How To Change The Oil In Your Car

Shops would like to change your oil and oil filter every 3 months or 3,000 miles. Your vehicle's owners manual recommends longer mileages that depend on how you drive. Short trips, dusty conditions, mountains, off-road, racetrack and towing, fall into the "severe" service category. Lacking all of these puts you in the "normal" service category, which doubles the mileage schedule. Some makers of synthetic oil extend these intervals up to 15,000 miles when used with a premium oil filter. Some carmakers include a warning light on your dash that estimates when an oil change is needed, based on your past driving. Oil testing is available by mail which gives you a scientific analysis of your oil's condition. Most importantly, all engines consume oil, as much as one quart or liter per month. This lowers oil to a dangerous level unless you top it up. You must check your oil level monthly.    

Steps   

1. Gather all the necessary supplies and equipment, including an oil pan and socket wrench. Under your car with all the oil out is not the time to discover what is missing. It will help to have everything close at hand. Proof of regular oil changes is required to keep your valuable warranty coverage, so save your receipts.
2. Raise the car if necessary. Find a flat surface suitable for changing your oil. Level driveways or alleys are ideal. Start by getting the car up on the ramps or jack stands. If you're working on a car with a high ground clearance, which doesn't need to be raised, you can just shimmy on under. This saves time and is safer: if the car isn't up, it can't fall down! If you do jack up your car, be sure to put blocks behind the back tires to prevent the car from rolling backward. The best time to drain the oil is right after driving as the oil will be more liquid, allowing you to remove as much of the old oil as possible (Caution: take great care when working with a hot engine).
3. The oil drain plug - Locate the drain plug for the oil pan. It is normally towards the back of the engine at the underside of the car, and is angled down. The bolt size will vary from car to car, but it is in the 13-30mm range. All Toyota and Lexus are 14mm (older models may be 13mm), all Mercedes Benz are 13mm, Jaguars are 30mm, older Volvos are 25mm, BMWs are 17mm, VW and Audi are 19mm, Honda and Acura are 17mm. All others are between 13 and 19mm. On some vehicles you may have to remove a shield on the bottom of the vehicle to have access to the oil pan. All Mercedes have a plastic shield held on with six 8mm screws, and some pickups and SUVs will have steel skid plates.
4. Position whatever you are catching the oil with under the plug, then loosen the bolt. Oil has a tendency to come out of the pan at an angle, so make sure the opening on your container is pretty large. Lay something under the car to catch oil runoff. As the oil comes out of the pan at an angle, it can be tricky to catch, and may land on the ground. If this includes your driveway, you will want some newspaper or a dropcloth to catch it, or you risk an oil stain on your driveway or garage.
5. Continue removing the bolt. You should also remove and replace the gasket under the drain plug. Be careful not to drop the plug in the oil, it's a messy job trying to find the plug in the black stuff.
   • If you do drop it in the pan, you can easily find it with a magnet. Ideally, use the type that is at the end of an expandable rod.
   • Another easy way to "save" the drain plug is to use a funnel with a bit of screening in it. Catch the plug as it falls out. You can then pull the funnel out of the way of the s