$86.44 for oil change? I feel screwed

[supmet]

Originally Posted by YarisSedan

I pay 11 dollars a quart for amsoil from my local kragens

Dude, honestly, if you can't argue the facts at hand I'm going to start ignoring your posts. We're not talking amsoil, and we're not talking 20 dollar changes. AND we're not talking about an independent shop who buys their shit from kragen.

[coffiend]

Uhhhh Missouri does get pretty cold.

Idk what your standard of cold weather is but single digit temps is pretty darn cold in my eyes.

I would think synthetic oil is justifiable in those conditions.

Also, unless the average oil changing chain is losing 50ish bucks every oil change they make, there is definitely a profit in an $80 oil change... if they really were losing that much each change, those places would not exist...

80 is absolutely crazy to me...

[mrb3990]

What I have been led to believe by visiting different forums (bob is the oil guy and cartalk, primarily) is that synthetic is superior to dino oil in extremely cold temperatures (like -20 F and below) not single digits. Dino oil can handle single digits. Also, synthetic is important for high performance engines and any engines for which is it specified in the owner's manual. The question is whether or not synthetic oil is beneficial for an engine like the one in the yaris. The Yaris owner's manual does not specify synthetic. I'm not knocking anyone who uses synthetic oil in their yaris (it's your baby, I understand) but if the OP is complaining about a high price oil change, I just wanted to put it out there that he/she might just want to use dino oil. I only have 2200 miles on my yaris, but I plan on using dino oil when the time comes to get that first oil change.

[Yaris Hilton]

Yep. Dino oil at recommended change intervals is what my Yaris is getting, and I expect my engine life to be as good as anyone's.

[swidd]

Uh, no, that's not so overpriced. I've been upset with the price of synthetic oil change myself, but if you're asking for full synthetic, that's within the price range. At walmart or auto-zone, the top brand full synthetic will run 35-45 dollars, some of them closer to $50 (Mobil-1). + filter, + labor, and you're there. If I'm going to do it myself I'd still spend $60 in 'parts'.

[b_hickman11]

Originally Posted by swidd

Uh, no, that's not so overpriced. I've been upset with the price of synthetic oil change myself, but if you're asking for full synthetic, that's within the price range. At walmart or auto-zone, the top brand full synthetic will run 35-45 dollars, some of them closer to $50 (Mobil-1). + filter, + labor, and you're there. If I'm going to do it myself I'd still spend $60 in 'parts'.

I'll stay with my $2.20 per qt oil and $3 filter. Been using it for years with no problems. Ends up costing me around $100 a year(8-9 oil changes). With synthetic it would be $425 if I did it myself or $735 if I went to behour's dealer. If I was a rich man maybe I wouldn't care but then again I wouldn't be driving a Yaris either.

[scape]

that sounds about right for synthetic from the dealer. i hope they rotated your tires too. looks like you paid for labor at a half-hour which with oil change and rotation, up and down on the lift it would be close to 25 minutes

[DerFlosser]

Anybody that thinks a dealership isn't ripping them off is clueless. A dealership is the LAST place that I would bring a car to be worked on. Any mechanic(s) that is worth a shit is working for themselves as an independant garage anyhow. Dealerships have been called "Stealerships" for years now and it's no coincidence. The argument for synthetic is better lubrication and cleaner engine. There is no question that a synthetic is superior to a conventional in those two areas. I believe their ability to suspend particulates and harmful combustion bi-products may even be superior but I haven't done the research to say that with confidence.

[coffiend]

^ I agree with saying that dealerships in general over charge,but saying that all mechanics that don't work for independent shops aren't "worth shit" is a little over the top... Not to mention incredibly rude and mean.

[YarisSedan]

Originally Posted by supmet

Dude, honestly, if you can't argue the facts at hand I'm going to start ignoring your posts. We're not talking amsoil, and we're not talking 20 dollar changes. AND we're not talking about an independent shop who buys their shit from kragen.

Okay this is starting to turn into a flame war here so this will be the last post i will make on this thread. What i noticed on threads that start to go this route is people who respond and join in dont read the thread and reponses from start to finish and may only read the last 1 or 2 pages and then comment typing in all caps and start using curse words without knowing the whole story.

If you account the fact that he payed in addition to his oil change for a tire rotation which was 26 dollars. Otherwise he would have payed pretty much 60 dollars for just a synthetic oil change alone at the dealership. Which 60 dollars is not entirely unreasonable. Jiffy lube charges 79.95 for synthetic oil change using penzoil platinum for up to 5 quarts. I am not sure if they adjust the price down if a vehicle takes less oil.

I am not tryign to say you should go to the dealership just try to explain why they charge a higher labor rate.

The reason I am comparing it to a normal 20 dollar oil change is to show you the labor rate is the same as a synthetic oil change. They labor they charged the Origonal Post was about 7 dollars. the extra 26 dollars came into play when he decided to get a tire rotation.

