That's it.

[maximus]

Today, I performed my last oil change. I will no longer do my own oil changes. I had a spillage disaster.

I filled my mazda with 3.5 quarts of PP 5w20 and 1 quart of QS 5w30 as well as a transmission drain and fill with OEM ATF.

My stupid flat basin catch pan is a piece of of (censored). The car is too low. I had some major spillage. Thank goodness for oil-dri.

I will pay a shop to do my oil oil changes for now. I don't care for the mess and chore anymore. I threw my catch pan in the trash.

 

[maximus]

In fact, there's a Pennzoil shop a couple blocks from my residence. I have a feeling they will be doing the majority of my next several oil changes. : )

 

[gfh77665]

I just changed TO doing my OC's. Could not put up with Walmart making yet another stupid mistake! No problems so far (done 5).

 

[Liquid_Turbo]

Originally Posted By: maximus
Today, I performed my last oil change. I will no longer do my own oil changes. I had a spillage disaster.

I filled my mazda with 3.5 quarts of PP 5w20 and 1 quart of QS 5w30 as well as a transmission drain and fill with OEM ATF.

My stupid flat basin catch pan is a piece of of (censored). The car is too low. I had some major spillage. Thank goodness for oil-dri.

I will pay a shop to do my oil oil changes for now. I don't care for the mess and chore anymore. I threw my catch pan in the trash.


Sad to hear, but to each their own! Just make sure you find a reputable shop that you can trust.

Last thing you need is an overtorqued nut, incorrect oil selection, overfilling/underfilling, unchanged oil filter, or damage to the oil pan!!

 

[Mark_S]

There was only one shop where I would consistently have my oil changed, and had no real concerns. The guy owned his own shop, you pulled your car over the pit, could get out and stand right next to him while he worked. I could see everything he did as he worked and we talked. Prices were OK, and I never wondered what really went into my engine.

Mark

 

[ARB1977]

What ever floats your boat. Alittle spillage is no big deal....ill never let a oil change stop touch my car. Found that out at walmart.

 

[stenerson]

I have a couple of inexpensive tarps that I always use when changing fluids. I spill a little here and there at times and just clean the tarp instead of the ground.

 

[ADFD1]

My bet is you'll go back to changing it yourself again. First scratch in the car, dirt on the seat or steering wheel, over tightened filter or plug, or the tech trying to take your oil and substitute bulk oil and you'll be back. That is unless you can find the perfect mechanic. Good luck.

 

[NHHEMI]

I gave up doing my own OC's a long time ago. The dealer does it for me, using my oil and filter, for a whopping $10. No muss no fuss. They even top off any low fluids at no extra charge and check and set the tire PSI. They do a good job as well.

 

[river_rat]

Originally Posted By: stenerson
I have a couple of inexpensive tarps that I always use when changing fluids. I spill a little here and there at times and just clean the tarp instead of the ground.

Good idea. I use big cardboard pieces I get from the recycle dumpster at a furniture store.

 

[tig1]

In my own family,daughter,I have seen filters left loose and leaked, Drain plugs not tightened and leaked. Others have had their drain plug over tightened and striped out the pan threads then covered up with sealer. Sounds as if you were not properly prepared to do the job. If you want something done right do it yourself.

 

[Kruse]

Originally Posted By: maximus
Today, I performed my last oil change. I will no longer do my own oil changes.


A quickie lube of some sort will strip your drain plug, add the wrong oil, put grease on your car seat.......and you'll be back.

 

[fdcg27]

Don't give up as a result of one experience that didn't go exactly as planned.
Think carefully about how to complete the change with no mess, and try again.
Car too low?
Rhino ramps!
Drain pan a POS?
Try a different pan.
Incidentally, a couple of layers of old newspaper under the danger zone will catch all of the inevitable small drips, keeping the garage floor clean.
After you've done any car a couple of times, it just goes like clockwork, quick, clean and easy.

 

[Truck&Cycle]

So good ole' Fred always gives me the business about changing my own oil. He takes his heap to Wally World and has them do it all the time.

I pull up to his house one day and he is on his hands and knees scrubbing the driveway and I says, "yo, what-cha doin'" and he sheepishly looks at me and says, "they didn't tighten the oil pan bolt".

 

[ARCOgraphite]

After your anger wears off, I bet you'll be back to it! Just rethink how your doing it, what went wrong and get the equipment that will help. I bought an aluminum hydraulic floor jack and some stands and this makes quick work of it. I still use a 20 year old 2 gallon plastic wash basin to collect the oil in

 

[d00df00d]

Wow. Never thought I'd hear this on BITOG.

If you must pay a shop, do the work now to find a good one, and then stick with it. Get to know the techs. It'll pay off.

 

[KrisZ]

I don't think you are saving yourself any grief in the future. Like others said, there are many things that shops can screw up, usually they will not inspect anything else while under the car, and will not alert you if something is not looking right. Sure there are few good mechanics that will do all of that but they are few and far between.

So, do yourself a favour, buy a good deep oil pan, a set of car ramps and maybe a tarp or one of those cork mats to absorb spilled oil, in the end you will know the job is done right and nothing was overlooked.

 

[hate2work]

Originally Posted By: river_rat
Originally Posted By: stenerson
I have a couple of inexpensive tarps that I always use when changing fluids. I spill a little here and there at times and just clean the tarp instead of the ground.

Good idea. I use big cardboard pieces I get from the recycle dumpster at a furniture store.


Me too, I use cardboard from where I work. It's a great insulator from the cold concrete as well as a good spill catcher, and goes right to the recycler when I'm done.

 

[pennzoil_guru]

After my local Toyota dealer used a cap wrench and put the oil filter on so tight that the can was distorted, I haven't taken any of my vehicles to a shop for an OC. Don't let one incident get you down. Learn from it and keep trying. I've made many mistakes and had huge leaks and spills over the years. I've learned from them and gotten better. View this an a learning opportunity.

 

[webfors]

Originally Posted By: hate2work
Originally Posted By: river_rat
Originally Posted By: stenerson
I have a couple of inexpensive tarps that I always use when changing fluids. I spill a little here and there at times and just clean the tarp instead of the ground.

Good idea. I use big cardboard pieces I get from the recycle dumpster at a furniture store.


Me too, I use cardboard from where I work. It's a great insulator from the cold concrete as well as a good spill catcher, and goes right to the recycler when I'm done.


The only concern I've had was a recent story I read on bitog where the catch pan, after several years of rubbing on concrete, wore through and leaked. I like the cardboard idea to:

1. Minimize the scratching/wearing on the catch pan.

2. Catch any miscues on my part

My subaru is the easiest car I have ever worked on with respect to fluid changes. Everything is easily accessible.

My past cars, Honda CRV included, put the filter in a horrible spot and made me think twice about changing the filter out each OC.