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Car Forum / UK Car Forums / Car Maintenance (UK group) / July 2009

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changing oil

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john royce - 22 Jul 2009 07:23 GMT
Have now decided to stop changing the engine oil myself (toyota corolla) and
will pay for a garage to do it.

I'm guessing that it's cheapest to let one of the big chains like quickfit
do it, but do any of them take the trouble to warm the engine through to let
the oil run out more thoroughly?  Is there any particular chain that is best
to go to for an oil and filter change?
Doki - 22 Jul 2009 07:39 GMT
> Have now decided to stop changing the engine oil myself (toyota corolla)
> and will pay for a garage to do it.
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> let the oil run out more thoroughly?  Is there any particular chain that
> is best to go to for an oil and filter change?

In the past, I've used National Tyres, with the vouchers they give out on
their website / in the paper. They just drive the car up onto a lift, and
drop the oil out of the sump in my experience. It's a while you wait sort of
thing, so if you turn up with a hot engine, they'll be draining out hot oil.

The oil will be £1 a litre stuff, at best, which meets manufacturer specs
from around 10 years ago. The filters are pattern ones. On the other hand,
at least they weren't sucking the oil out through the dipstick tube last
time I went...
Roger R - 22 Jul 2009 18:16 GMT
>> Have now decided to stop changing the engine oil myself (toyota corolla)
>> and will pay for a garage to do it.
[snip]
> from around 10 years ago. The filters are pattern ones. On the other hand,
> at least they weren't sucking the oil out through the dipstick tube last
> time I went...

Some fitters in garages now prefer to suck the oil out though the dipstick
hole because of bad experiences with stripped threads in sump plugs holes.

Its not what I'd do, but what's wrong with the dipstick method anyway?
If you are not going to remove the sump to clean it out, might as well leave
sleeping dogs lie.

Roger R
Unbeliever - 22 Jul 2009 19:11 GMT
>>> Have now decided to stop changing the engine oil myself (toyota
>>> corolla) and will pay for a garage to do it.
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> dipstick hole because of bad experiences with stripped threads in
> sump plugs holes.

Usually due to ham-fistedness.

> Its not what I'd do, but what's wrong with the dipstick method anyway?
> If you are not going to remove the sump to clean it out, might as
> well leave sleeping dogs lie.

Letting the oil drain through the sump plug hole allows the force of the
emptying oil to force more of crap that builds up in the sump to escape and
leaves less old oil in the sump galleries to cause problems - and I would be
rather annoyed if I saw a garage sucking the stuff out through the dipstick
hole!

BTW, on many vehicles you have to carry out major works to remove the sump -
and in some vehicles, the sump is actually the gearbox case.

Unbeliever
Mrcheerful - 22 Jul 2009 19:14 GMT
>>>> Have now decided to stop changing the engine oil myself (toyota
>>>> corolla) and will pay for a garage to do it.
[quoted text clipped - 23 lines]
>
> Unbeliever

It can't be so bad a system since some cars can only be drained via the
dipstick hole (such as Mercedes Smart cars)
Unbeliever - 22 Jul 2009 19:23 GMT
>>>>> Have now decided to stop changing the engine oil myself (toyota
>>>>> corolla) and will pay for a garage to do it.
[quoted text clipped - 26 lines]
> It can't be so bad a system since some cars can only be drained via
> the dipstick hole (such as Mercedes Smart cars)

Bloody hell Mrcheerful, you must have been reading my mind to reply that
fast! LOL

But I'm not rich enough to own a Merc (and got more sense to anyway) and not
small enough to own a Smart car (nor do I want to) - and I believe that
'modern' is not always best in the car market.

Unbeliever
A.Clews@DENTURESsussex.ac.uk - 27 Jul 2009 13:36 GMT
> It can't be so bad a system since some cars can only be drained via the
> dipstick hole (such as Mercedes Smart cars)

Think yourself lucky you don't have to tip the vehicle upside down to drain
the oil out (through the filler plug), as is the case with my lawnmower ;-)

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                                Andy Clews
                           University of Sussex
                *** Remove DENTURES if replying by email ***

Duncan Wood - 22 Jul 2009 19:30 GMT
>>>> Have now decided to stop changing the engine oil myself (toyota
>>>> corolla) and will pay for a garage to do it.
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>
> Usually due to ham-fistedness.

