Trying to change my own oil: big FAIL

Robert Mugabe

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Nov 5, 2017
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I agree. I still do my own oil changes but the procrastination factor is huge. Wind up driving around with dirty oil for weeks. Recently changed a completely broken MacPherson Strut on one side, which I was proud of but people told me to do the other side. Should be done in pairs. So I bought another but it is still sitting in the back of the car for over a month. Used to do my own brakes but again, procrastination gets me to the point of braking metal on metal. I guess I don't really enjoy it all that much. Think I am going to throw in the towel on that one.
 
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stinkynuts

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Ok I laughed at your OP out of pain for you. I swear. I thought this was a joke leading up to a punch line. Sweetie!!!!! That is a crazy ordeal.

and as for the above, even I have changed those. Strut on hatchback, wipers on numerous cars, although I couldn’t do the back one for one car and needed to go to the dealer

I have done a rad hose replacement in the parking lots of a CT. Then drove to my mechanic to see if I did it right.

I wouldn’t do my brakes myself.

Hell, I changed the gas value (yes I know I shouldn’t have) and thermacouple of the hot water tank at my trailer. And the black water pipe. 🙃🙃🙃

You seriously have bad luck with cars. Like seriously bad luck
Wow, that is impressive! For regular folks with no training, it is much harder than it seems. But I guess some people are naturally better than others. I seem to lack any ability whatsoever.
 
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stinkynuts

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All right, I'm done.

This morning I decided to try to jack up the car instead of using rhino ramps. I didn't want to because of safety concerns, but I thought I would gain more clearance so I could use the breaker bar.

I had one of those ones you screw up, and I put it on the side of the car. It was hard to twist, but to my delight I saw the car going up slowly. Then suddenly I heard a very loud CRACK! The car panel actuallly broke. I didn't realize it was made of plastic, I thought it was solid metal. I can only imagine if I was under the car and that happened. :(

Saving $30 on the oil change is not worth risking my life.
 

Robert Mugabe

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All right, I'm done.

This morning I decided to try to jack up the car instead of using rhino ramps. I didn't want to because of safety concerns, but I thought I would gain more clearance so I could use the breaker bar.

I had one of those ones you screw up, and I put it on the side of the car. It was hard to twist, but to my delight I saw the car going up slowly. Then suddenly I heard a very loud CRACK! The car panel actuallly broke. I didn't realize it was made of plastic, I thought it was solid metal. I can only imagine if I was under the car and that happened. :(

Saving $30 on the oil change is not worth risking my life.

Saving $30 on the oil change is not worth risking my life.


Tough choice, but I guess you have to come to your own decision on that one. You don't have a video of any of these do you?
 
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Jenesis

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Wow, that is impressive! For regular folks with no training, it is much harder than it seems. But I guess some people are naturally better than others. I seem to lack any ability whatsoever.
Not that impressive I promise you. Without google videos on repeat, I would have no idea what to do. And the black water pipe took me a few tries. The one thing you would want to get fixed on the first try. 😂😂😂🙃
 

NotADcotor

His most imperial galactic atheistic majesty.
Mar 8, 2017
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All right, I'm done.

This morning I decided to try to jack up the car instead of using rhino ramps. I didn't want to because of safety concerns, but I thought I would gain more clearance so I could use the breaker bar.

I had one of those ones you screw up, and I put it on the side of the car. It was hard to twist, but to my delight I saw the car going up slowly. Then suddenly I heard a very loud CRACK! The car panel actuallly broke. I didn't realize it was made of plastic, I thought it was solid metal. I can only imagine if I was under the car and that happened. :(

Saving $30 on the oil change is not worth risking my life.

Sorry but you are making this up right?
I don't know what is harder to believe, that you can screw up so much and so badly over and over again or that you keep trying after you screwed the pooch so often and badly.
 

xix

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La la land
Ok I laughed at your OP out of pain for you. I swear. I thought this was a joke leading up to a punch line. Sweetie!!!!! That is a crazy ordeal.
You seriously have bad luck with cars. Like seriously bad luck
At a young age I owned several US cars they would break down more often than I can count. I said to myself I have bad luck with these US autos. I switched to Asian vehicles and had better results. As I aged and got involved in past lives. I figured out why I had issues with US autos. My life in the US in the 1930's "ended badly", that trauma /energy followed me here now. I have forgiven that event. But when I rent US auto for my trips / vacations, I always get some weird issue with US cars. That is why I try to rent Asian autos.

Not by choice but by fate and circumstances.
 
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stinkynuts

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Sorry but you are making this up right?
I don't know what is harder to believe, that you can screw up so much and so badly over and over again or that you keep trying after you screwed the pooch so often and badly.
Sorry but you are making this up right?
I don't know what is harder to believe, that you can screw up so much and so badly over and over again or that you keep trying after you screwed the pooch so often and badly.
Sigh. Wish I were making it up, but sadly not. Just wanted to give it one last shot to recoup my "investment".
 

