Save Money on Your Automotive Maintenance – Change Your Own Oil

All car owners have one thing in common… The high cost of maintenance and up keep of their automobiles. Most car owners take their cars to the auto garage because it’s convenient. Others take their cars to the auto garage because they lack the knowledge to do the repair themselves. The goal of this article is to help cut the cost of your maintenance and allow you to keep a few extra bucks in your pocket.

The majority of repair and maintenance that your car will need you can do yourself. If you are like me when you pop the hood of your car – everything looks like a million piece jigsaw puzzle. This is understandable, however once you roll up your sleeve and dive in it all becomes simple.
You can keep your car in top running condition just by checking the air pressure in your tires, fluids and regularly making oil changes. Most people have no problem with the first two items on the list, but when you mention oil change that’s when the panic attack starts to flare up. Because it is something that is new to most they tend to think that it is hard. I plan on changing all of that right here in this article.

I am going to virtually take you by the hand and walk you step-by-step through the process of changing your oil. Before you attempt this task you will need the following materials on hand:

• Oil (when doing a oil change it is always a good idea to have some oil )
• An oil filter and car jack
• A spanner
• A funnel, cloth and bucket

Once you have everything that you need you are ready to change the oil. Step one is to turn your car on and let it run for approximately 15-20 minutes. You do this to allow the oil to heat up which makes if flow out of the vehicle a lot smoother.

After the time has elapsed carefully jack your car up and safely place yourself under the car and put the bucket under the engine. You then need to locate the draining plug and pull it out to let the oil flow. On most newer model cars the oil plug is a screw – you will need to gently remove the screw and let the oil flow into the bucket.

Once all of the oil has drained into the bucket it is then time to replace the oil filter. On the majority of cars the oil filter is located on the side of the motor. Once you have located your oil filter take it off and replace it with the new one. Once you have completed that step its time to check over everything to make sure nothing is loose. Now that you know that everything is secure it’s time to add the new oil in. Pop the hood and look for a cap that clearly states “Motor oil” Oil here or something along those lines.

The finish line is in site. Let the motor run for five minutes or so to make sure that everything is in working condition. Clean up your surroundings and then take a bow. You deserve a pat on the back, my friend for a job well done. Once you have changed your oil the first time it will be a piece of cake each time after. I must warn you once your family and friends know that you know how to change oil on a car they all will be asking you to do the same for them. And of course they will want you to do it for free.

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