Oldest person still changing their own oil and filter.

[Ralph Blake]

I found this guy who is 81 years old out changing his own oil and filter, on his 2008 Toyota 4Runner.

I stopped and spoke with him told me he had always changed his own on every car and truck he owned, said he got his first job at a local gas station when he was 14 .50 cents an hour, changed oil and filters greased lots of autos fixed many flats, and at 16 when he got his first car started do his own service work.

Said once a wife in 89 wanted the dealer to service her car, they over filled the oil and let oil from filter changing leak from under her car making a big mess in the garage.

After that he did all her oil changes.

Anyone else older then this guy changing their own oil and filter?

 

[That_Titanium_4RNR]

I found this guy who is 81 years old out changing his own oil and filter, on his 2008 Toyota 4Runner.

I stopped and spoke with him told me he had always changed his own on every car and truck he owned, said he got his first job at a local gas station when he was 14 .50 cents an hour, changed oil and filters greased lots of autos fixed many flats, and at 16 when he got his first car started do his own service work.

Said once a wife in 89 wanted the dealer to service her car, they over filled the oil and let oil from filter changing leak from under her car making a big mess in the garage.

After that he did all her oil changes.

Anyone else older then this guy changing their own oil and filter?

Sounds like me in about 60 years. Never taken any of my vehicles in for an oil change. Ever.

 

[reypac24]

I'm 57 and have always done my own oil changes. While growing up I spent a lot of time at my dad's service garage. After school, I would change oil there for spending money. When I married and moved, I continued changing my own oil. Today, my current vehicles all came with free oil changes and I still do it myself.

 

[rdruss]

I'll be 73 in June, do my own oil changes. Last week installed 1" Daystar in front. Couple years ago removed xreas and installed 4600 Bilsteins and FJ springs and replaced the LCA's after having to cut both sides off with cut-off wheels. Do my own brakes too. It's still fun!

 

[T4R2014]

Meanwhile I know a guy who can't even buy the right oil weight. It's not for everyone.

 

[wsgoat]

I found this guy who is 81 years old out changing his own oil and filter, on his 2008 Toyota 4Runner.

I stopped and spoke with him told me he had always changed his own on every car and truck he owned, said he got his first job at a local gas station when he was 14 .50 cents an hour, changed oil and filters greased lots of autos fixed many flats, and at 16 when he got his first car started do his own service work.

Said once a wife in 89 wanted the dealer to service her car, they over filled the oil and let oil from filter changing leak from under her car making a big mess in the garage.

After that he did all her oil changes.

Anyone else older then this guy changing their own oil and filter?

I hope you bought that guy a beer!

 

[jow]

At 73 I have changed all my oil since 1963-64. Even in warranty by Manufactures Specs. I am facing a situation with my 07 4runner (6 cyl, 2wd) purchased in 2010 with 43,000 miles I drive so little I had to change the oil per 6 months for warranty purposes with less than 1,000 miles. Out of the warranty I started changing once a year on the week of my birthday. Since then a neck Fusion caused me to put it off 2 years under 1,000 miles. Once a week at least I have hit the fwy to get up to operating temp at least 10 miles.

My question is “how much damage am I doing driving the few miles on Synthetic Blend 5-30”? I have my Oil, Filter and Drain Plug Washer but felt I would wait until my July 2020 birthday to chance oil. Then go back to the once a year with hopes of getting back to 2-3,000 a year.

Thanks for your Experienced Opinion!

 

[Ralph Blake]

I hope you bought that guy a beer!

I went home looked at my maintains records found it had been close to three years since i had changed my 08 4Runners oil&filter, went to Walmart picked up some Mobil1 5/30 and a Fram Tough Guard Filter.

Took both home jacked up my 08 4Runner and got it changed, i bought my 08 4Runner new in 08 and am not a big driver as today i have 7,446 miles on it.

 

[MikeinNH67]

My question is “how much damage am I doing driving the few miles on Synthetic Blend 5-30”? I have my Oil, Filter and Drain Plug Washer but felt I would wait until my July 2020 birthday to chance oil. Then go back to the once a year with hopes of getting back to 2-3,000 a year.

Thanks for your Experienced Opinion!

Seeing these engines run for hundreds of thousands of miles I doubt you've done any damage or at least none anyone would ever notice. My truck is at 205k and I know the oil was rarely changed before I got it because of the sludge build up. Now that it's all cleaned up it still runs well and does not seem to burn oil.

I hope your neck gets better. I'm 53 and hope to still enjoy wrenching 20 or 30 years from now.

 

[Marfy]

On the other hand, I’d like to know the youngest people changing their own oil. Obviously if you’re on this forum, it’s skewed. I’m more concerned with the ‘youth’. I work in a large city and I’ve met people who haven’t even cut grass...

 

[Ralph Blake]

On the other hand, I’d like to know the youngest people changing their own oil. Obviously if you’re on this forum, it’s skewed. I’m more concerned with the ‘youth’. I work in a large city and I’ve met people who haven’t even cut grass...