Ceiling Cat

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Feb 25, 2009
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I scraped my body on the hard asphalt, wiggling under the car, and ended up with numerous cuts. On top of that, microscopic pieces of glass became embedded in my skin, and stung like crazy. Then when it came to unscrew the drain plug, I couldn't. It was mounted on the side of the well, not on the bottom, so was very awkward.
I have a dolly to slide myself under the car, or slice open a cardboard box to use it so you do not scrape yourself. If you replace the drain plug properly this time you should have no problems the next time removing it. All you should need is a tap with the palm of you hand to loosen the drain plug.

You are 90% there, to quit now is to waste all your time and money. Invest in a hydraulic jack ( about $50 on special at Canadian Tire )rather than use the jack that came with the car. I even put the jack in place under the car as an additional

jack stand for added safety.
 

stinkynuts

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Jan 4, 2005
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I have a dolly to slide myself under the car, or slice open a cardboard box to use it so you do not scrape yourself. If you replace the drain plug properly this time you should have no problems the next time removing it. All you should need is a tap with the palm of you hand to loosen the drain plug.

You are 90% there, to quit now is to waste all your time and money. Invest in a hydraulic jack ( about $50 on special at Canadian Tire )rather than use the jack that came with the car. I even put the jack in place under the car as an additional
jack stand for added safety.
Thanks, CC. Appreciate the encouragement.
 

Robert Mugabe

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Nov 5, 2017
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At a young age I owned several US cars they would break down more often than I can count. I said to myself I have bad luck with these US autos. I switched to Asian vehicles and had better results. As I aged and got involved in past lives. I figured out why I had issues with US autos. My life in the US in the 1930's "ended badly", that trauma /energy followed me here now. I have forgiven that event. But when I rent US auto for my trips / vacations, I always get some weird issue with US cars. That is why I try to rent Asian autos.

Not by choice but by fate and circumstances.
Substitute autos for women and that's pretty much my story.

That is why I try to rent Asian women.

I also go to see them to get my oil changed :)
 

Goodoer

Well-known member
Feb 20, 2004
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GTA & Thereabouts...
I agree. I still do my own oil changes but the procrastination factor is huge. Wind up driving around with dirty oil for weeks. Recently changed a completely broken MacPherson Strut on one side, which I was proud of but people told me to do the other side. Should be done in pairs. So I bought another but it is still sitting in the back of the car for over a month. Used to do my own brakes but again, procrastination gets me to the point of braking metal on metal. I guess I don't really enjoy it all that much. Think I am going to throw in the towel on that one.
I did my brakes once…. Performance pads and swapped the brake hoses to stainless steel braided lines. What a fucking mess. Need a buddy to pump the brakes.

It was not worth the lost afternoon. I have a shit ton of tools, but a Mechanic has them ALL. Much faster.
 

Ceiling Cat

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Feb 25, 2009
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Really guys, there are many, many good mechanics in this city. At all price ranges. So why try to change oil by yourself?
Why do it yourself? To save time and money as well as the satisfaction of doing it yourself. I do not need to spend a morning or an afternoon at the dealership to be charged $150 for an oil change. For $50 and 30 minutes of my time I not only do a synthetic oil + filter change but I also flush the engine with regular motor oil to have 100% clean oil and not 75% clean oil.

The most expensive repairs on a car are on the engine and transmission. Clean oil is the best thing for your car.


Don't try to be a doctor if you graduated from Business School.
Sit back and relax. Let a mechanic do what he is trained to do.
An oil change is simple and basic. To do it yourself is to save time and money. I have been doing it since I was 16 years old, I know not many people will start to do it later in life.

Chock your wheels even on a flat surface, You can use bricks or a piece of wood. I bought my chocks at Harbor Freight for $8.

 
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roadhog

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Aug 8, 2005
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On the highway of life
Sounds like something I would do.

Seriously, every time I've tried to do something on my car, I've fucked up.

I tried to change my wipers myself, and accidentally let go with the wiper off. The arm hit my windsheild, and left a huge crack. It cost $800 to repair.

The very next time I changed my wipers, I did the same thing. This time I didn't even bother fixing it.

And before that, I tried to change the struts on the hatchback door. I let go of the hatchback door, and it went crashing threw the strut, and all the glass broke. I was lucky because the door could have slammed on my hands.
YouTube is your friend.
 

anonemouse

Well-known member
Aug 23, 2002
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Toronto
Really guys, there are many, many good mechanics in this city. At all price ranges. So why try to change oil by yourself?
Some people (including me) enjoy doing it. Oil changes and brakes aren't that hard to do. If you had to do the oil again, you learn from your mistakes and move on. Same with brakes, although I had someone show me how to do it first. There's Youtube videos out there for my exact vehicle, but my friend showed me how to do it safely which is pretty key.

Don't give up! Learn from your mistakes, try again next time.....and make all new mistakes. You'll learn from those, too.
 
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