DIY Oil Change People

[3930dave]

I was just wondering if there are any other TBNers here that are members of the "DIY oil change in the Walmart parking lot" club. Here's my membership credentials, a pic of me adding 5 gallons of sweet Rotella 15W40 to my Continental LDT-465 Multifuel engine at a Walmart in Skowhegan, Maine this past June.

View attachment 351132

Background story: A couple weeks before setting out on a 200 mile road trip to the Skowhegan Fairgrounds for a Municipality trade show, I sent away an oil sample to a NAPA lab. It had been almost 2 years since the last oil change but I had only gone 1200 miles or so. Unfortunately, the lab sample apparently got lost in the mail. Anywho, we finally got the lab results by email 100 miles into the trip. The moisture content and lubricity was fine, I think is what most of us would have been worried about, but the sample was high in iron and silica so the lab recommended changing the oil immediately. Luckily I had all the tools we needed, and a couple gallons of Rotella. At the Walmart I went inside the store first and bought everything I needed to contain the oil, like gloves, a plastic drop cloth, two 5 gallon buckets to drain the two oil sumps, etc. I wish I would have timed the oil change, I had the 5 gallons of old oil drained before my wife could come back out of the store with 3 more gallons of Rotella and ice cream. We didn't leave a drop of oil on the parking lot and took the drop cloths, oil, and trash with us for proper disposal. Note, I did not change the oil filters at Walmart but did so 100 miles later when we got home. I would've needed to stop at NAPA for the filters and wasn't sure where one was at in Skow Town.

Note.... I'm not Proud....:laughing:

Nice truck, looks like fun !

I've been to Maine in the Winter - gets cold. Do you only mix Rotella with ice-cream in the Summer ?

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

I have an Autozone down the road that sit's in the middle of a plaza strip with other stores all sharing a parking lot.
It's a funny sight on an early morning before all the stores open up, when you can see, when driving by, only the parking spots in front of the car parts store, are all soiled hard, from years every type of needy car leaking fluids of every type.:laughing:

A sneakily dangerous (at least when on 2 wheels) place for fluid leaks accumulating is at a Stop sign at the end of a long flat paved rural road - esp. on a downslope. You don't even need rain, just a hot summer day, for that pavement to be almost glass like.

Rgds, D.

 

[sixdogs]

is that anything like changing a starter in the parking lot of a napa..

Years back we lived in the middle of nowhere and were looking for a moving company to help us move out. Both of the moving companies were pretty slippery and one of the estimate guys blew a brake line on the way out to see us. He changed it in my driveway before I got home and my wife didn't know what to do or say.

He had a helper, and a gravel driveway is hard to screw up, but he never asked for permission or even mentioned it at all. I mean, car was up on jackstands and people crawling underneath with one dressed pretty well. Tools and jacks everywhere. Uhhh, we decided to move ourselves and had our hay crew load the truck for us. Saved some $$ and no more of that.

EDIT--Oh---left his old parts behind as well.

 

[DarkBlack]

A sneakily dangerous (at least when on 2 wheels) place for fluid leaks accumulating is at a Stop sign at the end of a long flat paved rural road - esp. on a downslope. You don't even need rain, just a hot summer day, for that pavement to be almost glass like.

Rgds, D.

Yup, I know all too well. I'm a biker in the summers here( all 4 months:laughing.

 

[PoorMansCat]

Please post a VOA or a UOA .. I'd love to see proof it test/tested better than any of the major brands.

not a problem. I think the link is on my other laptop... but Ill find it and post.

 

[PoorMansCat]

http://www.turbodieselregister.com/TDR57_Oil.pdf
Here ya go... some interesting reading.

 

[Mattmonn]

A good forum to check out, is "Bob is the oil guy" I've learned a couple cool things on there.

 

[sixdogs]

Because of this thread, I checked the oil change interval on my 2011 Toyota Tundra V8. It's a "flex fuel" E85 capable vehicle since that's all they sell around here.
Anyway, the oil change interval is only 5,000 miles. Worse, if you actually use E85, the oil change interval drops to only 2,500 miles!

 

[FredH]

For My Dodge Pickup and Wife's Subaru , We take them in . Subaru goes to Subaru , while Dodge , ( '06 3/4 ton , 4 wheel drive ) , goes to one of the oil change places . Ford pickup , ( '84 F250 4 x 4 ) , gets done in Driveway with filters from Fleetfilter , ( Wix brand ) . Same goes for APU on my Semi and Our Tractor , '03 TC30 . Buy filters in bulk , Like 4 for the Ford , 6 for Tractor and APU , ( all oil filters ) , Then usually 3 fuel filters for the tractor and the APU each and 2 of both the Hydraulic filters on the Tractor .

Even with shipping , once you start breaking down the costs of the filter versus the mark up in town , it is like " WOW " !!! .

One of my Older Brothers has a I believe a 2012 Ford Diesel . Per His phone conversation the other Day , Fuel filters , ( 2 required ?? ) , Dealer wants roughly $160 , NAPA wants $110 while WITH shipping combined with all his other filters he ordered , same filters came out to around $60 . Only took Me 2 + years , plus around 10 or 12 emails with the link to finally get him to use the place

The Dodge gets roughly 2000 to 3000 miles per year total , while the Ford gets MAYBE 400 to 500 at most . Thus the Ford gets the Same oil as the TC30 and the APU , Rotella . The Dodge , We choose were to go based upon what brand of oil is offered .


Fred H.

 

[Soundguy]

Because of this thread, I checked the oil change interval on my 2011 Toyota Tundra V8. It's a "flex fuel" E85 capable vehicle since that's all they sell around here.
Anyway, the oil change interval is only 5,000 miles. Worse, if you actually use E85, the oil change interval drops to only 2,500 miles!

intersting. I have a NH tractor.. that can run on diesel or rapeseed oil. if you do the rapeseed oil.. the oil change interval drops by a third...