Arctic Oil Change

As I mentioned in a previous post, a few days back it warmed up to a balmy 25 degrees, and I was able to take care of some outdoor stuff, mainly changing the oil on my car. Now I know how foolish it sounds to change the oil in this sort of weather, but it really does save me money and time. Most people might argue that it takes less time to take it in, but I beg to differ. First off, you have to get an appointment. If you go to someplace like Jiffy Lube over in the other big city, no appointment needed, but you're looking at 30 mins each way, then 30 mins for the change. Not too bad, but it's a drag having to go out there. I could go to our local mechanic, Meunier, but they are so swamped that it usually takes a week to get an appointment. Then it's about another hour for the change.

And then there's the cost. I don't know if Jiffy Lube will even put full synthetic into my car, but I can say with a fair amount of confidence that they'll charge me an arm and a leg for it. Same with Meunier. A typical oil change will run you about $40-45, and that's using a synthetic blend. If you request full synthetic, which Meunier will do, you have to almost double the price. Full synthetic is expensive stuff. I buy a 5 quart bottle for about $24, and I get the filter at Gerrish for $7. If I'm organized and get all my ducks in a row, I can change the oil in about 30 mins. So, for about 1/3 the cost and half the time, I can do it myself and not have to drive somewhere to get it done. Sure, I get my hands dirty, and I have to actually do some work, but I'm a big believer in the ability to do some things in life yourself. Relying on others because you can afford to, or thinking technology is a better alternative is, in my opinion, misguided, at best.

Either way, nobody cares what I think. I seized the opportunity and changed the oil. Bear in mind, 25 degrees is still cold, making the oil ooze like maple syrup. I managed to warm the car up before I did it, but once it drained from the engine, pouring it into the waste jug, and then cleaning up were affected by the cold. Maybe I should have just paid someone else to do it... nah.

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Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Alison Smith for the pic.