Kestas
Staff member
Since my dad immigrated to North America in 1948, not one time has our family ever had somebody outside our family change the oil in our cars.
Those Who Change Their Own Oil - check in
- Thread starter GoldenRod
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Did my wife's car on Saturday, did mine a week before.
I used to change my own oil on all my vehicles. Now I change the oil on my F-150 and I cant reach that darn filter on my wifes Sentra, jiffy lube did the first change on it and now it goes to one of the small garages in the area that I trust. No jack stands ever needed even on my wifes old Honda. I bought a pair of jack stands to attempt to get to the filter on the Sentra to no avail.
I've always done my own, but it's not my favorite thing to do. I made my own ramps out of staggered 2x8s (3 layers high). I placed a rubber mat on the bottom of the ramps to prevent skidding. They work perfect. After joining this site, I plan to purchase the Fumoto valve. This will make the chore a little easier
BTW: If I had to jack/remove wheels, etc., I probably would pay someone to do it. I have never used jacks to change oil.
BTW: If I had to jack/remove wheels, etc., I probably would pay someone to do it. I have never used jacks to change oil.97f150, what year Sentra is yours? My wife's is a '02 with the 1.8L. The filter is way up on the back side of the motor. After I get it up on jack stands I have to slide under the car quite a ways to get to the filter. PITA
Pull the tractor out of the shop, get the Kwiklift ready and pull the vehicle onto it. Fire up the heat if I need it. Get the lift in the air and start the oil/filter draining. While it's draining check the rest of the underside of the vehicle. Once it's finished draining button it up and replace the filter/refill the oil. Check the rest of the fluids while under the hood and top off if needed. Check the air in the tires while it's still parked on the lift. Double check to make sure the filter and plug are tight (and there), and once that's done drop it down and back off the lift.
Just in case anyone read it, my first post in this thread, where I said I take my vehicles to Jiffy Lube, was a joke.
Seriously though, Yes I change the oil in my family's vehicles. I use Rhino 8000 ramps for my VW GTI. I don't NEED ramps for the wife's Expedition. I've considered getting a set of ramps for the Expy though, since there is only enough room for me under it currently. I would like to be able to roll around under it on a mechanic's creeper.
I used to change the oil in my in-law's vehicles, too. They have since told me that my services are no longer required. I guess they would rather pay someone to do it.
[ January 30, 2006, 03:29 PM: Message edited by: wavinwayne ]
Seriously though, Yes I change the oil in my family's vehicles. I use Rhino 8000 ramps for my VW GTI. I don't NEED ramps for the wife's Expedition. I've considered getting a set of ramps for the Expy though, since there is only enough room for me under it currently. I would like to be able to roll around under it on a mechanic's creeper.
I used to change the oil in my in-law's vehicles, too. They have since told me that my services are no longer required. I guess they would rather pay someone to do it.
[ January 30, 2006, 03:29 PM: Message edited by: wavinwayne ]
I'm so **** skinny I don't even need ramps to change the oil on the SL1
Filter is a pain to get to though.
I am moving back to changing my own oil as soon as my "freebies" run out.
I have built my attached garag-a-ma-hol and it has satelitte tv....stereo sound piped in, heat, 3 stalles, 20 ft work bench, two rolling cabinets of tools and a floor drain.
I changed my own oil, fluids and repaired vehicles for 30 years until I just bought 2 new SUV's last June...
Will be going back to my own fluid management processes very soon....I enjoy knowing that the oil filter is not torqueed on at 50-100 pounds....
I have built my attached garag-a-ma-hol and it has satelitte tv....stereo sound piped in, heat, 3 stalles, 20 ft work bench, two rolling cabinets of tools and a floor drain.
I changed my own oil, fluids and repaired vehicles for 30 years until I just bought 2 new SUV's last June...
Will be going back to my own fluid management processes very soon....I enjoy knowing that the oil filter is not torqueed on at 50-100 pounds....
I have changed my own oil since 1971.
