Enjoy or dread changing your oil? Multi vechiles

[jdavis]

I have a 2004 Honda Accord (4 cyl), 2008 Toyota Tundra (8 cyl), 2013 Nissan Rogue (4 cyl), and 2006 BMW 330XI (6 cyl) that I regularly change the oil on myself.

From easiest to most painful:

1. BMW
2. Nissan
3. Toyota
4. Honda

The BMW is ridiculously quick and easy to change the oil on with the oil filter right on the top of the engine. The car is low but manageable on ramps if I suck in my gut to get the drain plug off.

The Nissan is also very easy with a good oil filter placement plus the height of the vehicle.

The Toyota is manageable since I have the right tools, the most time consuming part is getting off and putting on the skid plate. If the skid plate was out of the equation, either buy not putting it back on or cutting out holes for the drain plug and filter canister then it would be super simple and quick.

The Honda is a pain in the [censored] and I dread changing the oil on it. It's low to the ground even on ramps and the oil filter placement sucks in my opinion as I have a hard time reaching up to the back of the engine to get it off. It's not as bad as my 2001 Nissan Altima was but still painful and takes almost as long as the Tundra. I'm literally tempted to just have a quick change place do the Accord from now on.

 

[bdcardinal]

My Mustang is pretty easy. You take 2 bolts off on a little shield thingy. The engine drain plug is unobstructed while once you take the shield off the drain off from the filter properly lubricates the steering rack and drivers suspension.

My mom's 2014 EcoBoost Fusion is easy, except for the under car shield. There are like 11 torx bolts that hold the thing on. The torx thing doesn't bother me, but the clips that the bolts go into are supposed to support the shield long enough to get a couple bolts started. However this never happens and I have to do that awkward holding a huge shield up with one hand while threading in a bolt with another hand then furiously trying to find the ratchet or t-handle that odds are rolled away in order to keep the shield from falling on me. The Fusion now goes to my work and I give it to a tech I trust to do the oil change for me. Plus since the Titanium model has fairly big side skirts, getting a lift arm under it sucks.

 

[wallyuwl]

I like changing the oil and have never had a problem with any of my vehicles. The first car I ever got I didn't change the oil (1992 Chevy Lumina Euro with the 3.1L). Then I got a 1995 Mazda B4000 that I was able to change without even putting it on ramps. Then a 2003 Vibe that was easy with ramps, just needed a ratchet extension to get the filter off. Had free dealer changes during our lease with a 2013 Elantra (that we no longer have). The 2010 Equinox is super easy with the right tools, can be done in less than a half hour including set-up and cleanup. It remains to be seen how the 2014 Edge is, but one of a few deciding factors in getting the 3.5L V6 instead of the 2.0L 4 cyl Ecoboost was that the Ecoboost had a skid plate across the whole front of the vehicle (and back as well, only with openings for the exhaust) that looked like a PITA to get on and off just to change the oil.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

I hate sideways oil filters because the oil gets all over the axles.

Cartridge oil filters are terrible unless they're mounted at the top (like the Ecotec)

 

[andyd]

My 528es and my daughter's '06 Corolla are easy to change oil and filter. The Rat has a 4.0 V6. The filter is easy to change if you dont crank on it. If it is beyond hand tight. I need my 3/8 drive filter socket.

 

[BHopkins]

My Outback is the easiest car to change oil on, that I have ever owned. It makes oil changes fun. The oil filter is on top of the engine, right next to the oil fill. Being an Outback, there is plenty of clearance underneath. I don't even put it on ramps or jack stands.

My Alero is not bad, but I'm not too crazy about the filter location. It's on an angle, and so oil always drips down the front of the engine.

 

[Falken]

2010 Honda Fit is easy if you know the tricks.

Drive onto two 2x4's that are around 10 inches long that I keep in toolbox.

Then chock the rear tires with handbrake on.

Now you have the clearance to get a nice big garage jack under the car to the factory lift point in the center of the front crossmember. Jack up and rest on stands.

Filter is on the front of engine, side mounted.

17mm drain bolt is easy to spot.

If you don't know many tricks with the Fit it is a small car to jack up for sure.

 

[ag_ghost]

Changing oil for me is a welcome relief from work. My old Fords are the easiest which is no surprise. The Windstar and Accord are easy once I drive the front wheels up on a couple of 2x6s, although removing the Windstar's oil filter is somewhat tedious as it'll drop oil on the subframe, but it's not hard to clean up.

I changed the oil in my MIL's (now my son's) 90 Accord for years and accessing that filter was not trivial, but I did not dread it.

