Oil change on the driveway?

[Kompressor_Dude]

Just curious as to how everyone does their oil changes on the driveway? My (shared) house has 5 cars now so i seem to be doing them all the time, but its such a pain! Is there a proper flat tray etc. you can buy to collect the oil in? And an easy way of transporting it to the tip?

I seem to either ruin a washing up bowl ruin the drive or ruin my car interior every time! Dont want to take it to a garage when i can do it myself, so just wondered if anyone has any tactics?!

Cheers!

 

[BTB 500]

The guy who lived in my house before me clearly just tipped it down the drain

The 'bucket' bit under the grating on the drive is full of oil. The handle to lift it out has rusted away, so short of hiring a pump of some sort I have no idea how to clear it

 

[Rovinghawk]

Bail most of it out using a plastic cup, dose the rest with a large amount of fairy liquid & it'll wash away harmlessly.

RH

 

[LoTu5]

If you have a sign writer nearby its worth asking if they have any old plastic sheeting with advertising on that is now of no use. I aquired a 4' x 8' sheet of plastic this way and now lay it under the area of the car I work on. It's easy to wipe clean, fluids can't leak through and it saves the drive.

I also have a plastic bowl and a range of funnels. I drain the old oil into the bowl and put the plug back in, once I've used the new oil and have an empty can I then pour the old oil into the can using a funnel and do the whole operation on the plastic sheet. The old oil then goes into a corner of the garage and at a leter date down the tip to the their oil waste disposal drum next time I'm down that way.

 

[Number_Cruncher]

I use a PELA vacuum extractor, and therefore don't need to go under the car at all to do an oil and filter change. So, there are no spillages, no wiping up mess on the drive. It's a doddle, and for MB owners where usually the oil filter is easy to get at from the top, I can't recommend the method highly enough.

The first few times I used the PELA, I would also go underneath, and take the sump plug out to get the last drops - but, there weren't any!, so, I don't bother any more.

 

[SilverSaloon]

i keep a bucket in a black bin bag purly for this job in the shed out the way when not in use. I then empty out into 2L coke bottles to take to the recycling depot.

 

[maddog]

Dont pour it down your drain!!!


Wait until your neighbour is out and pour it down his .....i do this on a regular basis to my my neighbour , he still thinks its left over from the last owner

Seriously

I use one of those plastic drain tubs and give it a wipe afterwards and simply take it to the tip , not that i do many oil changes at home nowadays

 

[davidjpowell]

I used to have, years ago, a plastic container, similar to the old fashioned ones that oil came in (i.e. square - not a odd shape). If you laid it on it's side there was a depression for the oil to catch, and a seperate hole which allowed the oil to enter the container - could then be cleaned off and taken to tip.

It was something like this - http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000RO13U0/?tag=amazon0e9db-21 - available from other outlets no doubt!

 

[MangoMan]

Oil drain Collecter from Draper: http://www.drapertools-online.com/b2c/b2citmdsp.pgm?pp_skmno=73038

Ciao.

 

[Roger Jones]

Large plastic sheet, yes, good idea, plus bricks to anchor it. I find large plastic garden trays the best, about 21"x16"x5" -- large enough to catch the first sideways spurt and the last vertical drops, plus drops drifted by the wind, but not so large as to be difficult to handle when full. I have a large funnel (from Euro Car Parts) and use old oil tubs to take the oil to the local disposal site.

Anyone pouring oil down a drain ought to be certified.

 

[SilverSaloon]

i just use one of these:

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav/n...refview=search&ts=1226422520103&isSearch=true

 

[Fandango]

Kwik-Fit, 25 quid, free coffee, clean hand. Can't beat it

 

[stevesey]

Washing up bowl kept in shed in black bin liner, pour back waste into original container for taking to the tip. Use funnel if windy or had a hard session the night before.

 

[Satch]

Now a full convert to the PELA oil pump. Really useful for all manner of things, most recently getting all the water out of a blocked dishwasher

 

[jeremytaylor]

i just use one of these:

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav/n...refview=search&ts=1226422520103&isSearch=true

How on earth do you get that under your sump ???

I think I will have to invest in a sump pump as we now have 3 cars with under-engine trays which make draining the oil a right sod! I'm just a bit suspicious that they may not get everything out, like the swarf that is magnetically attracted to the sump plug.

 

[MangoMan]

This is what I was thinking.......???

 

[Number_Cruncher]

>>like the swarf

If there's swarf or any other significant debris in your sump, whether you drain, or use a vacuum pump to get the oil out is the least of your worries!!

When I had the cylinder head off my E300D at 125,000 miles, there had been so little wear, the factory machining marks were still visible on the cylinder bores.

Engines with a gearbox in their sump, like proper Minis did create significant swarf, and these engines *needed* their magnetic sump plugs - our MBs don't.

Although many fear using vacuum pumps to remove oil, because it's not their normal routine, I have never seen any information presented which demonstrates conclusively that it causes damage or premature wear.

Engine oil changing is not something to get *too* wound up about, lubrication based engine failure is rare, and if you meet or better the manufacturer's oil spec and drain interval, you are unlikely to have any engine trouble until a very large mileage has been covered.

On the other hand, lots of other, potentially expensive aspects of vehicle maintenance don't seem to attract many words or threads on fora such as these.

Phrased another way, how many threads are there where people are asking for engine rebuilding advice, or to find a good source of reconditioned engines?, and then, of these few threads, how many are attributable to lubrication failure rather than the much more common neglect and abuse? Not many I suggest! If the exact detail of oil changing were so sensitive, so particular, we would be over-run with questions about piston ring end clearances and cylinder honing rather than how do I access this or that Command menu?!

 

[andyshore]

Large plastic sheet, yes, good idea, plus bricks to anchor it. I find large plastic garden trays the best, about 21"x16"x5" -- large enough to catch the first sideways spurt and the last vertical drops, plus drops drifted by the wind, but not so large as to be difficult to handle when full. I have a large funnel (from Euro Car Parts) and use old oil tubs to take the oil to the local disposal site.

Anyone pouring oil down a drain ought to be certified.

Isnt it ironic, that if its a nice warm day and totally calm,
as soon as you undo that sump bung, the wind blows.