Providing Own Oil for Mechanic to Use for Oil Change Service

pinchies on 10/08/2022 - 14:51
Last edited 10/08/2022 - 15:11

Tldr; mechanic doesn't want me to provide my own oil for an oil change

I always try to buy oil at a discount when I see it. My current mechanic charges $100 for 5L of oil, and I often buy the same amount for well under $50 when it is on a massive discount. I normally provide this oil to the mechanic when I take my car in for a service, and ask that they use my oil. A tiny bit of effort to save >$50 on a $400 service seems like a no brainer to me.

Recently, my mechanic said to me "you know, we have oil here too you know" and asked that next time I don't provide my own oil.

I've been doing this for years without issue, and haven't had any issues with any of my previous mechanics either. A good mechanic is hard to find, so I certainly don't want to make a fuss, but I'm not really impressed either. I'm completely fine with paying for their time, and paying their waste disposal fees too, but I'd rather not use their overpriced shop oil. I have a 2014 Subaru XV and use the Castrol Edge Full Synthetic 5W30, so it's not like I'm trying to ask them to put canola oil or fruit juice in there either.

Curious for thoughts. Am I being unreasonable asking them to use my own oil?

There are two perspectives I can see:

Yes, you're being unreasonable: You choose the mechanic, you are choosing the whole service. You don't get to pick and choose.

No, you're not being unreasonable: You're paying them for their time and workshop disposal fees, and providing your own quality oil to save money should be fine. If they want to make more money they should charge appropriate fees for the service, not by jacking the price of oil to pad their pockets.

Poll Options expired

  • 254
    Customer is unreasonable to expect to be able to provide your own quality oil to try save a buck
  • 258
    Mechanic is being unreasonable here to refuse the customer providing oil
  • 166
    It's complex
Automotive Engine Oil

Comments

  • MS Paint on 10/08/2022 - 14:53
    +18

    If your motor has oil related issues after the service who is to blame?

    • pinchies on 10/08/2022 - 14:53
      +8

      Me?

      • MS Paint on 10/08/2022 - 14:53
        +5

        Really?

        • pinchies on 10/08/2022 - 14:55
          +2

          I would assume so. If there was something that indicated that the job was not completed to spec that would be different.

          • MS Paint on 10/08/2022 - 14:55

            @pinchies: How old is the XV?

            • pinchies on 10/08/2022 - 14:56

              @MS Paint: 2014/2015

              • MS Paint on 10/08/2022 - 14:57
                +36

                @pinchies: Well it's way out of warranty. Do it yourself and tell mechanic to skip the oil and filter part and save yourself $100 plus labour.

                • pinchies on 10/08/2022 - 15:00
                  +8

                  @MS Paint: It's certainly an idea that has occurred to me, but I would prefer to have a mechanic do it. Seems a bit inefficient to have both of us get our hands dirty.

                  • MS Paint on 10/08/2022 - 15:01
                    +29

                    @pinchies: It takes 20 minutes and you can wear gloves so your hands don't get dirty.

                  • HelpMeiCantSee on 11/08/2022 - 09:03
                    +12

                    @pinchies: Fumoto oil drain valve. No dirty hands. Ever again.

                    • Poor Ass on 11/08/2022 - 15:20
                      +1

                      @HelpMeiCantSee: ok now what about the oil filter? lol

                      • lew380 on 11/08/2022 - 20:21

                        @Poor Ass: Wear gloves

                        • Poor Ass on 11/08/2022 - 20:55

                          @lew380: I have no issues but seeing if he got a messy free filter lol

                      • HelpMeiCantSee on 11/08/2022 - 22:33

                        @Poor Ass: Mine has an attachment to click on a drain hose to the oil filter, so I have zero mess except for wiping out the filter cup and living the oil seal. Main benefit of cartridge oil filters I guess!

                        • Poor Ass on 11/08/2022 - 22:57

                          @HelpMeiCantSee: Nice. Got photo?

