I live downtown and i can't really do an oil change on the street. I had thought about going to the park (like stanley park but on a smaller scale in halifax). I took my car there to clay/polish/wax it before but wouldn't wanna do anything that could make a mess. there really isn't anywhere i can think to go. Most of my friends aren't really into cars so it's not like i'd go to their houses.

where do you guys go who are in apartments to do car work?

 

street

 

Use a friends garage for a couple of hours

 

i luckily have a garage at my apartment

 

my gf just bought a townhouse w/ a garage attached! cant wait to move in...

to OP, just do it in the street, or at the park... i used to cut the top of milk containers to pour the oil in there and then used saran wrap to cover the top, and tape around the side to hold the wrap down... you can bring oil to your public works yard... i used to work there so i just brought it with me to work each time

 

get a friend with a garage or driveway. lol

 

i feel your pain. i live in a apartment and to make everything worse the roads are all down hill >.> So i have to bother other people to help me lol

 

yeah i was thinkin the park might be the best place. My street's pretty busy and the parking's tight. Nice to see what other people do.

 

I use to do it at my parents house before I bought my house.

 

i use to do mine in the street well when i had my honda and that was no fun.

 

rent a garage thats what i do

 

be lazy and take it to a quick oil change place.

 

My apartment building had garage parking and I did work in my assigned space. If you don't have access to that, try a friend's driveway or garage, worse case scenario do it at the parking lot of the auto parts store where you buy your oil/filter/etc. Hopefully they'll be sympathetic to your plight. Don't forget to ask permission.

 

That would be ideal for his situation except (no offense to any more qualified folks that are members here that work at quick lube places) that a majority of the guys working at these places are more likely to leave your oil filter loose or overtighten and strip your oil pan threads than they are to successfully complete an oil change. I am a service manager and our shop has to fix the damage from quick lube screw ups often. I would cringe at the thought of taking any car to one of those places let alone your EVO.

The ideal would be to befriend someone who is either a technician or service advisor at an independent shop. Then you get access to the lifts, and if you befriend a technician, access to tools you didn't know existed

The most realistic thought would be to find a commercial/business area and use one of the large parking lots on the weekend. At least here there are several within 10 minutes where nothing is going on all weekend and there is tons of space away from any cars/roads where I seriously doubt anyone would give you a hard time for working on your car.

Or save your pennies and get into a house of your own. If property values up there are anything like here, now is the most affordable time to buy...then watch your home's value climb as prices recover in the next 5 years. Plus, there are lots of good financing options for first time buyers with low down payment requirements (at least here there are). Your payment on a place with a garage could be less than you're paying to rent and not have a spot to work on your car. Good luck!

Tom