Every vehicle must have a certain level of motor oil, and this oil must be in good condition all the time. During the time of use, the motor oil picks up specks of dirt and contaminants, which can cause significant problems to the engine if it is not changed regularly.
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While there are many locations where you can get your vehicle's oil change, Walmart remains one of the best options for you. That's why most people ask the same questions “how much does an oil change cost at Walmart?”
In this article, we will highlight the main information you need about oil change at Walmart, more specifically, cost-wise. Besides the cost information, we provide additional essential information you need to know every time you want to do an oil change.
How many are oil change types there at Walmart?
Before we can discuss the cost of an oil change at Walmart, it is important to understand that when we say “oil change,” we are not necessarily referring to the same type of motor oil.
In the automobile world, there are four kinds of oils you can choose for your vehicle. Each type has its pros, cons, and level of lubrication quality.
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Conventional motor oil
The first motor oil type is called the conventional or simply the regular motor oil. This is the type of oil you will first hear about whenever someone mentions oil change. It is the most widely used oil as it is the cheapest. Since conventional motor oil is the cheapest, it does not provide the top level of lubrication that heavy-duty vehicles need. Thus, conventional oil is best suitable for small light-duty vehicles.
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Synthetic motor oil
The second type of motor oil we would like to highlight is the “synthetic” motor oil. If we considered the conventional oil as the low-end of motor oil, synthetic oil is considered the top-end of any motor oil.
Synthetic oil provides the maximum lubrication ability to your engine and is best suited for heavy-duty vehicles. That been said, synthetic oil is the most expensive motor oil in the market, and not all drivers are willing to spend the money and buy it.
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Synthetic blend motor oil
As an effort from auto companies, they came up with motor oil that provides relatively high lubrication capacity, better than the conventional but a little lower quality than the synthetic oil.
Synthetic blend motor oil comes at much lower prices when compared to synthetic oil.
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High mileage motor oil
If you own an old high mileage vehicle, you might not be able to use any of the mentioned oil types above simply because your vehicle's engine might not be in the best condition and will always need a high level of lubrication to make it last as long as possible.
Therefore, the high mileage motor oil is the best option for such vehicles.
How Much Does An Oil Change Cost at Walmart?
Now you have a high-level understanding of the different types of motor oil Walmart offers, and it is the time now to discuss how much does Walmart charges to get your vehicle's oil changed.
It is obvious now that any oil change depends on the type of motor oil you would like to go with, in addition to the vehicle's make, model, and year. The vehicle's type tells how much oil your vehicle needs. If you are interested in detailed information about your vehicle's motor oil capacity, it is best to start with the vehicle's owner's manual.
In general, changing your vehicle's engine oil should cost you around $20. However, there are additional services your vehicle might need that might result in raising the bill up to $100 easily.
According to several reviews and studies, Walmart provides the cheapest oil change in the market. These studies showed that you could pay 41% less on synthetic oil as compared to other large companies in the market.
If you decided to go with the conventional oil, for $20, you could get up to 5 quarts filled with Quaker Stated Advanced Durability Conventional Oil, an oil filter, a chassis lube, a battery check, and tire pressure adjustment.
To get the “Walmart's Standard Oil Package,” which has additional services like fluid checks and vacuuming, you might need to pay an additional $10.
On the other hand, if you decided to go with synthetic oil, you need to pay a higher price that can get up to $50.
How to save on Walmart oil change?
While Walmart provides the cheapest oil change service in the market, you can still be smart about oil change and get even lower prices.
To do so, you can always look for some discounts, not necessarily in the oil change service itself, but in the oil you choose. There are many opportunities when Walmart offers coupons or discounts on certain oil brands for a certain period.
Keep an eye on these coupons either by main or by exploring online. The other thing you might need to consider is the price match. Similar to any other product, if you found a certain motor oil brand for a lower price, you can always request a price match from Walmart.
Walmart Oil Change – Frequently asked questions
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Is oil change at Walmart good?
When it comes to the oil change, it is up to you to pick from different good brands that Walmart offers. However, what is more, important is the service itself.
From many Walmart customer reviews, they concluded that changing your vehicle's oil is very convenient for many reasons. First, their tons of locations for Walmart to choose from, and you will find one close to you all the time. Second, it is very nice that changing your vehicle's oil takes about 20 min sometimes, which is good enough time for you to spend picking up your groceries from Walmart until the service is done.
