Not everyone can do their own car repairs, but some routine maintenance is perfectly easy for anyone. Changing your oil is one of the easiest things you can do yourself—whether you want to save money or do it just to practice self-reliance. Here's how to do it.

While car people will tell you that changing your own oil is insanely easy, most of us regular people are still too hesitant to try it. However, I ventured out recently to try changing my oil myself. With no discernable car maintenance skills and a little supervision the first time, I was able to change my oil just fine. Here's how you can do it, too.

Gather Basic Information About Your Car

How to Change Your Car's Oil

Before you get underneath your vehicle, there's some key information you need first. You're going to need to buy oil (about 4-5 quarts) and an oil filter. In order to find out which specific oil types and filter units you'll need to buy, track down the following pieces of information about your car:

  • Year
  • Make
  • Model
  • Engine displacement size (i.e. 1.8L, 2.4L, etc.)
  • Oil type (i.e. SAE 5W-30)

Your car's manual may have most or all of this information. Your car may have a sticker on the inside that will tell you what type of oil you need. If you're not sure, or you can't find the information on your vehicle, Mobil Oil has a tool here you can use to look up your car's oil type. It's dressed up a bit with some obvious upsells, but the important detail is the oil type (in the format above). Once you have the oil type, you can go to any store that sells oil (car part stores, Walmart, etc.) and buy that type of oil. Make sure you get enough to completely fill your car (your manual should tell you how much is needed).

The oil filter is a bit of a bigger problem, as there's no standardized part naming scheme for oil filters. You'll need to know the above information (excluding the oil type) to look up the type of filter you need. Most stores that sell oil filters have either a book or computer that you can use to find out which part number you need from different part manufacturers.

You can also use online car part stores to find the oil filter you need. As an example, Advance Auto Parts has a tool on their site that will let you filter search results by year, make, and model so you get the part you need and order it online. If you use this tool to look it up before buying it in a store, be sure to match not only the part number, but the manufacturer and brand as well (for example, a FRAM Xtra Tuff oil filter may not have the same part number as a FRAM Supa Awesome filter, despite being from the same company).

Once you're sure you have the correct oil and oil filter, you're ready to get dirty.

Step 0: Grab Your Tools and Prepare the Car

How to Change Your Car's Oil

Before you start changing your oil, make sure you have all these requisite tools:

  • Car jack
  • Car jack stands (for safety)
  • Socket wrench
  • Rubber gloves
  • Old towel/blanket to catch loose oil
  • Sturdy oil drain pan (must be heat safe, preferably with spout)
  • Oil
  • Oil filter
  • Funnel
  • Paper towels

Before you get your car up on a jack, it's helpful to run your car for a minute or so to ensure that the oil in your car is warm. You want your car to be turned off when you put it up on the jack, but if the oil is warm, it will flow out easier.

Your car probably came with a jack of some kind and in most cases, this should be sufficient to lift your car and work underneath it. If your jack cannot raise your car enough to place the oil drain pan underneath it and still leave you enough room to work, find a jack that can. It's also a good idea to use a car jack stand to ensure your car won't fall on top of you. Once your car is up, you can begin draining the oil.

Step 1: Drain Your Oil

How to Change Your Car's Oil

The first thing you'll need to do is drain your oil. As stated earlier, you need to run your car for a bit before you begin draining, so that your oil pours out smoothly.

Place the oil drain pan beneath the plug in your car's oil pan (as seen above). You should be able to locate a lone bolt called the drain plug. This may look different on various vehicles, so check your car's manual if you're unsure. Make sure that the oil drain pan is directly underneath this plug and ready to catch all the oil as it comes out of your car before you move on.

Place some rubber gloves on before you continue. The oil inside your car will be very hot. Use a socket wrench to loosen the drain plug. Once it's loose, unscrew the drain plug the rest of the way by hand. Once it's loose, try to remove the drain plug as quickly as possible to minimize oil spillage.

Once the oil starts flowing into the oil drain plan, let your vehicle empty entirely. Use a paper towel to wipe off the underside of your vehicle. Replace the drain plug and move on to the next step.

Step 2: Remove and Replace the Oil Filter

How to Change Your Car's Oil

You'll want to replace your oil filter next. When you remove your oil filter, some more oil will still come out of your vehicle, so be sure to move the oil pan underneath your oil filter. Oil filters come in a couple different types. Some are in self-contained units that you can unscrew by hand. Other replacement filters are made of paper. For these, you unscrew a cap, slide out the paper filter, replace the new one, and reseal it. Be sure to check your car's manual for specifics. Once your drain pan is in place, follow these steps:

  1. Unscrew the old oil filter. If your car uses the paper filters, loosen the plastic cover and remove the old paper filter.
  2. Let the opening drain completely.
  3. Wipe off the opening with a paper towel.
  4. While wearing gloves, dab your finger in the oil pan and run some oil along the rim of the new oil filter (if using the paper filter, skip this step).
  5. Replace the filter and hand-tighten the seal.

Once again, be sure to wear gloves throughout this entire process. While the amount of oil that will pour out of the filter will be less than there is in the oil pan, you can still accidentally burn yourself if you're not careful. Once your oil filter is replaced, wipe off both the filter and the pan once more to avoid in drips (which makes spotting leaks later easier).

Step 3: Refill Your Oil

How to Change Your Car's Oil

Once everything underneath the car is sealed, you can refill your oil. Your car's manual should tell you how much is needed. If you bought the 4-5L jug from the parts store, you should have enough for most vehicles, but always check to be sure. Most jugs also have a measure on their handle that you can use to see how much oil is left. This is helpful for seeing how much you've poured already. To refill your oil:

  1. Remove the oil cap from the top of your car (the oil symbol will probably look something like this).
  2. Place a funnel inside the hole.
  3. Begin pour oil into the funnel until you've added the amount specified by your owner's manual.
  4. Replace the cap and hand tighten it.

Once you've filled your car with oil, you can take it off the jacks and turn the engine on. Let it run a bit to cycle the oil through your system. After a few minutes, turn your car off and check your dipstick to ensure that the levels are where they need to be. Do this by pulling out the dipstick, wiping it off with a paper towel, re-inserting it, and pulling it out a second time. If the oil level is between the two dots on the end, you're good to go.

Step 4: Dispose of the Oil in an Approved Facility

How to Change Your Car's Oil

Dumping car motor oil in an unapproved area is illegal and can have consequences including, but not limited to, fines, community service, and jail time depending on your area. Thankfully, it's relatively easy. Many auto parts stores and some gas stations will allow you to bring in your oil and they will dispose of it for you.

For simpler transportation, pour the old oil from the drain pan into the now-empty container that you bought your new oil in. Once you've emptied the drain pan, seal the jug and take it to a store that accepts used oil. Then, enjoy your freshly oiled car and feel all good about doing things for yourself.

Photo by zombieite.