DIY Auto Repair

[Bonaventure]

Performed an oil change on a car that supposedly had a shop do it 5000 miles ago. I was shocked to find that the drain plug seal was just a melted piece of plastic crumbling along.

Everyone, but above all men, need to know how to do basic auto repair. If you don't, you are allowing yourself to be screwed over.

[Greg]

Get a sumo pump and pump it out via the dipstick.  Much easier, much less mess and no chance of dethreading the sump drain bolt.

And PS changing oil every 5000 miles is a waste of money.  Use decent synthetic oil and change every 10000 just checking the levels to make sure oil is not going down.  Modern synthetic oils don't break down like engine oils of old and on anything that isn't high performance, turbo or supercharged you're wasting your money.

[Bonaventure]

Greg, you always seem to read my mind. You were one of two mentors who predicted I'd marry a shy, but devout, Filipina, and yes, I do run synthetic. It'll only cost $5 more than the cheap stuff, the car isles better, slightly better gas mileage, and you don't have to worry about it as often.

[abc123]

Performed an oil change on a car that supposedly had a shop do it 5000 miles ago. I was shocked to find that the drain plug seal was just a melted piece of plastic crumbling along.

Everyone, but above all men, need to know how to do basic auto repair. If you don't, you are allowing yourself to be screwed over.

To this I would also add knowing how to do your own brakes. For $25-$40 and about 45 minutes you can save yourself hundreds of dollars over the life of your vehicle. This combined with changing your own oil are basic skills that really pay off.

I would also encourage fathers to show their sons how to do these things. I learned by watching my father and now my sons are learning.