Oh yeah Pun, you are probably gonna wanna get the cheaper ones that are "only" rated to 2.5 tons. Your tiny car will probably not be easy to get high enough to clear the 6 ton stands. The 2.5 should be 20 bucks or less.
No offense intended. If you are asking for intructions on how to change the oil on your car, you probably shouldn't be changing your oil.
yeah because everyone who should be DIYing was born knowing how to do it. Some people didn't have a father who tought them how to do stuff.
I buy the cheap SuperTech oil and filters. I don't even have to jack up my car, I can slide underneath. Costs less than $10, and I can do the oil change in about 15 minutes, any time I want. With 3 vehicles it makes more sense to change it myself. I hate waiting for oil changes and vehicle inspections. If you do have to raise the car, you can use ramps. If it's a manual, put it in gear and set the parking brake. Wheel chocks are a good idea too.
You don't necessary born knowing how to do things, you just start doing it and figure it out as you go along. When all else fails, read the manual. If you are not a DIYfer, you can really hurt yourself getting under a car. Start with watching a friend change his oil, and he can watch you change your oil. You can learn to be a DIYfer. I just recommend not starting w/ getting under a car by yourself.
Thanks for the info guys. Let's say I want to use a synthetic do I just fill my oil tank up with synthetic or do I have to do several other things? What are the pros and cons of synthetics? I'm going to go out and look for the ramps or jack stands.
unless you car same with it new I would not bother. There is nothing else to do to run syn oil but it has pros and cons. On a side note jack stands take up way less space than ramps.
Thanks for the info. I thought you could go longer between changes with synthetic but oh well. How much do jack stands cost basically?
The other downside to doing it yourself is disposal of the used motor oil. In many places it is a crime if you don't dispose of it properly. Jack stands cost between $20-$30 for a pair.
changing your oil is one of the easiest things as far as car maintenance goes. it takes about 15 minutes once you get use to it. i would recommend car ramps. they save time and cost about 55 for one good enough for your car. but remember, safety first. always put on your emergency brakes on, and then put stoppers(two blocks of 2x4 works) on the rare wheels. wear safety glasses. some advice: -use a large flatten cardboard box or and old large towel and put it under the car to contain the spills. -use an oil filter wrench... it'll save time -never over tighten the oil pan bolt... you don't want it to snap. -put a thin coat of new oil around the rubber ring of new oil filter. -buy a good oil drain pan and a funnel. don't use a bowl or something... you want to be able to easily pour the old oil back into the old oil containers (via the funnel). the good ones have a spout to minimize spillage. pour into the old containers slowly. there are alot of places that will take your old oil for free. over here, pep boys and kregan auto, for example.
I DIY'd car ramps by stacking shorter planks of wood on top of each other. Sort of like steps you drive up. Just make sure that you dont let the oil pan bolt drop into the bowl and clog the hole the oil goes into. I did that once, and quite a mess was made. Also, if youre not weak or anything, youre fine with hand tightening the oil filter on. Ive done it with cars and motorcycle changes, and no probs, plus no stupid chain wrench needed for removal next time.
Everything I have read, heard, and scene says to only hand tighten the oil filter and the 1/4 or half turn once it is tightened.
I see somebody didn't read the thread. The cheapest place in town is Walmart and they start out at $30 but after taxes and disposal fees it is almost $40. I can do it for less than $20 or $10 sometimes.
You can go longer between oil changes on synthetic, but even most dino oils nowadays can get you 6-7k between oil changes. There are syn-blend (as opposed to fully synthetic) oils like Motorcraft that are damn good oils and not overly expensive.
Sure, it easy for you and me, but so many things can go wrong in the process for a 1st timer. I'm just guessing that op most likely has never done any type of maintenance on a car since changing oil is probably the first thing you ever learn in maintaining a car. He has never used a jack stand, or car ramp. Improper use could kill him, damage the car, and/or garage. Improper replacement of oil filter or oil drain plug would kill his engine. I was helping a friend change his oil. Got his car up the ramp and told him to go unplug the oil drain plug. He said ok, and was wondering why no oil came out after he unbolted some random nut that happened to be the same size as the drain plug socket. I saw this guy at work almost kill himself changing his tires. 99% was done correctly, but the jack was mounted improperly. He was lucky the car did not collapse on him.
