Newbie Oil Change Questions ...

[mpvue]

Originally Posted By: 09rexwagon
Originally Posted By: jhMalibu
If AZ/AAP give you any grief (they sometimes do to me), I've found that a lot of repair shops will be happy to take that waste oil for their waste oil burners.
Why would they give you [censored]? As if you go in there, dump your oil and walk out without buying something? Well I think there are laws saying they have to take it back. Not sure if it is state to state or federal. I do it all the time.

I stopped going to autozone. besides never having what I needed and sending me to the AZ in the next town, they treat me like a criminal when I would bring used oil in, maybe twice a year. last time, they scolded me like a kid that I better not leave my containers there. after that the tank was full anyway. I didn't feel bad after that for dripping oil through the whole store .
went across the street to advance, they said sure, go around back you could go right in.
advance also always has the parts I need, btw. good place.

 

[Benzadmiral]

And wear gloves -- the nitrile ones from Autozone, or latex from the drugstore. They'll protect your skin from possible contaminants in the oil, make it easier for you to clean up afterward, and let you touch hot surfaces for longer without a burn.

 

[09rexwagon]

Originally Posted By: Vilan
Back to #1 for a moment, the oil can be drained either hot or cold. Hot makes it thinner and drain out a bit faster, but if it's your first time trying it you might want to change it cold so you don't end up with hot oil all over your hands.
That's actually a very very good point. I've been changing my oil for close to a decade and I learn a bit more on every car I do. I drove a 180k mile 1.6L Civic for 8 years and even running it really really hard, shutting it off and immediately draining the oil, I could still touch the oil as it is draining (ie to pull the plug out of my drain pan hole if I drop it.

Then I did the oil on my WRX for the first time and the car had been sitting for 25 minutes after modestly driving. A) it drained out with such vigor, that I needed like a 2ft long drain pan to contain the end of the drain flow and the dripping right below the plug....will be using a large piece of cardboard under there next time. And B) the oil was so hot, that I scalded my fingers pulling the plug out of the middle of the drain pan hole (it was about to overflow so I had to do it).

Anyway, I have a battle plan for the next OC, but as the person I quoted mentioned, it is probably a good idea to do it cold, or luke warm (stopped for 1 hour or so) the first time.