In this day in age, many people are quickly adopting a do it yourself attitude. When the economy is struggling, people often try and shave money out of their budget by doing their own oil change in order to put less strain on their bank accounts. One way to save money that does not require a whole lot of sacrifice is doing your own oil change. Some people may think it is too hard or takes too much time, but that could not be further from the truth. Learning how to change your own oil can actually save you time and money. It is very easy to do and only takes a few minutes to learn the simple process. If you follow these steps, you will be an oil change maniac! Secure the car – This step is all about safety. After all, safety first! Make sure your car is on level, Put a brick or some heavy rocks behind the back wheels of the car so that the car does not roll backwards. Also, after jacking up the car, make sure you put it on jack stands. You do not want to leave the car raised on the jack alone, as this causes a serious hazard. At this time, you will also want to make sure that you have the parking brake securely engaged. Remove the old oil – Find the drain plug in the oil pan, which is located under your engine. Use your socket wrench to loosen the bolt on the bottom of the oil reservoir under your car. Make sure to have your drip pan or a bucket or something to catch the old oil in after it drains. Make sure that it is completely underneath so you are not left with a big mess! Just let the oil drain until it is empty. Once it has drained replace the drain cap. Remove the old oil filter – Use an oil filter wrench to remove the old filter. These are typically located on the top of the car under the hood. Put in the new filter – You need to lubricate the gasket on the filter. The new filter needs to be inserted where you took out the old one. Fill the new oil filter about 2/3 of the way and then screw the new filter in place. Add the new oil to the car – Unscrew the cap under the hood where the oil needs to be inserted. Once this is done, put your funnel where you removed the cap. Start pouring the oil in slowly. You will need to check your owner’s manual to know how much oil your car will need. Remember, follow this, you do not want to over or under fill the car with oil. Do not add all of the oil at one time because some of the old oil may still be left in there. Do a check – Check the dipstick to make sure that there is enough oil in the car. If there is not enough, add it now. Keep checking until it is correct. If this seems too complicated to you or you might not have the time to do it, please hire a professional. When getting an oil change Columbia has a lot to offer. There can be, however, only one greatest service and it is this: http://www.meineke-columbia.com/.
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