Servicing your own car to save costs

positivenote

hI all,
Just wondering if its worthwhile for a car novice who has no experience working on cars to service their cars themselves? The reason I ask is that I'm forking out about 180-200e to have my old and filters done by a mechanic maybe twice a year and my Uncle for Australia couldn't understand why I did not service it myself? He uses a pump to extract the oil from the tank and refills it himself with fresh oil and the filters are simple.
Is this advisable or am I better off spending the money each year? If it was possible the money saved would allow for even more regular servicing for my 15-16k annual milage.
Cheers

draiochtanois

This post has been deleted.

mickdw

positivenote wrote: »

hI all,
Just wondering if its worthwhile for a car novice who has no experience working on cars to service their cars themselves? The reason I ask is that I'm forking out about 180-200e to have my old and filters done by a mechanic maybe twice a year and my Uncle for Australia couldn't understand why I did not service it myself? He uses a pump to extract the oil from the tank and refills it himself with fresh oil and the filters are simple.
Is this advisable or am I better off spending the money each year? If it was possible the money saved would allow for even more regular servicing for my 15-16k annual milage.
Cheers

It is worthwhile to do oil and filter yourself however there is more to a service than that. Surely your mechanic gets it up in the air and does a decent inspection. Brakes, brake lines, bushes etc then there are other fluids and filters also, perhaps do every second oil change youself meaning the car still gets a regular look over,

biko

You should service your car yourself. Start small with replacing the air filter yourself, then move to oil and oil filter.
Make sure to keep notes on what you do so you know what was done, when and what brand you used.
There are plenty instructional videos on youtube.

toyotafan

I usually service my car by myself and I never spent one cent for mechanics for these kinds of job (oil, filters, brake fluid, clutch fluid, coolants, spark plugs, chassis bolts... and also overhaul like piston rings changed). I never got any big prob that needs a mechanics. Always pass NCT with no issue.

Always purchase good oil, and everything online using supplier's discount codes (10 %-15% price reduced) during Christmas, New Year, Easter,.. bank holiday. I usually shop around for this during weekend when I plan to do service for my car. Always use OEM parts when they need to be replaced by visiting main dealership or purchase parts from approved company like Denso, NGK.

I purchased a set of socket with 200 pieces in Halfords with lifetime warranty (price was 150 EUR as I remember), and a Norba torque wrench range 8 Nm to 60 Nm. These two things will allow you to do most of works in your car.

Ah.. one thing I forget, you need a CHAIN OIL FILTER WRENCH 1/2" DRIVE to remove the oil filter. ^^

mickdw

toyotafan wrote: »

Ah.. one thing I forget, you need a CHAIN OIL FILTER WRENCH 1/2" DRIVE to remove the oil filter. ^^

Depends on the car and filter setup really.

JohnBoy26

What kind of car is it?

toyotafan

mickdw wrote: »

Depends on the car and filter setup really.

Thanks for your info. I absolutely agree.

audiavantawx

positivenote wrote: »

hI all,
Just wondering if its worthwhile for a car novice who has no experience working on cars to service their cars themselves? The reason I ask is that I'm forking out about 180-200e to have my old and filters done by a mechanic maybe twice a year and my Uncle for Australia couldn't understand why I did not service it myself? He uses a pump to extract the oil from the tank and refills it himself with fresh oil and the filters are simple.
Is this advisable or am I better off spending the money each year? If it was possible the money saved would allow for even more regular servicing for my 15-16k annual milage.
Cheers

Try online to see if your car has youtube videos of diy jobs,make sure there is good feedback on them too
Personally i like to do mine myself
Last service kit i got cost 51 euro for a 1.9tdi audi (oil filter,air filter,5 litres of total oil) every third service will be a fuel filter for around 20/25 and a good quality pollen filter for 15/20
If your car is over a certain age you might aswell,nothing to lose
Keep notes of what you do at service and dates
When you do your service jack your car up (make sure its supported correctly)and have a good look around at everything under engine bay,leaks,make sure all bolts look tight,check for uneven thread wear on inside of tyres,just anything that doesnt look right

There is more you can do but that is just a little bit of info

colm_mcm

You might try shopping around. 200 sounds a lot for an oil change,

positivenote

Thanks all... it’s a 2003 Bmw 530d msport auto. Isn’t there a pump you can use that ‘sucks’ the oil from your car to save you having to jack it up and open the tank to let it flow out... a lot less messy?

