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Where to do oil changes?

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  • 24-01-2013 6:17pm
    #1
    johnnyleitrim
    Registered Users Posts: 26 ✭


    The driveway in our house is slopped, so not the best place for fluid changes in the car, especially when trying to measure them etc., so I'm wondering what kind of alternative location could I do the oil change?

    Can you do it in Park carparks etc.? (obviously with gear to stop spillage). Are there "socially acceptable" places to do these?
    Tagged:


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    #2
    Justin10
    Registered Users Posts: 3,188 ✭✭✭Justin10


    Outside your drive??


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    #3
    johnnyleitrim
    Registered Users Posts: 26 ✭johnnyleitrim


    Rochey18 wrote: »
    Outside your drive??

    Outside the drive is the road - I don't fancy being under the car with other cars whizzing by!


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    #4
    TheBody
    Registered Users Posts: 5,619 ✭✭✭TheBody


    Surely you have a mates house or parents house where you could change the oil?


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    #5
    Atlantic Dawn
    Registered Users Posts: 81,501 ✭✭✭✭Atlantic Dawn
    M


    Slope shouldn't matter as regards getting old oil out and new oil in. Look under the car and the sump plug will most likely be facing towards the back of the car, make sure the car is faced forward against the slope. Then when all oil is out check either your cars manual or if you to to www.castrol.co.uk it will give you the amount of oil your car needs, simply add this amount.

    THE DANGER IS WITH A SLOPE THAT THE CAR MIGHT FALL ON TOP OF YOU.


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    #6
    Supergurrier
    Registered Users Posts: 7,289 ✭✭✭Supergurrier


    Neighbours driveway


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    #7
    Wheelnut
    Registered Users Posts: 977 ✭✭✭Wheelnut


    Atlantic Dawn is right. Do the change with the car facing up-hill then refill with the specified amount of oil. You can then go to someplace flat and check the dipstick.

    I heard of a guy with a similar problem checking his oil on a steeply sloping driveway. He went to a flat place and topped up the oil to exactly the "max" mark. He then drove home, parked the car on the drive, let the oil settle, then pulled the dipstick and used a file to put a mark at the oil level on the stick. So he now had a dipstick that was marked to show the correct "max" when parked on his driveway.


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    #8
    Chimaera
    Registered Users Posts: 1,652 ✭✭✭Chimaera


    I have a sloped driveway but when the car is jacked up on the stands it ends up level so it's ideal. For safety I chock the rear wheels to stop it rolling.


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    #9
    johnnyleitrim
    Registered Users Posts: 26 ✭johnnyleitrim


    That's interesting Chimaera. So here's a (possibly stupid) question - how do you know the car is level up on the stands? Are you just guessing, or using a spirit level somehow. Mine might also be level when I jack it up, but I don't know how to be sure.


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    #10
    Avns1s
    Registered Users Posts: 3,422 ✭✭✭Avns1s


    You can do it by eye. It doesn't need to be that precise!


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    #11
    biko
    Registered Users Posts: 81,223 ✭✭✭✭biko


    I would not do it on a sloping driveway. As suggested, take it over to a mate's house.

    After the oil drain, put everything back again and take it off the stands.
    Then fill the oil minus one litre-ish. Start car and move it down to the road where you top up on a level surface.


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    #12
    Chimaera
    Registered Users Posts: 1,652 ✭✭✭Chimaera


    @johnnyleitrim: I've just eyeballed it.

    @biko: if the car is properly secured it's fine. With good wheel chocks the car is not going to roll down the driveway: I've found this out when I've forgotten to take them out afterwards and tried to drive away :)


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    #13
    firefly08
    Registered Users Posts: 856 ✭✭✭firefly08


    Jacking the car up would be the part that would worry me...I use a set of plastic ramps for stuff like this. My parking space is sloped back and to the side - so badly that if I try to jack the car up from the low side of the slope, the jack tilts off the ground. But I can put a set of these ramps down, and drive the car up onto them no problem. They flex a little to account for unevenness in the ground, and they have a little flat area with a ridge at each end to chock the front wheel, so the car can't roll back.