                          • HelpMeiCantSee on 11/08/2022 - 23:00
                            +1

                            @Poor Ass: It comes with the oil filters, I’ll dig one out of my spare parts cupboard in the morning if you’re interested, but if your car uses spin on filters it doesn’t help you lol

                    • knk on 11/08/2022 - 17:28

                      @HelpMeiCantSee: I have been meaning to buy one of these for ages….guess I better do it now.

                    • dassaur on 11/08/2022 - 18:08
                      +1

                      @HelpMeiCantSee: Agreed. Got on all my cars. Best part is you can drain the oil scalding hot and not risk any burn.

                      • HelpMeiCantSee on 11/08/2022 - 22:35
                        +1

                        @dassaur: And as a part of draining it hot, you get more gooo out! It’s really slow if you drain it cold, but in my life I’ve only ever don’t that once (out of hundreds of not thousands of oil changes) just to see how the valve worked on cold oil lol.

                        • dassaur on 12/08/2022 - 00:01

                          @HelpMeiCantSee: I've got the bigger valve on one car and standard on the other. Smaller valve car (4.7L sump) even when oil >90c takes 3x as long as the bigger valved one (7.5L sump) such that I'm tempted to buy the bigger one for my other car!!

                    • drprox on 11/08/2022 - 19:26

                      @HelpMeiCantSee: they're so good!

                      • Jackson on 11/08/2022 - 20:22

                        @drprox: Someone please list a deal for one of these

                  • upsidedownlemon on 12/08/2022 - 16:38

                    @pinchies: Isn't buying your own oil inefficient?

                • unwashed00 on 12/08/2022 - 08:26
                  +3

                  @MS Paint: So then he'll pay mechanic to do nothing for $250-300? A bargain

    • HeWhoKnows on 11/08/2022 - 17:43
      +30

      Part of the mechanic's profit margin on a service is the mark up on the oil.
      By providng the oil you are taking away profit from the mechanic.
      Therefore then mechanic is within thier rights to refuse the job.

      Furthermore, most mechanics will not fit parts or oils provided by the customer least a problem occurs and then who is to blame?

      If OP wants to use his own oil then OP should change the oil themselves.
      Its not very difficult to do with most cars

      • Jackson on 11/08/2022 - 20:24
        +10

        The first problem can be resolved by the mechanic just charging the 10 bucks or whatever the oil mark up is.

        The second isn't really a problem unless the guy drives a high performance car and uses the wrong oil. If the mechanic can't work out that the oil is decent from a seal container, he's an idiot.

        Mechanics being a dickz just go somewhere else or do yourself is the answer

        • Tleyx on 11/08/2022 - 22:20
          +4

          The mark up is not $10 it's more like at least $50.

          I bet the customer would lose their mind if they said $60 extra to bring oil

          • HelpMeiCantSee on 11/08/2022 - 22:37
            +1

            @Tleyx: Yeah, it’s like an extra $10 per litre. They generally use the cheapest and shittyest oil available. Why shouldn’t I be able to provide premium oil? That being said, the mechanics I use I’m on very good terms with, many rules are bent for mutual benefit.

            • Tleyx on 11/08/2022 - 22:43

              @HelpMeiCantSee: Should change your mechanic if they are using the shittiest oil available.

              I really doubt that's true for most mechanics, if they used shitty oil their customers cars would break and they would get complaints .

              Anyway if you are buying Castrol it's not the best, not Penrite is it

              • HelpMeiCantSee on 11/08/2022 - 22:49

                @Tleyx: Yeah, most of the time super cheap gear is a no go. Dealerships in particular use low grade but within spec oil- theoretically nothing wrong with it, but below my standards. I regard valvolene very poorly and sadly it’s popular to the purchasers of 205’s.

                Quite a lot of mechanics around use gulf western or valvolene Dino oils. It’s gotten much harder to get away with crappy oil due to dpf etc requiring very strict standards.

