my ineptitude REQUIRES a lift

[tonycarreon]

so i just changed the oil in the car, and i think my apparent lack of ability in remembering where to place the catch pan (and which one to use) requires me to purchase a lift so i can put a large bucket under the car. it's for the good of the environment / planet. (think that'll fly with the SO?)

after 4 years of oil changes, you'd think i'd have it down by now...

[Kenny Boxster]

Get some kitty litter or sand before the lift. :dance:

[Joe B]

You don't need a lift to change the oil. A couple of ramps gets the rear end plenty high.

[tonycarreon]

kenny: yes i have kitty litter on hand. already kitty littered it before posting.

joe: i am using ramps. the problem isn't the lack of height to fit the catch pan, it's the lack of height to place a big-ass bucket underneath. i have 2 pans. each has its own problem. one can't drain into the bin fast enough, and the other has a "convenient" shelf to place the used oil filter and the draining oil hits it and make a nice las vegas-style fountain. if i could just place a large bucket underneath my problems would be solved.

the problem is the past few oil changes, i've used a local quick-change that i pay $10 to and they let me use their lift and catch bucket. sadly they were closed at 5pm on a sunday, and i wanted to do it...

[SeanZ4]

Don't feel bad. I've been doing it for 5 years and I've done that 2-3 times! The last time, the oil drain bolt fell perfectly into the drain pan hole and stopped it up.

[coreseller]

Captain Joe Hazelwood would be proud................

Had the same thing happen on the third or so oil change I did on my Box, the drain plug dropped into the drain hole of my oil drain pan, it created a mess but not too big of a deal to clean up. My 15 quart oil drain pan always worked well for me, have had it almost 25 years, similar to this:

Hopkins FloTool 11838 Oil Drain - 15 Quart : Amazon.com : Automotive


LOL.....looks like Sean had the same thing happen as me..................

[mountainman]

I think that is a great reason to buy a lift, but then any reason would be.

[clickman]

If I wanted to convince the better half that the cost of a lift was worthwhile, having a mess like that in the driveway would probably do it. Not to say that I would ever do that on purpose, of course...

[Joe B]

You're trying to use a bucket? No wonder you're having trouble. Get a 15 qt. pan like coreseller recommended. Here's one from your friendly Walmart. It has no trouble accommodating the 15 qts. of oil my Ford diesel truck uses. No spill, no mess, no lift needed . $10.49.

RhinoGear 15-Qt Oil Drain Pan: Automotive : Walmart.com

[Polaris]

GET A LIFT! I budgeted a scissor lift with the price of my Boxster and I wish I had bought one 15 years ago. It is by far my favorite tool.

Visualize never having to use a creeper again....tempting isn't it.

Regardless of your view of Harbor Freight tools, I am extremely happy with their lift, and if you use the 20% off coupon that is always available and get it on a little bit of a sale (it was $50 off when I bought mine), it was $1150 including freight. You do have to pick it up from your nearest freight terminal, and it is nearly 900 lbs.

[black_box]

If I had a nice garage floor or driveway, I'd put some cardboard down.

That said, If lived in a house (highrise dweller, unfortunately), I'd buy one of those scissor lifts and a vintage car to play with.