1874

I was going to ask, car type/age, and was the mileage mileage or kms,
Some may disagree, but I service my diesel 10k miles or annually whihever is first, although I dont think the air filter is a suggested item every service, I do it and its always too grotty to leave in my opinion, plus I reset the interval each time, I think it was on a longlife service interval before I got it, Id have to confirm the service booklet, but could have been pushing 20k miles, which to me is too much whatever oil you're using.

you're doing two per year, maybe thats required for your car, depends I think on your driving and on if its a car in good enough condition that it could be worth keeping, to me it looks like it might not be necessary, but if you;re doing it yourself then its no loss.
Last service, I started using a sealey suction pump, Ive heard people say they dont get all the oil, mine goes like tar (colour) in a few days anyway (but Im sure it got most of the oil, mainly how I positioned the car on the driveway slope so I knew the tube would be quite low), I might do every other oil change via the sump plug just to drain it fully.
I think if youre doing regular (annual) oil changes and its not a very new car then its not so much an issue. Maybe you might get away with one per year with the right oil or maybe 1.5 per year (3 per 2 years)
If I had a newer car, Id drain it from the sump and shorten the intervals.

Also, you arent letting it drain all over the place, Ive an old washhand basin to drain the oil into (when I was jacking the car onto axle stands) which I poured via a funnel into the oil container from my last service and dispose at the nearest recycling centre (whatever you do, at least do that) you can cut the side off an old oil can or get a purpose made collector, I have an old bit of carpet to throw under the car to save from any slight splashes or spills from the oil filter and its a bit less uncomfortable than the ground if Im doing work on the floor.

honda boi

Definitely better to service yourself.
Saves a lot of money.
Even if its just changing your oil.
Pick yourself up a Haynes manual for your car.
I've serviced my car (oil,,oil filter,air filter) 3 times this last year.
Servicing myself saved me a fair few Bob.

barneygumble99

Question for OP, will you also be getting a qualified mechanic to do a thorough check on your car throughout the year??

toyotafan

positivenote wrote: »

Thanks all... it’s a 2003 Bmw 530d msport auto. Isn’t there a pump you can use that ‘sucks’ the oil from your car to save you having to jack it up and open the tank to let it flow out... a lot less messy?

Well.... I would say, I would not recommend you to just suck the oil by a pump. From my opinion, an oil change does not mean that you only change the oil, it also means that you "clean" your engine, and lots of small particle is deposited in your oil filter. I am not sure the oil sump bolt location in your BMW car, for Toyota it usually locates at the bottom side the the oil sump.

A set of an axle stands is about 17 EUR (I purchased in Halfords, see link below).Why do you need a jack ? I think you should have an original one in your car purposing for changing your spare tyre ? I usually use this to jack my car and place the axle stands to support the car while working under the chassis.

http://www.halfords.ie/workshop-tools/garage-workshop/axle-stands/halfords-2-tonne-axle-stands

audiavantawx

Personal preference i would not bother with suction pumps,just remove the nut on the sump
Just be careful when removing,I know my car has a alloy sump so you can damage the threads on removal and putting it back on,i usually loosen and then remove with my fingers
Give the car a good drive before you service,have the oil nice and hot
Usually burns the fingers of me but i have hands like leather,flows out nice and easy,always change oil filter a same time,its just common sence to,your going to mix fresh oil with the crap in your filter

Its your own car anyway,i am only giving my own opinion

Idbatterim

Yeah do oil service on that car yourself. Just keep note of when and what mileage it was serviced at ...

StereoSound

On my 171 Octavia I get the dealer to service it since the car is still relatively new and I want to hold the value of it. If it were a 3 year old plus car I would do it myself.

I did the oil and filter, plugs and air filter yesterday evening on our second car, a Hyundai Coupe. Easiest car in the world to service, I could do it standing on my head. Very accessible. Dunno how forgiving my Octavia would be though lol.

audiavantawx

StereoSound wrote: »

On my 171 Octavia I get the dealer to service it since the car is still relatively new and I want to hold the value of it. If it were a 3 year old plus car I would do it myself.

I did the oil and filter, plugs and air filter yesterday evening on our second car, a Hyundai Coupe. Easiest car in the world to service, I could do it standing on my head. Very accessible. Dunno how forgiving my Octavia would be though lol.

Nice to get a good job done yourself,Fair play
I wouldnt imagine the octavia is too hard,i done a 131 a few year ago for a friend,i am not a mechanic just like using a set of ratchets and spanners,just take your time and have a look around first.

