GUIDE - Changing your oil

JSeaman · Aug 28th, 2007, 08:02

Oil is probably the most important lubricant in a car. It ensures bearings are held in a lubricated state and also provides internal cooling for the engine. Without oil, the metal surfaces of rods, bearings and crankshafts would soon destroy an engine so it's important to regularly change this and keep it fresh. Intervals of 12 months are probably adequate but I personally would go for 6 to improve longevity of the engine and for what it costs (about £20 and half an hour) I think it's worth it.

Note that you should have the engine warmed up to do an oil change because the oil will flow out better (the oil will be thinner when warm). If for some reason you can't do this then don't worry, the oil change will still work just fine. If you get it too hot you'll just end up with burned fingers so leave it to cool for a few minutes.

Step 1 - Jack the car up nice and high (give yourself plenty of room to work in). Use an axle stand as a safety measure should the jack fail

Step 2 - Looking underneath on the driver's side (offside) of the car you'll find a bunch of little studs holding the undertray on. These consist of two components, one that pushes through the centre of another to expand it (similar to a raw plug in a wall) and retains the cover in place. These need to be removed either by hand or with a bit of persuasion

Aug 28th, 2007, 08:02	#1
JSeaman Senior Member Last Online: Oct 20th, 2013 20:24 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Derbyshire	GUIDE - Changing your oil Oil is probably the most important lubricant in a car. It ensures bearings are held in a lubricated state and also provides internal cooling for the engine. Without oil, the metal surfaces of rods, bearings and crankshafts would soon destroy an engine so it's important to regularly change this and keep it fresh. Intervals of 12 months are probably adequate but I personally would go for 6 to improve longevity of the engine and for what it costs (about £20 and half an hour) I think it's worth it. Note that you should have the engine warmed up to do an oil change because the oil will flow out better (the oil will be thinner when warm). If for some reason you can't do this then don't worry, the oil change will still work just fine. If you get it too hot you'll just end up with burned fingers so leave it to cool for a few minutes. Step 1 - Jack the car up nice and high (give yourself plenty of room to work in). Use an axle stand as a safety measure should the jack fail Step 2 - Looking underneath on the driver's side (offside) of the car you'll find a bunch of little studs holding the undertray on. These consist of two components, one that pushes through the centre of another to expand it (similar to a raw plug in a wall) and retains the cover in place. These need to be removed either by hand or with a bit of persuasion Last edited by JSeaman; Aug 28th, 2007 at 08:38.

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