$80 oil change

I found out very recently that the price of oil changes might go up, so even though my car didn't need one right now, I got an oil change anyway. Drove to my local garage, and was expecting the price to be $35 to $50. Nope. I was told $91, but was able to get the place to knock it down to $80 out the door.

The price I paid was just under the wire before it gets really bad.

How bad?

$120 bad, before tax. And that's for a cheap car like mine. For other cars, anywhere from $150 to $300, and that's not even for a luxury car. And no, I'm not kidding...

...so it's not that oil change prices might go up, they have gone up and will go up even higher.

Motor oil prices started getting jacked up in the beginning of May, but starting next month will be when $100+ will be the norm for an oil change.

Is it the Middle East oil supply disruption that caused this crap? From what I understand, yes. How long will this go on until oil supply is stabilized again? Could be a few months up to a year.

However, that doesn't mean garages will lower their prices even when the price of motor oil goes back down.

I was changing the oil in my car myself for a while, but then started having a local garage do it instead. When my next oil change is due, I may go back to doing it myself if garages don't lower their prices after motor oil prices go back down.

I'll be watching the prices, to be sure.

If the sting of paying 3 digits for an oil change is too much, learn how to change the oil in your car. I'd also strongly recommend buying a pack of oil filters. The combination of buying the motor oil locally and ordering your filters online is how you maximize savings.

I also have one other recommendation that works for most cars. Go 100% synthetic with your oil. Why? Lasts longer. Not just in your car, but an unopened container of it has a 5 to 7 year shelf life.

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