I'm not sure if I've ever posted here, but I'm officially a cheap person and hate paying hundreds of dollars on routine labor. (Such as brake pads/rotors and oil)

I don't have too much non-standard tools, so if anyone has any advice on what neat tool would come in handy for your typical weekend DIY car person, let me know.

The only thing it seems I need that I don't have are some C clamps. Anything else fancy (Besides the parts and some brake cleaner)? Also, is it worth paying extra for some ramps to do the oil, or is the convienience not worth it and just jack up the car?

7/22/2010 10:07:48 AM

Ramps are great. Get ramps.

Also get a floor jack and jack stands.

7/22/2010 10:12:55 AM

It is well worth paying the $30-$40 for a set of ramps.

Get the oil filter wrench for your car that fits on the end of a socket wrench. They're only like $5 at Advance Auto and they look like this:



Get one of those oil catch buckets with a big lid on top and a small cap on the side for easy disposal of your oil. And get one of those metal trays that are about 2'x3' with a 1" tall lip. Set the oil catch bucket on top of that when you're changing your oil and wipe it up when you're done. You'll be surprised how much oil it keeps off your driveway.

7/22/2010 10:13:51 AM

Get the cheapest OBD 2 scan tool you can find, like the $30-$40 Actron one that reads and clears codes only. It will give you a code # only and then you can google it to see what's wrong. Make sure you get a new one so that it will work with the most vehicles.

7/22/2010 11:03:03 AM

^ for now I use Autozone for that.. free consulting!

Quote :

"Get the oil filter wrench for your car that fits on the end of a socket wrench. They're only like $5 at Advance Auto and they look like this:"

Yeah, previously when I lived with my parents back in the day we never had great success with that. I do remember a fun time trying to use the one with a chain to get off the filter... that ended up with a broken filter and oil everywhere. Was fun!

7/22/2010 11:17:45 AM

I don't think you really save any money diy oil change. You will net higher quality parts and not the hassle of sitting around waiting though.

7/22/2010 11:24:01 AM

I don't see how you can not save money if you use synthetic. Don't most places charge $50-$70 for a synthetic oil change versus doing it at home for $25-$30?

Hard to beat the $15 oil change specials if you use dyno oil though.

7/22/2010 11:48:11 AM

Plus you get the added bonus of skin cancer!

7/22/2010 11:59:26 AM

Quote :

""

i prefer this instead, since you can use it with practically every car:

7/22/2010 12:00:30 PM

If you do an oil change correctly you don't need an oil filter wrench

7/22/2010 12:25:41 PM

I know it's probably not necessary, but I like giving it that extra quarter turn beyond hand tight.

7/22/2010 12:32:18 PM

If you do it incorrectly you need a cutting torch.

[Edited on July 22, 2010 at 12:34 PM. Reason : Word to the wise, don't paint your engine with oil filter attached.]

[Edited on July 22, 2010 at 12:35 PM. Reason : ^I, too, like to hear the metal in a bolt "crackle". That way you know it's tight!]

7/22/2010 12:33:29 PM

sparkplugs and oil filters are two things that require far less torque than most people realize

7/22/2010 12:39:24 PM

I really don't think a quarter turn is going to hurt anything with that fat rubber gasket on there to compress.

7/22/2010 12:46:20 PM

Quote :

"If you do an oil change correctly you don't need an oil filter wrench"

it comes in handy when you have clearance issues. on some cars/bikes it can save a TON of time. on my car you have the oil pan and the exhaust surrounding it and barely any room to get your hand around it.

[Edited on July 22, 2010 at 1:07 PM. Reason : ]

7/22/2010 1:05:34 PM

I always put my oil filters on hand tight. I love how easy it is to access the oil filter on the S2000!

7/22/2010 2:04:00 PM

Quote :

""If you do an oil change correctly you don't need an oil filter wrench""

Yes, but if you didn't do the previous one, who knows how tight that damn thing will be!

7/22/2010 2:57:03 PM

Quote :

"Get the oil filter wrench for your car that fits on the end of a socket wrench. They're only like $5 at Advance Auto and they look like this:"

I prefer the strap-type filter wrenches, since they'll work on a wider variety of filters. You shouldn't need one, though...you should be able to remove it by hand. If you can't, there's always the big-ass screwdriver punched through the side of the filter.

Quote :

"I don't see how you can not save money if you use synthetic. Don't most places charge $50-$70 for a synthetic oil change versus doing it at home for $25-$30? Hard to beat the $15 oil change specials if you use dyno oil though."

You aren't gonna do it for $25-30 using Mobil 1, even at home!

I do my own oil changes most of the time, but i have all the stuff to do it. I think that buying ramps, catch pans, wrenches, etc to do your own oil changes just for the sake of saving money is a little asinine. There just isn't enough money to be saved.

Quote :

"I know it's probably not necessary, but I like giving it that extra quarter turn beyond hand tight."

Hand-tight is proper for an oil filter. Oil filter wrenches are for REMOVAL of a stubborn filter, not for putting a new one on!

