I'm glad I change my own oil

  • Thread starter Thread starter Boz Mon
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Boz Mon

Boz Mon

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This morning before I left for school, I checked the oil in the Prelude. Needless to say it was half a quart down. I looked for some oil (I usually have some laying around) there was none. No biggie, theres a Valvoline store on my way to the train station, I decided to stop there on my way home.

The end of the day rolled around and I go there and this is what happened. I pull into the lot to be greeted before I get out of my car by what seemed to be the guy in charge.

Him: Hi can I help you
Me: Yea, I wanted to buy a quart of 10-30
Him: Let me see what I got

He walks over to the shelf and tells me that they dont have one but he can have one of his techs top it off for me if I just drive my car into one of the bays. The guy takes forever to open my hood, pulls the dipstick out, looks at it and tells me that it is full. I told him I wanted to see, so he dipped it back in and pulled it out. The level was CLEARLY between the 2 holes in the dipstick, which is 1 half quart down. I told him the top mark is full, and the bottom is down a quart, and just to humor me and please put half a quart in. He looks at me and says "The engine only holds 4 quarts." At this point I was ready to walk out but I needed oil somewhere. I told him it held 5, and he looked at me funny. He finally grabs the hose and before he puts any in I double check if its 10-30, he looks at me and goes "you want 10-30?" I just shake my head. This all cost me $1.21. I dont know how some of these places stay in business. I'm no mechanic but I know a fair amount about cars. I just wanted to say, "Whats the top mark on the dipstick for then, dipstick?"
 
Where do you live? I would've just stopped at the local Walmart and picked up a quart.
 
I've always filled my oil until it was halfway up between the dots.

My car holds 3.8 quarts, and I always have a little bit left in 1 quart when I'm done.

If I fill it up to the line, I have to pour the whole 4 quarts in.

Iono, I always used the top dot as "max" and the bottom as "minimum" so I always stay halfway between.
 
Man, I don't even feel like I can trust my uncle's auto repair shop sometimes. The first and last time I had my oil changed there they put synthetic in and my BMW was leaking until I changed it back to dino-oil. It's never leaked oil before or since.

And don't even get me started on corporate auto part shops like Autozone. If you can't find it yourself on the store floor, order it on the internet because that's the only way you'll get the right part.
 
Wolfe
Man, I don't even feel like I can trust my uncle's auto repair shop sometimes. The first and last time I had my oil changed there they put synthetic in and my BMW was leaking until I changed it back to dino-oil. It's never leaked oil before or since.

And don't even get me started on corporate auto part shops like Autozone. If you can't find it yourself on the store floor, order it on the internet because that's the only way you'll get the right part.
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So the better oil cleared out your built up sludge and exposed leaks that were already there and that's the oil's fault?
 
Of course that's not the oil's fault, but it definitely means I'll never be using synthetic unless I rebuild my engine, which is unlikely to happen.
 
Wolfe
Of course that's not the oil's fault, but it definitely means I'll never be using synthetic unless I rebuild my engine, which is unlikely to happen.
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Ah ok, as first I thought that you were saying synthetic sucks because it "made" leaks.
 
I hate changing my own oil, I'd rather just pay someone else to do it. The Cooper though can go for almost 20,000 mile before the oil has to be changes or something (the car tells me when it needs service) so I have no problem paying for it...although I want to say service on the car is close to $100.
 
I don't trust anybody to touch my car. 2.5 quarts in the engine and finish off the other .5 quart puring it into the air filter housing. (oil bath air filter baby) Although oil is the last of my worries. :lol:
 
Joey D
The Cooper though can go for almost 20,000 mile before the oil has to be changes or something (the car tells me when it needs service) so I have no problem paying for it
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:scared:

I wouldn't even try to use any oil for 20,000 not even synthetic. Your filter will usually need to be replaced sooner than the oil will. Around the 8000 mile mark is pushing it. I change my oil and filter every 2000 miles. But most of my driving consists of short trips, dusty roads, and wide temperature variances everyday. I would be concerned about oil breakdown in your car, especially if your using a petroleum oil.

On the original post, I never would take my car to a jiffy lube type place. As long as I have an arm and can crawl under my car, I'll be changing my own oil.
 
I just do what BMW tells me to do, if the car explodes it's their problem not mine.
 
Motominded
i need to do mine.....thinking about going to 10w-30 instead of the 5w-30 i use.
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Stick with the 5W-30. If you want heavier weight cause you are burning, go to 5W-40 if possible. The weight can never be too light when the oil is cold, since it's sludge till it warms up, then it runs at the higher number :p

Some oil guys are pretty damn clueless I have found. I just do it myself cause its cheaper and less trouble normally.
 
I trust my mechanic most of the time. He's a good bloke, and because Commodores are so common he knows what does and doesn't work on them. Of course I check my oil level every couple weeks in between services (when the oil gets changed), and top up where required. My air filter needs a recharge, it isn't dirty really but it's getting dry. K&N Filter w00t, 1.6million km warranty :D
 
I would change my oil, but then I would have to twist my arm in 5 different places to unscrew the filter.
 