So really the only question should be the price he payed for the oil. We cant say for certain what type of oil he got in his car when going to the dealer. Unless someone here works for toyota they can state the brand. Sure they may buy it in massive bulk and get a discount rate which gives them a greater margin of markup but in reality it is not that great. If they sell the synthetic for 11 bucks i dont realisticly think they payed 2 or 3 bucks. At a minumum its about 5 bucks. Unless its some generic brand synthetic. I have worked with a lot of venders and i know what the prices are out on the market. If you dont want to believe me you have the right to your opinion just like i have the right to my own.

[supmet]

Originally Posted by YarisSedan

the extra 26 dollars came into play when he decided to get a tire rotation.

And that in itself is a ripoff. I get free rotations, and if you have it up for an oil change, you're adding 90 seconds. Even at the ripoff rate of 95 dollars an hour that's $2.40.

And you're also acting like a lube tech works on one car, and one car only until its done. Like he sits there and watches it drain or something. When working in a shop, you know full well a lube tech can and will do as many cars as there are lifts or pits.

I realize its convenient to fudge the facts to support your business, but nobody is buying it.

Originally Posted by YarisSedan

Sure they may buy it in massive bulk and get a discount rate which gives them a greater margin of markup but in reality it is not that great. If they sell the synthetic for 11 bucks i dont realisticly think they payed 2 or 3 bucks. At a minumum its about 5 bucks.

If I buy full synthetic for less than 5 dollars a quart, I doubt the dealership spends more.

Originally Posted by YarisSedan

I have worked with a lot of venders and i know what the prices are out on the market.

I browse the kragen ads too dude..

[mdesjarlais]

I worked at a Ford/Lincoln/Mercury dealer back in '07 before transferring to a SpeeDee Oil Change and Tune-up... The going rate at Ford was around $35 and semi-syn was around $42. Full synthetic was not even an option. At Speedee the going rate was around $70 bucks for Mobil1 and a cheap Service Champ filter and multipoint check. If you buy your gallon of oil at wal-mart it will run you nearly nothing to do your own oil change with mobil1 oil. FYI most autozone stores will take waste oil for free... which is pretty convenient, and you will save that environmental fee and shop fee charge at the dealer while at the same time knowing your oil was actually done right.

[b_hickman11]

Originally Posted by YarisSedan

If you account the fact that he payed in addition to his oil change for a tire rotation which was 26 dollars.

.

I can rotate my tires in less than 7 minutes using 1 jack stand and the pos factory jack. And it will be free. The dealership has a lift. With 1 tech they could rotate in probably 2 minutes or less, with 2 techs less than a minute. So thats $26 for a minute or two of work. Thats about $1500 an hour!! But still you say thats not a profit? Your dealership must have a water park in it for the customers to use while getting their car serviced!

[ctrj]

You didn't get screwed. You signed the repair order before your car was worked on didn't you? They quoted you a price didn't they?

Your price seems right for a dealership oil change.

$10 for the oil filter
$10/qt for synthetic oil x 4 = $40

At my shop, techs get about .3 of an hour for an oil change. They get an extra .1 if they have to pour the oil in from bottles instead of the overhead oil. Labor at my shop is $118 an hour.

There is quite a bit of markup in synthetic oil. I think we pay about $4 a quart for Mobil 1, but charge $9 a quart.

Thankfully, there are many people like you who come and get their oil changed at the dealership or I wouldn't have a job. I can't afford the $80 oil changes, but do it at home. $3 for a Toyota filter and $22 for a jug of Mobil 1 and 30 minutes is all I need.

[DerFlosser]

Originally Posted by coffiend

^ I agree with saying that dealerships in general over charge,but saying that all mechanics that don't work for independent shops aren't "worth shit" is a little over the top... Not to mention incredibly rude and mean.

As somebody once said...the truth hurts. Good Mechanics work at independant garages because independants can't afford bad or average mechanics and dealerships simply don't share the same stakes because lemmings come to dealer over and over regardless. Simple as that...

[mdesjarlais]

Originally Posted by DerFlosser

As somebody once said...the truth hurts. Good Mechanics work at independant garages because independants can't afford bad or average mechanics and dealerships simply don't share the same stakes because lemmings come to dealer over and over regardless. Simple as that...

well put. that's why I left the dealership world because of lax repair work going on around the place. I take pride in my work, but unfortunately some guys just want to make a quick buck. I hope they make the mechanical field a licensed profession. You get some licensed mechanics in any garage and then see how much your oil change costs... be happy you don't own a powerstroke.

[Cosworth]

$86 for an oil change + tire rotation? It seems steep IMO. Maybe it's time to invest in a floor jack & a set of jack stands (plus a decent torque wrench & a metric socket set).

It's really easy to change oil in Yaris compared to some !!@# cars out there.

As for full synthetic vs. dino oil... I really don't see a huge difference between the two, but I drive my Yaris only during summer.

[RUFFSTUFF]

Yeah, I just did my 5000 mile change... it was ridiculously easy and I probably could have done it without the ramps. Though I do wonder why they angled the drain plug towards the right wheel.