Long trip tow vehicle maintenance

majorgator wrote:

bpounds wrote:
Nobody changes the oil on my truck but me. I have changed it a little early when I was going to be traveling, and I have also changed it a little late when I got home. Not late enough to be a worry. All it takes is a bucket and a box of oil, so I would do it in a campground if necessary. There are usually rules against that, but it would be drained so fast, cleanly, and discreetly, no one would ever know what happened.

Same here!!
You'll never know if its done right unless you do it yourself. And you can use the oil/filter of your choice, not whatever the shop got in a bulk purchase. Dealerships are OK, but you have to schedule that work. Sorry, but in the time it takes me to make the appointment, I'd be half way done with the task by doing it myself.

Of course, I find it to be therapeutic to work on vehicles. That's just me...

I was wondering if this idea would pop up.
While I would not call therapeutic, I would say that doing it 100% myself is mostly for my peace of mind. I don't really like other people putting a wrench to my vehicles unless I know / trust them...too many years working on stuff for a living and witnessed too many mechanical horror stories.
I got 3 years free oil changes / maint. check with my last 2 new vehicles - I did it one time and decided that the time / hassle was not worth it, especially when I read the ticket and found they used oil I would not trust and a filter that was not even labeled as decent aftermarket parts supplier. No thanks....

So, yeah, I don't think it will matter for this trip we're planning, but I think I'd be tempted bring along the supplies and a sealed drain container and do a stealth oil change somewhere along the trip....besides, one of my early jobs was for an on-site maintenance company - I learned how to work so as not make a mess, and on the rare occasions needed, contain any possible mess so as to be completely undetectable after we where gone.