How do you change your oil?

[lolaetype]

I think many places use the vacuum method so they don't have to fiddle with the under engine splash shield. It's a matter of economics.

I change the oil in my cars, I've been doing that for the past 53 years.

Mercedes, a 2003 CLK convertible, gets an oil change according to the maintenance schedule. Mann filter and 8 quarts of Mobile 0W-40. I drain it because I'm not convinced vacuuming get's everything out of the pan. Plus it gives me the opportunity to look around down there for potential problems. Plus I let it sit and drain for an hour or so. Yes, I know I'll never get it all out, but what the heck, it can't hurt.

The E-Type gets an annual oil change, about 5,000 miles worth of driving, Mobil 1 15W-50 Same for the F150 which gets driven maybe 2,000 miles a year. The Mazda 6 gets it's oil changed about 2 times a year. I buy enough oil filters, Wix, except for the Mercedes, for a year's worth of changes from Rock auto. And they all get synthetic.

Edit: Set the drain pan on one of those under car catch pans to keep any errant oil off of the garage floor.

 

[Daedalus]

Vacuum method takes too long for me. My cars didn't have that method in the plans, so the dipstick tubes are narrow, and the vacuum tube that fits in them is too small to move the fluid very quickly.
Fumoto valves for me too.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

My Mercedes cost $180 for just an oil and filter change, every 10,000 miles with full synthetic oil. Mercedes uses a vacuum and ***** it out through the dipstick tube. The oil filter is on top of the engine. I bought a vacuum pump and I change it myself, usually $50 for Mobil 1 0w40 - 2 Gallons at Walmart plus $15 for the filter. The oil filter is on top of the engine. I'm now thinking I might start vacuuming out the oil in my other vehicles- if it's good enough for Mercedes then maybe it's good enough for other engines??

Anyone else vacuum their oil? I suppose if you are under the car changing the filter then it's fairly easy to pull the plug but the vacuum part is super easy and done while standing up.

everything you use but the vacuum. gravity here. oil filter underneath so gotta go there anyways.

This is great advice but so many folks never see the underside of vehicle until the differential runs dry and goes pop!
I considered putting spigot on oil pan. I put one on 700R4 transmission pan in my hotrod as not having a plug of any sort is messy

my differential doesn't have a drain plug. I had to vacuum it out!

 

[Lucid Moments]

I don't own a vehicle that doesn't require getting underneath it to change the filter. And I own 6. Admittedly the newest of them is a 2010. But since I have to be down there anyway I go ahead and drain and drain it though the drain plug.

 

[spunger1]

I’ve used the suction method for years if the car allows from the dipstick. The only car I can’t do it on is my dads Chevy Colorado. I suppose if I found a thinner suction tube it might work but I love it. I use one of the Mitty vac fluid extractors. I had a cheap liquivac for years but last year upgraded to the mittyvac and couldn’t be happier.

I had a 2007 4Runner we traded in last year and it never had the drain plug removed. Never had a problem getting all the oil out either.

I like the idea. No more cross threaded drain plug or sealing washer issues. I’ve never had a problem changing oil and don’t mind if I need to drain via the plug but it’s just cleaner and better time consuming sucking it out.

 

[cvairwerks]

Couple of TDI guys ran a multi-vehicle, multiple oil change test on vacuum vs drain plug and getting all the oil out. From the pan only, and not going after the oil in the filter housing and oil pump, the difference between the two methods was less than 4 ounces. The vac usually pulled out slightly more on the change due to pan design.

 

[Johns12]

I have 4 cars. 2 Audi's and 1 Mercedes get the oil vacuumed out. The Jag as a valve on the drain plug. Vacuuming gets all the oil out. I did the test years ago, vacuum and then pull the plug. I got drops out of the plug.

What I love about using the vacuum method, is the ease. Warm the car up. While vacuuming I change out the filter. All the oil is in the vacuum container which I bring to the recycling center. Clean and easy.

 

[gunguy]

Fumoto valve. On both vehicles for the past 4-5 years, no problems or issues. Love 'em.

https://www.fumotooildrainvalve.com/

Jim

 

[mike93lx]

Who takes their car to the stealership to change oil????????????????

I have many times. Ford is only $40

 

[GTO]

I love it,OP posts price for a MB oil change.....don't buy a MB if you're going to complain about service pricing.
Is that a picture of your lift in your avatar ???

 

[mikec35]

I love it,OP posts price for a MB oil change.....don't buy a MB if you're going to complain about service pricing.
Is that a picture of your lift in your avatar ???

