In my 48 WIllys 134L I use Lucas Hot ROd and Cla**ic Oil 10w-30 And a NAPA 1704 spin on filter I buy the oil in a 6 gallon box from Summit with free shipping I think last box was $159.00 its now $159.00 so no change the Filters I bought 10 of them during the local stores quarterly filter sale and I want to say they were less then $8.00 each 5 quarts of oil and Filter $41.13 per change the jeep leaks about a quart between changes (damaged rear sealing surface so having to use a rope seal) I have 7 more filters to go. And will most likely buy another 6 gallon box this fall. I change every 4K I typically change out my air filter at the same time also a NAPA Gold (gonna buy a bunch during the next quarterly sale) Where I get dinged is the GL-4 I run in the gear boxes. I like to change that out about every 5000K Those gear boxes work really hard with 5.38 rear gears and an OD unit.
A Follow up, Bill's Auto Works. I did call the same Subaru dealer and this time I was quoted $140 for an oil change and a car wash is included with all/any service work. I asked about the shop rate, $180 per hour and they work from a Subaru master time book like all dealers/shops. I Asked about different costs in different parts of the country, this service lady had no comment on this. Years back we leased a Nissan Rogue SUV AWD from this dealer, a good vehicle, 0 problems, I changed the oil and filters, I kept receipts for materials purchased for warranty coverage. I would not pay their high prices for an oil change service back then. Fingers crossed I/we are hoping our Outback is a good one, I do not like all the electronic trick stuff, so far so good, I did inquire about the extended warranty insurances available today, 2 different companies, the quote same within $5, $300 per month, I p***ed on the insurance, we have this Subaru car due to "Happy Wife, Happy Life" deal I live by and something I've learned through the years all it takes is 10 words, Yes Dear, I'm Sorry, I Love You, Anything you want. This Needs to work both ways for it to be successful. 46 years now.
Just a thought. If the kid at Wally World is touching the halogen bulbs with his bare fingers during the quick and cheap fit job, then you may have the reason for the Prius eating bulbs. YRMV. Cheers, Harv
Just stocked up on oil and filters from the local auto parts store for the DD's. Worked out to about half what VIOC is charging now. I won't go to WM or Amazon, they strong-arm their suppliers into making sure local places have higher costs...so they can raise their prices to make more profit, while still being "the cheapest". A lot of Amazon stuff is counterfeit too...
Thought of this and they've only done the last two. All the others I did wearing latex gloves. thanks
Originally not all from China. I did read once that Walmart wanted to sell Levi’s….not with standing the exact cost but let’s say a pair cost Levi’s $3.00 to make……Walmart offered $2.95 a pair for 10 million pairs….Levis took the deal.
Well, a few years ago a thread about oil changes came up. In that thread it was mentioned that small engine manufacturers were making engines without a drain plug. I thought “what a dumb idea” Well, last year I bought a new mower. I figured pick up a quart, change it for mowing season. Looks like I’ll be saving big time on lawn mower oil for the next few years
I refuse to give Amazon's s***pany a dime no matter how cheap they are. I'll go to Walmart for oil/grease, and Rockauto or a local store for filters. I get used name brand tires from the local salvage yard. Tires from Walmart are a wreck waiting to happen. I try to make sure my pennies go to the right places and not fund corporate greed, but considering that I work with pennies, sometimes I gotta just pick the lesser of two evils.
My local store (Napa) just changed ownership. Owner p***ed away. The new guy immediately jacked up the price on everything. $37.00 for a gallon of 15/40 Dello. I can’t imagine doing that in a town of 1200 folks who can drive a short distance to Walmart.
Just did the 57's oil, I use Rotella by the gallon, I think the gallon was 15 bucks and the filter was less than 3 bucks at the local Auto Value. Plus one more quart. That engine is nothing special, just needs to stay full and get changed regularly. Brought my old but still O/T pickup truck to the local oil change place yesterday, I got it changed with their bulk conventional oil for 45 bucks all-in. That one has 338k miles on it, never used anything fancy in it. That place is a good deal though, lowest oil change price around.