                Then again, I’m likely quite the outlier as I tend to keep my vehicles a very very long time and over service them as well as do regular oil analysis to nip any problems in the bud before they actually do harm, hence my stance on oil quality.

                • Tleyx on 11/08/2022 - 22:53

                  @HelpMeiCantSee: I would do the service myself then if I kept the car a long time. Most of the cost in servicing is getting the right tools if you change cars that's a pain. If you keep a long time you get quick at doing them too

                  • HelpMeiCantSee on 11/08/2022 - 22:57
                    +1

                    @Tleyx: I absolutely do, I rarely use mechanics, when I do it’s big money for them, hence the relationship. And sometimes you just need to get simple stuff done.

                    The only thing I haven’t done myself on a car yet is changing tyres.

              • greatlamp on 11/08/2022 - 23:38

                @Tleyx: Cars wouldn't break, even the cheap oil works fine. You will wear the motor more, but that won't become apparent for years.

          • Jackson on 12/08/2022 - 00:30

            @Tleyx: Pricing should be transparent, and it should not be misdirected. If the mech needs to charge 150 for an oil change rather than 90 but make 60 on the oil, he's just hiding costs you should get a new mechanic who is up front about where your money is spent. And anyway that "bonus" money shouldn't mean that he's priced out of doing the job where you bring your oil.

            I know heaps of mechanics that have no issues letting you bring in oil, brake pads, discs, even struts in some cases

            • Tleyx on 12/08/2022 - 03:17
              -3

              @Jackson: How do you know he is even making any money on oil. The op is using Castrol which is not premium brand

              • Hackney on 12/08/2022 - 06:44
                +1

                @Tleyx: Nearly ALL mainstream brands are fine there is absolutely nothing wrong with Castrol. As a matter of interest what do you consider a ‘premium brand’?Looking forward to hearing the answer on this one.You are talking absolute garbage.

      • Shaddolf on 11/08/2022 - 22:16
        -3

        Came here to say exactly this.

        It's like going to a restaurant and giving the chef ingredients you just bought from woolworths.

        • SonOfATightASS on 11/08/2022 - 23:05
          +5

          It's not really like this at all, the chief/restaurant won't charge you a mark up price on the cost of the food nor state it on a reciept a they don't itemise their ingredients cost to the patron.

    • Seni0r El Cheapo on 11/08/2022 - 22:33
      -1

      Million dollar question would be: If my motor has oil-related issues after the service, can I blame my mechanic and prove that in court? I bet the mechanic will blame the customer and for the customer, it would be impossible to prove that it was an oil-related issue.

      • HelpMeiCantSee on 11/08/2022 - 22:41
        +1

        No, you wouldn’t because if the issue was due to wrong grade of oil, it’s very very very unlikely the problem would surface until many many many oil changes later (exception may be transmission fluid). However, if the oil supplied by the customer is cat piss, that’s not the mechanics fault, that’s the owner’s. It’s an implied acceptance of responsibility when you supply the oil, and a good reason not to skimp out on shit oil. FWIW, delo400 is the lowest quality oil I would accept in my vehicles, and that’s quite a fine quality mineral oil, imho one of the best.

        • LlamaOfDoom on 12/08/2022 - 17:57
          +1

          What gives you confidence Delo400 is a fine quality mineral oil?

          • HelpMeiCantSee on 12/08/2022 - 23:25
            -2

            @LlamaOfDoom: Lab tests and oil analysis. Suited my application perfectly with a good buffer should I need to miss a service.

            When I acquire a new vehicle, I go through a number of different oils to objectively test which the car is happiest with (or which oil is happiest in the engine it will be used in).

            Probably overkill, but it’s a strategy that seems to have worked for me over almost 2 million km.

            • enzioFirenze on 14/08/2022 - 08:17

              @HelpMeiCantSee: Hey @HelpMeiCantSee out of interest, what are the objective tests you are using and how are you doing them mate? I'd love to do that too but have no idea where or how to start.

