CouponSherpa and Yahoo Say DIY Oil Changes Aren’t Worth it

Should you change your oil yourself or head to your local Jiffy Lube to get it done? According to Yahoo and CouponSherpa, changing your car’s oil yourself isn’t worth it.

In CouponSherpa’s latest list of 20 Things it’s Cheaper to Buy than DIY, changing the oil in your car makes it to #15. They say “Even my most mechanically inclined friend goes to a quick-lube joint these days because he doesn’t know what to do with the used oil.”

Yahoo goes on to say about DIY oil changes: For the inexperienced, changing your oil is not only physically difficult – especially without ramps and other equipment – but also environmentally unfriendly. (Do you know how to recycle your oil? We thought not.) “That’s the biggest problem,” says Kate Forgach, an editor with CouponSherpa.  “Many cities and counties don’t allow consumers to dispose used oil down sewers or in the trash, as we did in the past. The oil now must be brought to recycling centers or city dumps, where consumers are often charged to leave it.” It’s a hidden cost many of us may not understand up front. There’s also the issue of time and possible frustration. “Most people also don’t want to hassle with accumulating enough oil to make the trip and expense worthwhile. Unless you have multiple vehicles and are a real do-it-yourselfer, it’s just easier to leave the entire mess to a quick-lube center,” says Forgach.”

What do you think? Is it as waste of time to change the oil in your car yourself and it’s much easier to just drop it off at the shop? Or is it worth the money saved to do it yourself – if you know what you’re doing? Let us know in the comment section below.

[Source: Edmunds Inside Line]