Oil change on very low mileage vehicle

[Jerry1]

Just realized it's been 2 years since last oil change. LOOKED at oil and it is almost CLEAN! (Yes, I drove it before checking, so it's stirred up.) Of course, in 2 years, I've driven it maybe 4000 miles. Hope to schedule oil change for next week. YMMV

Well, I changed my mind yesterday. I was about to go out and get the oil change and just couldn't do it. Full synthetic is just over a year old and less than 800 miles on it. It can go two years for sure. If something happens and I have a warranty issue, I guess I'll just have to deal with it. Dumping perfectly good oil was just too wasteful.

 

[Bamaman]

I change my own oil in automobiles. Sometimes that's the best peace I get--lying under the car watching the oil drip out. I use a set of ramps that makes it simple to slide under--15 minute job.

My hybrid uses that 0W16 weight oil. Thankfully Walmart sells one synthetic oil in that weight. I used to have to order it in on Amazon, and it was really costly.

My diesel pickup uses 15 quarts and a $10 filter. I'd hate to think what a dealer or oil change place charges for that. It's still expensive to change it every 5K miles.

My F150 requires a huge plastic panel be removed. Then when you drop the plastic plug, the oil hits the antisway bar and it spews everywhere except my drain pan.

 

[skyking1]

I bent up a piece of sheetmetal to deflect DFIL's ford truck mess into the pan. IF you had an old school coffee can you can make that work. It sits on the bar and puts it neatly where you want it.
I changed out my diesel truck's oil, about 6000 miles in 16 months. The cummins engines are 3 gallon changes, so one case of 3 does the trick. I overhauled it 25,000 miles ago, and it has settled down to no consumption.

 

[Jerry1]

My F150 requires a huge plastic panel be removed. Then when you drop the plastic plug, the oil hits the antisway bar and it spews everywhere except my drain pan.

I bent up a piece of sheetmetal to deflect DFIL's ford truck mess into the pan.

You’d think the designers would think about the process of changing the oil and make it easier/cleaner. I had a car where the oil would drain onto the frame and it seemed no matter how much I asked people to clean that up, it would always drip a bit (onto my driveway) after an oil change. My riding lawn mower is similar. No way to get the oil filter off cleanly. I fabricated a piece of sturdy plastic that I can wrap around the filter an it acts like a funnel until the filter releases from the threads.

 

[skyking1]

our 98 camry had the filter sticking out of the side of the block, and would drain a mess across the side of the block on down across all sorts of stuff for a grand mess. I had it a long time, and figured out a solution.
I would reach in with a long screw driver and hammer, and poke a hole in the top corner of the filter and go have a cup of coffee. All the oil drained back into the pan and no mess on filter removal

 

[street]

Well, I changed my mind yesterday. I was about to go out and get the oil change and just couldn't do it. Full synthetic is just over a year old and less than 800 miles on it. It can go two years for sure. If something happens and I have a warranty issue, I guess I'll just have to deal with it. Dumping perfectly good oil was just too wasteful.

I totally agree with you on your decision. Oil now days is so much better and just to change is a selling point.

 

[Car-Guy]

You’d think the designers would think about the process of changing the oil and make it easier/cleaner.

Now that's funny....

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

My F150 requires a huge plastic panel be removed. Then when you drop the plastic plug, the oil hits the antisway bar and it spews everywhere except my drain pan.

The huge panel removal seems odd. What year is the truck? I had an '05 F-150 and an '18 model (both 5.4L) and both had smaller access panels that allowed easy access to the plug and the filter. It did make a little mess with the bar, but those were the easiest vehicles I have ever owned for oil changes. I could get in done in about 20 minutes and didn't have to lift the truck(s). The new "beater" Accord? Nope...that goes to the shop for its annual oil change.

 

[skyking1]

My Ram truck is easy enough, I drive up on a couple of 4x4 blocks and then a 5 gallon bucket fits under everything
I can pull the filter and keep it upright and not lose any oil there.

 

[Car-Guy]

My Ram truck is easy enough, I drive up on a couple of 4x4 blocks and then a 5 gallon bucket fits under everything
I can pull the filter and keep it upright and not lose any oil there.

If your RAM is a typical late model 20 or 21, I'll take a guess and say it is NOT a 4X4 with a 5.7 V8.... "Almost" impossible to get the oil filter off on a later model 5.7 V8 RAM 4X4....

 

[skyking1]

It's a 4x4, but the last of the 5.9 in 2007. I pull the air filter to turbo tube off for really easy access. I don't need or use a filter wrench on it, the access is great.

 

[Car-Guy]

It's a 4x4, but the last of the 5.9 in 2007. I pull the air filter to turbo tube off for really easy access. I don't need or use a filter wrench on it, the access is great.

The newer ones are a real PIA.... Almost like they tried to made it difficult and I'm pretty good at working on vehicles.


