Servicing - Do your supply your own oil?

[Stedman]

Com'on then PH'ers, be honest. You don't need to save the money nor are you worried about VFM as you've got so many Directorships you can't keep track of them!

But who here supplies their own oil when their car goes for servicing?

I personally do, but I know the oil i'm using is much better than what would be chucked in there usually and I see it as cheap engine insurance.

[Bear Phils]

I do but that's because I do them myself

[Triumph Man]

When I do the Triumph, yeah supply all my own stuff because I service it myself .

With the Passat, as it goes to a VW specialist he supplies the oil. If I was to take it to a crappier garage, I would supply my own oil.

[crispyshark]

yes, unless the garage is getting it for the same cost as i can (will usually swallow £5 difference).

A certain porsche specialist in Brentwood are quite fair.

[Quikcurl]

Bear Phils said:

I do but that's because I do them myself

Me too.

[Lee540]

I always ask first what they are putting in and then ask to have some left over for top ups if required. I wouldn't bother with hassle of supplying my own oil. I only use specialists for that marque, they usually know what to use.

[Captain Muppet]

If I'm doing it myself then yes, if I'm paying someone else to do it then no.

I'm either too rich or too lazy to care about saving a few quid on oil.

[simon1987]

no matter how much money I earn I can never justify paying someone to do such a basic job. Even if I won the euro millions I would still change my own oil lol.

[JonnyFive]

We get probably 3-4 people a year who supply their own oil.

Standard manufacturer though so nothing special.

It's usually RX8 owners who supply their own.

[HustleRussell]

Too many times I have heard about garages just having a 205l drum of semi-synth 10w-40 in the corner which gets used for everything. I may be living in the past but this is one of the many reasons I DIY everything...

[Fartgalen]

Own servicing/repairs done here, so yes. I supply my own oil Only rarely do I send a car into the workshop for repairs. Then it's usually because I don't have the time, the tools, or the inclination.

[Ozzie Osmond]

JonnyFive said:

It's usually RX8 owners who supply their own.

I guess with their car's reputation they're reluctant to rely on the power of prayer alone!

[D1bram]

Years and years ago Tesco in Kingston Park had Castrol GTD 5litre packs with a shelf price of 2.99 (must have been a typo).

Anyway my Dad and I bought all they had of it, so for about 3 years I was taking my own oil along to the local Fiat delear at the time and receiving £40 off my service

I'm no powerfully built director.

[whoami]

No.

[Deva Link]

I'd never heard of this until I got a Merc and it seems to be common practice - indeed one time the dealer asked me as part of the booking-in procedure if I'd be supplying my own oil.

I did it on the very first service, back in 2005, but mainly because there was a lot of confusion from the dealer about which MB spec oil they would use and whether the car would continue on long-life variable servicing. After that the car was on a service contract, so it wasn't an issue.

It's a (relatively) massive cost difference - even back in 2005 the dealer would have charged £100 for oil I paid £35 for. I'm gobsmacked they cheerfully threw away that much profit, and didn't even make an oil disposal charge.

[MysteryLemon]

If I was getting a garage to do it then no. I doubt I would bother. If I made the effort to go out and buy the oil I wanted I would just change it myself.

[whoami]

JonnyFive said:

We get probably 3-4 people a year who supply their own oil.

What is your (and the technician's ) reaction when a customer decides to supply their own?

[Bear Phils]

Ozzie Osmond said:

JonnyFive said:

It's usually RX8 owners who supply their own.

I guess with their car's reputation they're reluctant to rely on the power of prayer alone!

It's because owner's use the wrong oil in the first place that they get their bad reputation.

[rufusgti]

I always supply my own. Not because it's cheaper, far from it. I have a really great mechanic who does 90% of the work my car needs. Sometimes I'll take it to a local guy if it's just an MOT or something tiny.
Now this chap is good, Very thorough. He actually specialises in VAG which I no longer drive but I still use him. But he's probably 75% set up for VAG cars. There's no doubt he would source me any oil I wanted, but instead of the boring conversation of which oils I want, I just get it sent direct from opie oils to his workshop.

I always presume he appreciates not having to find out which is best.

[JonnyFive]

whoami said:

What is your (and the technician's ) reaction when a customer decides to supply their own?

No problem.

As long as it's alright/correct stuff.

HustleRussell said:

Too many times I have heard about garages just having a 205l drum of semi-synth 10w-40 in the corner which gets used for everything. I may be living in the past but this is one of the many reasons I DIY everything...

I've heard this also.

We have 2000L of 5w30 from one of the names, Shell/Total/Q8 on pumps (Like a fuel pump kind of thing) and 10w40 in a barrell for older cars. Others that take special oil, DPF/RX8s have it in 5L cans from the manufacturer.

Ozzie Osmond said:

I guess with their car's reputation they're reluctant to rely on the power of prayer alone!

It's usually because the boot is full of it, know what these RX8s are like..