I don't know the process the new guy went through to get the franchise, but a new franchisee is going to need $75,000 to $150,000 to buy in, and if he or she is building a new store, it's going to cost as much as $850,000. That information "Own a NAPA Store" is from the NAPA website. and this:
Use M1 filters, purchased locally ~$15. Flat tappet and most 'toys' get M1 'European' 0W-40. $25-30/5qt jug from whomever. Daily hybrid gets M1 0W-20 ~$32(sale)/6qts from Costco. Everything else putt-putt gets Kirkland oil. ~$28(sale)/2-5qt jugs Costco.
I was Outraged at the price of Wiper Blades Too. NAPA found me some NAPA brand Steel Frame Ones for my Off Topic Jeep 2 Frames and Blades $24.
If they could make money selling one million pairs at $3.00, I would bet they'd make a lot more money selling 10,000,000 pairs at $2.95. It's called "Economy of Scale" and is the reason there are so many huge corporations.
I just changed the Henry J today $38.50 Valvoline VR1 race oil 20w50, 6 quarts at $32 bucks ($5.33 per quart) direct from Valvoline through Amazon Purolator made in USA oil filter for $6.50 each, bought a case of 12 from supplier and ironically delivered through Amazon
Levi Strauss are not same Quality now in US as old around 2000 , Buy from European . Oil related I was doing small engine maintenance for a company that used Honda Gx from 25 to big V . $200 - 8k some hold a once to Typically less then 1 qt on single cylinder . when started I notice / seen 30 plus engine's blown up many New engines average 2 or so month old , scratched my head why . Then I notice oil being used . I started using mid to name brand oil Diesel & race , Now engines are lasting A few years plus , technically the oil needs to be change about every 10 or so days , Heat & dirty oil will kill engine , Oem plums oil & trains into Rad good for winter but not in warmer weather. Trains heat will kill most autos if over 180 deg's . Oil Know your condition of the engine Will determine what oil to use & how often to change . Filter's , same just because there sold do not mean they do the job you think . Back when running Alky , I do not think I would took a chance to do a start up on cheap oil , $140 ish vs 7 k plus bottom end Crank , bearings ,lifters, ring pack
I buy all my oil at garage sales estate sales and farm auctions. Farmers often bought in bulk and a half full 10 gallon drum is still 5 gallons or 20 quarts. Buy any brand or weight. Have 50-60 quarts sitting on a shelf. Might use 5 different brands of 10W-30 for a change but after 50 years of doing this and never having any issues I think it's proven to be ok. As far as oil filters go I go to one of my local stores and buy one. Not brand loyal there either whatever is cheapest Yes...I am a frugal *******.
WalMart has manufacturers make WalMart versions of their items for a lower cost. WalMart Levi jeans are made with a lower thread count material and cheaper hardware. HP has a laptop line exclusive to WalMart, cheap and a real POS but they sell because people see HP and think they are all the same. Nope. WalMart is big enough that manufacturers will accommodate them because of the unit sales are through the roof and worth the h***le. They make their money as does WalMart, and as usual the consumer pays for it.
Things are more expensive now than ever however complaining about the cost of an oil change…really? You guys want to talk expensive race gas right now is $20.00 a gallon, pit p***es are $ 35.00 each. We are lucky vintage racing depending on what organization you run with the car gets 1 or 2 pit p***es but if you have a crew of 3 or 4 times $35.00 by 12 races a year ($1260) not to mention fuel for the hauler, food water etc… I am not going as much this year as in years past but I am still going! The bigger issue is the expense of the hobby (I view it as a way of life) in general! When people can’t afford the parts they want/need for a project because we have flippers who don’t care about the history and preserving it just see green and a way to make the long dollar there is a problem! This is supposed to be a fun and relaxing way to spend your time however over the last 10 to 15 years traditional/period correct has turned into street rodding! It is no longer fun it is nothing but a ***** fest! This isn’t right, that’s wrong, “My ex wife’s 2nd cousin’s neighbor once saw a hot rod in 1956 and he said they never would have don’t that back than!”
