Hi All,

Help me out here. My Rex now has 3800 miles on it, so I'm past due for the first oil change. My Subaru dealer's service department is open ONLY during the week, during regular hours... 8.00 - 5.00. They are closed on Saturdays and Sundays! I've checked with the local Mobil Lube Express. They don't have the proper oil filter, but they keep promising me it's "coming in the shipment."

Changing the oil myself is just not really practical for me.

I'm worried about going too long before the first oil change.

I live in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Anyone got any ideas? Thanks!

Mike

drive on up and pay for the oil and filter. then I'll do it for free. Oh wait that would add another 800miles to your problem. Frank

You can't do it during lunch? Your dealership probably wants to look over some other stuff too so if this takes too much time you could always buy the filter from subaruparts.com and take the car to the closest lube shop. You could also go by your subaru dealership, buy a filter and then take it to another shop.

Just a couple of ideas...

-Anders

Go to Jiffy Lube or Oil Express or whereever. Just keep the receipt as that is accepted by the SOA's waranty policies (ie. if you lemon it, you will have a record to show it was done - albeit late).

the oil is incredibly easy to change. Every thing is right under the car. Just drain the oil in you neighbor's front yard. :D (JOKE!!!!)

if most of your 3k miles are HWY miles, you need not worry.

waiting a week or 2 wont kill you or hurt your car any...

j.
www.subiegal.com

You can take it to most Lube places and bring your own oil filter. They will credit you like $2. My Lube stop usually doesn't have my size so I use my Subie points and buy them at the dealership. then I take the filter in with a new crush washer to the Lubestop and they put it on for me and credit me $2

White Wolf

Please Recycle.

Subaru uses Purolator oil filters. You can get Purolator Premium oil filters from Fred Meyers for $2.50, and they're usually open late. The Purolator part number is L14460. If you go to any auto parts store they can cross reference w/the subaru p/n, which is 15208AA060. It's the same filter used on all other Subaru H4's. You *should* use a new crush washer, but the old one will work fine.

So take a filter with you into a lube place, use their oil, you'll be out in 20 minutes.

Changing the oil myself is just not really practical for me.

Uh huh... Why is it impractical to stop by a pep boys after work and grab a filter - drain the oil, put it back in? Not being a jerk or anything, just wondering.

that is why I got the fumotovalve www.fumotovalve.com Now oil change is going to a breeze, I don't think I will even need to jack the car up for the oil change.

Hi Neurotic,

A couple of reasons I don't want to do it myself. One is I don't want to deal with catching the oil in a container. Holding it. And then going to find a place that will take it for disposal or recycling. Secondly, as a dentist, it just doesn't look good to have black cuticles and fingernails. :) Yes... we wear gloves, but how would you feel if you were having a conversation with your dentist (before he gloved up) and noticed he had oil-stained fingers? :eek:

BTW, back in my school days, I did ALL of my own auto work. I once changed a head gasket on a '74 Toyota Corona in the parking lot behind a dorm. NOT fun! Staight-six with SOHC. The Chilton's manual said to remove the sprocket at the front of the cam before removing the cam itself. The bolt wouldn't budge! So, I hand-cranked the engine over until the masterlink in the timing chain came around. I marked the spot on the sprocket and removed the link. I laid the chain ends over the side and tied them down to prevent them from falling down into the crankcase. What a project! Mind you, I had never done anything like that before. Amazingly, in the end, I was successful.

Mike

I'm getting it done at the dealer for the 3750 oil change... is it $30.95? thats what the guy told me.

Hmm yeah I would prefer if someone working on my mouth had no dirt under their fingernails ;) Thats why I got some mechanic hand cleaner stuff, smells like oranges and works fantastic!

I do so many oil changes for my family, fiance, friends and so on... I just picked up a nice oil pan - then I run it down to the autozone a block away and dump it all at once.

Hope you find an answer to your dilemma. :)

Zach

just wear the same latex gloves you use when working on peoples teeth. That's what I use when changing my oil.. gives better grip when handling tools and no crap under the nails.

my god change it yourself.....

i changed oil in my moms jeep when i was 14 years old




ITS NOT THAT HARD!!!!!!

Personally, I wouldn't waste 20 or 30+ dollars on oil change, maybe timing belt or water pump etc.. but oil change... never.
Just lift up your car with the jack stand and go under your car with a big bucket, then unscrew the oil plug, let it drain, screw it back(not too tight not too lose),then take out the old oil filter, screw the new one back in and it's done.
All you have to do now is just pour your new oil back into the engine.
What's a big deal? 15min job.

;)

I'm at 2100 miles and wanted to change my oil at the dealer. I experienced the same thing. There are NO DROP IN oil changes. You HAVE TO LEAVE the car at the shop in the morning and pick it up that evening. That was the same story at the 5 dealerships within 50 miles of my house.

WTH? Fed up with that I went the closest dealerhip stopped in to their parts department and picked up a filter and crush ring ($11.00 total)! That just made me more pissed off. www.subaruparts.com sells them for $4.95 each.

The only good thing was, while I was waiting my turn at the parts desk, they had gold and silver plated brass license plate covers that simply read "WRX" at the bottom done in black and in the "WRX font" kinda cool. Asking $29.00. Check out your local dealership...

Think I should get one (silver on silver car) or go with something less flashy? :confused:

have you poeple ever read that little blue book that came with your car?

