Auto repair shops like to perform your oil changes. They are easy to do, take very little time, and have a high profit margin. The reality is that the oil and filter to change the oil on most cars costs you less than half of what the garage will charge you for their efforts. If you are willing to get your hands a little dirty and purchase the right tools to do the job, you can save a lot of money over the life of your car by doing your own oil changes. As a veteran mechanic who has performed hundreds of oil changes for customers in a garage, I have changed the oil in about every situation imaginable. In addition, I have changed the oil in my vehicles for many years in my own yard, driveway, and garage.
The best way to start doing your own oil changes is to look under the hood of that chunk of metal in your driveway. You will need to crawl underneath it, too. So, put on those work clothes and get something to spread on the ground to lay on when looking under the car. In many cases, it is not necessary to jack the car up or put it on ramps to change the oil. You just need to position your car right so that enough of your upper body can crawl under the car to reach the parts needed to complete the oil change.
When you look under the car, you will notice a pan hanging down at about the center of the car from side to side and just behind the front tires. This should have about 8 or so bolts holding to your car with a hexagonal bolt head protruding from the middle of the pan or at the bottom of one side. This is your oil pan. The hexagonal bolt is the drain plug. If the pan is flat and surrounded by many bolts without a drain plug, it is your transmission fluid pan. Leave this one alone.
Once you have located the oil pan and drain plug, you are ready to look for the oil filter. This one can be a little tricky. On many cars, the filter is a small cannister that sticks out of the side of the motor. It will be from 3 to 5 inches in diameter and from 4 to 6 inches long. Notices whether it seems like it is the size of a can of corn or smaller or if it is much larger. This will affect what type of tool you will need to remove it. On some cars, the filter may be on the front of the motor and on a few others it will be upside down on one side of the top of the motor. Make sure you can reach it and the oil plug. If you see this as a problem, you may not want to change your own oil.
You will need a wrench to remove the oil plug. This is usually a 9/16 or a 5/8, but can be smaller. If it is metric, it will be somewhere between a 7 and a 15. The auto parts store can probably look this up for you if you are really mystified. You will need a filter wrench to remove the oil filter. These come in two basic sizes to match large and small sized filters. You will be wise to buy an inexpensive funnel for using when you fill your motor back up with oil. You will also need a pan to drain your used oil into. You might want to check with the auto parts store about the best place to take your used motor oil for recycling.
Buy a decent filter. It will cost you more than the bargain basement, but quality in this area can help. There are manuals in the motor oil area of parts dealers that will tell you which filter to buy. Check the owner's manual of the car for the amount of oil to buy. Most cars will use either 4 or 5 quarts. Get a good multiviscosity oil. This is a 5W30, 5W40, 10W30, or 10W40. Some manufacturers recommend one or the other, but the reality is that it does not make a lot of difference.
Finally, you are ready to bite the bullet and start that oil change. Begin by doing whatever is necessary to prepare to crawl under the car. You need to select the proper wrench for removing the oil drain plug. Position the pan to catch the used oil as it drains under the plug before you remove it. Remove the plug trying not to let it drop into the pan of oil. When the oil has finished draining after about 3 to 5 minutes, wipe off the drain plug and outside of the drain opening with a rag or paper towel. The idea here is to remove any grit that may be left from the oil draining.
