TexasRedfish

If you could do it yourself then by all means, do it yourself. You buying full synthetic (Pennzoil, Mobil, whatever) with Motorcraft filter will generally cost the same as synthetic blend at the dealership with filter. If I had to pay the same or near the same price between full synthetic vs blend, might as well get full. But at the same time you could get tire rotation, and then take the chance of a kid over torquing your lugs, forgetting to put the oil cap back on, overfilling, making a mess around the engine bay, accidentally damaging something and don’t say anything, etc. Your call.

Use the viscosity recommended in the manual.

kenv47

Used to change my own. Now its easier & cheaper (I just use Motorcraft synblend) to le the dealer do it. Also, no mess or disposal problems on my end. Cost is like $45.00

todd92

I don't know how people say it costs about the same at the dealer. Mobil has rebates twice a year. $12 rebate for 5 qt of Mobil 1. $23 at Wal-Mart - $12 rebate = $11 = $2.20 per qt. $13.20 for full synthetic oil plus $7.52 for Motorcraft filter on Amazon = $20.72. Where are you guys getting a full synthetic oil change for $26?

'Checking the other fluids' takes a couple of minutes. 'Establishing a relationship with the service department' LOL, the rare times I need warranty service, they seem to take care of me just fine, even if I didn't buy the car there or never paid a dime for other service.

jp2012

I change oil at least 4x per year.

My truck uses 6 qts. I think all the engines use at least 6 qts. Are you then buying one extra quart with no rebate? The math then goes out the window. I don't use Mobil 1, either.

Very true. Not such a big deal, although it's nice that I don't need to buy and store approved fluids for the occasional top-off. I do trust that when required, the dealer will use the correct fluids.

Some dealers are much better and much more customer service-oriented than others.

I had never let anybody else change oil in any vehicle until I bought my '12 new. Since then, my dealer performs "The Works" package for $34.99. A couple of times per year they have a $10 discount or a $10 Valvoline rebate. 'The Works' also includes tire rotation, which is a PITA in a typical residential garage. Basically the tire rotation and other Works items are free. Sometimes even the filter ends up being free.

I still do all oil changes and regular maintenance in every other vehicle/engine I own. But until the dealer screws something up, I'm comfortable and happy to let them do this stuff on my F150. At the same time, I have complete empathy for those who want to do this themselves, for whatever reason. Either road is easily justified.

Coachdad

I couldn't agree more...

BadAV

Yep, I take my used oil to one of the local parts stores. When it comes to oil change interval, I simply choose to err on the side of safety. I use a good full synthetic and go to 5000 miles minimum or typically 6-9 months. I generally have driven each of my primary vehicles roughly 20k miles a year; I have personally averaged 30-35k miles total a year for at least the last 35 years. That has slowed down since about June this year as I retired at the end of March.

The OEMs sometimes tend to over-reach extended OLM/oil change intervals, which then can cause very expensive engine repairs. We owned a 2008 Buick Enclave, which had the DOHC 3.6 V6. The OLM would not have called for a change for over 12k miles. People who followed the monitor started having timing chain issues a couple of years down the road that was ultimately traced back to the too-long OLM interval, initially resulting in out of pocket repair expenses of from $3500-$5500. GM changed the OLM interval for the 2010 model year, and later issued a bulletin and reprogrammed all of them. Our Enclave still would have gone to about 9k miles, even after the reprogramming. I personally would rather change my oil twice a year minimum, costing me about $35 additional, for peace of mind on engine longevity. The vast majority of people probably don't keep their vehicles long enough (either years or mileage) to realize the benefits of this precautionary approach. I tend to keep my vehicles for the long haul - many for 12-14 years, and quite a few for 200k miles or very close.

This is my conservative approach and as always, YMMV.

Ricktwuhk

Ford IOLM will never go more than 10,000 miles or one year, whichever comes first. In reality, most find it won't go more than around 9,100 miles, often less.

Before IOLM's existed, we drove our Ford Explorer for 15 years, using regular oil, and changing at 7,500 miles because that was the recommended interval. Had a minivan for 11 years.

The reality is that today's oils, especially synthetics, can go much longer than anything in the past. People have posted oil analysis at 10,000 miles showing more life left.

Scomel72

I can't find a dealer anywhere in my area that will change synthetic oil for less than $60 so I do it myself for around $25.

SilverSurfer15

same. Its like 85-125 here at a dealer. But pepboys still does it for 19.99 labor. (you bring your own stuff)

rival

I do my own... With older vehicles, I'd go to quick change places in the winter, but with newer vehicles, I really only need to change it a couple times a year. It sort of forces me to look over other stuff while I'm doing it (other fluid levels, condition of hoses, etc). I just wish the stupid 2.7l oil filters weren't so expensive. It's like the smallest filter, but cost the most. Still cheaper for me to do it myself, you just gotta watch the deals they have at the auto parts stores. Synthetics get expensive at quick change places.

For intervals, I depend on the computer, but I usually don't let it go below like 15%.

My wife's company works on heavy equipment, so she just takes the old oil jugs into work to dispose of it there.