              • HelpMeiCantSee on 14/08/2022 - 13:16

                @enzioFirenze: Oil analysis. Different oils wear at different rates, and this reflects in the chemistry detected in the oil you test. Send a virgin sample and a used sample at a known number of km, and you have an objective comparison of both engine and oil/additive pack wear. I have been using CAT analysis for years, I buy them by the 10 pack, they come with express post bags pre-paid with the test kits.

                Not sure why I got negged. Maybe I’m too anal about it lol.

                I use the oil SOS (scheduled oil sampling) kits

                https://www.williamadams.com.au/solutions/s-o-s-fluid-analys…

                Here is the nulon variant
                https://www.engineoiltest.com.au/product/oil-test-kit/

                I’m sure there are many other labs offering doing it. It’s cheaper by the 10 pack too. I used to use a mob in Laverton, wa but they stopped doing it. They were the most detailed and best value but long gone sadly.

    • Brianqpr on 12/08/2022 - 07:10
      +1

      As long as the oil is decent quality why is this even a question?

  • zonra on 10/08/2022 - 14:55
    +40

    If the mechanic doesn’t want to use your oil then that’s that. As much as you get to choose which shop to use, they also get to choose whether they want to entertain your proposals or not.
    Fwiw, since you’re already buying oil, it’s not that hard to do your own oil change.

    • SpotTheOzzie on 11/08/2022 - 19:32
      +3

      @OP The Mechanic wants to make money, part of that is not only the physical labour but the margin on product. If you strip the margin on product it may not be worth their time to have you as a customer, as other oil changing customers give them more cashola. Think about it.

      If you're that keen to save a buck, an oil change is the most BASIC of Car 101's ever. Just do it ya self if you value the $$$.

      1. Take oil sump plug out.
      2. Drain Oil.
      3. Put oil sump plug in.
      4. Fill with oil.
      • Brianqpr on 12/08/2022 - 07:11
        +1

        The mechanic can still charge for those tasks, just not the oil itself.

      • unwashed00 on 12/08/2022 - 08:29

        But you still got the procedure wrong.

      • ziggy1312 on 13/08/2022 - 23:24

        As long as its not a ranger , then you have to do it fast

  • highon2str on 10/08/2022 - 14:56
    +12

    It's a bit like bringing your own flake in a plastic bag, to a fish and chips shop?

    • pinchies on 10/08/2022 - 14:57
      +10

      I understand your point, but I think this analogy is a bit of a stretch? I mean, I am paying for their service explicitly. I do not pay the fish and chip shop a "labor" or "workshop sundries" or "waste disposal" fee.

        • pinchies on 10/08/2022 - 15:10
          +27

          I'm on ozbargain and I'm being laughed at for "trying to save a buck here and there"? “Impreza on stilts" or not, I happen to like it and certainly have not found it unreasonable to service.

          • ThithLord on 10/08/2022 - 15:58
            +10

            @pinchies: Mate you are not being crazy, wait another 10hrs and you'll see plenty of OzBargainers will agree with you.

            I also recommend you ask for any parts that are replaced to be put in your boot. ie if they replace a part of the exhaust, make sure you get the faulty back. Not for any further use, but just so you know they're actually replacing items.

          • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 10/08/2022 - 20:30
            -7

            @pinchies: 6 month service intervals yo. Literally anti-OzB.

    • AustriaBargain on 10/08/2022 - 15:36
      +2

      Well sure, just order the chips. It thought you were going to say bringing your own Flake to put in a McDonald's cone.

    • holdenmg on 10/08/2022 - 19:09
      +2

      Is that a thing? BYO Fish?

      • Yukari Yakumo on 11/08/2022 - 23:45
        +2

        In Mongolia it's not uncommon for a customer to supply their own cuts of meat to the restaurant, if they perceive that they can get better quality meats from a specific butcher, or if they suspect that the restaurant would otherwise cut corners and use subpar meat. Then, the customer would just be paying for the restaurant's service of preparing and cooking the food.

