Flushed my radiator this weekend

[Easto]

Original owner of a 2014 Honda Accord LX with 55K.


I try to do as much of the minor maintenance on this car as I'm capable of. Last weekend I decided to flush the coolant. Actually, it was just a "drain and fill". After viewing a couple of YouTube videos it was evident that the procedure was pretty much a "no-brainer".


Everything went as expected. But the one thig that really stood out was that the coolant that came out looked as good as the stuff going in. Any other car that I've done this to, or watched being done, the old coolant always had a tinge of rust in it. After 55K miles this stuff looked as good as the day it was put in.


I really love this car.

[Philip]

Hondas are great... I've had a couple of CR-Vs and they just keep running, the biggest issue with the old CR-V was the AC compressor went bad and I had to be replaced, but no engine/transmission issues whatsoever.

I do some car maintenance myself, like changing brake pads, but for oil changes and such I usually go to a shop. The Honda dealership around here has really good prices on oil changes actually (~$45 full synthetic with car wash), I suppose they try to get you in the door with this and upsell on all the other services that I always refuse.

I drive a 2011 BMW X3 currently (6-cylinder N52 engine), and I just did an oil change on it myself yesterday afternoon. I just didn't want to deal with shops up-charging me for the brand, and I figured I'd social distance and do it myself. It was somewhat straight-forward, I put good synthetic Castrol oil in it

[Easto]

$45 for a full synth change (including filter?) is a great price. I can pick up a 5qt jug for about $22 at WallyWorld and then a $9 filter from NAPA and I'm good to go for around $34. I've never seen anywhere near me that would do a full Mobil 1 change for less than $65, and that is rare.

[Philip]

Yeah, they don't make money on the oil changes, but they always have a sheet of "recommended services" for at least another $2-300, I imagine that's where they make their money, besides getting you to test newer models, trade-ins and such.

As to my Beemer, I got a couple of 5qt jugs of Castrol 0-40 full synthetic (Euro-car approved) on Amazon $22 ea., and a pair of filters for $16 (they are just inserts, and include a couple of o-rings and a crush washer for the drain plug). The car takes 6.9qt of oil.

[Easto]

The local (HUGE) Honda dealer is always sending me stuff regarding "Service" specials. They regularly run an add where they'll change your air and cabin filter for $120.00. YIKES! I usually buy 2 or 3 of those filters at a time from Amazon and if you were to break it down I think a cabin and air filter total about $21.00. I can change both of those filters on the Honda in 5 minutes. $120 for that service is straight out robbery.

[Philip]

Yeah, they try to sell me those every time I go there as well, lol. Along with slightly more useful but overpriced stuff like windshield wipers, brake fluid flushes, transmission fluid flushes, alignment every 30k miles, etc. A lot of it is just praying on unsuspecting people, I don't like it, but just seems reality of life.

[Lurch]

Hey guys, I was taking to a Walmart auto service dept rep the other day.
She says for $35 + tax I can get a Super Tech full synthetic 0w20 oil change, with a Super Tech oil filter. Or, Pennzoil full synthetic oil. That's a good price if you can be sure the tech that does the work knows what he's doing. And I'd make sure to look for leaks and make sure the dipstick is clean as it should be.
I've done a lot of homework lately and learned that Super Tech gets the same good UOAs (used oil analysis) tests as the name brand oils like Castrol, Pennzoil, etc., and for much less. I bought a 12 qt box of Super Tech full synthetic for $30 + tax which is equal to $2.50 a quart. I can get 3 oil changes out of that. I only drive 4 to 5000 miles a year now and was advised by a Blackstone Labs rep that I could run this oil for at least 1 year with no trouble at all. I could actually run the oil up to 10,000 miles which would be about 2 years for me, and it would still test out to be in good shape nearing the 10,000 mile mark. Those guys know that Super Tech is as good of an oil as name brand oils. But a lot of people want that name brand so they can say "I run ____ oil." I don't know if I can stand to run the oil longer than the 6 month intervals I've done for several years but I now know that I could. I may run the oil for 12 months, and also get a UOA to see that everything is A-OK with the oil and my engine. It costs about $40 for a UOA. I don't think I could stand to run my oil for over 12 months, even at <5k miles.
I used a Federated PG4476F oil filter, made my Premium Guard. They cost me $2.18 each at Fisher Auto Parts. Lots of shops use these oil filters here in town. They're built as good as a Wix or a Purolator and for a fraction of the price. My Prius had one of these on it that was installed by the Acura / Mazda dealership I got the car from.

[Easto]

I usually let my oil run to anywhere between 6k - 7.5k and then change it out. Modern engines and the advancements in lubricants mean the old "changed every 3000 miles" just doesn't apply. I've changed mine out at 4k miles but that's about a early as I'll do it. The other measure is to do it at least once a year, and with the little driving we're doing during the Covid season we just might get to 12 months first.

I was buying 5qt jugs of Mobll 0-20w from Walmart for $23 and a Napa Gold filter for $9. A $32 oil change is not bad. Besides I know I did it myself and I know it was done right. Around here you'd be lucky to find anyone to do that for less than $65-$70.

[Lurch]

I also drained and refilled my coolant last Spring. Found a good youtube video on it.
It has a 2 part cooling system, one for the engine and one for the hybrid battery.
First I drained it, and then I refilled with distilled water 2x, and then refilled it with Valvoline red coolant for my application.
The lowest price to have someone else do it for me was $125. Some places want $200 to $300 for the job.
It cost me about $25 to DIY.

I'll probably change my oil again at 6 months, or possibly 12 months.
I'm willing to bet my used ST oil will get excellent test results at either interval.

[Lurch]

Nothing wrong with sticking with a brand name oil.
I think a lot of people would rather do that than take time reading about how well Super Tech works out in UOAs.
I almost drained it out and added Quaker State but I did more homework and decided to stick to ST.

[Philip]

For my car I bought 0W-40 Castrol 5 quart synthetic jugs at $25/ea from Amazon.
I use Amsoil oil for my motorcycle, it runs better than the Harley Syn3.

Supertech may be the same as Amazon Basics synthetic oil, it is made by the same manufacturer. Just watched an interesting video on it, seems to be good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwqt5vI0o1A

[Easto]

I believe Amazon Basic and Costco is refined and manufactured by the same company. I could cut the cost of the oil in almost half by going that direction but, When Wally World is selling 5 quart jugs of Mobil 1 for $23 I don't sweat it. Up until several years ago when I started doing my own oil changes I would regularly get charged anywhere from $75 - $95 per oil change. I'm just not doing that any longer. As you can see, if I can do it myself for 1/3rd of what I was paying before... I'm a happy camper.

[Lurch]

Super Tech full synthetic 0w20 for $30 for 12 quart box.
That's about $2.50 per quart and $12 per oil change.
And if I change it once a year, that's a cheap oil change using oil that compares to name brand oils that sell for more.
I'll stick with Super Tech and the UOA will prove to me ST lubes my engine as good as Castrol, etc.
If it shows otherwise I can switch brands but I'm pretty sure it won't.
The UOA makes sure your oil is a good match for your car or truck.
I will probably just test it once just to see where I'm at.