Synthetic vs conventional?

Use the spec on the cap. Most modern cars want synthetic. Brand matters less than spec.

Drain a little or extract from the dipstick tube. Overfill can foam and damage seals.

Follow the oil-life monitor or the severe-service interval in the manual, not a 3,000-mile myth unless you tow in dust.

Oil Change & Filter Basics

Drain, filter, fill to the dipstick, reset the light

45 min7 photographed stepsBeginner

A complete oil change for a typical engine: the right spec oil, a new crush washer, filter gasket check, fill without overfilling, leak check, and the oil-life reset so the car stops nagging you.

What you'll learn

How to read the cap instead of guessing 5W-30
How not to strip the drain plug
How tight a spin-on filter actually is
How to hit the dipstick range

Inside this course

Buy the right bottlesWrong viscosity is a real problem in modern engines with variable timing.
Drain and filterThe last threads of the plug are by hand so it doesn't drop into the black lake.
Fill, look, resetAdd less than capacity, then sneak up on the dipstick.
Reset and throw the old oil away legallyThe light is how you remember the next one.

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First steps from Buy the right bottles

See how every step looks — photo, checklist, and pro tips included.

01Cap, manual, quantity

Read viscosity and spec off the cap and confirm in the manual. Buy the listed litres plus a little extra. Filter must match engine code, not just the car name.

Replace the crush washer every time if there is one. Reusing a flattened washer is a slow leak.

02Warm, not scalding

Idle 5 minutes so oil flows. Gloves. Ramps on level ground, parking brake, chock the wheels that stay down. Wide drain pan — the stream moves.

If you jack it, stands, same as any under-car job.

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