How does $29.95 for Oil Change become $94.95!

[Delmarco]

YES! I did a SEARCH and didn't find my answer.
and NO! As long as I have a job and money in the bank I will never change my oil myself.(I will do just about every nasty ass DIY there is, but I will never want to change oil in my driveway)

So the story goes:
On Friday I decided it was time for my first CASTROL Oil Change and I went out to get it done during my lunch hour (my 2001 330i has 43,350 miles at current and came to me with 37,017 miles on the odo last september).

I took it to where I usually take my gfriend's 2008 Accord and where I usually pay $29.95 for everything. The little greaseball of a guy tells me
"Oh it is a BMW you have there, What year? What make?..........Oil change for you my friend 94.95 plus tax!"

My response was to reverse out of there quickly. When I drive the Accord there, he never asks me what year it is or model, but the BMW is so special that he now needs that info to calculate a fee!?
I have never heard that price for an oil change before! Even my old 1995 318i was $40 to $50 for Oil Changes and I only paid more because I got the impression that is was a luxury BMW and it had high mileage (130,000+). This time, I have a repsectively new BMW and the oil change is now $100!


Seriously, how much are oil changes for the E46?

Most threads I found from searching are about how to change the oil, and not how much you should pay should you decide to take it in.

[AlpineSixAndSeven]

Dude is is a BMW and requires good quality syn. Oil... my 7 is about $90 to change the oil... your comparing a cheap accord to an expensive sports car.... you once again fail... BTW I though the dick theard was the last thread? so that makes you a liar correct?

Edit: just looked at my Papers it is about 50-60 in oil(depending on mobil 1 or BMW oil from dealer) at 22 for the filter so $72 then you add the labor cause your too uppity to actually DIY it thats a good deal

[drz]

A6&7, some way f helping a fellow member out By the way, an Accord is not necessarily cheap, and a 3 series is most definitely not a sports car.

Del, That is absolutely not right. You are probably having to pay extra for synthetic and for the rarity (as far as they are concerned) of the filter. You should look around for a better deal. Ask RoadsterMadness and Teh Prof how much they get charged for oil changes and where they take their cars Another option is to find someone who will change your oil if you provide the oil and filter. Then you are only talking about labor.

Five years ago, the oil change for my E36 was $125 at the dealership in BMW of Northwest Arkansas. I've heard up to $175 here in TX. My very first oil change on the E36 back in 2004 was the only one I paid for. I shamefully admit I took it to a Wal-Mart, and paid around $70.

Where did you have the oil changed for your 318i? [edit: just read you mention your E36]

Keep in mind that synthetic will last you a lot longer than the dyno oil in the Accord. I change my oil every 6k miles, but the dealership swears that it can last anywhere fromm 7.5k to 15k. If you change your oil every 10k miles, you're spending the same per mile than your GF is on the Accord (assuming oil changes every 3k miles). If you change your oil every $6k, you are spending an extra $5 per 1000 miles on your car than on the Honda.

An independent mechanic will probably charge you about the same: parts will be about $35, and you will probably get charged for one hour of labor at around $60 - $80. You can always try what I suggested above about providing the consumables.

It really is a shame that you won't do your own oil changes. The fact that I will do my own maintenance work was a big factor for me deciding whether to buy a BMW.

So, to answer your question, expect to pay from $75 - $200 for an oil change.

Good luck.

[nukeduster]

Same here.. the work I'm doing restoring my 8 would have cost me about $4,000-6,000 if i took it to a dealership.. so far I'm under $2,000 doing labor myself.

[johnnyBgood]

Delmarco: The little greaseball of a guy tells me
"Oh it is a BMW you have there, What year? What make?..........Oil change for you my friend 94.95 plus tax!"

^
He forgot to ask you one other question when he said, "Oh it is a BMW you have there, How deep is your wallet?

drz: It really is a shame that you won't do your own oil changes. The fact that I will do my own maintenance work was a big factor for me deciding whether to buy a BMW.

So, to answer your question, expect to pay from $75 - $200 for an oil change.

I agree 100% with drz....&
I am a little confused, you do all your other work yourself & save tons of money, why would you pay someone else $60.00 labor to take out your oil filter & remove that little drain plug.....which takes all about 20 minutes.

p.s. Oil changes on BMW's are so much easier to do, with the oil filters be right there on top.....it actually takes me longer to do the oil changes on my Nissan Altima & Honda Odyssey.....

[AlpineSixAndSeven]

Sorry just del is REALLY annoying now... and the 3 series is a sports sedan right? also i was in a new Accord and EVERTHING had a real cheap feel to it... like it is build of poor materals....

[bimmer_over_wife]

This guys comments are always negative towards bimmers....Jealousy can do this, i doubt he can afford one so he takes his anger on us lol

[AlpineSixAndSeven]

Originally Posted by bimmer_over_wife

This guys comments are always negative towards bimmers....Jealousy can do this, i doubt he can afford one so he takes his anger on us lol

I love this guy

[bimmer_over_wife]

Originally Posted by AlpineSixAndSeven

I love this guy

My Man

[drz]

This is the tech section. This is where people come and ask questions and get help/advice for their cars. Please keep your replies relevant.

[BimmerE39]

$90 sounds about right. I do mine every now and then but I usually have it done when I bring my car to the shop for routine maintenance. It doesn't bother me too much.

[denyo77]

my oil changes cost about 40 bucks

filter included

I take 10W40 oil

[AlpineSixAndSeven]

^ but yours is not a newer bmw it doesn't require $6+ a quart oil(I bought Mobil 1 Extended performace in bulk and got a steal at $3.20 a quart!)

[denyo77]

^yup and thats another thing I love about my car. The maintenance is not that expensive. I've got a garage full of parts because my brother has a 4-door 325e...
some are for the 2-door, some are for the Touring...
we even have an old 324d Diesel engine

[marti5]

My oil change DIY:

Oil full synth 5W-40 = $43

Filter = $13

Old oil disposal = free

Total=$56.00