Knowing how to change your oil in your car is an invaluable skill. Being able to perform this routine maintenance on your vehicle can save you a lot of money and also increase the health of your vehicle.
You might be hesitant to try doing it yourself with the fear that you will break something. Changing your own oil can be relatively easy and something that gets easier with time. After all, practice makes perfect.
How To Change Your Oil In Your Car
1. You need to start by draining the existing oil out. Go under your car and find the oil pan. The drain plug is under it. Remove the drain plug and be ready for the oil to come flowing out. Make sure you have something to catch it with, otherwise you will have a huge mess on your hands.
2. While the oil is draining, get out from under the car, and move to under the hood. Find the oil filler hole and unscrew the cap to it. This is where you will eventually be putting the new oil of your choice.
3. This is also the location of the oil filter. Unscrew the filter. Use a wrench if you can’t do it by hand. The filter will also have oil in it. You can discard this oil in the same container you are using under the vehicle. These old oil filters can be recycled.
4. Screw in a new filter where the old one previously was.
5. Once the oil is done draining, put the oil cap back on and screw it tightly.
6. Place a funnel in the oil filler hole and pour in the new oil according to specifications. Once the oil is in, put the cap back on and turn the engine on for up to a minute. This allows the oil to work its way into the oil pan.
7. Turn the engine off and then back on roughly five minutes later.
8. You can then check the oil level by removing the dipstick to ensure you do not have a leak.
Professional Help Is Not Far
Seems easy enough, right? If you do need help with your oil, or with fixing a bigger problem, TalkLocal can get you on the phone with local auto repair technicians immediately. We only track down professionals that can help you with your unique problem, so we don’t waste your time.
