If you’re a car owner, you know that is critical to change your oil on schedule as a part of preventive maintenance. Unfortunately, getting this done in a garage with a legit mechanic costs a lot of money. If you’re looking to DIY this car oil change yourself, read on below for these 6 quick steps.
Get Yourself the Necessary Materials
Buy premium oil as it is the lifeblood of you car. If you’re unsure, check your vehicle’s manual to see how much oil your car needs and what oil specifications your car requires. Make sure you have an oil filter replacement, a basin to catch the discarded oil, a funnel to transfer your new oil, hand gloves to keep your hands clean, newspapers, and a wrench or some screwdrivers to tighten the knots and bolts.
Prep Your Car
To start your DIY car oil change project, it is advisable to warm up your car for 2 to 3 minutes, so the oil will drain out of your car easily. Follow the recommended time frame because any longer means the oil and your engine will be too hot to touch.
Get Under the Hood
Crawl under your car and look for the drain plug. If you don’t have a fancy floor mat, old newspapers will do to keep you protected from the dirty floor. Place your basin for catching the oil and unscrew the plug. Make sure you’re wearing your gloves to keep your hands clean and protected. Be ready to move your hand out of the way as oil flows out.
Deal with the Oil Filler and Filter
Get out from under your car and pop open the hood. Take-off the cap from the oil filler hole, which you can locate at the top of your engine. Next, unscrew the oil filter. If you can’t do it by hand, use your wrench. It may be greasy so prep some paper towels or old newspapers to blot it out. This filter will have oil so be careful of spills, then empty its contents into a drain pan. Wrap this filter in newspapers to take to your recycling center.
Place the New Filter
Open your new bottle of oil and get a bit with your finger. You will need this to moisten the gasket of your new oil filter to make it much easier to screw. Position this in the place where you took out the old one and screw it into place. Make sure all the bolts are tight.
Get Ready to Put in the New Oil
Wipe the area of the oil drain plug under the hood. Put it back in its place and tighten it. If your car uses an old drain plug type of gasket, make sure you replace the gasket, too. Use your funnel to transfer about a quart of the fresh oil into the filler hole.
Replace the oil filler cap and run your engine for a minute to check for leaks in the plug and your filter. Wait for ten minutes, then add more oil. Repeat the process until you get into the “full” line of your dipstick. En Voila! You have successfully completed your DIY car oil change project.