        Yes, I'm aware that it's not applicable at all to the rest of us here in Australia; just pointing out that the premise is not as weird as it might seem if transplanted to a different society.

  • JimB on 10/08/2022 - 15:04
    +3

    My specialist independents (VAG & Volvo) that I use have no issues with me supplying it. I'm sure they will check if it's a suitable oil or not.

    Having said that my cars are a bit older now, so well out of warranty and these days I tend to do all my minor servicing. I can change the oil and filters in the time it takes to drive it there and back.

    I wouldn't say either Mechanic or Customer is unreasonable.

    Next time before you bring it in, ask the Mechanic if it's ok.. just use the spiel, I have a preference for this oil and I can use the same oil for top ups.

    • meesey on 10/08/2022 - 15:12
      +8

      How often do you need to service your VAG?

      • JimB on 10/08/2022 - 15:15
        +7

        Once the lubricant changes to clear golden to black. This depends on how wide open my throttle is.

        • bhubb18 on 10/08/2022 - 15:41
          +7

          If you had a diesel, you'd be servicing it every time you start it.
          Oil colour != oil life

      • SillySorjai on 11/08/2022 - 13:44

        Lol!

        I'm not sure how often OP services his VAG but I've heard vagisil is quite good.

    • RADICALIST on 11/08/2022 - 20:00

      Do you enter your self service intervals in the log book?

      • JimB on 11/08/2022 - 21:59
        +2

        I don’t bother.

        Usually the car is at 7-8yo and >100km by that stage and I tend to keep my cars for a long time.

        I usually do it every year or every 15k. My cars tell me when that is due.

        On one of my cars which is a 2L turbo, I do it every 7.5k.

        Once a car gets to 10+ years, log book doesn’t mean much and you’re buying on condition rather than a stamp.

  • life is suffering on 10/08/2022 - 15:04
    +6

    I know a lot of people who do this. Depends on the mechanic

    • SF3 on 10/08/2022 - 16:04
      +3

      ^This.

      Just like some restaurants are BYO and some aren't.

  • meesey on 10/08/2022 - 15:15
    +36

    The most unreasonable thing about this whole situation is the mechanic charging $20/L for engine oil.

    • pinchies on 10/08/2022 - 15:17
      +9

      You see my incentive!!

      • BewareOfThe Dog on 10/08/2022 - 15:59
        +10

        And they usually buy the most common oils in large tubs, and save even more.

        • WT on 11/08/2022 - 09:33
          +1

          depends on the shop, some have those mini tankers that fill up holding tanks

      • Tleyx on 11/08/2022 - 22:23

        Change shops

  • foxpants on 10/08/2022 - 15:16
    +7

    I use a private mechanic and he has zero issues me providing my own oil. I would seek a mechanic that lets me do this if my vehicle was in warranty.

    If you're comfortable and the cars out of warranty (I assume it is as a 2014), do the oil changes yourself and if your uncomfortable with other service items, just pay for the rest of the service to be done by them.

    I get far more satisfaction and piece of mind, not to mention savings doing my own oil changes.

  • kolorijo on 10/08/2022 - 15:17
    +13

    They can refuse but you can also take your car to another mechanic. So it is up to you now.

  • [Deactivated] on 10/08/2022 - 15:20
    +6

    They make some money on the overpriced oil. They slap a surcharge on rrp when they get trade prices. Just find a new mechanic or DIY.

    • pinchies on 10/08/2022 - 15:22

      Thanks. That’s the vibe I’m getting from these comments. I’m not disputing that is their workshop, their rules, just wanted to get a sense if it seemed reasonable or not to be unhappy.

    • Mokr on 10/08/2022 - 15:32

      they aren't making much though, $70. How long is a service 2 hours?

      • [Deactivated] on 10/08/2022 - 15:48
        +3

        Where are you getting a service that is for 70? Takes 10-15 minutes max to do an oil change with a hoist.