Ok, Doc, here's what you do. You have two choices. First option is to make a tape recording of a patient screaming and play it in the office while you're getting your oil changed. Your front office person will just tell your patients that you're with someone and you'll be done shortly.

Your second option is to buy the stuff from the numerous places mentioned and do it yourself. I understand you have two problems with this. One is what to do with the oil - simply take it to one of the oilchange places and ask them to recycle it. They may charge you a few dollars, but it's better than dumping it in the neighbor's front yard. Your other problem is keeping your pretty little hands clean. I don't blame you, but only because you're a dentist. Being a dentist, I'm sure you have access to a hefty stash of latex gloves, just like a proctologist. I use them all the time when I change my oil and my hands stay as pasty white as an Irishman's arse.

No offense to the Irish.:D

fastwrx - I completely understand not wanting to do it yourself. I had to live in an apartment complex for a while, and there was no way I was gonna do any car work there... Really helps to have a driveway and a garage.

actually, your local auto shop, like kragen's or pepboys, or whatever u have, will dispose of both filter and oil for free. just take it down, and ask the clerk to check out the key, sign the form, and its free.
good luck whatever u decide.
mak

Hm, maybe I will change my oil next time, i guess i'll pay for the first one tho.

Subaru's are really easy as far as changing the oil goes..wouldnt..shouldnt take you more than 15 minutes.

yea, that's what I was gonna say, toss on some gloves to keep you're hands nice and spiffy.


Besides, there's nothing wrong with some oil on your hands, ever seen the Valvoline commercials? "There's nothing like a job well done."

Hi All,

Thanks for all your help. Special thanks to Austin for giving me the part # for the Purolator filter. Went to Pep Boys and picked it up on my way to Mobil Lube Express. I was at 4000 miles and worried about waiting too long before the 1st oil change. They put in 10-30w. They were really pushing synthetic Mobil 1 and insisted that the sooner, the better. However, I recall reading here that I should wait until about 10,000 miles. ???

I still can't believe my local Subaru service department is not open on Saturdays. :( Apparently not enough demand in this area where Subaru's are a minor player in the auto market.

This forum is a great resource! Thanks again!

Mike

I've had the same problem before I started changing the oil myself.

Well, slightly different problem.

None of the shops around here would touch a subaru because they had never seen one before!

Now that subaru has gained some more marketshare and the outbacks have become really popular, I don't get angry confused looks from mechanics as much as I used to.

Actually wait... I don't see too many mechanics because all of them around here are idiots, ESPECIALLY the subaru dealer (gerald jones in augusta, ga).

So I've been doing everything myself. Being unemployed helps - lots of free time!

Here's another idea: With my 2000 OBS I wasn't about to pay the dealership $50.00 for an oil change. I looked in the phone book and found a place that did Japanese imports and took it there. They charged about $21.00 for the oil change, including filter and oil.

But now I have a friend that just went solo with his mechanic business, and I take in my own oil and filter, he puts it on the lift and changes it, and doesn't charge me.

I take him fresh brewed iced tea and home baked goodies in return. Beautiful.

Another solution:
My dealership service dept. is only open 8-5 M-F. I work those same hours. So, I drop the car off, and get a loaner. Now, I had a few issues with my dealership about them constantly screwing up a repair job on the weather stripping for the drivers side, so this may be them trying to make up for it, but it works pretty well. I don't drive to work, so I just drive the loaner home, bus it to work and back the next day, and drive the loaner back to the dealership to pick up my car the next evening. Works good for me.

Oil changes are only $24.95, and I'll go to the dealership until I get into a house(can't do it in my apt. parking lot, and I'll be darned if I take it to my parents and have my dad lecture me on how I should take care of my car).

Moving into a house in two months, though, so hopefully I'll be doing it myself soon!

Neil

For God's sake dont wait 10k miles before an oil change. Especially if you have a turbo you should get it changed more often.

-justin

Blindeye,

I meant waiting 10,000 miles before switching from regular oil to synthetic. Not 10,000 miles between oil changes. It has been said here that the switch to synthetic should be around 10k miles. The guy at the Mobil Lube Express insisted it is better to do it right away.

Mike

Originally posted by fastwrx
Blindeye,

The guy at the Mobil Lube Express insisted it is better to do it right away.

Mike

Hmm, maybe because they make more money on synthetics??;)

That thought occured to me. :)

Mike

Why people take their Subarus to a shop for oil changes is still beyond me. It is trivial to change the oil and filter on a Subaru, and you don't even have to jack up the front or drive the car up on ramps. If I can change the oil in 10 minutes (I lost the use of both of my legs to polio), then anybody can do it.

--
http://www.whitetyphoon.com/impreza/

How do you get around w/o the use of your legs? I know some disable people use vans with wheelchair lifts and gas/brake control near the steering wheel or on the column, but how do you make it work?

Motorcycle style hand control: twist for throttle, push toward firewall for brakes. Click on the link below for a picture of my set-up:

http://www.whitetyphoon.com/impreza/pics/front_seats.jpg

I even do my own spark plugs and such.

To those who worry about getting your hands and fingernails dirty when doing an oil change, have you ever heard of disposable latex gloves?

--
http://www.whitetyphoon.com/impreza/

Pretty impressive looking setup!:) Couple other questions if you don't mind... Where do you put the chair? What's that button on the steering wheel for?

Austin, we are getting slightly off topic. I will pm you.

Give me a free crown and I'll be changing your oil for life! :)