DIY is DOA?

Quick Update - I received my vacuum extractor and brake bleeder over the weekend. It took about 5 minutes to take down the transmission fluid to the proper level. It also took 5 minutes to change the oil in my lawnmower. I've heard of great feedback in the past from people who use these extractors for their cars and small engines. I don't know why I never bothered to get one till now. I'll go back to rule #1 - Never feel guilty about having the right tool.

Tires are ordered, and will probably be installed this week. A brake fluid flush will complete my higher-priority list of things to do, and Summer is finally here. It's supposed to hit the high 70's all weekend. Perfect timing.

Now, for something that bothers me... (beware, minor rant coming). Some background - I am a member of the BMW Car Club of America, and they have one of the best auto magazines in existence (Roundel). A reader wrote into their 'Tech Talk' column (a fabulous resource) asking how to change the oil on a 2008 M5. To be fair, the engine in that car is probably one of the most advanced on the road right now (a direct variant of a BMW Formula 1 engine), and would cost upwards of $20K to replace. Why not take the time to change the oil regularly, right? Well, for new cars, BMW will cover all of your scheduled maintenance for 4 years or 50K miles but their service interval is a little longer than some car people are comfortable with (it's 15K miles for my 325, maybe a little more often for the M5). The dealership charges you full price if you want it done more than the manual calls for, which is $200-250 for an oil service. I assume, but can only verify anecdotally that the other luxury brands (Lexus, Audi, new M-B, etc.) have the same policies and similar pricing.

So, you get 'free' maintenance, but only if you follow a lax maintenance schedule. The solution for many is to perhaps do a quick oil change between services (as I do on the 325). It turns out that the engine on the M5 is so advanced, that you cannot actually change the oil yourself. It requires some sort of special diagnostic computer to run auxiliary oil pumps deep within the motor to clear out all of the oil, which also likely adds to the cost of a regular oil change.

Thus, it appears that the ability to do routine car maintenance on your own, on a newer car, is going by the wayside. Not a big deal for a lot of people, but the cost of ownership for new cars bought today or in the next few years is probably increasing at a rate that a lot of people aren't aware of.

The upshot to all of this? I'm feeling pretty good about learning how to take care of some of these items myself. I'm ok with leaving the big jobs for the pros, but I'm hoping that we'll be able to save some coin going forward, and keep the current fleet on the road for some time.

I love Summer.