Just wanted to see how many of you guys do oil changes yourselves. I think I want to try and do the next one myself.

I went to a BP gas station to get it done and it cost $70 after tax for mobil1 syn oil change. Don't feel like paying so much each time.

So.. how hard is this to do for a young car novice like myself?

 

I have never done it before buying my TL, and becomming a member on this site. Very useful information here, and it allowed me to do my own. I have since started doing both my parents cars oil changes as well as my brothers. I pick up the Mobil 1 syn with filter on sale for $29.99 and it gives me something to do one my days off.

It also lets me know that it has been done right. There is also this feeling knowing that you have done it, making it much more enjoyable. Look around on the forum, and check out the 3G garage. Good luck and enjoy!

 

Yeah I want to do it myself for the same reasons. I want to make sure it's done right, and also you save a good amount of money by doing it yourself.

 

It's the easiest thing you can do to a car besides putting gas in it.

$70 for an average synthetic and most likely a crappy filter.

If you do it yourself, the same synthetic and filter would be about $25 at Walmart.

Or you can spend the same $70 on an ultra premium oil like Redline and a Royal Purple filter.

Basically, you remove the oil fill cap. This will remind you there is no oil in the engine and the oil will drain quicker. Remove the drain plug. Remove the filter. Replace the filter. Replace the drain plug, fill with 4.5 quarts. Replace the cap. Start the engine, turn it off. Check oil level via the dipstick and adjust if necessary.

Additional notes:

Prefill the filter with oil if you want. It will help it get to full pressure quicker when you start it the first time.

Don't overtighten the drain plug.

Make sure the old oil filter gasket is not stuck to the engine.

Smear oil on the new oil filter gasket to make removing it the next time much easier. You should never have to use a wrench to remove the filter.

Don't stress on getting a new drain plug washer, I'm still on the original at 90,000 miles.

 

Havent been to a mechanic in 7 years other then tires and balancing! learn how to do everything yourself then you can spend all your savings on mods!

 

I do.

 

since i have my fist car at 16 i have done it.

 

I do....unless I feel lazy then I just take it to Mobil one

 

[QUOTE=Or you can spend the same $70 on an ultra premium oil like Redline and a Royal Purple filter.[/QUOTE]
what kind of redline? and what filter? part no.'s would be great ill use whatever ihc is using
and i haven't changed mine yet owned the car for a year now, but i have free maintenance at the dealer. next one is on me though i have changed all of my previous cars oil.

 

Tons of people DIY. The 3G is a piece of cake.

The only part that sucks is taking the time to dispose the old lube.

 

Im fortunate enough to be able to bring mine to work and dump it there.

But again, sometimes I just dont feel like messin with the oil....

 

I never changed the oil before the TL- absolutley Simple.

 

I think the real question is, Who Doesn't?

 

What is a BP station doing using Mobil 1? BP owns Castrol. Guess they are not thinking with their dipstick.

 

Always myself...Honda filters & Mobil 1 according to MID.

 

Where do you guys take your old oil?

 

$25 dollars for castrol syntec, ive alyways used fram oil filters on all my hondas.
My uncle says frams are crap. what do you guys think about fram filters?

 

Haha that's what I'd like to know!

They had all kinds of oil in their garage.

 

took mine to the local advance autopart where i usually buy oil from.

I've never changed oil on my TL before, but i've done it on previous cars. We're lucky that the oil filter on our TLs are extremely easy to access and remove. oil filter location on the 1st gen lexus rx300 is a pita.

 

I don't. I'll be honest with you... I have.. plenty of times. But to me the savings really aren't that much. It can get somewhat messy. I hate oil. But with that said, I ALWAYS do my own Transmission oil... and religiously.. every 30,000. and I use Amsoil ATF.

Jiffy Lube w/ Penzoil synthetic 50 bucks. I'm in an out in 15 mins and no oil to get all over me and no oil to have to take somewhere to recycle (cause I'm sure NONE of us dump it right???)

 

Your uncle's not the first person to say that. I hear that often around the forums.. and not just this forum... In the Mitsu forums too (I also have an 03 Galant)

 

Any gas station that has a mechanics shop, any jiffy lube, any firestone, any pepboys... basically anyplace that would have oil because of oil changes and such. If I'm not mistaken, they are required by law to take it... maybe that's just in NY... I'm not sure.

 

All the time. Frams are proven crap.

 

I change my oil and always have for about 30 years. Like the others have said, you always know the quality of oil, proper fill amount, and filter used and I have never stripped a drain bolt- unlike the quickie places my wife use to go to. I also save time too because it takes me less time to drain/fill than to drive some place and wait for someone to do the work, try to up-sell me on some other product I don't need and drive back home.