Snag is it's normally the person who did it up who was ham fisted, you  
only find out when you undo it & the thread comes with it :-(.
Although it's an excuse to own another size of helicoil :-)

>> Its not what I'd do, but what's wrong with the dipstick method anyway?
>> If you are not going to remove the sump to clean it out, might as
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> and
> leaves less old oil in the sump galleries to cause problems

Why would that work better than (or differently from) the vacuum on the  
end of the pipe?

> - and I would be
> rather annoyed if I saw a garage sucking the stuff out through the  
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> Unbeliever
Harry Bloomfield - 22 Jul 2009 21:45 GMT
It happens that Duncan Wood formulated :
> Why would that work better than (or differently from) the vacuum on the end
> of the pipe?

Well, the pipe which goes down through the dip stick hole would have to
be much narrower than the bore of the drain plug. The drain plug will
more likely be at a low point of the sump, aiding the oil dragging out
the rubbish with it. The sucker pipe will only work while ever it's tip
is well covered and the viscosity of the oil will break the suction a
few mm before it is genuininly all drained out - whereas a sump plug
can be left out until it all stops dripping.

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       Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

Duncan Wood - 22 Jul 2009 21:55 GMT
> It happens that Duncan Wood formulated :
>> Why would that work better than (or differently from) the vacuum on the  
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> few mm before it is genuininly all drained out - whereas a sump plug can  
> be left out until it all stops dripping.

You can touch the bottom on most sumps & if you've got bits bigger than  
the end of the tube floating about in your oil then it's far too  &  
they're not going to come out with the oil anyway. You don't need to have  
the end well covered, it's a pump not a syphon.
Harry Bloomfield - 22 Jul 2009 22:01 GMT
Duncan Wood wrote :
> You can touch the bottom on most sumps & if you've got bits bigger than the
> end of the tube floating about in your oil then it's far too  & they're not
> going to come out with the oil anyway. You don't need to have the end well
> covered, it's a pump not a syphon.

Pump or syphon it will cause a localised dip in the oil level around
it's tip and start to suck air, leaving quite a bit of oil it cannot
suck out. Try draining a wide based glass of water via a straw without
tipping the glass, to get the idea.

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       Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

Duncan Wood - 22 Jul 2009 22:06 GMT
> Duncan Wood wrote :
>> You can touch the bottom on most sumps & if you've got bits bigger than  
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> suck out. Try draining a wide based glass of water via a straw without  
> tipping the glass, to get the idea.

The same applies to the sump plug. If you're actually that worried about  
cross contamination you'd run flushing oil through it anyway.
Harry Bloomfield - 22 Jul 2009 22:10 GMT
Duncan Wood used his keyboard to write :

>> Duncan Wood wrote :
>>> You can touch the bottom on most sumps & if you've got bits bigger than
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> The same applies to the sump plug. If you're actually that worried about
> cross contamination you'd run flushing oil through it anyway.

True but not quite to the same extent as would apply to suction,
because gravity is working with you, rather than against you.

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       Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

Dave Plowman (News) - 22 Jul 2009 23:09 GMT
> > Pump or syphon it will cause a localised dip in the oil level around  
> > it's tip and start to suck air, leaving quite a bit of oil it cannot  
> > suck out. Try draining a wide based glass of water via a straw without  
> > tipping the glass, to get the idea.

> The same applies to the sump plug. If you're actually that worried about
> cross contamination you'd run flushing oil through it anyway.

But what do you flush the remnants of the flushing oil out with?

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Duncan Wood - 23 Jul 2009 00:24 GMT
>> > Pump or syphon it will cause a localised dip in the oil level around
>> > it's tip and start to suck air, leaving quite a bit of oil it cannot
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
> But what do you flush the remnants of the flushing oil out with?