Quote :

"sparkplugs and oil filters are two things that require far less torque than most people realize"

Also, lug nuts.

7/22/2010 3:09:22 PM

the mobil 1 oil was 22$ (sale) at walmart and the filter was 7$ at advance.

did the s2k yesterday.

7/22/2010 3:14:49 PM

^yeah I did the exact same thing last Saturday. And I don't plan on changing out that oil for 9-10,000 miles even with my hard driving.

[Edited on July 22, 2010 at 3:33 PM. Reason : but you know that, rather its general info for the thread]

7/22/2010 3:32:49 PM

Advance runs sales every once in a while for 5 quarts of Mobil1 + a filter for ~$27. I usually buy the oil change for both my vehicles when they do whether I need it at that time or not.

7/22/2010 3:35:09 PM

i think most people do DIY oil changes because of jiffy lube horror stories, not really to save $

7/22/2010 3:42:53 PM

I just figured, we have 2 cars, and will have to maintain 2 cars for the rest of our days... Can't hurt to buy tools and things upfront now to save in the future. Also, you can do it on your own time.

^ that's part of it.... gotta love the "forgot to put on the filter" or "forgot to put new oil" stories.

7/22/2010 3:45:09 PM

5 Quarts M1 + Mobil 1 Extended oil filter for $29.99 @ Advance Auto right now. Did my Civic today and have a quart left over for next time. The filter for my car was normally $12.99 by itself...Not a bad deal at all.

[Edited on July 22, 2010 at 9:50 PM. Reason : l]

7/22/2010 9:50:42 PM

I probablt should have done that. Oh well....gold oil filter owns!!!!

7/22/2010 11:17:26 PM

^the filter you got is good enough. Plus it's all grippy on the outside, makes removal easy!

7/23/2010 8:00:22 AM

I just buy OEM filters in bulk

7/23/2010 8:52:42 AM

I used to do the same.

7/23/2010 9:18:13 AM

I've got some metal ramps I'll sell you for $20

7/23/2010 3:41:39 PM

I'll have to jump on that Mobil 1/filter deal. Though my car takes 6 quarts. I usually use a PureOne filter but I'm assuming the M1 is equivalent (or if it costs $12 better?)

7/23/2010 3:55:59 PM

mobile 1 blows. shell rotella-t ftw.

7/23/2010 4:32:31 PM

So, replacing the brake pads, is there anything special i need to know with ABS? I was reading to bleed the fluid out as I compress it with a C clamp. I don't have to do anything with the sensor either?

7/23/2010 7:39:16 PM

OK, so, I can't for the life of me get the mount under the brake caliper off. I feel like I need a damn impact wrench. Would it be such a bad thing to not change the rotor and just change the brake pads? The were maybe 50% worn. Online research is all over the place with varying opinions.

What does tww think?

7/23/2010 10:30:32 PM

how many miles are on your car? Rotors usually last a fairly long time. I don't replace mine that often unless they warp.

Regarding the ABS, no nothing you need you do. Old pads out, new pads in. That's it. In fact (and others might disagree with me) you don't even need to bleed out the brake lines. However, before you push the caliper pistons back in be sure to uncap the master cylinder. Just keep an eye on the level to make sure it doesn't overflow (it shouldn't).

[Edited on July 23, 2010 at 11:28 PM. Reason : Doing things that way i've never had a problem]

7/23/2010 11:24:11 PM

I prefer the pureone filters over the M1. I notice that my oil stays cleaner longer with them.

7/23/2010 11:44:13 PM

I just roll with dino oil and one of those fancy purolator filters with the grippy texture.

http://www.carparts.com/wcsstore/carparts/images/imagecache/G_28611G_SW_1.jpg



Easy to install and remove, even when I had oil on my hands.

And whenever shit breaks on my car I look up what the fix for it is on the jeep forums I look at from time to time. If it's too complicated, off to pep boys it goes. Example: Air conditioning repair.

Oh, a torque wrench isn't a bad thing to have if you start working on certain things I suppose. It eliminates the guess work for repairs where you have certain guidelines to follow I guess. I haven't had to do any repairs like that.

7/24/2010 12:45:54 AM

Awesome, brake pads done! Had to bleed em cause i screwed up, but no big deal.

7/24/2010 5:39:09 PM

Quote :

"i think most people do DIY oil changes because of jiffy lube horror stories, not really to save $"

yep. something satisfying about knowing it was done right and some underpaid ex-con didnt strip your drain plug. I didnt mind letting the quick lube places do my saturn, but I don't trust anyone with my truck and of course you're just a lazy fuck if you can't change your own oil on a bike


Jeepman sold me on these



the strap- and socket-type filter wrenches have been a waste of money in my experience. If you want to buy a tool instead of skewering it with a screwdriver, go with those vice-grips.

7/25/2010 1:39:35 PM

I got so lucky. The filter was a piece of cake to get off! I feel so accomplished doing these things myself and saving $ texas.

7/25/2010 3:17:02 PM