Oil Changes

J

JeffM

New member
My vehicle needs an oil change, but i dont want to bring it anywhere to get it done.



Everytime i bring in a vehicle, they either wipe off a fender with a rag, or leave some grease on a door or steering wheel or something that just irritates me.



One time at Jiffy Lube i saw them adding air to my tire with the air hose over the hood and down the oposite fender, so i started requesting no air for the tires..



I almost had a heart attack, the truck was only 4 months old. :hairpull



My only question is, what does everyone do with the oil after the oil change?
 
Most towns have a recycling center that will take the oil or try Pep Boys, they'lll take in used oil up to a certain amount (6-8 qts I think). If you don't want to do the oil change yourself try a local mechanic and tell him exactly what you want and how you want your car treated.
 
I use an oil extractor like the kind Griots sells to make the extraction a breeze. He he, you might have to do a covert post midnight drop off of the oil at the local oil and lube center ;)
 
First, I highly reccomend you change your own oil :) Just make sure you read up on it so you dont miss anything. We have a 5 gallon bucket that we fill up with oil after each change. Once its full we take it to a disposal center. I dont know where though lol becuase we havent filled it 100% yet. This would be a time saver so that you dont have to dispose of the oil every single time.
 
I have another oil change coming up next month and already have a gallon and a half plus two full sized sealed pans filled with coolant. I was spoiled where I used to live; I simply called the town and every other Wednesday they would come around and pick up the old oil.
 
JBM said:
My vehicle needs an oil change, but i dont want to bring it anywhere to get it done.



Everytime i bring in a vehicle, they either wipe off a fender with a rag, or leave some grease on a door or steering wheel or something that just irritates me.



One time at Jiffy Lube i saw them adding air to my tire with the air hose over the hood and down the oposite fender, so i started requesting no air for the tires..



I almost had a heart attack, the truck was only 4 months old. :hairpull



My only question is, what does everyone do with the oil after the oil change?
Click to expand...





What kind of vehicle is it? Changing your own oil can be very simple and sometimes takes as little as 15-20 minutes. My suggestion would be to go to an autoparts store and get a catch pan made for the backyard mechanic to drop the oil into. The tools you need will be minimal, but you will need an oil filter wrench to get the old filter off. When you purchase your filter, check and see what diameter the filter is and get one that fits that filter. You can get one for the exact size or a universal one that will fit multiple sizes. Drain the oil first and then put the plug back in and then remove your filter. Install the new filter and then fill the oil and you're done. Where I live we have curbside oil recycling as I just pour the oil from my catch pan into clear milk jusgs and set it out on recycling day. Many auto parts stores also will allow you to bring oil in for recycling. Check around and it should be easy to find one if you're not offered curbside recycling (you can check with your garbage recycler for that). Good luck as it's really not that difficult. Good luck. :D
 
I change the oil on all my family's cars. It's a lot cheaper then taking it to a place to get done, and it ensures myself that it was done properly. Usually i'll set aside a weekend and do all the cars in one day, so its only one big mess to clean.



I'm no mechanic, but ever since I started driving I've been trying to do all the maintence/repair on my cars as possible for fear of overcharged labor prices and the job not being done correctly. Working on cars isn't as hard as most people think, as long as you have decent tools, adequate work area, resources(manuals, online, etc.) and are willing to get dirty; the average joe can do quite a bit.



I know that first hand from owning a 94 GMC Jimmy, which was a money pit that my father and I worked on a lot. :laugh:
 
I too recommend changing your own oil. It can be rewarding and plus you know its done right. You never know what kind of oil those jiffy places use plus who knows what they do to your car. I'm sure alot people can tell a horror story ot two about those places. I heard one story where they emptied out the oil and then placed the new oil in the transmission!! and the person drove off w/out an ounce of oil in there car!
 
I used to do my own oil changes at my friend's garage many years ago, every 2,000-4,000 miles. I actually paid him (small amt) to use the garage but it was very worth it for me. I brought my own oil, filter but I used his wrenches. He had a lift which made it easy and his own disposible oil tank. In 1996 he retired and sold the garage. I was lost. I tried doing oil changes in my own home garage but it was not the same as a lift. I went to the car dealership but this took 1/2 day to just change the oil. I went to the quick lube joints but like you say they left scratches. I then tried a few independent garages and they just did what I asked them to do. No more no less. In and out.