I built some ramps, and I put on the oil changing clothes. Bring out the oil, filter, and tools - then I do 5 cars in a row: 1994 Jeep, 1999 F150, 2004 Mustang, 1999 Audi, 2003 Lexus.
I have 4 5 gallon containers that I fill up and bring to the recycling center.
The 5 cars need 29 quarts of oil.....
I built some ramps, and I put on the oil changing clothes. Bring out the oil, filter, and tools - then I do 5 cars in a row: 1994 Jeep, 1999 F150, 2004 Mustang, 1999 Audi, 2003 Lexus.
I have 4 5 gallon containers that I fill up and bring to the recycling center.
The 5 cars need 29 quarts of oil.....
I almost always do my own OCI. I say "almost" because the last oil change I took my GC and the filter to Iffy Lube and paid them to do the dirty work. I just didn't have the time on weekends to do it. I felt so bad.......
Anyway, I'll get back on track next time. I usually jack up the LF corner of my truck and stick in a jack stand. Let 'er drain for 10 mins or so. The filter is in a very convenient location but it makes a terrible mess coming off with the oil that is still in the filter.
From grabbing the jack to recycling the oil at the local Autozone, I'm done in about an hour, maybe 45 mins if I'm not goofing around.
Anyway, I'll get back on track next time. I usually jack up the LF corner of my truck and stick in a jack stand. Let 'er drain for 10 mins or so. The filter is in a very convenient location but it makes a terrible mess coming off with the oil that is still in the filter.
From grabbing the jack to recycling the oil at the local Autozone, I'm done in about an hour, maybe 45 mins if I'm not goofing around.
Always change my own oil, along with the wife's car, step daughters car, my dad's car, my sister's car, you get the picture. Keep the changes to the warm months or a 30 degree day in the cold months.
Sounds like a really nice garage! Any pics you can share with us?
I change my own and do most of the other services as well. If you do it yourself you know it's done right - or wrong - but then you only have yourself to blame...
I use the auto craft shop on the local Army post. I rent a lift bay for $4.00 an hour with access to all the tools and equipment needed.
I do my oil changes on both cars and the truck, full flushes on the auto in both cars, the coolant in all vehicles, and the axles/manual tranny/transfer case on the truck. It's mainly a chore as I also have lots of other things to do, but I still prefer to do it. I did go from 3k changes with dino in the cars to 5k with Mobil 1 T&S, which helped a lot. For the cars I drive up on some pieces of 2x12, for the truck I sawed a bit over an inch off of the top of a 5 gal that I can slide under it, as it uses 3 gal of oil.
Always.
Look forward to it as there are no surprises as with regular wrenching.
Look forward to it as there are no surprises as with regular wrenching.
One of the first times I changed my own oil on a 91 Escort while in high school, I started it up, walked around front and was greeted to a fine oil fountain shooting up about 3 feet in the air. I was thinking hhmmm I don't remember it doing that before. Turned out the gasket from the old filter was still on there. Then I had to clean all that oil out of the engine compartment.
I have always changed the oil on my 96 Avalon and
98 F150 and most cars before that. I use a pair of homemade ramps that I made from a picture in Popular Mechanics about 35 yrs ago. Thinking seriously about Rhino ramps, especially after reading about them being on sale at Advance. The Avalon will be replaced sometime in the next 3 months, probably with another Avalon. Debating what to use in it. Always used dino in this one (183,000 mi).
John
98 F150 and most cars before that. I use a pair of homemade ramps that I made from a picture in Popular Mechanics about 35 yrs ago. Thinking seriously about Rhino ramps, especially after reading about them being on sale at Advance. The Avalon will be replaced sometime in the next 3 months, probably with another Avalon. Debating what to use in it. Always used dino in this one (183,000 mi).
John
Hadn't changed my own oil since the early 90's when I owned a 16V GTI but I recently rediscovered the joy of DIY oil changes with the purchase of my '05 Nissan Frontier. A pair of Rhino Ramps makes it super-easy to get at the filter and drain plug on that sweet VQ40DE.
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