Is changing your own oil actually worth it?
Doing your own oil changes cuts material costs in half compared to commercial shops, but you trade that savings for the time investment, upfront equipment needs, and hassle of disposing of used fluid. The main difficulty lies in finding a local disposal site for the old oil, which stops some people from attempting the job at all.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from October 2026.
- This comes up 59.9× more often in r/autorepair than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Paying a professional shop, dealership, or quick-lube service to perform the oil changeDid this help you?
- 2Bringing your own oil and filter to a private mechanic who charges a lower labor-only feeDid this help you?
- 3Using alternative extraction methods like a vacuum oil pump to bypass crawling under the vehicleDid this help you?
- 4Changing the transmission fluid anyway around 40k to 100k miles despite the manufacturer's lifetime ratingDid this help you?
- 5Performing extensive fluid flushes later in the vehicle's lifespanDid this help you?
- 6Crawling under the car to remove the traditional drain plugDid this help you?
- 7Taking the car to a professional shop or dealershipDid this help you?
- 8planning to do both fluid changes yourself this weekendDid this help you?
- 9taking the car to a professional to have the brake fluid changed and flushedDid this help you?
- 10asking mechanics online whether to do a single drain and fill or multiple repeated servicesDid this help you?
- 11Changing the oil early even with a few hundred miles remainingDid this help you?
- 12Buying a single quart from the store to top off the engine levelDid this help you?
- 13Visiting an oil change shop for a free fluid top-off checkDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I have never done an oil change myself. This seems very easy to do. I have a 2022 Hyundai sonata hybrid”source ↗
“You've got to get under there for the oil filter anyway. I wouldn't bother.”source ↗
“The spent oil, gunk, carbon, all collect in the bottom of the oil pan. Draining from the oil plug flushes it all out”source ↗
“As a former technician and service manager I would add a quart and drive it until it's time for the next oil change.”source ↗
“Add a quart in the meantime if it turns out to be a lot longer than 3,000 miles.”source ↗
“I’ve heard oil changes aren’t worth it due to the cost of oil and oil filter and time it takes.”source ↗
“So what say ye all? Is it worth it?”source ↗
“Mine takes 7 qts and a filter. Jiffy Lube charged me over $100 for that. Takes me about $50 and 20 minutes on the driveway.”source ↗
“Then you have to deal with disposal of the oil on top of it.”source ↗
“Only real challenge is finding a place to get rid of the old oil.”source ↗
“curious what mechanics think when a customer comes in with 100k+ miles on the original fluid and asks whether changing it is still worth doing”source ↗
“My old XC90 said lifetime.. at 155k I thought ahhh let's do it.. Bro.. was more solid than liquid.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 13Should I trust extended oil change intervals or stick to 5,000 miles?
- 7Should I replace my oil boiler or repair it?
- 11How to tell if a manual car clutch actually needs replacing
- 16Should I change my transmission fluid at 60k miles?
- 15How to tell if a worn timing belt actually needs replacing
- 14Should I reuse an old plumbing drain or replace it?