I have them on both of my vehicles, and they work like a charm. Only caveat: The drain hole is pretty small, so to drain the oil in a reasonable amount of time, the oil has to be hot. It takes a little longer to drain out, but not having to mess with oil running down you hand and fishing the drain plug out of the old oil, the mess, etc. - I love them.
I bought one years ago when they were 1/2 the price for my Rx-7 and love it. I can reach the valve from the top of the engine bay, no more getting under the car! I have had no problems with mine and will order one for the 3 when it come time to change the oil.
I have had them on 5 cars and have been pleased. Never a leak or failure of any kind. I always buy the one with the nipple so that I can attach a small bit of clear tubing. Have yet to spill a drop of oil from the pan. The filter is another story.
If you want to sleep at night....I would not buy one! The mental picture of that lever fliping open if something flips up from the road will haunt you.
I use a Fumoto valve, also. It's very solidly built, doesn't leak a drop, and allows me to drain the oil immediately after a long drive without fear of burning myself. I don't even need ramps to dump the fill on the little Civic, which sits pretty low to the ground.
Originally Posted By: pottymouth
Have yet to spill a drop of oil from the pan. The filter is another story.
There's a thought... So any of you guys currently using this device worry about the possibility of the valve accidentally opening on you? Know of anyone this ever happened to?
Originally Posted By: rewote500
So any of you guys currently using this device worry about the possibility of the valve accidentally opening on you? Know of anyone this ever happened to?
I worried about that until I received my first Fumoto valve. It requires two distinct motions to open it--a single push isn't going to budge the ball valve. I would worry more about bashing the thing on a concrete barrier before any stealth opening.
I did look on the net for a bit to see what kind of problems people have had and was able to find two posts. One guy's valve leaked slightly, and it was immediately replaced by the vendor at no charge. The other post was by an offroader that caught his oil pan on something (can't remember exactly what it was) and the Fumoto valve was bent a good deal by the obstacle. Oil pan was toast.
Anyway, that's all I have for you. Maybe someone else can step in with something more.
I have Fram Suredrain on Honda S2000, there is no chance for the Suredrain's drain valve to open accidentally. The only drawback of Suredrain is slow draining, about 10-15 minutes for 5 quarts sump.
You can buy them online if you want: QwikValve. Not sure if it's the site I bought mine from, but the part numbers are the same. The one for the Honda also needed the adapter because the drain on the oil pan is recessed.