Find a good independent mechanic and pay him. I now own a newer car and the oil changes are only 1-2X/year or 10K miles. Its getting better all the time. I'm buying a new car in OCT. I expect oil changes to be 1X per year or 15,000 miles using MOBIL #1. So long oil changes.
 
Get some Rhino Ramps and a few tools and your good to go. I don't even need an oil wrench. I use K@N Filters and they have a bolt head welded to the top of the filter. Just use a regular wrench to remove.
 
IIRC, the EPA or SAE or someone lists oil disposal sites (unless I'm thinking of something just for my state).



Bill--that is nuts! They would come to pick it up!?!?!?! I have never heard of such a thing. What town was that? Here the only thing they will pick up is white goods.
 
I second the oil extractor. The oil is vacuumed into the extractor without all the mess of draining it conventionally. It can actually remove more oil than simply draining it thru the drainplug because many modern engine's packaging doesn't allow the oil pan to drain completely. The other plus is not having to reseal the drainplug and the possibility of leaks or overtightening.



Most autoparts stores in my area accept waste oil for recycling. I think even Walmart still accepts waste oil.
 
yep walmart,autozone,pepboys just bring your old oil and they take care of it

purolator pureone,mobil one or K&n oil filters and mobil one oil is what i use
 
http://www.earth911.org/master.asp



As with everyone else here, I recommend doing your own auto work. Aside from saving money and having things done right, it's just damn satisfying to know your own work goes into your car.



Also, it seems like anyone can get certified to change motor fluids nowadays, but that doesn't mean they'll learn the right way to do it.
 
I use a pair of ramps, when I get done with the oil I pour it into old 5 quart bottles. Toss 'em in the firepit when I head up to the lake. If I'm not going to the lake anytime soon, I just drop em off at the local recycling center. Would probably be easier to do that than torch em, but I'm a pyro :).
 
themightytimmah said:
I use a pair of ramps, when I get done with the oil I pour it into old 5 quart bottles. Toss 'em in the firepit when I head up to the lake. If I'm not going to the lake anytime soon, I just drop em off at the local recycling center. Would probably be easier to do that than torch em, but I'm a pyro :).
Click to expand...



I guess you decided on ChemE rather than Environmental Eng'g, huh? :p
 
Those suck it through the dipstick things are lame.



Truly lame.



At most (depending on where the plug is located) the sump will be dry except for about 8 oz on average. Most of the oil that remains is spread around the inside of the engine somewhere. It's amazing how much doesn't fall out of the heads. A pump will leave more behind.



Also, believe it or not, but sludge, carbon, etc do settle to the bottom and are typically carried away with the flow.



After all, you have to get down there to remove the filter anyways. If you're really worried about it get a fumuto drain valve. Less mess, no worrying about crossthreading the plug, etc.



I also have a 5 gallon bucket with pour spout that I just fill up and take into the recycling place. Almost everywhere that sells motor oil will accept it, but some charge. Heck, you can drop it off at jiffy lube for free usually.



The important thing is pick a good filter:



http://www.oilfilterstudy.com



And pick a good oil. I'm an AMSOIL fan (because I'm a dealer) personally. However, since I'm a huge oil nut I can also recommend a few other good oils depending on a few things.



1.) Do you have an unnatural and unfounded fear of synthetics?

2.) Are you interested in extended drains of has Iffy Lube's marketing effectively beat lies into your head about 3 months/3k intervals?

3.) Climate

4.) General driving conditions

5.) Type of vehicle
 
Good filters are easy to come by, napa filters are made by wix and pretty good, the new max life one are made by purolator, thier is k&n,mobil1, and a whole bunch of others. Id buy k&n is they wern't so bloody expensive so i stick with a purolator or wix made filter. Acdelco,motorcraft ones arm't bad and mopar ones are good also i have used mopar ones on my ford before and they work fine,i use to acdelco filters alot since walmart use to sell em. Ill never buy fram or anything like that ever.
 
I defer to the Amway, I mean Amsoil, oil expert. :bow You truly know the only correct way to change oil. :2thumbs:



I have drained and measured the amount of oil from my '97 Honda Prelude using an extractor and a conventional oil change. The extractor beats a conventional drain in total volume hands down. I've used the extractor for 65,000+ miles and never had any problems. :)
 
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