How To Change Your Vehicle's Oil

Sometimes paying for someone else to do things on your car can be expensive. With some of the easier processes it’s nice to know how to do them on your own in order to be easy on your wallet. Changing the oil on your car is not a hard task but it can seem that way if you’ve never done it before. We have compiled a step-by-step process on how to change the oil on your car.

You will need an oil drain pan, oil filter wrench, and the correct size wrench or socket that will fit your oil drain plug. Depending on the ground clearance of your car, you may need to jack it up slightly to get underneath it and have room to work.
Position your drain pan under the drain plug which is located under your car and on the oil pan of your engine. Remove drain plug and allow all oil to drain out.
It’s always a good idea before you put the drain plug back in to pour a half quart of new oil in which will help to clean out the old oil even more.
Replace the oil drain plug and tighten to manufacturer’s torque specifications.
Locate your oil filter and using the oil filter wrench, remove it by turn it counterclockwise. Most vehicles will be counterclockwise but not all. Once your oil filter is removed, be sure that the oil filter seal or O-ring has stay attached to the oil filter.
Before replacing oil filter, take old oil and rub generously on new oil filter seal. Install the new oil filter by hand tightening it as much as you can. Once you have done this, use your oil filter wrench and give it one quarter turn.
Fill with oil to proper capacity and viscosity (oil thickness) for your vehicle. This can be found in the engine compartment on a sticker or in your owner’s manual. Using your dipstick, check to make sure your oil is not under filled or over filled because either one can damage your engine. Always check for leaks once you have run your engine as just a precaution.

This can be a quick and easy task but don’t be discouraged if you take longer to do it your first time around. Doing it correctly is the most important part.