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Post by Sir Trevor on Apr 9, 2023 19:46:34 GMT -5
That isn't the post office pricing. That would only be a few bucks if you mailed it yourself. Sounds like Rockauto is trying to make some extra money, or they are charging to ship from multiple locations.
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Post by bunbun / Hank on Apr 11, 2023 9:03:29 GMT -5
You might be onto to something with the multiple location thing. Part of the order arrived yesterday from Warrensville Hts Ohio stating the rest of the order is coming from a separate location.
Store A had the bleeders for the Pacifica and half the order for the T&C. The other half of the T&C order as well as the Impala parts must be shipping from store B. I guess I shouldn't bitch about the postage as it would cost me more in gas running all over town to gather up this shit myself from here, there and everywhere as no ONE store seems to have everything you need to get the job done.
HANK.
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Post by Sir Trevor on Apr 21, 2023 19:09:48 GMT -5
Man, oil is getting very expensive. I stopped today to get oil and filter for an oil change on the wife's car. $42 and change ! Only $7.50 for the filter. The rest was for a 5 quart jug of oil.
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Post by bunbun / Hank on Apr 22, 2023 17:27:29 GMT -5
Not sure what brand of oil you're buying, (fully synthetic I imagine) but you may want to shop it around for a better price. I use NAPA's house brand in the silver container. The oil is from Valvoline, a good name brand. I will have to go down to the office to get the flier with actual prices, but I know it is cheaper than the same oil that says Valvoline on the container and I've been running the stuff over 40 years with no engine problems.
Another area where I save a bunch of money is using NAPA house brand oil filters which are made by Wix, a very good oil filter. Every year about this time they hold a 70% off sale on the NAPA Gold oil filters. (this year it was April 12 to 14) so I just bought two boxes of various filter, (Impala, Town and Country, Pacifica, New Holland tractor, Zero turn mower, you name it) so I am set for a few more years in that department. And it only cost me $62.00. I will have to calculate what the cost was per filter as I just told em give me 6 of these, 5 of those, a few of deeze, and a couple of doose. At this moment I DON'T actually know how many I bought.
Unfortunately for you the nearest NAPA store to you is like 15 or so miles away in Ashtabula where as I have 3 within say 12 miles of the house, Chardon, Middlefield and Orwell. Four if I count the one in Chesterland which is about 15 miles away. I am surprised that Conneaut only has two, Marshall's and Auto Zone since it is a much bigger town then Chardon, which has five and Middlefield which has four. Go figure.
Another thing, DON'T waste your money buying a blend! As no one seems to know what the percentage is. Is it 50/50, 60//40, 90/10, 99/01?? No one seems to know, so you could be paying a higher price for what could be 90 percent conventional oil. Spend a few extra pennies and get full synthetic, at least you know what you're getting.
HANK.
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Post by bunbun / Hank on Apr 23, 2023 9:54:36 GMT -5
Some more information on the oil. I paid $62.00 for a dozen filters which averages out to $5.16 per filter, so with what I had in stock from a previous sale (2019 I believe it was. I remember it was before the Covid panic) and what I got this time I am set for quite a few years of oil changes.
The NAPA brand oil I use is on sale right now for $24.99 for 5 qts. I don't need any at the moment as I have probably 4 or 5 5 qt jugs for each of the vehicles. When the stuff is on sale I stock up.
To give you a comparison from the latest sales flier: Mobil 1. $34.95. Valvoline. $32.95 and NAPA's house brand which is made by Valvoline is $24.99, this is all full synthetic 5 qt jugs. Mobil one is a great oil, but is it worth 10 bucks more a jug? Not to me it isn't. As I stated, I've used the NAPA house brand since the 1980's in various cars with no engine problems so I will continue to use it and save money to boot.
It's like when you go to the supermarket, you can buy the name brand product or the generic house brand and save a bunch of money. And with the price of EVERYTHING so F@^*ing ridicules these days you gotta shop sales and save a buck anyway you can.
HANK.
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Post by Sir Trevor on Apr 24, 2023 17:48:37 GMT -5
I didn't get any kind of synthetic. While the wife's car calls for it, I've also read that high mileage vehicles shouldn't use it as it is thinner and more prone to leaking. Since she has over 130,000 on the car, I just got regular oil. 5w30 Parts Master.
