Cheapest Oil & Filter Change!

hewhoisnotintheknow

liam8282 wrote: »

Bit the bullet and paid £30.60 at National, 10% discount if you pay online.

It says they will be using Castrol Edge 5W30 Full Synthetic, which costs £44.99 for 4 litres at Halfords. (If that is what they actually use?!)

get down homesbase and stock up!

Volcano

liam8282 wrote: »

It says they will be using Castrol Edge 5W30 Full Synthetic, which costs £44.99 for 4 litres at Halfords. (If that is what they actually use?!)

I'm sure it'll say that on the sticker of the 200 litre drum sat in the corner of the workshop, conveniently visible from the waiting area.

What greater reassurance could you possibly ask for?

liam8282

^ booked my oil & filter change for this saturday online and they rang me back to tell me that specific oil was out of stock in my local branch.

I have now got to ring back next week to rearrange.

It would be quite easy to watch what oil they put in the car actually, I would be as confident as in any other garage.

Also on their website, for the different cars it does come up with the specific oil for your car, so one would only hope that you get what you are paying for.

mikemellymel

Booked my jaguar x-type 2litre diesel for oil and filter change at National Tyres & Autocare yesterday and took it in today. Now the x-type takes 6.2 litres of oil which if you went to Halfords would be over £50.00....
Factor in the cost of the oil filter, engine flush and disposal of the waste oil and £31.00 is a steal...
The premises are a bit dilapidated and the technician hopped in the car without covering the drivers seat... but the job was done efficiently and at the agreed price - without the usual 'your brakes/tyres/engine and gearbox need replacing, I'll give you a price...'.
Yes - while I was there I did overhear a lady driver being fleeced for two 'budget' 'gripbegone' tyres. She asked could they do them any cheaper to which he said they could and immediately knocked a couple of quid off each. But still £££££'s... So I guess I'll stick to my usual tyre outfit which I have used and trusted for some years.
Highly recommended..
Mike

blued

theloft wrote: »

Your theory on this is quite wrong. Oil degrades over time and the worse thing for car engines is low annual mileage (usually means short journeys). If your car does say 24000 miles per annum and is serviced at every 12000 then you would get an oil and filter change every 6 months, which is good.
If your car only does 4000 miles per annum (like my wife's)
and routine service was every 12000 miles or 1 year (whichever comes first is usually what the manufacturers recommend), you would get the o& f changed once per year. Some new cars now have extended service intervals to 20000 miles. BUT all the best advice recommends an O & F change at least every 6 months! This keeps the engine in good nick. Even if you don't have a service regularly, always change the oil & filter. This is why a company car with regular servicing with 100K on the clock, usually has an engine in much better condition than a similar 3 yr. old car with only 18,000 miles. I stress this is only the engine we are talking about as obviously the rest of the car would have less wear & tear than a high miler.

Sorry but I agree with HIBS. A change every 6 months is overkill unless you have reached the recommended mileage for a change (eg 12,000). Oil is completely different to how it was 20 years ago hence longer service intervals. The reason a manufacturer says every X miles or annually (whichever comes first) is so that people that do short journeys and low miles get it changed once a year. You say "all the best advice recommends" but I'd say that the best advice comes from the manufacturer of the engine.

Obviously you wont do any harm to your engine changing it every 6 months - you will however do some harm ...to your pocket

theloft

blued wrote: »

Sorry but I agree with HIBS. A change every 6 months is overkill unless you have reached the recommended mileage for a change (eg 12,000). Oil is completely different to how it was 20 years ago hence longer service intervals. The reason a manufacturer says every X miles or annually (whichever comes first) is so that people that do short journeys and low miles get it changed once a year. You say "all the best advice recommends" but I'd say that the best advice comes from the manufacturer of the engine.Obviously you wont do any harm to your engine changing it every 6 months - you will however do some harm ...to your pocket

Well - "Honest John" in The Telegraph who is a very respected motoring journalist recommends more frequent oil changes especially for cars who do a small mileage and short journeys. That is where I obtained the information from in the first place. I would rather take his opinion, and was only passing it on. My friend who is a highly skilled mechanic for over 30 years at a Mercedes Benz dealer, also agrees. I asked Honest John why my wife's car was getting a creamy white sludge around the oil filler cap and tube and that was the response. Car engines need to be run at full temperature and reasonably high revs. regularly to burn off carbon, sulphur etc. from the fuel which finds its way into the oil.

theloft

mikemellymel wrote: »

Booked my jaguar x-type 2litre diesel for oil and filter change at National Tyres & Autocare yesterday and took it in today. Now the x-type takes 6.2 litres of oil which if you went to Halfords would be over £50.00....Factor in the cost of the oil filter, engine flush and disposal of the waste oil and £31.00 is a steal...
Highly recommended..Mike

Exactly !!

anewman

I think these people just use pumps with a tube to remove the oil anyway rather than taking the sump plug off.

theloft

anewman wrote: »

I think these people just use pumps with a tube to remove the oil anyway rather than taking the sump plug off.

Not true ! I have never seen them use a tube. They always remove the sump plug and fit new washer.

cyclonebri1

theloft wrote: »

Well - "Honest John" in The Telegraph who is a very respected motoring journalist recommends more frequent oil changes especially for cars who do a small mileage and short journeys. That is where I obtained the information from in the first place. I would rather take his opinion, and was only passing it on. My friend who is a highly skilled mechanic for over 30 years at a Mercedes Benz dealer, also agrees. I asked Honest John why my wife's car was getting a creamy white sludge around the oil filler cap and tube and that was the response. Car engines need to be run at full temperature and reasonably high revs. regularly to burn off carbon, sulphur etc. from the fuel which finds its way into the oil.

That advice is spot on, low miles + short runs equates to shorter service times and greater oil change requirements. If not any engine oild can soom become an amalgum of oils fuel water and acids, not the best for longevity. :money:

Avoid flushing engines at all costs, it's pretty much accepted advise that it will cause more harm than it will do good. Makes more sense to add a couple of litres of the oil you are using to an empty sump, use the old plug washer. run then drain out. 2 litres in a stationary car is enough to prime the pump/sump pickup, after which it can be redrained and fresh filled. Safer option;)