from Kias to Porsches so $100+ oil changes are not unreaslistic by far. Without knowing what you drive, it's tough to guess what it should cost. I hope this helps.

Answer 3

There are different grades and quality of oil. The rating is on the back of the bottle. I believe the highest rating right now is L. But WalMart's oil is actually really good they use the highest quality. The only real difference in oil are the additives and even then, as a technician, I don't think they make that big of a difference in everyday cars. Personal opinion of course. Shops, like oil, come in different price ranges and quality so my advice would be find the best for your money. Our techs do GREAT work and we're reasonable. Do some research and ask around. The best thing a shop can offer is their reputation.

Answer 4

What $100??
If you live anywhere near a walmart, go there $20 is about what you will pay. The cheap oil does exactly the same thing expensive oil does. I would not pay anything over $30 for an oil change UNLESS you have a lambo or something of that caliber.

Answer 5

I'm sorry you got ripped off. I go to Jiffy-lube, get the most expensive highest grade synthetic oil, and the highest performance oil-filter and pay only $75. Do not cheap out on oil, it is the single biggest factor that will contribute to how long your engine lasts. I recommend Penzoil Full Synthetic, it holds up the best of any oil I have tested. In theory you could go over 10,000 miles before changing on it, but I wouldn't go more than 3,000. But then I love my car more than my girlfriend.

Answer 6

the cost will depend on the car you have . if you have been using synthetic oil you should stay with that and the cost is high. oil change should start around 20 dollars and go up from there. most places do not make a profit on oil change they try and sell you other services and that is where the money is made beware!

Answer 7

Some synthetic oils are quite expensive.EG.Royal purple up to $15/liter X 5=$75 plus a real good oil filter $10 or more.Now labour,pending on where you go=$100+

Answer 8

no there is not enough diffance in the oils to make the cost go up as it all depends on how you drive and service the car studies have shown that cars driving the same and undersame conditions there was little to no advantage of using high price oil i sujust you use what you feel happy with and mantain your car often and you find the same every time

Answer 9

Most brands have additives to help reduce friction, the more expensive oil is synthetic blend, but the most expensive is full synthetic.

The higher priced synthetics have even more advanced additives to simulate the benefits of non-synthetic blends, like filling in small pockets in the parts.