When it comes to prolonging the life of your vehicle, routine maintenance is key. Oil changes and tire rotations are two of these simple maintenance items that can pay dividends in vehicle longevity. If you need to have both of these services done on your vehicle, you likely want to know how long you'll be waiting at the shop. For your convenience, we brought you the answer.
If you're planning on having an oil change and tire rotation done, you can expect the process to take about an hour—20 minutes for the oil change and 40 minutes for the tire rotation. However, your actual wait time will depend on how backed up the shop is at the time of your visit.
If you still have some questions about how long you can expect an oil change and tire rotation to take, don't worry. In this post, we'll discuss the topic in more detail. We'll also talk about whether a tire rotation is included in a typical oil change, and we'll answer some common questions about both oil changes and tire changes and rotations. Without further ado, let's get into it.
How Long It Takes To Change Oil And Rotate Tires
We've established that it should take about an hour to change the oil and rotate the tires, but now we'll talk about the factors that can affect how long you might have to wait.
How Long Does An Oil Change Take?
Oil change shops are known for advertising super short wait times for oil changes. And it's almost always a quick process. On average, you can expect the oil change procedure itself to take about 20 minutes.
However, how long the procedure takes can vary depending on the oil capacity of your vehicle (the greater the capacity, the longer it will take to drain the old oil and add the new oil), the location of the oil filter (how difficult it is to access), and how busy the shop is.
If the shop is particularly busy, it might take the technicians longer to start working on your vehicle.
Depending on the shop you go to, they may perform a few other checks with the oil service they provide. Kwik Kar has a 20-point oil change service. These additional checks may add a couple extra minutes to your time.
How Long Does A Tire Rotation Take?
On average, you can expect the tire rotation process to take about 40 minutes.
The only vehicle-related factor that might affect how long this procedure takes is how many wheels the vehicle has. Obviously, it will take a bit longer to rotate the tires on a dually truck (which has six wheels) than another vehicle that only has four wheels.
Aside from that, the only other factor that will determine how long the procedure takes is, again, how backed up the shop is. If possible, make your appointment online to save some time.
Do Tires Get Rotated When Changing Oil?
Oil changes and tire rotations are separate maintenance items; requesting one service will not entail the other by default. A shop could potentially offer some kind of package deal for both services, but under normal circumstances, these services are separate.
However, it's certainly a good idea to think about both of these items from a maintenance schedule standpoint.
We'll talk more about the recommended tire rotation in a bit, but it's generally a good idea to base your tire rotations on your oil changes.
If your vehicle is using conventional engine oil, you should have your tires rotated every time you get an oil change. If your vehicle is using synthetic oil, you should change the oil with every other tire rotation.
This is merely a rule of thumb that can help make managing your vehicle's maintenance a bit easier. Be sure to consult the owner's manual for your vehicle for specific guidance.
What To Know About Oil Changes
Now we'll answer some common questions about oil changes.
What Does An Oil Change Include?
In case you're unfamiliar with the oil change process, here is a breakdown of what the service includes:
- Draining the old engine oil
- Replacing the old engine oil filter with a new one
- Adding fresh oil into the engine
How Long Can A Car Last Without An Oil Change?
How long a vehicle can go without an oil change depends on the type of oil being used. With conventional engine oil, a vehicle can go approximately 3,000-5,000 miles between oil changes. With synthetic engine oil, a vehicle can go approximately 7,500-10,000 miles in between oil changes.
But be sure to check for your vehicle's specific guidance on the frequency of oil changes.
How Much Should An Oil Change Cost?
The cost of an engine oil and filter change will largely depend on the volume of oil required and the type of oil (conventional vs. synthetic). Synthetic oil is more expensive than conventional oil, and obviously, the greater the engine oil capacity, the more expensive the oil change will be.
At an oil change shop, you can expect to pay $35-125 depending on the aforementioned variables.
Can I Drive My Car Right After An Oil Change?
You certainly can! As soon as the oil change is complete, you can continue driving like normal. No waiting is necessary.
If things feel off after your oil change, something could be wrong. Read this article for more information— Car Feels Worse After Oil Change – What Could Be Wrong?
What To Know About Tire Servicing
Now we'll answer some common questions about tire servicing.
How Long Does It Take To Change 4 Tires?
If you need all of your tires replaced, you likely want to know how long you need to plan to wait at the tire shop. The process itself shouldn't take longer than about 30-45 minutes.
However, just like with tire rotations, the time you can actually expect to wait can vary. When it comes to tire replacement, the day of the week you visit the tire shop will largely determine how long you wait.
For example, tire shops are notorious for having long wait times on Saturdays since that's the only time most people can visit the shop. On a Saturday, you might have to wait a couple of hours for the procedure to be completed.
Do You Really Need To Rotate Your Tires?
When it comes to automotive maintenance, you might be skeptical about whether or not certain maintenance items are actually required. Perhaps you've been burned a time or two by a sketchy repair shop that convinced you to pay for repairs or services that weren't actually needed.
But you can rest assured that rotating your tires is absolutely recommended to prolong the life of your tires.
Tires are subjected to different amounts of wear depending on where they are on the vehicle (i.e. being at the front vs. the back of the vehicle). A tire rotation simply entails moving the tires around to different positions of the vehicle in a consistent pattern to ensure they are worn evenly.
If tires aren't rotated on schedule, they will experience uneven wear, which will shorten their lifespan.
How Often Should Tires Be Rotated?
Now that we've established that tire rotation is a critical part of a vehicle's maintenance schedule, we need to talk about how frequently it should be done.
A good rule of thumb is to have your tires rotated every 5,000 miles. Some suggest a less frequent tire rotation schedule. However, the bottom line is that it's better to rotate your tires more often. No harm will come from being more proactive when it comes to promoting even wear on your tires.
In Closing
We hope this guide has helped you better understand how long you can expect an oil change and tire rotation service to take. These are both routine maintenance items, but your wait time can vary depending on the factors we've discussed.
Even if there's a long wait time, don't let that dissuade you from having these services performed, as both are vitally important to the overall mechanical health of your vehicle.
Before you go, be sure to take a look at these other guides: