[BPofMD]

Does anyone here change their own oil? I have been changing my own since I was a kid and as a new owner of a '15 Hybrid I was looking for any do's and don'ts. On SOME previous cars I have been able to use a battery operated pump and stick a suction hose down the fill port or even the oil dipstick hole.



I have noticed that you sure can not use the oil filler port as it dumps into the valve cover, not the oil tank. Haven't tried the dipstick hole yet but I'll bet it's pretty small.



Comments, anyone?

 

[Dariusz Warzocha]

Oil change is pretty simple. You'll need to jack the car up - be careful not to crush the pinch welds. You should be able to find a spot to raise the vehicle on the driver side, and find a spot for a jackstand prior to removing the protective cover that is underneath the vehicle. Same would go for the passenger side. It's been a while since I did my oil change, however, it is possible to jack the car up without a pinch weld adapter. All you need is a low enough profile jack. Anyways, once the car is jacked up grab a drill and unscrew the screws that are around the protective cover underneath the engine. Be sure to hold the up one side of the cover when unscrewing the last screws, just so it doesn't rip or tear. Eye protection could be helpful depending on the dust/rocks that could be up and around the cover. Once the cover is off, it's your standard oil change of releasing the oil from the oil pan and taking out your filter from underneath the vehicle. Pour fresh oil into your new filter and let it sit for a while to sink in, then pour more oil if you can into the new filter and screw it in after making sure to oil up the seal around the filter. Clean off your bolt and make sure the seal is in place prior to closing off the oil pan and you're good to go. Just pour new oil. Pretty straight forward process. You will need to get creative with jacking the car up, however.