Improving Your Vehicle

Even though you might not even think about attempting most types of repairs or maintenance on your car, you might be thinking about changing your own oil. This can be a relatively easy thing to learn how to do, but that does not mean that you should be handling your own oil changes. In fact, these are three reasons why you should consider hiring a professional instead.

1. Disposal Can Be a Pain

First of all, you have to consider how you are going to dispose of the oil. Many trash collection services will not pick up used oil, and it's not something that you should just bottle up and throw in the garbage can. You can't just pour it down the storm drain or in a ditch, either, since it's illegal to do so in many places. Dealing with disposal can be a pain, but mechanic's shops that offer oil changes already have plans in place to get rid of used motor oil in the right way, so if you rely on a professional, this isn't something that you'll have to worry about doing yourself.

2. It's Cheap to Hire a Pro

If you think that you will save a ton of money by doing your own oil changes, you might be in for a surprise. Many auto repair shops offer this service at surprisingly low prices, and if you look for coupons, you might be able to save even more. When you consider the cost of buying the oil and oil filter yourself, as well as the time investment, you might find that it's more cost-efficient to leave the job up to someone else.

3. Maintenance Records are Important

Being able to prove that you have taken good care of your vehicle is important. If your car is still under warranty, you might end up having to provide proof of maintenance if you make a warranty claim, and this can be difficult to do if you change your own oil. Plus, if you decide to sell the car later on, having receipts from the oil changes that you've had done can be helpful.

As you can see, even if you are thinking about changing the oil in your car yourself, you might find that this is not the best choice. Instead, you may want to look into the oil change specials that are offered at auto repair shops like Scotty's Automotive Center so that you can have your oil changed by a professional rather than doing it on your own.