Thread: $600 for an oil change?

Originally Posted by Trout

I think there's a good chance 15W40 is the right oil for a old tdi 4.2 engine.Its been running smooth as for the last 15yrs on that oil and never given a problem.You sound like a garage looking for work,spin a bit of bull shit to get new clients in to yr work shop,then ripp them off.

What I've been using for 20yrs on my TD42, oil and filter changes every 5k with no exception. Delo 400, have had no issues whatsoever.

I see you only get 18L down there,how much does that cost?

As someone thats been a lowly mechanic for over 30yrs, I can say we just love it when people do ( or attempt to do) their own servicing and repairs. We are certainly kept busy fixing their "work".

People may bitch and moan about what it costs these days but our expenses to operate are also astronomical. Oil isn't cheap. And the correct oil for certain vehicles can be crazy expensive. And if you don't use that right stuff you could just end up with a very expensive mistake.
Know of a place that used the wrong oil in a Maserati and it cost them a new motor from Ferrari...plus lawyer's fees after a court case.

Mechanics also have to purchase their own tools some of which are so specialized it makes surgeons weep when they see the prices.

Originally Posted by Trout

I think there's a good chance 15W40 is the right oil for a old tdi 4.2 engine.Its been running smooth as for the last 15yrs on that oil and never given a problem.You sound like a garage looking for work,spin a bit of bull shit to get new clients in to yr work shop,then ripp them off.

I have 2x 44 gall drums of 15W40 dino diesel engine oil sitting in the workshop that also says its the right oil for older diesel engines. Runs everything from the generator, 3 x Nissan Patrols, small tractor, big tractor, dozer, Miller welder.

Back in the days when I owned my own Unimog, I went to do a full service on it, Changing all the oils etc The Castrol dude listed all the oils I needed, including about $1,200 for the gearbox oil!!!! (2005)

I went home and dragged the owners manual out as I was pretty sure I was right...and I was. The entire engine and drive train excepting the diffs and reduction hubs runs on engine oil. Bog standard mono grade diesel engine oil. That dropped the cost of gearbox oil from $1200 to $150.

Originally Posted by XR500

I have 2x 44 gall drums of 15W40 dino diesel engine oil sitting in the workshop that also says its the right oil for older diesel engines. Runs everything from the generator, 3 x Nissan Patrols, small tractor, big tractor, dozer, Miller welder.

Back in the days when I owned my own Unimog, I went to do a full service on it, Changing all the oils etc The Castrol dude listed all the oils I needed, including about $1,200 for the gearbox oil!!!! (2005)

I went home and dragged the owners manual out as I was pretty sure I was right...and I was. The entire engine and drive train excepting the diffs and reduction hubs runs on engine oil. Bog standard mono grade diesel engine oil. That dropped the cost of gearbox oil from $1200 to $150.

I was a diesel mechanic in a former life and we used Castrol CRF30 in those engines/drivetrains

Every other engine got Molbil Delo/Delvac 400

Even the Comma knockers and Detroit 2 strokes

Originally Posted by cambo

As someone thats been a lowly mechanic for over 30yrs, I can say we just love it when people do ( or attempt to do) their own servicing and repairs. We are certainly kept busy fixing their "work".

People may bitch and moan about what it costs these days but our expenses to operate are also astronomical. Oil isn't cheap. And the correct oil for certain vehicles can be crazy expensive. And if you don't use that right stuff you could just end up with a very expensive mistake.
Know of a place that used the wrong oil in a Maserati and it cost them a new motor from Ferrari...plus lawyer's fees after a court case.

Mechanics also have to purchase their own tools some of which are so specialized it makes surgeons weep when they see the prices.

It’s good to be a tradesman, and to have grown up rebuilding and modifying cars, with my mates. Different times, things ain’t that simple anymore, but some young guys are still extremely clever with their cars. I always saw the black hole and believed in buying things with residual value.

had a clown a few weeks back who attempted to fit an aftermarket IC ("chip") into the engine management computer of his audi, completely destroyed the board by breaking all the copper print then thought i could repair it for him.
nope!
$3000 for a replacement.

Actually we are rip off cunts. We dont do wofs anymore. We get customers wanting us to take their vehicles for wofs for them even tho they know we dont do them here any more. How much for a wof they ask? Well it will be the price of the wof and what ever time it takes us going down there and waiting. Apparently we are in buisness to do work for nothing.