We had a first generation Camry from '83 to '99 with an easy to access filter ... but it was upside down ... a really dumb design; I had to spend more time cleaning than any other part of the task.

I've read other posts about how easy the job is on Subarus.
Kevin

 

[Leo99]

I can change the oil on both my vehicles in the dark. Oil filters inclusive.

One vehicle is fun. Two is manageable. Three starts to become work. Four vehicles becomes burdensome.

 

[joegreen]

2000 LEXUS ES300 is the easiest ever. Put the front on jack stands or ramps and have two buckets ready. pull the plug on the engine oil, trans fluid, and front diff. While they are draining replace the oil filter from above. Within 20 min two fluids have been changed.

 

[double vanos]

I am down to 3 cars (finally!) but none of them is a breeze. My 2 Ecoboost trucks really suck because of the filter location - you do the install blind. And there's also a shield underneath that has to be removed. Despite being 4x4 trucks they have to go up on jack stands so you can reach that filter. PITA city. Every 3.5 - 4k.

My Mazdaspeed 3 has an under belly tray that technically doesn't have to come off but I like to look things over while I'm at it. Having an ez car lift makes this easier, and the tires also get rotated every oil change because these things have a tendency to mow through the rubber. Excepting the tray and tire rotations, oil changes on this car are a breeze.

Being retired and living in the mountains in Arizona these cars will probably get oil changes twice a year ( that's a lot less than when I lived in Houston). It won't be a mileage thing, it'll be a short trip / fuel dilution thing.

 

[CT8]

I don't enjoy or Dread an oil change I change oil because it is part of the proper maintenance of the vehicles I own 23 years in the industry I can say it is like work.

 

[ammerty]

The two Mitsubishi Diamantes I own are simple to service.
Both are slightly lowered but can tackle ramps with minimal fuss. The filter sits low and vertically, adjacent to the sump, and neither are obstructed by the subframe.
The filter can be tightened and loosened by hand if you're wearing one of those grippy mechanic gloves (which is good because the filter is tiny and a pain to remove with a tool)

The Pulsar is another matter, as the filter sits on the firewall side if the engine halfway up the block and cumbersome to remove with a tool. You have to contort your hand and arm to reach it through the subframe and swaybar, and it leaks on everything when you unscrew it.

 

[Merkava_4]

I'm spoiled with Rhino Ramps. I don't wanna use jack stands no more.

 

[slowdime]

The Mazda is absurdly easy. The filter is about 10" from the drain plug on the bottom of the engine.
The Cavalier on the other hand requires the removal of the ECU to get to the filter... even then it's a tight fit to get my fat hands in there. Putting the new filter on is a bit like a teenager groping around in the dark with his date in the back of a Camry... nuf said

 

[hpb]

Don't dread it, don't love it, just something that has to be done, like taking out the rubbish or mowing the lawn. Both my cars are easy though - no undertrays, easy access to filter. But the best part is, I do them on a hoist!

 

[Pop_Rivit]

None of the vehicles that I have are difficult to service. The 2002 Buick has to go onto the lift since it's so low to the ground.

I can do oil changes on 4 vehicles and 4 tractors in 90 minutes when everything is due at once.

 

[pjhalifax]

Mine aren’t too bad. I have a gravel parking pad so I don’t jack them up…just drive up on boards to give myself the extra room I need. The 2010 Saab is the lowest and requires the most slithering around to get the drain plug out, but that’s balanced by the ease of the cartridge filter up top.

The RDX is definitely the easiest. Good clearance even without the boards, and the plug and filter are close together. That one also drains the most completely, if that makes sense. 5 quarts out, 5 quarts in. The Saabs always require a little checking/measuring for that last half-quart or so.

I look forward to the job no matter which car it is. My dad showed me how to change oil when I was little so I think of those days every time I go out there. And now I have a son to work with (one day…he’s only 9 months so he just watches right now

)

 

[Dallas69]

My truck is easy,lots of room underneath and the filters are super easy on old Fords.
My wife's Galant I take to my local mechanic that I trust,I bring my own oil and filter and he charges 10 bucks.
I dont do ramps or jacks anymore.
I actually look forward to changing oil in my truck.
I do it every October when the long hot Texas summer is over.

 

[MCompact]

All of my cars save the Mazda are dead easy to change. The Mazda uses a cartridge filter element mounted under the car with a separate drain plug for the filter housing. Fortunately, my Mazda dealer offers free oil changes for as long as I own the car.