On the other hand, other customers reported that you might need to spend a longer time in certain situations, and this time can be as long as three hours. This situation happens when Walmart doesn't have a specific part they need to install in your vehicles like a filter or something else, as we mentioned earlier.
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Do I need an appointment for an oil change at Walmart?
You will never need an appointment to get your vehicle's oil changed at Walmart. You will be surprised how fast the process goes, as reported by several customers, “No appointment necessary. I don't believe they take appointments. First come, first served. I've been taking various cars of mine over the years to Wal-Mart for oil changes and free lifetime tire rotations. I have both done at the same time. I've never had issues, other than one particular car; maintenance parts were not common for some reason.”
Although oil change might not be a very time-consuming task, do not be surprised if it took you a couple of hours until you get your vehicle's oil change. This happens mostly when Walmart doesn't have a specific part (e.g., filter) in-store. This way, you might need to wait until they get the required part for you.
It might be a good habit to call Walmart and check if they have all parts needed to get a quick oil change. While getting this information might not be guaranteed, it doesn't hurt to give it a try if you care about not spending so much time waiting.
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What is the cheapest oil change at Walmart?
As we discussed before, the conventional oil would be the cheapest oil option at Walmart or any other company. You can get a conventional oil change for as low as $19.88.
On the other hand, if you thought that you would like to go with a better oil option, say synthetic oil, then the cheapest oil change option for you would be around $40.
It is important to note that while getting a cheap oil might sound like a good deal, you need to sit down and think about the different pros and cons of using cheap oil. Some cheap oils might have a really bad quality, which could cost you significantly high prices on engine repairs.
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Should I choose synthetic or conventional oil?
As you might not from the previous sections, synthetic oil is much better than conventional oil. Here are some specific details about why you need to choose synthetic oil, not conventional:
- when you add synthetic oil, you help your engine get rid of any contamination or dirt inside it.
- Synthetic oil provides more lubrication to your engine, and thus, it is more effective than regular conventional oil. With this extra lubrication, you can guarantee that your engine will last much longer, especially if it is heavy-duty.
- If you choose to go with synthetic oil, you don't need to change this oil as often when compared to the regular conventional oil
- synthetic oil increases your vehicle's fuel efficiency by making your engine consume less fuel
- overall, when using synthetic oil, fewer emissions will come out of your exhaust system and thus helps to protect the environment.
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Can I change my vehicle's oil by myself?
An oil change is not a significantly complicated mechanical task, and many people can do it on their own. However, it is important to note than when you change your own vehicle's oil, and you will be facing convenience and risk issues.
For example, to be able to change the oil, especially for the first time, you need to learn how to do it, how to dispose of the old oil in the special container and way. The other thing you might risk is making any simple mistake that could result in significant engine or vehicle damages. It is well-known that doing any DIYs for the first time can go wrong almost all the time.
Therefore, you do not need to risk your vehicle to save a couple of dollars, and it makes more sense to give your vehicle to a trusted professional mechanics and get the oil changed in no time; they will always do it right even if it takes a little more time and effort or money.
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Can I just add oil instead of changing it?
The idea of an oil change is to get rid of any specks of dirt and contamination in the motor oil to allow for the best lubrication and decrease tear and wear. If you decided to add more oil, you would not clean the old oil, the specks of dirt and contaminants will still be there. They will not only affect the ability of the oil to lubricate the engine; they might cause significant engine damages that you don't want to deal with.
Therefore, never add more oil to your motor and think it serves as an oil change. The best location to start from is your vehicle's owner's manual as it will provide you with exact details about the type and amount of oil you will need in addition to the frequency of how often you need to change your vehicle's oil.
Conclusion
Your vehicle's motor oil is very important for keeping your engine lubricating and away from overheating. Over time of use, the engine oil picks up lots of dirt and contamination and might be reduced due to engine oil consumption.
Therefore, you must change your engine's oil frequently based on your vehicle's make, model, and year.
Walmart was ranked as the cheapest location for an oil change. Depending on the type of oil you choose, you might need to pay as low as $19.88 if you select the conventional oil to as high as $50 for synthetic oil.
Many experts recommend that you either change your oil at Walmart all the time or not to change it there at all. This is because the mechanics might overtighten the bolts, which could be a little harder for other mechanic shops to pickup. Besides, Walmart is very restricted to their Warranty, and it is much safer to change it there all the time to maintain the warranty.