Oil change prices

[OldMarine]

around here,(MA), dealers get over $100 per hour labor. Average is about $120. $342 divided by $120 is 2.85 hours labor. Lets call it 3....seeing how they are doing engine & gen, it may be slightly high, but i would not say it's WAY out of line. Harley dealers gets like $150 to change oil on a bike!

 

[ROBIN52]

Thanks to everyone for the comments. I just couldn't justify the cost of labor plus a 3 hour round trip to the place. I spent about an ½ hour watching Youtube and found it very easy to do myself, plus I don't have to leave my yard.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

That sounds like RV dealer pricing to me, and that is typically ridiculously high for routine stuff. They probably figured two labor-hours and $125-$150/hr is common at RV dealer shops.

You can get the engine oil changed at most Ford dealers and some oil-change shops for half that or less, but finding somebody to do the generator may take some searching. It's not difficult, but many shops won't touch anything unfamiliar. The generator may be awkward to get at and messy to drain.

The best solution is to do yourself, but not everybody is up for that. And the first time you do it will be slow as you learn your way. After you do it a couple times, I'd guess 30 minutes to change engine oil and another 30-60 minutes for the genset, plus the time to dispose of the old oil at a local auto store (most any place that sells oil will accept it for recycle as well).

 

[ROBIN52]

Just a follow up, this job couldn't have been easier. Took no more than 2 hours and will be less next time around. Might have had $120.00 in material. Changed out the chassis oil, filter and air filter. Changed the generator oil, air filter, fuel filter and spark plug. I'm a big fan of YouTube videos.

 

[phil-t]

Nice, great you got to do it yourself.

 

[Tiercel]

$ 342 to open a drain plug, remove an oil filter, replace both and add 6 quarts of oil into the engine ???

Time to buy a catch pan, a wrench, and do it yourself.

 

[phil-t]

Sounds simple but it's not that way, in practice, to many folks; it can be quite messy. He also changed his generator oil, oil filters, air filters and fuel filter. Good job, not many are capable of.

 

[ROBIN52]

That sounds like RV dealer pricing to me, and that is typically ridiculously high for routine stuff. They probably figured two labor-hours and $125-$150/hr is common at RV dealer shops.

You can get the engine oil changed at most Ford dealers and some oil-change shops for half that or less, but finding somebody to do the generator may take some searching. It's not difficult, but many shops won't touch anything unfamiliar. The generator may be awkward to get at and messy to drain.

The best solution is to do yourself, but not everybody is up for that. And the first time you do it will be slow as you learn your way. After you do it a couple times, I'd guess 30 minutes to change engine oil and another 30-60 minutes for the genset, plus the time to dispose of the old oil at a local auto store (most any place that sells oil will accept it for recycle as well).

You were correct about it being dealer pricing.