I'm not complaining, I just want to save time and money like everyone else. I can have it changed by the time it takes me to drive to the dealership. Plus I change my oil 4-5 times a year - the time and money savings are worth it to me. I was curious what others thoughts on the subject. That is my lift in my avatar.

 

[mrvm]

Fumoto valves work fine albeit slower than the regular drain plug plus the fumoto valve design will leave a small amount of oil in the oil pan. Probably not best against off-road hazards without a skid plate.

Bought a vac primary for maintaining yard equipment but never tried on vehicles yet.

 

[Coopduc]

Nothing against vacuuming, but I pull the plug on all my cars, but vacuum out the boat.
The only real downside I see to use it on cars is if you have a magnetic drain plug you will not see any interesting bits that may be captured by it. Not a big deal on come cars, but could be on certain German sports cars.

 

[Hooked]

Open Fumoto drain valve.

I'm always learning something from you guys. Just ordered two -- my truck and wife's Sequoia.
My daughters have the oil changed in their vehicles or I would have bought more.

 

[GTO]

I'm not complaining, I just want to save time and money like everyone else. I can have it changed by the time it takes me to drive to the dealership. Plus I change my oil 4-5 times a year - the time and money savings are worth it to me. I was curious what others thoughts on the subject. That is my lift in my avatar.

You have a lift in your Garage,and you take your car to MB for oil changes ?
That's what doesn't make sense to me.
It's all good man,I wish I had a lift....

 

[NewShockerGuy]

All of our vehicles including the Mercedes gets drained at the bottom.
Every vehicle has as fumoto valve so changing oil is super easy. The only time I get my hands dirty is my wife's lexus because it has the stupid filter cartridge where you remove the center portion, let it drain then remove the entire housing. It's a dumb design.

The Mercedes uses a Stalbus valve since the fumoto valve didn't fit on the pan because of the design. Same exact principle but uses a small key with a hose to drain the fluid. The top filter is awesome. I wish more manufactures had this exact style of filter where there is no mess for the most part.

I just put the cars on the lift because I rotate the tires anyways (exception of the MB) so having it up and draining oil while I rotate tires is super easy.

Most of the people on the MB forum use the **** method then just change the top filter.

-Nigel

 

[gunguy]

Fumoto valves work fine albeit slower than the regular drain plug plus the fumoto valve design will leave a small amount of oil in the oil pan. Probably not best against off-road hazards without a skid plate.

Bought a vac primary for maintaining yard equipment but never tried on vehicles yet.

Slower? Yes, but not in a practical sense, especially if the oil is warm. In my case since I work off the floor, put the drain pan in place, slip on the hose, flip the lever and it's draining. I don't have to worry about hot oil running down my arm or dropping the plug in the drain pan only to be fished out later. A little of the old oil is always left behind regardless of the method used. It gets diluted with the fresh oil anyway and any contaminants are captured in the new filter. I think what is more important than the method used is that the oil and filter is changed on a regular basis, following the manufacturer's recommendations at a minimum.

If you're a serious off-roader, there are lots of items that one rethinks that may not concern someone who is not. A valid point nonetheless.

I work off the floor or ramps so a Fumoto valve is a big help. I have the ones that have a ****** in order to attach a hose that runs to the drain pan. It never fails; I can be in the garage with all the doors closed and I will still get a draft that blows that final thread of oil over the edge of the pan and onto the floor, hence the hose. It doesn't happen very often so it's a bit of a stretch I know, but if the crankcase is ever over-filled it's a whole lot easier to do a partial drain with a Fumoto valve installed than by the other methods discussed here. Once installed, never have to worry about stripping the drain, cross-threading or breaking the plug. Yes, my son broke a drain plug on his 320 something BMW!

I'm with you on the yard equipment. After a couple of years of tipping my mower over to dump the old oil and making a mess in the process, I finally got a HF compressor powered vacuum brake bleeder and use that to **** out the oil. It does a good job, it's clean and quick as long as the oil is hot.

Not saying one way is better than the other or works in all situations, Obviously they don't. The take away I think, is use the method you're comfortable with, and that works best for you and your situation.

Cheers,

Jim

 

[Radio Flyer]

Not so long ago, a friend bought a vac that was required for some type of service on a Case backhoe. He said it was awesome and kept finding new uses for it.

 

[oldmxracer]

Old school way for Me, have a cut down 5 gallon bucket that fits under the vehicles, drop the filter first get it out of the bucket then move it back to drain the pan.

Hell, I never even lift the vehicle or put Them on ramps ! Can reach everything just sliding under them, takes just minutes to do.

