Category Archives: Site Info / News

Recycling Oil: Not just a good idea, but fun

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Changed the oil in the CTS this morning.  Out with the old, in with the new Mobil 1 5w30 Full Synthetic.  If you have not changed your own oil, it is easy to do, and it can eliminate any chance of carelessness with your prize vehicle.  New oil, new oil filter, back on the road.

I took my ‘used’ oil over to Walmart to be recycled.  Oil is a MUST to recycle — very bad for the environment to just dump it, and easy to recycle.  Yes, I know that oil cames OUT of the ground, but the places it was originally did not involve the local water table, pets, or growing things.

Most places that sell oil also have a provision to take back used oil.  It is a good practice to take the used oil back to the place you bought the new oil.    An oil recycling service, Safety Kleene, was there collecting the used oil from this Walmart; I captured this snap on my cellphone.   The driver seemed like a nice guy.  You can also see my CTS parked just to the right of the Recycling truck, out of the way of the traffic flow.

Safety Kleen motto:  Make Green Work.

Safety-Kleen enables companies to fulfill their green initiatives. We push beyond recycled thinking to break new ground and create an environment that’s good for business and the planet. In short, we make green work.

The used oil collection point at the local Walmart is beside the auto maintenance lanes.  The outer fence was locked, but the inside Cashier was nice enough to direct me back to the outside Attendant to bring the key to unlock the fence to get to the repository (a big metal container) to pour in my used oil.  Unfortunately, the top of the oil repository was also locked, so I had to bother the Attendant a second time to get that accessible.    Used oil waiting to be recycled have some value?  Sure.

Man our old LaSalle ran great… Learning to be Frugal

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Automobile News has an article / essay arguing that many auto dealers are finding that regular customers are trading ‘down’ — buying less expensive luxury cars to replace more expensive luxury cars.  Other buyers are shopping for used cars, or buying out their lease at the end of the lease.  Some buyers are focused on not giving the appearance of buying a new car — so they need the same model and color of car, or buy a less obviously ostentatious car, say a sedan instead of a convertible — so as not to appear to be doing well.  A related article is about how fewer people are financing cars, or financing less of the car deal, and F&I offices in dealerships are reducing staff.

Searching Google, there are thousands of hits for the phrase Frugal the new black.  Very popular topic, Frugality.

Is frugal the new ‘black’, meaning much more popular these days?  Many of the Generation that lived through the Great Depression in the United States (and the rest of the world for that matter) became stereotypically frugal for the rest of their lives.  Suddenly going from the heyday to rampant unemployment and food lines left a permanent memory of shortages, one they always kept in the back of their mind.  “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without” was a household aphorism.

As more and more people learn to cut back on excess, pay off  their debts, and live within their means, is it possible that this will be a permanent sea change?  Will we see the market for new cars continue to stay at the current reduced levels, and the market for used cars continue to be at elevated levels?

How can we be frugal with our Cadillacs?

1) Wash and wax it yourself.  Savings:  up to $10/week
2) Keep your new car for 8-12 years instead of buying a new car every 4-5 years.  Savings:  up to the cost of a new Cadillac.
3)  Maintain your Cadillac; oil changes, oil filter, air filter are all easy to maintain and to learn to maintain.  Savings:  Around $30/oil change doing it yourself; about 1/2 for filters buying online vs buying retail.  A Helm’s shop manual (the official GM shop manuals) is invaluable for this — check ebay for used copies!
4) When you need new parts replaced that you can’t do yourself, ask if you can buy the part online and bring it to the Mechanic.
5) Keep visiting Caddyinfo.com for helpful advice and support.  Questions always welcome about your Cadillac.

Do you have other favorite Frugal Cadillac habits?

RepairPal Estimator

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RepairPal Estimator is a website / tool that allows you to input the make of car, model, year you have, your zip code, and what type of repair your car requires.    Then it will give you a range estimate for that that type of repair often costs, and a map to the location of local mechanic shops.   The service includes scheduled maintenance visits as well as repairs.

It estimates both what it will cost to take your car to the Dealer, and what an independent mechanic might charge.  The estimate is given as a range because different shops will charge slightly different amounts for the same repair based on their shop labor rate and the materials used.

Because the data depends on inputs for the repair costs, the database currently covers from 1990 through 2008 or so.  If your vehicle is outside of those years you would have to pick a vehicle within those years to get an estimate, with associated decrease in accuracy.

I found the Repair Pal Estimator to be a useful site for a first estimate of repair cost.