Is being charged $130 for an oil change too much?
 

So I'll be bringing my 135i to CG Motorsports in Richmond to get the oil changed. However, they did quote me $130 for the change. Is this too much for an oil change? I've been looking around the forum and see that some people only pay around $40-60 for an oil change. Please help!

Thanks!

I bring my own oil to an oil change shop if I dont have time to do it myself. Theres no wrong way of changing oil and they charge like $15 for labor.

OP: you seem to be missing some info.

Is $130 including parts and labour?
Is the oil included? What kind?
Is the oil filter included? What kind?
I know these are inexpensive to some ppl but are you using an expensive kind like Motul or Royal Purple or Redline Syn.?
Regular filter from canadian tire like Fram? Or using OEM?

Most mechanic I know charge 40/hr for oil change and also does a underbody/ engine inspection for me. Kinda like peace of mind.
I purchase my own material though.

Maybe you can call around to seek comparative prices.
Good luck!
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For a 135i, yes. Sounds about right but it depends on what kind of oil and filter they use. I will assume labour is included.

Synthetic oil for the 135i is not cheap, especially if it's running BMW factory oils or approved aftermarket brands (i.e. Castrol, Lubromoly etc.)

I run Castrol Syntec 0W30 (German Castrol) and the oil alone, if I had purchased it here in Vancouver would have cost me easily $80 without a filter.

0.5hr's for oil change
135i so thats roughly 7L of synthetic oil
oil filter kit

shop rates these days are anywhere from 85/hr to 140/hr.

so that should be able to figure out. we charge $90 for an oil change, full synthetic oil.

That sounds about right...depending on the oil type. Guaranteed it's synthetic and CG's labour rate is something like $96/hr, $80-90 oil+filter kit cost and probably $40-50 labour.

Sounds fair to me. Plus CG does great work.

Thanks for the quick responses guys!

So I gave CG a call again to see what I was getting. It is $135 including parts and labour. They are using Motul 5W40 oil for the change and replacement of the filter. Sounds about right?

Yeah, that sounds right. IIRC, Motul 8100 5W40 meets the BMW Long Life-01 approval. I can't see CG Motorsports using anything other than a factory BMW filter but I could be wrong.

Yup.

Motul oil runs $10-15/L. Plus the filter and seals/gaskets.

When I used to change oil on my 330 myself, the parts alone would run me almost $100. Most shops charge about 30 mins labour to do. It's not hard work, just pain in the ass to most people. And disposing the oil is another problem.

Changing oil in a Honda Civic DX obviously won't be the same as your 135. What cars did you see that costed $60 to change the oil? Was it the same car? Same model?

I was looking around the oil change thread to see if I could get some estimates. I was shocked that people were paying $40 for oil changes but I did not consider the type of oil being used nor the car model. My last oil change was done at the dealer and was complementary. I just never knew that oil costs so much :cry:

If I were just the average Joe, drove a 1986 Dodge Aeries, I could care less about what I put into my motor, be it recycled store-brand oil or vegetable oil (ok I'm being facetious) but when you get into motors built with higher/tighter specifications (i.e. your 135i for example) extensive testing has been carried out at the factory with finer oils to ensure longevity of your purchase.

In my case, let's do the math:

• 7 x 1L of Castrol Syntec 0W30 @ Canadian Tire - Retail @ $10.69
• 1 x OEM filter - $13 w/o discount
• 1 x DIY oil change - 1 hour
• 1 x DIY oil disposal - 1 hour there and back (assuming)
• 1 x risk of spilling oil and shit all over your car if you fuck up - priceless

That in itself is $98 with taxes (rounded down) plus my time plus bringing the oil to Canadian Tire or whatever to recycle and spilling oil and shit.

Not to mention, not everybody has access to proper facilities and tools to properly change their oil (in your case, how do you reset your own oil change light on the instrument cluster without the proper tool?) And if you live in a condo, some stratas do not allow residents to change their oil in the lot. So for $130 or whatever, it's not bad.

Welcome to the era of newer cars.

Especially a new BMW. Everything costs more in general.

I understand many people might be busy people with no time, but I find it odd that a 'car enthusiast website' is full of people that don't even change oil.

The whole warranty oil change forced on by car companies is completely retarded. Cars now have many crumple zones that you can't repair, 1000 airbags, and parallel park themselves. Seems like we are allowing society to breed a bunch of drones! ITS THE END OF THE WORLD, lol.

I frankly wouldn't let some kid at a dealership or 'mr lube' change my oil. They are not specialists, lol.

Back on topic, Yeah $130 sounds about right, lol.

Good to hear that $130 includes part/labour.
Motul oil is good...I also use 5w40 on mine but with OEM filter.

If you feel its affordable then go ahead with the service.

Good luck!

We're talking about a good shop here not mr lube. And eh, I do damn near everything on my car except oil changes. The $40 or so labour is more than worth the hassle of changing oil. If it was costing $100 labour then things would be different. As a poster above outlined, it's more work/time to DIY vs paying a good reputable shop a few bucks to do it.

I guess it depends on what holds more value to each person.
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For the amount of hassle is it worth it to save $30-40? It's more a matter of time, parts required, owning the tools, going out to buy all the parts, and in the end cleaning up the mess afterwards off your clothes, then worst of all DISPOSAL of the old oil.

Hell, I'm in the industry and I try not to do my own oil. I try and make Akira (our head mechanic) do it. Afterall, he's already greasy and dirty already ;)

After tax, the whole procedure cost $157.20. They used 6 1L bottles ofmotul 8100 x-cess 5W-40, changed the oil filter and topped off the washer fluid (at an extra cost). I couldn't comment on the job because I wasn't allowed to watch and had to stand outside the garage. No one really talked and just got the job done. Although this was the first time I brought my car to get its oil changed, I was a little disappointed of the whole experience. I understand the quality behind motul oil but I couldn't justify the price of the procedure.

I did some research on the prices of motul oil and found out that I could pick up 5L of the stuff CG used for $45. I would say I would have to pay around $80 after tax for 6L of oil and a new filter and another $15 for labour if I brought it somewhere else. Maybe I'll go this route the next time the car needs a change.

Again, thanks for all the input guys! I really appreciate it!

Where can you buy 5L of Motul for $45? I want in on that shit! :lol

Edit: Sounds like a pretty normal oil change procedure but not sure why they topped off your windshield wiper fluid and charged you without your consent. Did you expect the cost to be $130 cash? If so, you went to the wrong place. Good luck.

Motul 8100 5w40 costs $55 for a 5 liter jug! $45 is really low.

$157 is quite a bit more than what I pay for a Honda doing my own oil changes but newer BMWs have longer oil change intervals right? Isn't it something like 16,000 to 20,000 kms before you change oil? So it isn't that bad.

HST is a b****. Not sure what you mean by not being able to watch, CG has a massive window from the waiting area looking directly into the garage where you can see literally everything.

And yes synthetic changes in the newer cars can be much more infrequent. So while a cheap car gets mineral oil for $60, it has to be replaced in 5-8k. Yours not likely for another 15k or more.
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Edit: and I'm pretty sure CG is one of the few authorized Motul retailers around, that might have changed now though. To take it somewhere else with less experience with these cars for a $25-35 savings doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Any place that will accept your parts and charge $15 labour probably won't even know that there is no dipstick in the 135.

I pay $40 for an oil change, everything included except the oil I buy.

I saw it for $45 on the gearheads website - maybe it might not be accurate?
I guess my estimate of around 40-50$ of savings was a bit optimistic haha:fullofwin:

hmm not too bad i think ;o even for my prelude i waste about 20$ in a 5L oil bottle and filter, and i change it every 4000 km, so if from what i understand you change yours every 16-20k km?, that means in 20k km i have spent roughly 100$ on parts. Then i do all the labour myself (which is sometimes a bitch cus my car is so low) but ur paying the extra 50$ or so for someone else to do it ? Sounds like a win situation

i replace my synth 5-40 on my bmw every 5k using lubromoly

current special we have on for oil changes:

6 cyl euro's - $89.99 + taxes (5w30 or similar synthetics)
8 cyl euro's - $99.99 + taxes (5w30 or similar synthetics)
specialty oil's euro's - $109.99 + taxes (eg 10w60 M's)