        • pinchies on 10/08/2022 - 19:42

          Total cost was $302 plus my own oil cost, including $210 for 1.4 hours of labor time for a minor service. Just oil change, pollen filter, and quick inspection.

          • turbochris on 11/08/2022 - 08:09
            +1

            @pinchies: Do you realise that it would have been $302 even if you didn't supply oil? They just increase labour charge to recover the margin that they lose on selling you oil.

          • Geoff01 on 11/08/2022 - 09:12
            +5

            @pinchies: $302 for a pollen filter and oil change is ludicrous. Would take 45 minutes tops at home and only cost you maybe $90 total. So skip the mechanic all together and just get a quick inspection from them every 6 months or get rac to do a vehicle check.

            • pinchies on 11/08/2022 - 13:03

              @Geoff01: I do agree with you, and for minor services in future in particular I will certainly be reconsidering them. My thinking has been that I pay them for their expertise on the tricky stuff, with the idea that a careful eye and their experience will be more likely to save me issues down the track. But maybe I should just find someone cheaper to do those minor services, or as multiple people have said, just do the oil change and air filter myself.

              • Save 50 Cent on 11/08/2022 - 13:27
                +3

                @pinchies: If they were unhappy woth you supplying the oil this time, they’ll be pissed off next service when you say you’ll do the oil change yourself. This is the easiest/quickest part of the job and they make easy money on it.
                Skip that mechanic altogether especially if he gave attitude about supplying your oil.

            • Amumu on 11/08/2022 - 18:02

              @Geoff01: I would love to as well, but then I need to find a place to do my pink slip, where issues might arise. (as in they can always try to fail you to make money for the repairs)
              I would just let them make those dollars in exchange for an easy pink slip

          • riitiir on 11/08/2022 - 20:26
            -1

            @pinchies: $210 for 1.4hrs! That's $150 per hour….for light vehicle. That's insanity.

          • USER DC on 12/08/2022 - 00:51

            @pinchies:

            Just oil change ?

            No oil filter changed ? They better did that, have heard a story from a family friend that they claimed their Nissan dealer didn't change oil filter and only oil once, not sure about the case with ya. Generally speaking decent mechanics know they gotta do both oil and oil filter.

            5L Oil cost $15-$35 (if ya buy yourself during sale)
            Oil filter $10-20 (should not be more than that)
            Pollen filter - Depends on your vehicle I'd guess $5-$40 (But at the same time I'd also generally assume that it didn't really needed to be changed)

            Parts cost I reckon $60 ish then, Rest all labour and Dealer name TAX.

            Personally I have gotten oil as little as $10, and oil filters as little as $2. Making those oil changes mere $12 + my time spent.

            • JimB on 12/08/2022 - 12:28
              +1

              @USER DC: Yeah, I do my own oil and filter (oil, pollen & air) changes

              Doesn't take long and you get the satisfaction of knowing it's been changed properly.

              I have read that modern full synthetic oils are so good (based on oil analysis) that you can skip the oil change as long as you replace the filter.

              The days of 5k oil changes (with good full synthetic oils) are unnecessary.

  • AustriaBargain on 10/08/2022 - 15:39
    +1

    I wonder if they would want to charge a "corkage" fee. Maybe the $100 isn't just the cost of the oil, but also the cost of handling it.

  • FLICKIT on 10/08/2022 - 15:44
    +9

    There's a good chance the mechanic buys oil in 20L or 205L drums at a discount rate, then they make a nice little profit selling it on at $100 per 5L, this may help subsidize the other costs involved with the service…

    • Geoff01 on 14/08/2022 - 10:32
      +1

      Doubt any costs need subsidising. They aren't doing any favours or reductions. They just want to make $300 an hour

  • Davo1111 on 10/08/2022 - 15:52
    +3

    i think it's okay for you to request you use their oil.

    BUT i think it's okay for them to charge extra for the screw around.

    Do they charge for

    • recycling of oil?
    • time opening/pouring all the bottles? (rather than the pump)
    • do you have a bin for all the empty bottles?
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