 

[Clirry]

Quite interesting discussing here... I always drain all vehicles until I dropped my Jeep off at dealership and noticed they used the vacuum method which i was ready to yell and tell them to do the old fashioned way... but, I was telling myself to wait and research before yelling at them. Turned out vacuum method is bit safer/better/quicker for vehicles nowadays. So, guess i can do drain if i am bored with plenty of times... if no time, vacuum it up.

 

[HotrodHR]

Ford dealer has a quicky lube joint... $50 bucks for the works. Includes tire rotation, oil filter and they use the synthetic blend oil. My daily driver is a 2017 F150, with time and materials I can't really beat that price by doing it myself.

 

[mikec35]

Ford dealer has a quicky lube joint... $50 bucks for the works. Includes tire rotation, oil filter and they use the synthetic blend oil. My daily driver is a 2017 F150, with time and materials I can't really beat that price by doing it myself.

Thats a good deal, unfortunately all of my vehicles don't fall within the standard rate oil change prices, my cars require full synthetic oil and my diesel truck requires 15 quarts.

 

[FerrariPower]

My Mercedes cost $180 for just an oil and filter change, every 10,000 miles with full synthetic oil. Mercedes uses a vacuum and ***** it out through the dipstick tube. The oil filter is on top of the engine. I bought a vacuum pump and I change it myself, usually $50 for Mobil 1 0w40 - 2 Gallons at Walmart plus $15 for the filter. The oil filter is on top of the engine. I'm now thinking I might start vacuuming out the oil in my other vehicles- if it's good enough for Mercedes then maybe it's good enough for other engines??

Anyone else vacuum their oil? I suppose if you are under the car changing the filter then it's fairly easy to pull the plug but the vacuum part is super easy and done while standing up.

Both of my recent vehicles are complicated oil changes. My AMG has two drain plugs on the oil pan that the vacuum system doesn't even take out (leaving approximately 1 quart of 9.5 in the forward pan).

My Italian car is actually far easier, but I still use the drain plugs because they are numerous and it's a sump.

I'm sure there will be numerous discussions validating the lazy method of using the vacuum tube, but the truth is it was only designed into the cars to eliminate the need to tie up a lift. Mercedes can assign a lube monkey to do the job in a corner.

If you don't drain it out through the drain pan, you're leaving significant dirt in the bottom of the pan.

 

[theundermount]

I have ramps and a piece of cardboard to lay on that's how lol, oh and a good sized oil pan to keep the mess down.

 

[sberry]

If you don't drain it out through the drain pan, you're leaving significant dirt in the bottom of the pan.

This is a bit like saying all red cars do this or all blue ones. There are some a vac might not work for, some its the good way to do it, some probably doesn't matter.
Most that are worried about this could likely skip a change or 2 and the car wouldn't know any different and Italian cars are rather rare here.

 

[QwikKotaTx]

I could not get 1/4" tubing down the dipstick tube of my Hemi Ram for the life of me. I just jack it up and use some 6 ton stands in the driveway.

Sent from my VS987 using Tapatalk

 

[Ryanbabz71]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Eric29]

Since I have to get under the car anyway for the oil filter (Honda), I use the drain plug.

I use suction for the lawn mowers, garden tractors, etc.

Just as an aside, I've seen some of the cheap oil change places use a plastic washer on the drain pan. I don't like that idea because I'm afraid it could break.

 

[Falcon67]

Who takes their car to the stealership to change oil????????????????

Me - saves time and hassle. You can only turn in 2 or maybe 3 gallons at the parts stores here, can't trans in trans fluid. Truck, truck, car equals 17 quarts. It's bad enough that two race cars hold 16 quarts total. Then I have to drain the filters, bag them, put the oil in something to transport, haul it 20 miles to a parts store and sign off on it.

F-that. $50~75 at the Lincoln dealer. Drop off vehicle, they take me to work, call when done, come and pick me up, I pay and leave. Nice.

 

[sberry]

We have a full shop and my Dad likes to go to the dealer on a car or 2. Doesn't really bother me as I hate oil change too and they do a good job at the right cost. I am not sure how much rotation is extra but would just as soon they do that too although I am likely a bit more fussy and I mess with the brakes, look for stuck pins.
If I liver in the burbs and in a common garage I might do other work but I would about certainly find somewhere to do the oil change. The minor extra cost is well worth it to keep away from the mess.