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Post by bunbun / Hank on Apr 25, 2023 20:30:00 GMT -5
Trevor. You said you paid $42 and change for the oil and filter. So for the sake of making the math easy let's say it was $42.50 and the filter cost $7.50 which means you paid $35.00 for 5 qts of CONVENTIONAL oil, or $7.00 a qt! That is outrageous! especially for a house brand.(Parts Master) That should of been no more than about $4.00 a quart. Can't help but wonder what they would have charged at one of those quick oil change places if $42.00 is the DIY price. WOW!!
HANK.
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Post by Sir Trevor on Apr 26, 2023 16:44:50 GMT -5
When the wife called,the evil empire wants like $65 to do an oil change with conventional oil. Hell, Dollar General wants almost $8 a quart for oil.
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Post by Sir Trevor on Apr 28, 2023 17:05:31 GMT -5
Well, the wife's car sucked up more of my cash Had to get her a new batter. $145 later all is good.
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Post by Sir Trevor on Jun 4, 2023 9:08:29 GMT -5
Well, I will be changing my oil today. Need to get it done before I drive to Louisville on Thursday.
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Post by Sir Trevor on Jun 6, 2023 18:40:28 GMT -5
Didn't get it done until today. I had to go buy a wrench to get the damn filter off. Why do they make these things so hard to reach and get a hold of?
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Post by bunbun / Hank on Jun 11, 2023 16:30:18 GMT -5
Because they are a pack of dumbass mother F'in sons of bitches who for whatever reason HATE mechanics!!
Case in point: tried to replace brake pads on a friends 2015 Jeep Patriot. Fronts went easy, no problem. Then we got to the rear. The two bolts that hold the caliber to the mounting bracket were so rusted I rounded off the lower one with a six point socket. The upper bolt is obstructed by the brake hose so the only thing you can get on it is a 9/16 open end wrench. WELLLLL! if a socket won't break it loose I'm damn sure an open end isn't going to do shit.
Might be a case of removal by TD (total destruction) and replace everything, caliber, brake hose, etc. The problem there is bleeding the brake system since you need a bi-directional scan tool (only about $5000 from Snap on) which I DO NOT have or take the car somewhere and have it done. So much for a "simple,easy pad replace job."
HANK. P.S. I believe your Buick is a 3.8 V6, same as my Impala, and yes, that oil filter is a pain in the ass, and I HAVE the special tool.DAE!
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Post by Sir Trevor on Jun 12, 2023 19:47:16 GMT -5
I used a strap wrench, but getting the car up high enough to turn the ratchet far enough was annoying.
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Post by Sir Trevor on Jun 13, 2023 13:03:53 GMT -5
FYI - got down to Louisville and back with zero issues. Slight glitch as soon as I was leaving. Went and got gas in the morning just before take-off and after I got back in the car I got the gas cap loose message. Tried like a dozen times to take it off and put it back on again. It was an aftermarket gas cap that never fit well anyway and has always been a pain to take off or put back on. So I went around the corner to Marshall's and got a new OEM one. Not cheap either, like $18 after my discount. The thing is, it didn't clear the message. But I said screw it and hit the road anyway. Finally lost the message about halfway back home. Even with the message, everything seemed fine. I got like 33-35 mpg on the trip.
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Post by bunbun / Hank on Jun 14, 2023 16:44:46 GMT -5
The next time Trevor when you jack the car up just remove the tire and go in thru the wheel well, makes the job a whole lot easier, other than having to R&R the wheel of course. Getting the car high enough is not my problem, I have a lift, remember? It's just a pain in the ass job because of the location.
Can't help but wonder what the employee turnover rate is for these 10 minute oil change places, they're working on a very hot engine cuz the customer just drove there from God knows how far away, the pay probably isn't all that great, so it probably doesn't take long to figure out that "There has GOT to be an easier way to make a livin."
Heard an interesting statistic on the TV awhile back. Of all the people who enter a trade school to become auto mechanics. 2 out of 3 drop out of the profession within a year and find other work. Just my opinion here, but they are probably thinking " this SUCKS!! What the hell was I thinking?" I gotts to find me an easier way ta make a livin, I know! I'll go catch Pythons in the Everglades.
HANK.
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