My guess is there is very few today who have ever held a wrench let alone used one.

 

[81runner]

Well, I'll be 39 this year. Changing my own oil, brakes, alternators, starters, shocks, and minor engine work since auto shop in high school at 16. I never have and never will trust another to work on my vehicles, especially when it comes to stuff I can do.

 

[4RunnerAquasport]

57 yrs old here. Three rigs and still doing the oil and diffs, as well as TC dual shocks, 3" over stock travel rear end system, Headers, installing bumpers, winch, refrigerator, etc.....
In a single car garage with no lift.

Ain't dead yet!!

 

[metramm]

36 years old.

With my uncles help (who is 68) we changed the suspension out on mine. He was a mechanic for 30 years, worked at mitsubishi in bloomington IL and now working for Rivan at the old plant.

Swapped calipers out, brakes, coolant, oil changes, wheel bearings, cv axles etc on my own at his house on a lift.

Planning on continuing doing my own work and he is willing to teach me everything he knows and is glad I’m taking a real interest in working on my 4runner!

 

[MikeinNH67]

On the other hand, I’d like to know the youngest people changing their own oil. Obviously if you’re on this forum, it’s skewed. I’m more concerned with the ‘youth’. I work in a large city and I’ve met people who haven’t even cut grass...

I taught my boys and daughter how to change the oil before they got their licenses, they still do them but my daughter gets help. My boys are pretty adept at most things hands on, daughter is more of a book person. She will be helping me change the brakes on her old Accord soon. Then once we get a bit more warm weather it will be the engine in the much newer car that is replacing the Accord. We got that newer one super cheap because of an engine rap.

Teach them young!

 

[AuSeeker]

I'm 64, I've been working on vehicles since I was around 6 or 7 years old when I was watching my father tuning up a 1955 Chevy, he looked at me and said you've watched me do this many times can you put the contact points in the distributor?, I was scare to say yes in case I messed it up but was more scared to say no...so I said yes, so he sat me on top of the engine and watched me replace the points and adjust them to the proper gap with a thickness gauge..A.K.A. a "feeler gauge" because you had to "feel" the friction to know when it was correct....he put me down after I was finished and said go hit the ignition....that 265 V8 fired right up and I was strutting around like a rooster, after that I have never stopped working on vehicles!!!

That being said I have never had anyone ever work on my family's or my own vehicles.

 

[montijo505]

I'll be 30 this year. I've been working on all my own cars since 16. It took one shitty oil change at a quick lube place that left me with a mess in my driveway to say "never again". Had never turned a wrench but my step dad showed me how to change oil, put on a spare, install spark plugs etc.

First repair on a car was when I got sediment in my tank on a 07 cobalt and needed injectors and a fuel pump. Dealer told me to pound sand even though the car was a year old. They wanted $2,200 in parts and labor to fix. Bought OEM parts online and made a mess in my driveway for about $400. The mere satisfaction of doing it myself was worth the cleanup. Vowed to never take my cars to the dealer after that.

I've never stopped and never will. I've even taught myself to weld lately. Hope I'm still at it at the age of some people on here.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

 

[4RunnerAquasport]

Good Stories!! This thread has potential. Pure Americana!!

This society is getting too spoiled and under skilled. Just because our lives revolve around a screen and a keyboard doesn't mean we shouldn't bust a knuckle once in awhile. Most of the kids under 30 I work with can rifle through an app or computer problem in a hot minute, but ask them to do some basics with a hammer? I get a blank stare like the black screen of death.
My old man could do a valve job on our old 390 Ford and the next day fix a microwave or TV. Let's hear some more stories!!

and

Teach your Children Well!! -Crosby, Stills, Nash.

 

[Monty87ls]

I'm 30 and do my own work. Just replaced the suspension and have more to do. Oil was done the other day.

Been working on cars since being around my dads shop when I was young. Still have a scar on my hand from the first car I ever really remembering working on. 1987 dodge aries. the whole front clip, grille and headlights came off in one piece. It was hanging so I decided to just mess with it. Got it off and figured id try get it back on and tightened down, slammed my thumb and have nice nike looking scar there now! reminds me of it everything I look at it. First of many scars.

I have 3 kids 4,7,8 and they all have some interest. When I was putting the last strut in the 4runner my 4 year old daughter sat and watched me and was checking out the tools I had out.

I plan to teach them so at the very least they won't get taken at a shop. Alot of that going on.

Today I stopped at a welding shop to have him look at the rusty rad support since i dont have the means to do it. He had to be around 70-75 just got down and took look. Then showed me his 3 tacos all in beautiful shape. oldest being a 94 with 35k on it! The other one had a frame off restoration done to it that he just did himself.

 

[Monty87ls]

I also just picked up a 04 camry with 96k on it. Has a slight tapping noise on the top end of the motor. good price so I'm gonna tinker with it and get it all cleaned up. Either flip it or have nice lower mileage 4 banger to drive around in.