Pros/cons of changing your own oil
 

Relative newbie here and this has probably been addressed in the past. Have a 17 Lariat, 5.0 with only 350 miles on it so far. When the time comes to change the oil is it advisable to take to dealer/shop or am I ok doing it myself and keeping records and receipts. Another question to this, should I change when my oil monitoring systems tells me to or should I change earlier. Plan on using what the manual states, 5w20, or do your suggest another viscosity?

It’s easy. I change my own and keep the records in the manual. I use Motorcradt 5w-20 and Motorcraft filter acquired from Walmart super cheap. I also change at 5000 miles though the manual states 10,000.

I use to change my own oil years ago. It’s easier to take it the dealer it’s around 36 bucks with taxes and takes about 30 min. Plus the time a pay for 8 quarts of oil and a filter it just as cheap and I don’t have to make a mess in my garage.

https://www.f150forum.com/f38/when-s...mation-372752/

Change it yourself if you want, no problem in doing that.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...be0a7180ae.pngI keep a log .. and the engine hours.. not shown here as well as reciepts. My 2.7 has a cartridge which is a snap to change.. and clean with limited mess. I don't think it is cheaper to do your own. But it does help you routinely see cv boots, leaking seals and road damage.. trucks are pricy.. it pays to keep up with little details...fix problems while they are small....

I still change my own oil and filter. It's a carry-over from teen years when I worked in a true "service station" and saw what in-attention to detail could do to even a boring job like oil and filter changes.

Pros on change your own:
1) If anything gets screwed up you know who to blame (look in the mirror).
2) Peace of mind knowing no worries about the Jiffy Lube/FoMoCo/whatever guy or gal daydreaming when re-tightening your drain plug or new filter or leaving you a quart or 2 low (has happened to me at a VW dealership before).
3) You get a chance to see periodically if anything untoward is happening under the hood.
4) You (maybe) save a little money.
5) Doesn't take a lot of time and with good music and beer it's almost an enjoyable way to spend an hour or so on the weekend.
6) If you have a particular brand of synthetic oil you want to use (instead of Motorcraft syn-blend), no problem, just visit your friendly auto parts store or Walmart and go for it.

Cons of change your own:
1) If you're old (like me), climbing under the front end gets old after a while. I am about 1 year away from letting someone else do this work.
2) The FoMoCo guys/gals are unlikely to badly screw up an oil/filter change, and their work can be quickly checked before you leave the dealership.
3) It's not that much more expensive than doing it yourself, even if you tell the dealership you want full syn oil vs. syn-blend.

Use the IOLM, if you're changing your oil at 3k or 4K miles "just because"' then you're wasting your money.

Can't think of a pro.

i let the dealer do it, it's easier, no anymore expensive, plus if they screw something up i can blame it on them. :oops:

I keep the box top lid from the MC oil filter, write the date and mileage on it and file away with receipt for oil.

I change the oil in every internal combustion engine I own. 29 of them. Never kept a record or receipt. Just not a big deal and not the thing that is going to get a warranty claim denied. If I had to take every car, boat, motorcycle and piece of farm equipment to a dealer to get the oil changed that's all I would be doing. What a waste of time.

Even I had just one car and nothing else, I can have the oil changed quicker than it would take just to drive to the dealer. The time I would spend waiting and driving home is wasted. My vehicles that are under warranty never see a dealer except for warranty repairs, TSB's or recalls. I do all the rest myself.