The_Essbee
Ready to race!
- Location
- Arizona
- Car(s)
- 16 GTI Reflex Silver
So I've been the proud owner of my '16 GTI for six months now and it was time to do an oil change. Like you, I want the best for my car. After considering my options in my small town I thought I would perform the oil change myself. I'd never done one myself on any other vehicle so I watched videos and read threads. I felt I'd learned enough and I'm physically capable so after receiving the oil change kit I bought on ECStuning I dove in. Here's a few things probably only a complete noob like myself learned and will hopefully help others in the future:
1. It's cheaper
I purchased the LiquiMoly MolyGen oil change kit for $49. I didn't have an oil filter socket ($15), or an oil drain pan ($4) so I bought those. I already had access to a funnel, jack and stands. My wife paid $78 for her oil change on her vehicle the same week so considering I got the oil change and necessary tools for $10 cheaper I'm pretty happy. It will only be cheaper in the future without the tool purchases.
2. Don't use the cheap $4 oil drain pan
Sticking with the price point, I found the cheap lidless oil pan not a good choice. I performed the oil change on my driveway no problem, but then wanted to transfer the drained oil a sealed container for transport to Autozone for recycling. It was nerve wracking carrying the nearly full pan of oil to my dirt driveway where I'd transfer it to the other container. Once over the dirt I ended up spilling a little oil when trying to aim for the funnel (see next point). I'll spend $6 more and get a drain pan that can be sealed.
3. The funnel choice matters.
I already had a cheap funnel I thought would be sufficient for adding new oil and also for transferring the used oil. The funnel was too short and it caused me to take a leap of faith in my aim to put the new oil into the engine. Thankfully I didn't spill any but the thought of spilling enough to have to wait another week for more oil to arrive sucked. I also had to hold the funnel steady with one hand while my other arm got quite tired holding up the 5L bottle of new oil as I was pouring it in. I dared not stop to rest and restart again because I didn't want to have to aim and potentially miss the funnel again. It took much longer than I had expected. Repeat same troubles when transferring used oil to container for recycling except I had to use both hands to hold the pan and neither was able to steady the funnel. Get a tall, wide mouth funnel.
4. Make sure your jack goes up high enough (or use a block of wood).
As I said above, I already had access to a jack and stands but the jack did not go up high enough to be able to easily get the jack stands under the vehicle. This took me the longest time and was the most frustrating. It was only after the fact that I thought a block of wood between the jack and the car would have helped greatly.
5. Have your tools/supplies ready before starting.
Really annoying finally getting the car raised only to have to go hunt down the drain pan and socket that you put in the shed...no...garage...no...backyard...no...definitely garage.
6. Its not as intimidating as you think.
I've always been hesitant to do any work on a vehicle because it is a relatively expensive item I own. The fear that one wrong move will render your $20,000 +- car a brick crept in when deciding whether I wanted to do this myself or not. In basic form though it isn't complicated. Out with the old, in with the new. Plus the confidence I have to do other work has increased. I'm looking at other mods and saying, "I can do that".
These have been just a few tid-bits that stuck with me. Maybe you've known these all along or you are where I was a few days ago asking yourself if you could be a DIYer.
-SB
1. It's cheaper
I purchased the LiquiMoly MolyGen oil change kit for $49. I didn't have an oil filter socket ($15), or an oil drain pan ($4) so I bought those. I already had access to a funnel, jack and stands. My wife paid $78 for her oil change on her vehicle the same week so considering I got the oil change and necessary tools for $10 cheaper I'm pretty happy. It will only be cheaper in the future without the tool purchases.
2. Don't use the cheap $4 oil drain pan
Sticking with the price point, I found the cheap lidless oil pan not a good choice. I performed the oil change on my driveway no problem, but then wanted to transfer the drained oil a sealed container for transport to Autozone for recycling. It was nerve wracking carrying the nearly full pan of oil to my dirt driveway where I'd transfer it to the other container. Once over the dirt I ended up spilling a little oil when trying to aim for the funnel (see next point). I'll spend $6 more and get a drain pan that can be sealed.
3. The funnel choice matters.
I already had a cheap funnel I thought would be sufficient for adding new oil and also for transferring the used oil. The funnel was too short and it caused me to take a leap of faith in my aim to put the new oil into the engine. Thankfully I didn't spill any but the thought of spilling enough to have to wait another week for more oil to arrive sucked. I also had to hold the funnel steady with one hand while my other arm got quite tired holding up the 5L bottle of new oil as I was pouring it in. I dared not stop to rest and restart again because I didn't want to have to aim and potentially miss the funnel again. It took much longer than I had expected. Repeat same troubles when transferring used oil to container for recycling except I had to use both hands to hold the pan and neither was able to steady the funnel. Get a tall, wide mouth funnel.
4. Make sure your jack goes up high enough (or use a block of wood).
As I said above, I already had access to a jack and stands but the jack did not go up high enough to be able to easily get the jack stands under the vehicle. This took me the longest time and was the most frustrating. It was only after the fact that I thought a block of wood between the jack and the car would have helped greatly.
5. Have your tools/supplies ready before starting.
Really annoying finally getting the car raised only to have to go hunt down the drain pan and socket that you put in the shed...no...garage...no...backyard...no...definitely garage.
6. Its not as intimidating as you think.
I've always been hesitant to do any work on a vehicle because it is a relatively expensive item I own. The fear that one wrong move will render your $20,000 +- car a brick crept in when deciding whether I wanted to do this myself or not. In basic form though it isn't complicated. Out with the old, in with the new. Plus the confidence I have to do other work has increased. I'm looking at other mods and saying, "I can do that".
These have been just a few tid-bits that stuck with me. Maybe you've known these all along or you are where I was a few days ago asking yourself if you could be a DIYer.
-SB