I have a toyota corolla near the end of its life (1995). I lucked out I guess, because it’s very easy to change the oil on this car. Just one wrench for the plug. The car doesn’t need to be on lifts, or jacked. Just lie on the ground and undo the plug. The filter you can take off and tighten by hand.
Are there any small cars that one is able to change the oil on by oneself? I’ve heard that companies are moving away from the screw on filter in a metal housing that you buy at wal mart to a paper filter that you replace. Seems a lot more work. Plus some cars have all kinds of things you have to remove before you can get at the plug/filter. Then other cars may still use a regular screw on filter but put it in such an odd place that you can’t get at it.
I guess I didn’t realize how lucky I was with this Toyota.
The only filters I have seen that you can remove by hand is a Fram with the rough grippy coating. I wouldn’t bother getting down on the ground without a filter wrench beside me.
I had a 71 VW bus- no filter, plenty of ground clearance and after the first time I didn’t remove anything except the center of the drain plug. You were supposed to remove the screen and replace the gasket but the screen wouldn’t filter out anything smaller than 1/2 ’ diameter so why bother.
I've heard that companies are moving away from the screw on filter in a metal housing that you buy at wal mart to a paper filter that you replace. Seems a lot more work.
It’s not much more work. My wifes lexus has this type of filter. Either type filter you can buy at WallMart (or any other auto parts store). The metal canister that houses the paper filter comes off just like the regular filter you’re use to. You then have to poll out the filter element and replace a couple of gaskets…then reattach. Simple.
I think we’ll be seeing more of these filter cartridge type filters. However I’m confident that aftermarket suppliers will quickly come up with a solution to make the job less messy and easier for those of us who prefer screw on canister filters. I would not let the filter type be a factor in your purchasing decision. There are far more important criteria.
The easiest car I have owned to change the oil was my 1971 Ford Maverick with the 250 cubic inch 6 cylinder engine. The drain plug was on the side of the oil pan. I could slide a pan under the car, reach down along the side of the motor and remove the drain plug with my socket wrench. The oil filter could also be removed and replaced without getting under the car.
I have no idea how difficult it is to change oil in today’s cars. At 72, I am just too lazy to do this any more. Besides, when we all start driving electric cars, the bearings will be permanently lubricated at the factory and oil changes will go the way of the carburetor and distributor.
“The easiest car I have owned to change the oil was my 1971 Ford Maverick with the 250 cubic inch 6 cylinder engine.”
Well, after all, Ford did advertise that the Maverick was so easy to maintain that “even airline stewardesses can do it”.
In fact, I can recall at least one TV commercial showing a group of stewardesses swarming over a Maverick and–IIRC–changing the bolt-on front fenders, and possibly some other body parts.
Yes, that was in the days before political correctness…
@VDCdriver
Did all this political correctness cause the auto manufacturers to make cars more difficult to service?
No matter what the level of difficulty, I think I would rather service the stewardess than the Maverick.
Avoid FWD cars. The transverse engine puts the oil filter over the frame or suspension. It isn’t easy to get to and the oil always drips onto the lower control arm when you remove the filter. You need rags; lots of rags.
I always enjoyed changing oil in my ford 4x4’s. They are so tall, you just lay in the creaper and roll under the truck and do your thing. I’m now in my second ecoboost and they have the panels under the engine and the filter is way back in one of the panels that don’t remove. They have a built in pan with a spout that supposedly brings the oil towards the front, down the spout and in your drain pan. After changing oil the first time on my first ecoboost and having a complete mess, I take it to a garage or dealer to have it done. It’s the only vehicle I’ve had someone change my oil in for the 37 years I’ve been driving.
Did all this political correctness cause the auto manufacturers to make cars more difficult to service?
What does political correctness have to do with this.
My wifes Lexus which has the new type filter is very easy to change the oil. If political correctness was to cause it to be messed up…then it didn’t do a good job at it.
Do you think a stewardess could change the oil in your wife's Lexus?
Does she know how to use a socket wrench? If so then yes?
I’ve owned vehicles since the mid 70’s. And of every vehicle I’ve owned the Lexus is the easiest I’ve ever owned. My 84 GMC pickup was a pain (had to go through the driver fender well to get to the filter). My 73 Vega was easy…but not as easy as the Lexus.
The Ford Maverick with its drain plug on the side of the oil pan spoiled me. I never had to get under the car to change the oil. When I replaced the Maverick with a 1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass V-8. I had to put the car up on the ramps to change the oil. I had to use a filter wrench that fit the end of the filter. I’ve never bothered to look under my Sienna to see how difficult an oil change might be. The 2003 4Runner we own doesn’t look too bad, but I leave it to my independent shop.
Hmm. Our 58 Chevy had a cartridge filter and we changed it ourselves. Just used a turkey baster to suck the oil out. I’ve got three FWD cars and have no problem with the filters or plug. They are so low though that it helps to just jack them up a few inches but it is not a problem. I would never trust though putting an oil filter on by hand.
The filter on my '91 Camry, a transverse I4, could easily be reached from reaching under the front bumper, and it was vertically mounted, so the oil stayed in the can. I didn’t even have to use ramps for that car.
My daughter’s Civics were terrible. The filter was on the firewall side of the engine, up and in the bowels of the chassis, and mounted at an angle so they spilled. I never could change the filters on those cars without making a mess.
On my Cutlasses, you put the floor jack under the drivers side lower control arm, lift until the tire is off the pavement. take your wrench and and filter wrench under, remove the filter first, then slide the pan over a bit and remove the pan plug. lower the jack for a few minutes to let the oil drain while you do other under hood maintenance. Then raise the jack, replace the filter and plug, lower back down and put the new oil in. Pretty simple quick and basic.
The worst was a friends saturn, it had a trough to redirect the drain oil, it did not work as intended. Other than that I have been through multiple configurations for draining oil and changing filter and the biggest issue was a side mount oil filter leaving drain oil on the engine block. No big deal, until they start making engines without an oil drain plug.