How To Do An Oil Change In Less Than 30 Minutes
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Summer vacation season is upon us, and one of the most important things you can do to your car is to do an oil change. This can be complicated, but I have broken down all the steps so you can do this with ease by using my oil change checklist. You will be able to do the oil change faster and faster each time, and You can change your oil within 30 minutes!
Here’s my Oil Change Checklist!
In today’s busy world, there is little time to make a trip to the store. Why fight the crowds?
Save time and money by fulfilling your DIY oil needs on Walmart.com. Their amazing selection of items, including exclusive specialty automotive items, can be found just a click away.
On Walmart.com, you can find many Pennzoil Platinum Motor Oil products currently on rollback (for a limited time), including Pennzoil Full Synthetic and Pennzoil Platinum High Mileage. Based on your car’s needs and the number of miles, one of these two oils is right for you.
Platinum Synthetic: With Pennzoil’s PurePlus™ Technology, the Platinum® motor oil is proven to keep pistons up to 40% cleaner than the toughest industry standard. (Use if < than 75,000 miles)
Platinum SyntheticPlatinum Synthetic: Perfect for the vehicle with over 75,000 miles as it helps to reduce leaks and oil consumption in a well-used car.
Here is my Oil Change Checklist to help you:
- Gather tools to complete the oil change
- Wrench
- oil pan
- old sheet/drop cloth
- rag/old t-shirt
- new oil
- new oil filter
- funnel
- ramps
- Make sure the car is on level ground with wheels straight. Place ramps in front of the tires, making sure they are touching the tires.
- Slowly pull forward until the tires are on the flat part of the ramp. Place car in park and even lock the brakes.
- Turn off the engine. *If you have been driving for a while let the car cool down completely before proceeding to the next steps!*
- Pop the hood of the car and prop it open
- Remove the oil cap. *removing the oil cap allows air to enter the oil system so the oil can drain faster!*
- Place drop cloth /sheet between the ramps and under the oil pan to protect your driveway from stains and splashes!
- Place oil pan under the oil tank of your car.
- Take a wrench and loosen the bolt on the bottom of the tank. If this is the first time, you have removed the bolt it could be harder to do because the place, where you get it done really, make it harder to come off! *Again if you have been driving a while the oil in the car will be hot, let the car cool before doing this step! As you remove the bolt apply pressure with the bolt against the oil tank to prevent oil from draining and running down your arm. Oil may be HOT!
- Once the oil has drained, about a minute, replace the bolt and tighten!
- Locate your oil filter and place an oil pan under to catch oil that will drain from the filter.
- Unscrew old oil filter.
- Remove new filter from the box and with your finger, wipe some oil on the rubber ring on the bottom of the new filter. *this creates a tighter seal when securing the new filter.
- Secure new oil filter
- Clean up any oil on the bottom of the car with you rag.
- Once new filter and bolt on oil pan are tight, place the funnel into the hole where you removed the oil cap under the hood and pour the vehicles required amount of oil into the funnel.
- Remove funnel using your rag to wipe away residue oil from the funnel.
- Replace oil cap
- Start the car and slowly back up off of the ramps
- Turn off the car and check the oil level with the dipstick. *check the oil level twice to make sure the oil level is correct. Remember to wipe oil from the dipstick after each check to make sure you have an accurate reading.
- If the oil level is low, add more oil. If the oil level is correct; close the hood!
- Recycle old oil where you bought your oil from. You can do this by pouring the old oil from the drip pan into the bottles of the new oil! Throw away the old oil filter in the box the new oil filter came in!
- Final tip, reset your trip gauge and once you hit 7000 you know you need to change the oil again!
It isn’t that hard, though it does seem like a lot of steps. Once you get it down you can do it in less than 30 minutes, and you won’t want to pay someone else to do it ever again. Save yourself a trip to the store and get your oil on rollback at Platinum Synthetic today!
For more tips, try
How to Get Your Car Summer Ready
Tips for Cleaning The Inside Of Your Car
June 1, 2016 @ 2:27 am
This is such a great tutorial! Between the pictures and video you actually have me believing I can change my own oil! My thrifty butt would love that! I think I might try it this weekend. I will let you know how it goes
June 2, 2016 @ 8:47 pm
I would love to know how it goes! Let me know if you have any questions too! Happy to help!
June 1, 2016 @ 3:30 am
Time to change the oil on my car. I know how to now!
June 1, 2016 @ 3:30 pm
I’ve never tried changing my own oil…but I can totally do this after seeing this post! Thanks for sharing these tips! #client
June 2, 2016 @ 8:47 pm
You can do it! Happy to help!
June 3, 2016 @ 6:56 am
I would add one more step to this post. Before you back your car OFF the ramps. Take your clean rag and light and check underneath for any oil leaks. Look around the drain plug and around the filter. Just might save you the expense of a new engine.
June 5, 2016 @ 1:32 am
My husband changes the oil in all of our cars. He only uses Pennzoil because most of our vehicles are high mileage. He isn’t as patient as the person in the post LOL! Great tutorial.
June 7, 2016 @ 2:05 am
M hubby always changes the oil
June 7, 2016 @ 12:50 pm
My husband can do this.
June 9, 2016 @ 3:49 pm
my dad does this for me
June 11, 2016 @ 8:06 pm
I need my oil changed
June 12, 2016 @ 11:18 pm
my dad normally changes my oil for me
June 14, 2016 @ 2:39 pm
I have never tried to change my oil myself
June 16, 2016 @ 3:05 am
I wonder if I could change mine in 30 minutes
June 16, 2016 @ 8:18 pm
I’ve never changed my own oil
June 17, 2016 @ 5:55 pm
I change my oil myself, saves money!
June 17, 2016 @ 7:20 pm
I had always thought of gteting my oil changed as a hassle
June 17, 2016 @ 11:10 pm
Yes you do make this seem like an easy enough task. I think I’ll get my sons to read and watch this and then they can take over this job.