QOTD: Do You Even Wrench, Bro?

Matthew Guy
by Matthew Guy

Early last week, I brought the Charger into our local dealer to sort out a passel of recalls, not the least of which was a computer reflash to bestow Auto Park capabilities on my ZF-equipped Dodge.

This new programming, it must be noted, not only added the Auto Park feature (which actually works so seamlessly it beggars belief that Dodge engineers didn’t include it from the get-go to save themselves a world of bad PR) but also changed the font in the dashboard EVIC. I now look upon my digital speed readout with a level of disdain formerly reserved for soiled copies of the National Enquirer. Comic Sans would’ve been a better option.

Anyway, the car was also due for an oil change, so I scheduled that service for the same visit. Arriving at the desk, the mental fog cleared long enough to bestow upon me the presence of mind to inquire the cost of a dealer oil change for my Pentastar-equipped Charger.

“Uhhhh … justamomentlemmelook.”

Pokes at computer

“It was around eighty-four dollars last time. Soooo …. about the same again?”

Needless to say, I canceled the oil change, proceeded with the recall work, and broke out my tools when I got home.

When well-out-of-warranty vehicles were the norm, rather than the exception, in my driveway, I did all my own work. Oil changes, brake jobs, the scattered bit of (atrocious) body work – none of it was too difficult. It was only upon graduating to cars which still possessed a shred of manufacturer’s warranty did I start taking them to a garage for routine maintenance. Correct or not, my line of thinking was if I needed engine-related warranty repair at some point and the OEM discovered I did all my own work, they would deny my claim faster than the Chicago Blackhawks exited this year’s NHL playoffs.

At some point, then, I got in a rut. Bad habits developed. Our trusty 2012 Charger has been out of powertrain warranty for 31,000 miles, so there’s no reason I couldn’t have performed the basic maintenance on my own for at least that long. I have garage space, the tools, the know-how, and no excuses. The quote of eighty-four dollars for an oil change simply jarred me back to reality, and it’s not like this dealer washes and vacuums your vehicle during the service as a value-add or anything. Cementing my decision, I was greeted by a surly individual at the service desk (a different person than in the morning) when I went to retrieve my keys that afternoon.

Back at home, I had the Charger’s oil changed in a jiffy. Total cost for name-brand oil and filter bought off the shelf at Canada’s Auto Shop? Less than thirty dollars. Time spent, from first spin of the wrench to final wipe of grease? Less than thirty minutes. Rinse and repeat for our Ram 1500 the next day.

What maintenance do you perform on your own car? If you’re not with driveway or garage space at the moment, what jobs did you used to tackle? Now, more than ever, I think it’s DIY, FTW.

Matthew Guy
Matthew Guy

Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.

More by Matthew Guy

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 93 comments
  • Salzigtal Salzigtal on May 10, 2017

    Had these on every 3 & 4 wheel internal combustion engine since 1986, never so much as a drip: http://www.oildrainvalve.net Mobil 1 @ Costco = same price as non-synthetic @ non-Teamster auto parts stores. I save enough to buy OEM filters @ dealers. Even Stahlwille & Beta tools are less than an hour of dealer service. I don't weld or compress springs. The 2nd thing I buy for a vehicle is the shop manual, even if it's $150 US from Daimler. The times I've stumped myself & paid for a tow to a shop have been counted against the entertainment budget when "Dieter" told me "Here's where you went wrong dummkopf".

  • Synchromesh Synchromesh on May 11, 2017

    This all depends. I own multiple vehicles and while my '72 Beetle is fun to mess with and I try to do most of the work myself, I try to avoid doing anything that way on the '12 WRX I own. The latter is very complex, requires synthetic oil, etc. Plus if you go to the same dealer all the time you build a relationship which means you get preferential treatment. Oil change is about $75 over there and for Bay Area that's quite low. But I do get a free car wash and occasionally other stuff with purchase. A pretty big job on these were the spark plugs (flat-4 engine). I did some thinking and decided that despite the warranty I'd rather have the dealer do it. Because if I screw something up I may have to do it all over again and there is a chance of ruining the engine - just not worth it. So I called all the dealers in the area and had my dealer price match the lowest price. Sure, it was $600 but it included a bunch of other services. So the car runs like new again.

  • 3-On-The-Tree Son has a 2016 Mustang GT 5.0 and I have a 2009 C6 Corvette LS3 6spd. And on paper they are pretty close.
  • 3-On-The-Tree Same as the Land Cruiser, emissions. I have a 1985 FJ60 Land Cruiser and it’s a beast off-roading.
  • CanadaCraig I would like for this anniversary special to be a bare-bones Plain-Jane model offered in Dynasty Green and Vintage Burgundy.
  • ToolGuy Ford is good at drifting all right... 😉
  • Dave Holzman A design award for the Prius?!!! Yes, the Prius is a great looking car, but the visibility is terrible from what I've read, notably Consumer Reports. Bad visibility is a dangerous, and very annoying design flaw.
Next