    Of course I wouldn't trust them regardless so I put small jack stands under key points as backup, but it's an extremely handy way to raise up a car where jacking is impossible.


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    #14
    dr.fuzzenstein
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 16,635 ✭✭✭✭dr.fuzzenstein


    Woudn't do it on a slope, old oil might not drain properly, levels won't be right, jacking a car on a slope isn't great, etc...
    Just too much to go wrong and it's just not right.
    The absolute inability of builders in Ireland to build a level drive anywhere and almost complete absence of proper garages with houses has long been a pet hate of mine. It's just a symptom of a country that doesn't like cars or even has any understanding of them.
    I'm lucky that besides by sloped, uneven, graveled drive that only lunatics would use for work on their car, I have a nice, big, proper garage with a dead level floor and good lighting, because otherwise DIY oilchanges on my CMax would be all but impossible.


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    #15
    johnnyleitrim
    Registered Users Posts: 26 ✭johnnyleitrim


    dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »
    ...I have a nice, big, proper garage with a dead level floor and good lighting...

    Sounds like I know where to go now to do my oil changes, dr.fuzzenstein :D


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    #16
    dr.fuzzenstein
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 16,635 ✭✭✭✭dr.fuzzenstein


    johnnyleitrim wrote: »
    Sounds like I know where to go now to do my oil changes, dr.fuzzenstein :D

    I'm in the Wesht, it never stops raining!:p


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    #17
    TheBully
    Registered Users Posts: 876 ✭✭✭TheBully


    Buy yourself one of these

    http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/tools/4384426


    Think ur making a mountain out of a mohill here, You dont live on the side of croke patrick do you? im sure there is a flat surface somewhere near you! Would you honestly like to be stuck in a town carpark with ur car jacked up draining the oil???


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    #18
    Buffman
    Registered Users Posts: 2,769 ✭✭✭Buffman


    Cheap solution to prevent spills OP. http://www.micksgarage.com/proddetails.aspx?pid=1453920&pk=DBB6C

    668765_1beae5d0.jpg

    FYI, if you move to a 'smart' meter electricity plan, you CAN'T move back to a non-smart plan.

    You don't have to take a 'smart' meter if you don't want one, opt-out is available.

    Buy drinks in 3L or bigger plastic bottles or glass bottles to avoid the DRS fee.



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    #19
    Esel
    Registered Users Posts: 22,035 ✭✭✭✭Esel


    firefly08 wrote: »
    Jacking the car up would be the part that would worry me...I use a set of plastic ramps for stuff like this. My parking space is sloped back and to the side - so badly that if I try to jack the car up from the low side of the slope, the jack tilts off the ground. But I can put a set of these ramps down, and drive the car up onto them no problem. They flex a little to account for unevenness in the ground, and they have a little flat area with a ridge at each end to chock the front wheel, so the car can't roll back.

    Of course I wouldn't trust them regardless so I put small jack stands under key points as backup, but it's an extremely handy way to raise up a car where jacking is impossible.
    :eek: I know you said you you also use 'small jack stands', but seriously - there is enough safe flat ground around the place.

    Not your ornery onager



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    #20
    firefly08
    Registered Users Posts: 856 ✭✭✭firefly08


    Esel wrote: »
    :eek: I know you said you you also use 'small jack stands', but seriously - there is enough safe flat ground around the place.

    Well unfortunately for me where I live there really isn't. If I want somewhere flat I have to go a long way. Believe me I am paranoid about getting under a car and I don't do it when it's not safe. But the ramps can take the weight of a pick up truck, and the backup jack stands are a must for me anyway :) I have often had the car up on those ramps for days at a time with no problems. But even when I'm on perfectly flat ground and using jack stands, I still use an extra set of stands taking no weight, as backup! I like to hedge my bets.


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