My neighbor was in the urethane foam/plastics industry for well over 40 years. One of his customers sold plastic ware to Walmart which was the bulk of their sales. Walmart kept asking for lower prices which eventually the company couldn't meet. Walmart quit buying and the supplier subsequently went OB. A Chinese company bought all the manufacturing equipment at auction and shipped it to China. 6 months later the same plastic ware was again available at Walmart for less $$ than before. And no, my neighbor won't shop at Walmart for anything as a result.
Off topic but related to this, I've only found motor oil a couple of times at estate sales/auctions but I've bought a ****load of spray paint and shop chemicals on the last day of estate sales for pennies, sometimes free. They're often desperate to get rid of that stuff and will let it go extra cheap. I have cabinets full of stuff like that I can burn through without a second thought about cost and I kept it out of the landfill, which is nice.
Admirable goals but I'm not buying someone else's shoes, tires or seat belts. There's Economics and then there is Health and Safety.
I’m used to paying $40-45 for an oil change at the dealer for my late model Ram and Fords. I always did my own, but decided the dealer was a pretty good deal since they dispose of the used oil and filter. Last time I did it myself on the daily’s, the used oil jug spilled all over the bed on my dually, so that tipped me. My Mercedes Sprinter, on the other hand got a Quote from the dealer in Tucson for $1400 to do the oil, filter, and a fuel filter, plus a bunch of “checks”, like brake fluid and air filter….. F that. I bought three jugs of Mobil 1 Euro spec oil for less than $75 and a Mann filter (they’re the Oem for Mercedes) from Amazon for $10 or $15, and had Walmart supply the labor for $35. A local Sprinter “spe******t” quoted $400, with a three week wail time. I still do all my hot rod and muscle cars at home, when I get the lift freed up, so I can do an under ch***is inspection. I usually go three to five years on an oil change, since I don’t run them much.
Being in the oil business I can tell you that right now is the most volatile time for prices (and availability) that I've ever seen in 26 years in the business. Not to get political, but it's all due to the closure of the Straight of Hormuz, which is causing a huge lack of inventory across the entire industry, all brands. Emergency supplies are near or at all time lows. Big fleets are going outside of buying contracts and getting oil where they can. In some cases we're buying compe***or products and shipping to our customers for free because we can't get our own products. Direct customers and distributors are being limited to what we well ship them on their orders. Some lube companies, the largest in the world, have declared force majeure as they simply cannot meet contractual obligations. It's bad, real bad. Almost all lube brands are going on their 3rd price increase this year due to costs rising so fast. I was at NAPA the other day to pick up a fan belt and they had a sign on the counter that read there are no prices on oil containers on the shelf, because the prices are changing so fast, they won't price it out until you bring it up to the counter. If the Straight opened up today there is such a backlog that things would not return to normal before the end of the year. And every day this goes on it's just getting worse. I'm not telling anyone to horde anything, but it may get to be like toilet paper during the pandemic, really hard to find. It wouldn't be a bad idea to bite the bullet and stock up on some inventory to get you through the next 6 months, or longer.
Last time I bought replacement wipers, Costco had Michelin (frames and blades) on sale for $8.00 each, so I stocked up for all of our DD's. Beat O'Reilly's $20-$25 ea. price! I use Mobil1 for the daily's. Last visit to Costco revealed only one type of Mobil 1 oil. The rest had been backfilled with Kirkland oil. If you buy oil or filters at Walmart, open the filter box. I opened a Mobil1 filter box in the store to find a WM brand filter. Apparently, someone did a switcheroo, placing an expensive Mobil1 filter in a cheap WM box. Also confirm the cap seal hasn't been broken. A WM clerk told me people have returned (for a refund) jugs of M1 that they've refilled with used oil.
The Jalopy Journal