I have simplified the disposal issue greatly by having an old 5 gallon container which lasts about a year for two cars. I'll dump my 5 gallons at Pepboys or Kragen.

 

I buy M1 at WallyWorld for $25 out the door. Bought 6 pure one filters at amazon.com for less than $5 each.

Take it to TiresPlus and pay them $15 to do the change. Total cost: $45.

 

Been doing it myself the last 10 years.

 

i change my oil..cost me about 25 to do and only 20mins of my time

 

You think that will make a difference? I always just did that on diesel engines because those filters took nearly 2 qts of oil, but on ours, which takes .25 at most, I see it as a useless step.

 

I do. It's super easy and it's fun!!

 

and once you know how to do an oil change.
You also learn how to do a transmission drain and refill, Cause it's about the same procedure to do so.

 

i agree....Ive never done it and I never plan on doing that...

 

I live three miles from the beginning of the mountains. I take my old oil up an old dirt road and pour it into a hole I dug out some years ago, then cover the hole back up. Works like a charm.



Seriously, there is a reclamation center about four miles from my house and they take if for recycling.

 

I do my TL oil changes slightly different than some. I use my homemade wood ramps in my driveway and drive my vehicles up on them, then put a heavy cloth tarp under the engine. Make sure I have everything then start the procedure and I don't do this when there is wind. I drive the vehicle around the neighborhood to warm the oil (not hot), then begin.


o Remove the oil fill cap.
o Place large drain pan under oil pan and and remove drain plug (I use a latex glove to avoid a mess on my hand).
o Allow oil to drain until it's just drops.
Using a new washer (sorry "I hate cars"), I install the drain plug and torque to 29 ft/lbs, or in my case, 360 in/lbs.
o Position drain pan under filter area and loosen the filter just enough to where I can finish removing it by hand.
o Wrap 1-gallon heavy duty ZipLock bag over old filter and up over pick up arm, then complete the removal of the old filter. The ZipLock bag will catch the residual oil in the block which would otherwise splash on things and make a mess.
o Apply a light coat of oil on the gasket of the new filter, clean the pickup arm's filter mating surface (making sure it is free of the old gasket), and screw new filter on until it makes contact with the pickup arm then turn another 3/4's of a turn.
o Pour in 4.5 quarts of new oil and put the fill cap back on.
o Clean hands then go back out and start engine, wait for oil light to go out, then run the engine up to 2500 RPM for about 10 seconds.
o With engine idling, carefully check your work, specifically the oil filter for leaks around the gasket area.
o Drive down off of ramps, clean up area, and record date, data, and miles in log book.


Hope I got everything there.

 

Frams are crap!

Beware of those fast and cheap oil deals. I once took my old minivan to a Big 10 tire that was running a special on oil changes. I thought, great, the minivan needs one. So I pull in. I watched the guy do the change. He forgot to put oil back into the crank case and parked the minivan in the lot. I immediately went to the manager. He said "What? Again? We've already bought one engine!" He checked my oil to make sure and it was bone dry. He filled it himself and I'm sure chewed the tech out. Just be careful at the cheap places.

BTW, I do my own and for obvious reasons........

 

best place to take old oil is walmart... considering there 9 cars at this house... we go through a shit ton of oil... so ive took probably 60-70 quarts of old oil before to walmart and they took it all to recycle =]... most auto parts stores limit it to 20 quarts but yeah... im pretty sure in normal cases people dump their old oil after they change it so it shouldnt be a problem

 

When my daughters were in high school, my oldest daughter had a school friend who had a Jeep. She took her Jeep to a quick-change place and within a short time, her engine seized. I seem to remember the cause being an old gasket which was still on the block from the old filter. She smelled something burning, but continued to drive her Jeep. She had thrown away her receipt so she had no go back and had to have a rebuilt engine installed.

 

Wow that sucks I would have went in and asked for a print out then gone back another time and brought up the issue.

 

If you decide not to buy or use ramps (which I do not), just add a step to Southernboys DIY

As a first step, turn wheel all the way to the right to easily access everything.

It helps keep tire smudge marks off the forehead

P.S. I've read wayyyy to many horror stories NOT to change the oil myself!

 

If you do this, make sure the car is moving a little. It's not good to turn the wheels when the vehicle is stationary.

Yeah, I've heard a boatload of horror stories about a number of things regarding everything from a simple oil change to involved mechanical work. If you're going to have someone else do things, the best you can do is find a trustworthy shop and pay the money for trustworthy work.

 

i get the hookup from somebody i know with synthetic oil. so basically i give him a small amount of $ and he does it. cheaper than even if i did it myself.