 

[mikec35]

Hauling the oil off is a pain, but I have some 5 gallon containers I just wait until I have a run to do at the county dump and I take my oil there to recycle. I've never had them question me for dumping a few 5 gallon buckets. I've changed the oil in my Mercedes 10 times in the past 2.5 years, I've saved over $1000 doing it myself. Plus I get to do it while standing up and not messing around with jacking the car up or having to get down on the ground to get the lift placed just right. I have a knee that needs a total replacement so getting up and down multiple times is challenging.

 

[ncfireman1918]

Jack and support on stands.
Drop pan under vehicle.
Open Fumoto drain valve.
Wait

Drink 3 beers because it takes forever to drain from a Fumoto valve!

Close drain valve.
Replace filter.
Refill.

Fixed it for you!! Kidding... I love my Fumoto valves, but they DO take forever. Keeps the spills to a minimum. My driveway and garage floor thank me for using them.

 

[sberry]

Wow, 10 times in one car,, I barely did 10 changes in a year or 2 and I got to include my helper 1 and a couple for a neighbor. I changed 1 pickup once and my dad had his done dealer a couple times. Oil got so good we stretch out changes so far I drain more working on components than real service.

 

[sberry]

Oil got so good we never stop for service anymore, when something comes in for other service or is busted it gets a change if it needs it. I swore my little work van had its last change a couple years ago, I felt sorry for it but I gonna see if it makes it to the end on the one it's on now.
Probably not all that far from 10k.

 

[mikec35]

Wow, 10 times in one car,, I barely did 10 changes in a year or 2 and I got to include my helper 1 and a couple for a neighbor. I changed 1 pickup once and my dad had his done dealer a couple times. Oil got so good we stretch out changes so far I drain more working on components than real service.

I drive 40,000 miles a year in my DD so I am changing the oil on average every 3 months.

 

[sberry]

40 is quite a bit of driving. Near half the work year behind the wheel. What does the factory call for on interval? Not going to hurt it any. Some engines are fussy, some could go 50 large.
Doing it from the top could certainly take a lot of grief out of it, make it a leisurely deal.
You might have a decent climate, that makes for a difference. I can go a long time on oil but if it needs grease it gets it regular and steering ends need regular inspection. Brakes too especially as they get older. Finding seized pins is a religion.
I was doing a neighbor job the other day, I checked the drivers side and had the wheel on the other, I had a brain lapse, couldn't remember for sure, thought I might have forgot, I took the wheel off again, sure as shat, seized lower pin. . Seized tight, broke head off, had to heat to get it out. I happened to have a new one on the shelf. This is a yearly deal here at minimum, I never trust them. Some 2x.

 

[Ryanbabz71]

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Jim_No_Garage]

Fixed it for you!! Kidding... I love my Fumoto valves, but they DO take forever. Keeps the spills to a minimum. My driveway and garage floor thank me for using them.

Last weekend I changed the oil on my wife's "new to us" Ford Focus. The car is up on ramps, I have removed the "belly pan" and I have a sheet of cardboard under the car. I put the oil catch pan the drain plug and I remove the drain plug. The oil streams out with such force that it over shoots the pan by a foot - it was a good thing I had the cardboard down or I would have had a mess on my hands.

I was considering installing a Fumoto valve to avoid the problem in the future but now I'm hearing that the Fumoto valves drain REALLY slow. I think I'm ok with slow flow as opposed to the Exxon Valdez.

Cheers

Jim

 

[Jinks]

Last weekend I changed the oil on my wife's "new to us" Ford Focus. The car is up on ramps, I have removed the "belly pan" and I have a sheet of cardboard under the car. I put the oil catch pan the drain plug and I remove the drain plug. The oil streams out with such force that it over shoots the pan by a foot - it was a good thing I had the cardboard down or I would have had a mess on my hands.

I was considering installing a Fumoto valve to avoid the problem in the future but now I'm hearing that the Fumoto valves drain REALLY slow. I think I'm ok with slow flow as opposed to the Exxon Valdez.

Cheers

Jim

Go ahead & install the Fumoto. They aren't expensive, they don't take any more time to drain the oil, & you can always go back to the plug if you want. I have no issue with the time it takes to drain the oil through my Fumoto valves & the lack of splatter with the new thin oils.

 

[pbon]

2 of my cars don’t have dip sticks. One holds 9L, which is more than some suction tool reservoirs. 2 are low enough to the ground that I would not want a fujimoto valve hanging down below the pan. One has 2 sumps. I change on my lift using a HF rolling tank with adjustable height catch basin. It is a pain to dump so I may experiment with siphoning or pumping out of the HF tank. Fancier ones have that built in.