How To Do An Oil Change
To prevent a mess all over your drive or garage, you need to prepare. You need to have all the equipment ready to hand and be sure that once you start the job, you have everything you need to finish it. Also give some thought to what you are going to do with the oil that you have removed from your car.

What you need for the work is; 
  • A jack or ramp, you need to raise the car so that you can get enough room underneath to undo a bolt on the sump.
  • Something to catch the oil
  • New Oil Filter
  • New Oil
  • Socket Wrench (to remove sump plug)
  • Oil Filter Wrench (recommended) it makes removing and replacing the oil filter much easier.
Remember that not all oil is the same and chances are that modern cars will not run correctly if you fill them with the wrong type of oil. What's even more complicated is that some cars in the South of England will need different oils to the exact same car in the North of Scotland, this is because of the climate difference.

Consider using an engine flush, an engine flush is added to the engine just before you remove the oil. If you add it and leave the engine running for 20 minutes on idle, it will help clean the old oil from inside your engine. We would recommend that everyone uses this, but it's not essential, just beneficial.

Removing the old oil,

It's not too difficult a job, first you need to raise the car at the end where the engine is located. Using a jack is the easiest option, but if you don't want to ruin your drive, you should think about placing a piece of plywood underneath.

Now you have raised the car, you should be able to get to the sump plug. The sump plug looks like a bolt that sticks out directly under the engine. Remember that before you start undoing the bolt, you need to have something in place to catch the oil, this is because the plug may come off easier than you thought.

Undo the bolt anti clockwise but not all the way, it's best to loosen it with your socket wrench and remove it by hand. Now let the oil drain away for a good 5-10 minutes after you can visual see the last drops.

Remove and replace the old oil filter,

Sometimes depending on how awkward it wants to be, you may need a tool to do this. An oil filter wrench is a cheap enough device that make removing the oil filter and tightening the new one much easier. Be careful though the filter will still have oil in it and will cause a mess on your drive if you are not careful.

Take the old one off and put to one side, don't throw it away, you may need it if you have the wrong filter to replace it. Get the new filter and lubricate the contact end with the new oil, dabbing some on the end of your finger should be sufficient.

Now you are ready to replace the oil filter, if you have the oil wrench it should be a breeze. However if you don't and have oil on your hands it will be impossible without a dry towel of similar. 

Replacing the engine oil,

Remember to replace the sump plug, if you don't anything you put back in will come flying straight out the bottom of your engine, resulting in one hell of a mess and the loss of around many £'s worth of oil. Also it's best to take your car off the jack to get a good measure of the oil levels.

What is best for filling the oil is to add a small amount depending on the size of your engine, then check the levels via the dipstick in your engine. Once you reach the right level, start your car and let run for 5 minutes. Check the oil levels again and correct appropriately.

One important thing is that it's worse to overfill and engine than to under fill it in most circumstances.