oil and filter change

When you break it down : Labour 1 hour at $80 per hour, oil filter bought at dealer $50 , then the oil, 5 lt good quality oil $50 time in work shop 1 hour at $100. He makes $70 profit.
Still it is costly for just an oil change. Have you asked a friend to do it as it isn't that hard to do.

Even a basic service requires a lot of safety checks. Not just an oil and filter change. If you are worried, ask for a breakdown of what you are getting for your money before you go ahead.
Cheers: KH.

My wife's Suzuki cost $350 at the dealer for its first 12 months service.
I change the oil and filter on my Lancruiser myself, it cost about $10 for an oil filter and about $36 per 5 litres of oil. The job takes about half an hour.
On this basis even if they charged for an hours labour at $100 per hour then it should only cost about $150.
Get a quote from someone else

Hi Lauren,
Get another quote. That is way too high for just an oil change.

Ask several people around town who is the most trusted motor mechanic in town. Then go to him and be guided by his advice.

A good place to start is the local parts supplier as they know all the mechanics around town.

Beware of paying the sheila tax (no offence intended). There are some who will exact this kind of penalty from any woman customer they can.

I would say $200 would just about stop it dead unless something else reared its ugly head.

What town are you in at the moment ??. Might be able to advise an alternative mechanic, that's all.

Cheers, Bruce.

Lauren, I fear from your earlier post about white smoke that the oil change cost will be the least of your worries.
If the "smoke" is steam then the car probably has a blown head gasket and the engine will need partial dismantling to replace it.
If it is smoke and it smokes all the time, then the engine is probably so worn that it will need to be replaced. A second hand engine is usually the best in those circumstances.
You will need to have someone diagnose the problem . Did you have the van checked out by a mechanic or your motoring club before buying it?
In any case , you need expert help that cannot be provided by a website.
Regards Philip A

Lauren
I agree with the comments made by PhillipA regarding your issues are greater than those that can be fixed with a simple oil & filter change.

Is your vehicle petrol or diesel?

Smoke from a petrol exhaust is normally blue or black/grey. If blue this would indicate engine oil being burnt and a major engine rebuild is the only answer, where black/grey smoke is a fuel or ignition timing issue.

If a diesel is the smoke from the exhaust white or blue, as this makes a big difference in the possible diagnosis. Blue smoke is almost certainly engine oil being burnt the repair of which is generally a major engine rebuild whereas white smoke is generally injector pump timing, which may be as simple as a replacement timing belt having been fitted with the pump timing 1 tooth out, it could also require a major fuel system repair, but if used indefinitely will result in major engine damage as well (typically holes in pistons).

It is time to seek some EXPERT advice, and I agree that the local spare parts store could be a good place to find an expert in your area.

Hope this helps.
Athol
Retired motor mechanic. M.I.A.M.E.

Lauren
Have just done a service on my cruiser ( diesel ) but replacing all filters including fuel x 2, air cleaner x 1 and oil x 1 with a cost of $212.50 with all filters being genuine.
Oil at 11 litres being $ 40.00 and if I worked on 2 hours at $ 85.00.
Adding that up it cost me $ 422.50 to do it myself.
Hopefully that will give you an idea as to whether you are being "ripped off "
Cheers
Flighty.

Just spoke to close friends in Orlando Florida on skype oil change and filter fo a VW Jetta $20usa, whole service $us120
I'll just ship my car over for a service :-)