Originally Posted by Twodiffs

What I've been using for 20yrs on my TD42, oil and filter changes every 5k with no exception. Delo 400, have had no issues whatsoever.

Attachment 274682

If you are averaging 50Km/h over that period 5000k's is 100hours of in-service time or thereabouts - it's a bit lower than marine or industrial service intervals based on hours run (usually 150hours between oil/filters changed). Based on those figures you could probably go out to 7500K's between services and not change anything apart from only having to do 2 services in the time you've been doing three.

Only a bit of a labour time saved though, and 2/3 of the servicing costs so no real major. Only real way to know for sure how you're going for oil life is get an oil analysis done at the next service, grab a sample before you ditch the oil and send it in. Probably cost more than the replacement oil and filters though now!

Originally Posted by cambo

As someone thats been a lowly mechanic for over 30yrs, I can say we just love it when people do ( or attempt to do) their own servicing and repairs. We are certainly kept busy fixing their "work".

People may bitch and moan about what it costs these days but our expenses to operate are also astronomical. Oil isn't cheap. And the correct oil for certain vehicles can be crazy expensive. And if you don't use that right stuff you could just end up with a very expensive mistake.
Know of a place that used the wrong oil in a Maserati and it cost them a new motor from Ferrari...plus lawyer's fees after a court case.

Mechanics also have to purchase their own tools some of which are so specialized it makes surgeons weep when they see the prices.

Yeah, accountancy rent and standard OPEX costs make my eyes spin when I'm talking to the mates who have their own businesses in a variety of industries. When I first started commercial diving, a surface supplied diving helmet was NZ$14,000 landed in NZ pick up from the local freight outfit. Not a lot of change out of NZ$50,000 now. That's a brutal increase, and that's only one bit of the kit required...

I went looking for a OBDII scantool/datalogger a while back - to do what I needed in a commercial tool I was looking that the $6500+ gear. Just not viable for a home job. Luckily a $20 android app, and a $120 bluetooth dongle and I was in action. Not ideal if it was a more obscure make of vehicle though!

Change filters n oil around 10k on patrol.

Originally Posted by Trout

I think there's a good chance 15W40 is the right oil for a old tdi 4.2 engine.Its been running smooth as for the last 15yrs on that oil and never given a problem.You sound like a garage looking for work,spin a bit of bull shit to get new clients in to yr work shop,then ripp them off.

I'd be more concerned with the specification (API, ACEA, JASO, etc) rather than the viscosity within reason but each to their own.

Originally Posted by XR500

I have 2x 44 gall drums of 15W40 dino diesel engine oil sitting in the workshop that also says its the right oil for older diesel engines. Runs everything from the generator, 3 x Nissan Patrols, small tractor, big tractor, dozer, Miller welder.

Back in the days when I owned my own Unimog, I went to do a full service on it, Changing all the oils etc The Castrol dude listed all the oils I needed, including about $1,200 for the gearbox oil!!!! (2005)

I went home and dragged the owners manual out as I was pretty sure I was right...and I was. The entire engine and drive train excepting the diffs and reduction hubs runs on engine oil. Bog standard mono grade diesel engine oil. That dropped the cost of gearbox oil from $1200 to $150.

That was a ridiculous price for the gearbox oil,you can use Engine Oil in the gearbox but Castrol Syntrans makes shifting alot smoother. 20L is $750 bucks here you can use it in the hubs too but they don't take much.

Originally Posted by norsk

I see you only get 18L down there,how much does that cost?

If that's for me it's 130 drinking vouchers at a dollar a pop mate.

This thread reminds me... do our own services on our farm bikes now but send them in for brakes, bushes etc but last year we sent 3 DR200s into town to the local dealer to be serviced and got the call they were ready to pick up a couple days after. Shot into town and picked them up. Came back to the farm and one of the boys was at the dairy shed waiting for his bike so took his off the trailer and away he went. Two minutes later get a call "boss my bike not working" so drove the 1km or so he'd gone to take a look. Bike was seized solid and had no oil in it. Had a look at the other two still on the trailer and same thing. They'd drained the old oil out of them, put new filters in them, and then fucks me what happened after that, must have been lunch time or something. No new oil in any of them. I now don't let suzuki touch any of our bikes, including our Kingquad, if it needs a mechanic it goes to Honda.