DIY - Changing the Oil in Your Car

Are you tired of paying for expensive oil changes at commercial oil changing station? You can change your own oil at a fraction of the cost. It's easier than you think! Here's how to do it...

Those oil change guys want you to think that changing your oil is hard, so that you'll pay them top dollar to do it for you. But it's not hard! Stop at your local discount store for 4-5 quarts of oil. Exactly how much varied by vehicle type. After the first time, you'll know exactly what your car takes.

While you're there, get a filter. There will be a guidebook or a small electronic lookup machine in the oil filter aisle to tell you which size/type filter your car uses. Make note of that! It'll be the same every time on that vehicle. If you have two cars, they might have two different filters though.)

You'll need a wrench. Nothing special, just a basic wrench. A little adjustable once works great. If you happen to know what size your oil plug is, you can get a non-adjustable one in that size. (I got one in the size my car uses, and I keep it in the car, so that I always have it there when I want to find it.)

Slide a low pan under your car to catch the oil, and loosen the oil drain-plug with your wrench (counter-clockwise). You can reach under the front of most cars to do this without even needing a jack. After most of the oil has gushed out, unscrew (counter-clockwise) the oil filter. Make sure your pan is set so that the drain-hole and the filter opening can both drip into the pan.

Leave them both dripping for about 20 minutes, to let as much dirty oil out as you can. There will always be some oil trapped inside your engine though, you can't fix that.

Once the dripping stops, screw your new oil filter on (clockwise), and screw your oil drain-plug back in (clockwise). Carefully move th e pan full of used oil out of the way for now.

Open you cars hood and look for the 'add oil' cap. The cap almost always is marked 'OIL', and may also tell you how much and what kind the manufacturer recommends. Pour your new oil in there, and used the dipstick to test the level to be sure you put in enough, but not too much. Remember to put the oil cap back on when you're finished.

Pour the used oil into the now-empty oil bottles, and drop them off at your local recycling center. See how easy that was? Changing your own oil costs about half as much, because you don't pay for the labor/time when you do your own work.

Drive Safely!

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