Wow, is changing oil really that hard? In my family I can change my dad's 04' Accord, my sisters 03' Focus, and my mom's 97' Grand Caravan Sport in 5 minutes each. It's right their on top...:confused:
 
Well guess what?!

I would have told him that his boss told him to check the spark plug numbers on the nearest Diesel truck. I would also be interested if he actually looked for the spark plugs. :lol:
 
I don't trust myself to change my own oil. not with the filter pointing up like the engine's got a hard on! I've also had a time tring to get loose nuts off without cross-threading things.

I refuse to use synthetic in an engine that is not performance.

I don't trust anybody to touch my car. 2.5 quarts in the engine and finish off the other .5 quart puring it into the air filter housing. (oil bath air filter baby) Although oil is the last of my worries.
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immediate postwar vehicle, anybody?
 
Joey D
I hate changing my own oil, I'd rather just pay someone else to do it. The Cooper though can go for almost 20,000 mile before the oil has to be changes or something (the car tells me when it needs service) so I have no problem paying for it...although I want to say service on the car is close to $100.
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Why? It's like a 30 min job at most. Just curious as to why you hate it so much. I love working on my car. I do everything I can myself. I just changed the plugs the other day and what an adventure that was. 6 and a half hours. lol

Anyway I use 10W-30 on my car and fill it up half a quart past cuz I have a slight leak that is too expensive to fix at the moment. I'm glad you checking this guy Boz, cuz it seems all shops just hire a few idiots to do the work.
 
I don't know what I'm doing nor do I like working on cars.
 
lol, well that works. If you don't like it I can't fault you for not doing it.

I don't know how much they charge for oil changes now, but it is a very simple task. Invloves taking the drain plug out, catching the oil in a pan, unscrewing the filter and catchin the oil from that, letting it drain, put the plug back in, put a new filter on, and fill 'er up. And obviously it's easier on a truck, cuz you usually don't need a jack.
 
xXSilencerXx
Why? It's like a 30 min job at most. Just curious as to why you hate it so much. I love working on my car. I do everything I can myself. I just changed the plugs the other day and what an adventure that was. 6 and a half hours. lol

Anyway I use 10W-30 on my car and fill it up half a quart past cuz I have a slight leak that is too expensive to fix at the moment. I'm glad you checking this guy Boz, cuz it seems all shops just hire a few idiots to do the work.
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I wasnt checking, more of just making sure that they did it right. I was standing right next to the car for the whole ordeal.

I dont blame Joey for not enjoying working on cars. I dont enjoy changing my oil, but I dont hate it. My dad showed me how to do it for my first time, and from then on I did it myself. It saves me money, and I dont have to worry about anyone doing any shady work.
 
I wasn't implying like hovering, just that it was good you were paying attention.

Yea I guess you just have to really like cars a whole lot to enjoy working on them. Cuz it does get extremely frustrating, but it's fun at the same time. Saves alot of money too, if I had a practice car, I would go as far as trying to do a cam and heads install. But I don't so I'll leave that one to a good shop. lol
 
MINIs are supposed to be stupidly hard to work on since everything is quite tight under the car. About the only things I'll do it are very basic. My knowledge of cars is very limited and I really don't have the desire to learn. Tinkering with a car is not my idea of a good time, hence why I always buy new.

I figure if I can pay someone else to do it why not let them? I take the car to the dealer where I know they have been properly trained to work on MINI's and let them handle it. Sure it's more expensive but at least I know it's not being done by some barely trained half-wit.
 
Joey D
MINIs are supposed to be stupidly hard to work on since everything is quite tight under the car. About the only things I'll do it are very basic. My knowledge of cars is very limited and I really don't have the desire to learn. Tinkering with a car is not my idea of a good time, hence why I always buy new.

I figure if I can pay someone else to do it why not let them? I take the car to the dealer where I know they have been properly trained to work on MINI's and let them handle it. Sure it's more expensive but at least I know it's not being done by some barely trained half-wit.
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Yea, I had to change the oil on my Girlfriend's 93 accord the other day, and it was the most retarded design ever. They put the oil filter above the exhust pipe and steering rack so there was no way to keep oil from getting all over those.

Her car was pretty tight getting under and working so I can see your Mini being a pain too. If I had to take it anywhere I would take it to the dealer too, I just don't truat places like Jiffy Lube.
 
xXSilencerXx
Yea, I had to change the oil on my Girlfriend's 93 accord the other day, and it was the most retarded design ever. They put the oil filter above the exhust pipe and steering rack so there was no way to keep oil from getting all over those.
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You have to lay a rag over the exhaust, thats what I do anyway. The Prelude is most likely the same or very similar to the accord as far as filter location
 
I probably should have done that, I was so used to my car that I just assumed they'd put it on the bottom.

On mine it's right next to the drain plug and the filter points straight down, so the only thing you can really get oil on is yourself and the ground.
 

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