$25 for a oil change... lets see, drive the car on the lift, lift it up, pull the plug, walk off and smoke a cig while waiting for the oil to drain (or go work on something else), go back, put the plug back in, drop the truck, pull off the filter, install a new $2 filter, snake in the $1 a quart oil, preferably a quart over the limit.... mean while the customer is waiting an hour to get their vehicle back with the additional oil stains on the steering wheel, seat and door. So, for about 10 minutes worth of work they are making, lets say $19. I wish I made that much in 10 minutes time.
I was just discussing the 30k service with a co-worker, she has the same truck, except its a sport susp. After looking at the list of things they do I think I'll save myself about $250, go buy a new grease gun, some new fluid and do the work myself. I've always found that for the cost of service, you can easily buy the tools yourself, usually save a bit, and you always have the capability of doing it again in the future for the cost of the consumables.
I think the use of synthetic has more advantages over dino oil. First its less friction, better gas mileage. Less dino oil is being sucked out of the ground (maybe thats why the gas prices are so high, too many people going with syn). Less apt to break down due to high temps. Requires less frequent oil changes, especially with the Amsoil secondary filtration. Sure it costs a little more, but you get what you pay for.
One thing I really miss from being in the mil, is the auto hobby shops. I miss having a car lift around I can rent for a couple bucks an hour...