I change my own oil, it makes me feel more in touch with my car and it's a lot cheaper than paying one of those lube places or a Mitsu dealership. Only takes me about 30 min from start to clean-up.

I think the owner's manual is misleading. Oil should be changed every 3000 miles, maybe 5000 with synthetic. Some people say you only have to change the filter every 7500, but I do it every time (it's only $3-5 anyway). Anyway, I use normal oil, Valvoline or Castrol because it has no parafin. And Purolator filter (the blue one, because it's SAE approved). Might switch to synthetic in the near future.

 

hey if you guys are having ramp trouble heres a trick
if you have a 2 ton floor jackk( big jack with round pad thing)
you can use it under the tow hook on the front or rear of the car to jack up both sides at one time on either front or rear never both also make sure you use your emergency brake and leave your car in gear :-)

oh yea support your car with jack stands too
( i dont but then again there is something seriously wrong with me)

 

newer engines (meaning built after year 2000) require less maintenance than previous generations. the old standby of "every 3000 miles" is no longer necessary. it doesn't hurt to change at 3000, but you can get away with changing oil every 7500. most if not all newer model cars have a less restrictive maintenance schedule. they are built much more efficiently. they also require less of a break in period, and some require no break in (although it is always good to drive your car for at least 500 miles til you start to drive hard).

it also might be a good idea to wait a little longer to get your first oil change, to allow the oil to seep into the entire engine and properly lubricate all areas. i've heard this from several mechanics who i trust, but all the same it may not be necessary.

 

Yeah read the manual... it does say basically what cup says, unless it's being run in "extreme conditions". I kinda go with the extreme conditions rules, since well, texas has interesting conditions that might be considered extreme if you live in, say, California.

BTW, floor jacks are nice.

 

i thought the first oil changes the eailer is better..so u can dump out the little metal peice in the brand new motor thats been sitting in the engine!!

 

i thought this too. it makes sense to me both ways. 2 different mechanics told me that waiting is better to let everything soak and lubricate, so that's what i do. it probably doesn't really matter either way. as long as you change your oil at regular intervals and make sure your fluids are at proper levels, check your filters, etc. you'll be fine.

 

jee.. i haven't changed my oil the past 6k miles... bah, i'll do it tomorrow.

slackers unite!

 

I usually do my own oil change, unless I'm feeling extremely lazy. When I do get lazy, I go to the first quick lube place I find (as it turns out, the first one you find is usually the most expensive ).

 

well... the dealership where i got my lancer from does the first 2 oil changes for free; after that ill be doing it for the rest of the time i have the car... unless im lazy, then ill just take it to the nearest quick lube

 

I used to change my own oil. Than I realized that I didnt care. Any monkey with a brown shirt and a name tag can do it.

 

yeah and that ***in monkey doesn't give a **** about your car and will **** it up...i do my own and i jus changed mine today......30 minutes of your time every 3 months is nothing...especially since you know its done right cuz you did it.

 

It all depends on the place. Where I go, I stand around a bull**** with the guys changing it. This allows me to watch them and make sure they dont screw up. Plus, its only like $20. I pay that for gas almost three times a week.

 

personally, i don't like Fram! {thumbs down} Because they use the cheapest materials that i have ever seen. They make parts just to fit the car.
One of my friends did a test on an oil filter and air filter (test subjects) were Fram, Bosch and Oem. First he tried it on Fram, putting a little oil on the valve of the throttle body. After he ran it in a dusty area, he then opened up the connection towards the air box and the throttle body and found out that there was a lot of sand and dust on the place where he put the oil on.
After he cleaned out the sand and oil, he tried the same on Bosch and Oem. They out preformed Fram. No dust or sand was on the oil that he had put on.
For the oil filters, he cut up each one in 1/2 and checked the filter materials. Fram was like paper, while as Bosch and Oem was like a cotton material, proving that Fram sucks butt. Sometimes cheap isnt always the best solution.

Plus I change my own oil, I sometime think it's fun to do it. I use mobil 1 oil and filter. I went i use the regular oil it just keep burning up. For Synthetic Happy

 

http://moneycentral.msn.com/articles...y/car/9249.asp Maybe be useful for some of the car rookies.

 

well when you guys got your car the should have giving you a book for free oil changes or i guess the dealer i went only does it