Triche :-)
Blah - 22 Jul 2009 19:39 GMT
>>>> Have now decided to stop changing the engine oil myself (toyota
>>>> corolla) and will pay for a garage to do it.
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
> Letting the oil drain through the sump plug hole allows the force of the
> emptying oil to force more of crap that builds up in the sump

Isn't 'eradicating crap' the job of the oil filter, rather than a
function of how fast oil swirls out of a hole..

Been a long while since I changed car oil but there never was much crap
in the oil, BUT a look at the magnetic plug theoretically gave warning
of problems if swarf appeared.
Dave Plowman (News) - 22 Jul 2009 23:07 GMT
> Letting the oil drain through the sump plug hole allows the force of the
> emptying oil to force more of crap that builds up in the sump to escape
> and leaves less old oil in the sump galleries to cause problems - and I
> would be rather annoyed if I saw a garage sucking the stuff out through
> the dipstick hole!

I've been changing my own oil for more years than I care to admit to - and
have never seen any 'crap' come out with the last few drops. Or at least
not on a car which has been regularly serviced.

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   Dave Plowman        dave@davenoise.co.uk           London SW
                 To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Conor - 22 Jul 2009 23:33 GMT
> I've been changing my own oil for more years than I care to admit to - and
> have never seen any 'crap' come out with the last few drops. Or at least
> not on a car which has been regularly serviced.

<aol>
Me neither and I've done some real high milers
</aol>

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looking good either. - Scott Adams

Chris Whelan - 22 Jul 2009 09:00 GMT
> Have now decided to stop changing the engine oil myself (toyota corolla)
> and will pay for a garage to do it.
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> through to let the oil run out more thoroughly?  Is there any particular
> chain that is best to go to for an oil and filter change?

Cheapest, yes. Is that what you really want though?

There is no way that they will take the trouble to warm the engine up. In
fact, it's doubtful that they would even be aware of the need to do so.
Bear in mind that the guys that work there are only one step up from fast
food workers. Their training will be measured in hours, not years.

I would also be concerned that they are going to use the correct grade of
oil. If your car has a need for anything other than a basic grade, forget
it.

If you are unable or unwilling to do basic maintenance yourself, wouldn't
it be better to ask around to find a reliable independent garage? Perhaps
you could find one that would incorporate an annual service in with an
MOT for a fixed price? There are certainly lots of places local to me
that do this.

Chris

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Remove prejudice to reply.

Unbeliever - 22 Jul 2009 19:14 GMT
john Royce wrote:
> Have now decided to stop changing the engine oil myself (toyota
> corolla) and will pay for a garage to do it.
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> engine through to let the oil run out more thoroughly?  Is there any
> particular chain that is best to go to for an oil and filter change?

John

If you live far enough away from the garage or big chain outlet, then
travelling to one of them will allow the oil to reach its proper operating
temperature.  If not, then simply take the car for a drive to warm things up
before get to your destination - simple!

Unbeliever
Mike P - 22 Jul 2009 19:52 GMT
> john Royce wrote:
>> Have now decided to stop changing the engine oil myself (toyota
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
>
> Unbeliever

Take it in on a quiet Saturday afternoon, with your own oil and filter.
The place I take mine to seemed happy to whizz it on the ramp and change
the oil for me, though I'm sure the tenner I gave them didn't go anywhere
near the till...

MIke P
Dave Griffs - 22 Jul 2009 22:02 GMT
>> john Royce wrote:
>>> Have now decided to stop changing the engine oil myself (toyota
[quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
>
> MIke P

Ever since national decided to use 10/40 in my zetec engine (made it sound
like a diesel & run crap when cold), I then always changed the oil myself.
Since I got the picasso, after 2 changes having to drive on ramps & remove
the undertray I decided to pay a garage £15 at the end of my road & supply
my own oil, loads less hassle.
BTW, my local National won't do oil changes on a saturday, they reckon
they're too busy. They also bent my sill last time I had tyres , although it
was too late to proove anything when I discovered it. They also cocked up my
tracking, in fact they've never once got anything right
 
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