OTOH, my 21 RAM TRX made it super simple if you just want to change the oil and not the filter.... They have a ~3" hole cut in the skid plate for easy access to the drain plug. That works for me since I change the oil every 2500 miles on that vehicle and the oil and filter every 5000 miles.

 

[jim584672]

They sell pumps that suck the oil out from the top using from the oil stick portal.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

They sell pumps that suck the oil out from the top using from the oil stick portal.

But you still need to access/change the filter which isn't very easy in a lot of cars.

 

[skyking1]

I have one of those they are useful in many other ways. One of my favorites is to change out a fuel filter on a TDI VW. you clamp the line coming out of the filter to it and suck the filter full of fuel, attach line and done. No air in the system.

 

[Koolau]

I used to like to do my own oil changes, but wouldn't even consider doing so now. It's too complicated, requires tools and a place to work (not good in a Condo set-up). I'll now gladly pay someone else to do it for me. YMMV

 

[Sunset]

I used to like to do my own oil changes, but wouldn't even consider doing so now. It's too complicated, requires tools and a place to work (not good in a Condo set-up). I'll now gladly pay someone else to do it for me. YMMV

I understand the issue of no place to work, and maybe just not wanting to do it as it can be messy.
But I've always considered changing the oil, one of the simpler things to do on a car.
Certainly not worth the mechanic rate of $150/hr.

 

[skyking1]

I don't have new cars. I use the time I spend under the car/truck to look around there and find any problems before they get expensive or dangerous. Most oil change mechanics are blindered to the task at hand.

 

[Music Lover]

I understand the issue of no place to work, and maybe just not wanting to do it as it can be messy.
But I've always considered changing the oil, one of the simpler things to do on a car.
Certainly not worth the mechanic rate of $150/hr.

I pay about $80 for an oil change, that includes 4 liters of synthetic plus a filter. After parts it only costs me about $40...that's not worth my time or effort.

 

[Walt34]

You’d think the designers would think about the process of changing the oil and make it easier/cleaner.

One would think, but that's not what happens according an airplane mechanic friend. First they design the engine. Then they see if they can shoehorn it into whatever thing it's going into - airplane, boat, car, generator, etc.

According to him anyway, that's why you see so many of these engine installations that only Rube Goldberg could love.

 

[Car-Guy]

They usually don't carry the oil I need/want at these quick oil change stations and I don't want their house brands or what they would call equivalents. The only way I know it gets the good stuff and that it's done right, is to do it myself. Even online at Walmart it cost me $15 a qt. (or $120 per change) plus a good fram filter.

 

[travelover]

One would think, but that's not what happens according an airplane mechanic friend. First they design the engine. Then they see if they can shoehorn it into whatever thing it's going into - airplane, boat, car, generator, etc.

According to him anyway, that's why you see so many of these engine installations that only Rube Goldberg could love.

Having worked in that biz for a whole career, I can tell you that it is sausage making. There is only so much space under the hood and every component engineer is in a turf battle for space for their stuff. There is a representative from the service side that makes sure common service / repairs can be made, but in reality they don't much power. All the component engineer has to do is cry "cost increase!!" to the program manager and the service guy gets over ruled. Ever notice that some cars need to have the intake manifold removed to replace the PVC valve or spark plugs?

 

[skyking1]

but but, it was cheap to get out the door

 

[GalaxyBoy]

Both of our cars were bought new from dealers that provide free oil changes and state inspections for the life of the vehicles. They even keep bugging me to bring the truck in for oil but since the computer says there’s still plenty of oil life left I’m waiting for inspection month soon. It wasn’t why I chose those two dealers but it sure is a nice perk. Undoubtedly they want to push other services but that’s okay; I can handle that.

 

[Badger]

I'm not very mechanically inclined but I did my own tune-up and oil changes for about 50 years. I even successfully installed points and plugs, brakes, brake master cylinders, clutch cables, fuel filters, adjusted valves, replaced alternators, flushed radiators, plugged tires, remove and repacked CV joints, etc. It wasn't difficult and it gave me some satisfaction to not be so dependent on others. Oil changes were just a matter of removing/reinstalling a drain plug and replacing a filter that simply unscrews.

Getting off the ground these days has become more of a challenge. Oil changes are now done by the service dept (under my watchful eye) on my 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. Since I wasn't able to crawl under the car when purchasing I wasn't aware until the car was on the lift that there is now some kind of large plate under the engine with multiple fasteners that has to be removed before you can begin and I couldn't even see the filter until that was first done.

I'm not sure why it is necessary since all those years and a couple of dozen cars it was never an issue. So much about cars today have been made too complicated and difficult to access for maintenance as I get older and less flexible. Car manufacturers make more on general maintenance and repairs than on car sales. I think I can guess why some of the complexity.

Give me an air-cooled VW or a car with a slant 6 225 from the 60s/70s. I don't care about the small difference in fuel economy, having a heated seat, or computer voices telling me my tires need more air.



Cheers!