Dont go dismantling the car haha

chicorytip

audiavantawx wrote:

Try online to see if your car has youtube videos of diy jobs,make sure there is good feedback on them too Personally i like to do mine myself Last service kit i got cost 51 euro for a 1.9tdi audi (oil filter,air filter,5 litres of total oil) every third service will be a fuel filter for around 20/25 and a good quality pollen filter for 15/20 If your car is over a certain age you might aswell,nothing to lose Keep notes of what you do at service and dates When you do your service jack your car up (make sure its supported correctly)and have a good look around at everything under engine bay,leaks,make sure all bolts look tight,check for uneven thread wear on inside of tyres,just anything that doesnt look right

A vehicle being serviced needs to be elevated on a ramp (in a garage) in order to ensure proper visibility and, most importantly, the safety of whoever is working underneath.

Del2005

audiavantawx wrote: »

Personal preference i would not bother with suction pumps,just remove the nut on the sump
Just be careful when removing,I know my car has a alloy sump so you can damage the threads on removal and putting it back on,i usually loosen and then remove with my fingers
Give the car a good drive before you service,have the oil nice and hot
Usually burns the fingers of me but i have hands like leather,flows out nice and easy,always change oil filter a same time,its just common sence to,your going to mix fresh oil with the crap in your filter

Its your own car anyway,i am only giving my own opinion

Removing the sump nut requires a proper jack, axle stands, large catch tray, a 2nd person to make sure that you are safe and the risk of damaging the sump when putting the plug back in.

Sucking the oil requires a container the same size as the oil capacity of the car and a pump. You can check the old oil for swarf easily by pouring a bit into a different container.

For the home mechanic without access to a ramp a pump is the safer option, plenty of garages are using pumps now.

audiavantawx

Well I do mine without any of them things present but that's just me
Park the car on a high path at an angle if u can might help your access
All of my filters are easily accessible I am not sure about other cars
Use common sence if something doesn't look right it usually isn't

Autochange

No point in paying tradesmen for work you can do yourself and save money while you are at. as mentioned here there are loads of vids on youtube which show you everything you need to know.

On another note I recently wired a new electric shower in my place and plan on replacing the oven in a couple of months. Il be wiring that too.

colm_mcm

Del2005 wrote: »

Removing the sump nut requires a proper jack, axle stands, large catch tray, a 2nd person to make sure that you are safe and the risk of damaging the sump when putting the plug back in.
.

What? It’s not rocket surgery!

Safety is important of course, but I think you’re overstating how difficult changing oil is.

positivenote

barneygumble99 wrote: »

Question for OP, will you also be getting a qualified mechanic to do a thorough check on your car throughout the year??

Yeah, I'll continue to drop it to him maybe once a year for a once over but I wanted to save some cash by doing oil and filters myself

dooroy

While using a suction device may be convenient it can cause problems over time.
The oil should be drained when hot so that it runs out quickly and more importantly carries any debris in suspension and out of the sump .
Quite a few cars suffer from oil starvation problems caused by gradual obstruction of the oil pick up in the sump. The suction device will leave a certain amount of debris in the sump each time.
Oil filters generally are (a)canister type ( whole filter is removed and replaced ) or (b)paper element ( top of housing removed , old element removed and replaced with new one). Usually 2 O rings also need to be changed. The filter housing cap is plastic and can be difficult to remove. When refitting lubricate the large O ring and don't overtighten. Many have something like 25Nm stamped on the cap but not many will have a torque wrench.
When refitting the canister the rubber seal must be lubricated and tightened approx 3/4 of a turn after the seal contacts the block.
When it comes to fuel filters there can be wide variations in how difficult the job is. For example in the case of the Ford Focus for example if you don't have some way of priming the system they can be almost impossible to get started.
Access to the various filters can be the biggest problem - e.g while you can use a chain type grip on some cars on others you can't. And in some cases you may have to remove various hoses etc to get access .
So it's very important to have a good look at your car before you begin.

antodeco

I normally send it to a mechanic every 2 or 3 years (depends on which car). Pads, oil, filters and fluids I do myself. YouTube is a wealth of knowledge!

The Bishop Basher

Definitely do it all yourself.

Most important thing is to get the right tools for the job..

Don't tackle a job till you have everything you need.

Once you've done a few bits you'll be flying..

It;s all just nuts and bolts at the end of the day with some sore knuckles and head scratching.

Problem solving is all part of the fun..

Plenty of safe ways to raise the car but make sure you take zero chances when doing so..

And enjoy..