1) Indeed, do change your own oil. I'm a firm believer that just plain oil changes are a bother to any garage or dealership.
They commonly assign the most recalcitrant monkey to oil changes. These are the guys who over-tighten or fail to even look if the proper oil is being used. Also, you usually have to fend off upselling whenever you just want an oil change.
2) People here will have a lot to say about reusing oil drain plug gaskets. You obviously can.
However, I've experienced that the flat aluminum washers used by my last 3 Volvo 2,435cc engines, as well as the folded type used by the Subarus in the stable, provide a predictable "crush feel" as they deform into position. This is something the flat copper washers used by Saab and the steel ones mentioned above, didn't provide.
3) I agree with Titan regarding your line, " I tightened the drain bolt til I couldn't anymore with normal pressure..." That's a bit scary.
The last thing you want to do is join the, "I Stripped My Oil Pan Club".
Given the tales of filter overtightening, I suspect there are more members than we think. Most guys wouldn't post that they stripped-out a $450 oil pan.
The torque wrench suggestion is a good one.
4) Also, those meager drips on your rag correspond to what you'd see from a less-than-perfect oil drain plug gasket.
I'd bet money that a large percentage of oil drain hole strippers are done by guys reusing old, crushed gaskets. They'll see a small drip and muscle the plug tighter "because you can reuse them". In reality, they're too lazy or cheap to get a new gasket. Even if you can get 2-3 uses from one, you can't get 5 or more. And you will be increasing your tightening torque.
5) Ascertain (measure) the inner diameter of your drain plug gasket and buy a bag of them on Amazon.
Expect to see numbers like 12mm, 14mm and 18mm (mine).
I have a bunch of aluminum 14mm gaskets for Honda vehicles as I tended a neighbor's Accord.
6) Since you're new, be reminded to wipe around the work area thoroughly as a latent drip might lead you to conclude you have an active drip.
They commonly assign the most recalcitrant monkey to oil changes. These are the guys who over-tighten or fail to even look if the proper oil is being used. Also, you usually have to fend off upselling whenever you just want an oil change.
2) People here will have a lot to say about reusing oil drain plug gaskets. You obviously can.
However, I've experienced that the flat aluminum washers used by my last 3 Volvo 2,435cc engines, as well as the folded type used by the Subarus in the stable, provide a predictable "crush feel" as they deform into position. This is something the flat copper washers used by Saab and the steel ones mentioned above, didn't provide.
3) I agree with Titan regarding your line, " I tightened the drain bolt til I couldn't anymore with normal pressure..." That's a bit scary.
The last thing you want to do is join the, "I Stripped My Oil Pan Club".
Given the tales of filter overtightening, I suspect there are more members than we think. Most guys wouldn't post that they stripped-out a $450 oil pan.
The torque wrench suggestion is a good one.
4) Also, those meager drips on your rag correspond to what you'd see from a less-than-perfect oil drain plug gasket.
I'd bet money that a large percentage of oil drain hole strippers are done by guys reusing old, crushed gaskets. They'll see a small drip and muscle the plug tighter "because you can reuse them". In reality, they're too lazy or cheap to get a new gasket. Even if you can get 2-3 uses from one, you can't get 5 or more. And you will be increasing your tightening torque.
5) Ascertain (measure) the inner diameter of your drain plug gasket and buy a bag of them on Amazon.
Expect to see numbers like 12mm, 14mm and 18mm (mine).
I have a bunch of aluminum 14mm gaskets for Honda vehicles as I tended a neighbor's Accord.
6) Since you're new, be reminded to wipe around the work area thoroughly as a latent drip might lead you to conclude you have an active drip.