How long between oil changes?

[23109VC]

maybe i'll give this one a shot as a DIY. I have done brake pads/rotors on my own cars before, as well as suspension (shocks/springs). I'm no mechanic, but I can bolt/unbolt stuff and am not afraid to get dirty.

for me, it's the PITA / time factor. if it costs me $50 to do it myself and $250 to pay someone, and it takes me on ehour....i'd rather do it myself. if it costs me $50 to do ti myself, $100 to pay someone to do it, and it will take two hours and be a nasty dirty job, I'd rather fork over the $50 for some other person to get all dirty.

this job sounds like it's not too hard. i can do it myself in my garage. i just need that drain pain and the right tool to pull the drain plug out.

[Frodo]

Just don't do what I did the first time. I got, I'm pretty sure, the exact same drain pan that mptoledo linked. It's got one hole in the center to catch and drain the old oil. When removing the drain plug (which was still hot), I managed to drop it and, of course, it went into that one and only hole.

Ended up with a pool of used motor oil roughly 6' in diameter on the driveway. It was a terrifically fun clean-up, sarcasm intended. Afterwards, got my electric drill and put on the biggest bit I had (1/2") and drilled about 8 holes in the top, around the center hole. Predictably, I've never dropped the plug into the center hole since.

I still (and would recommend to others) put down newspaper below and around the catch pan. When the oil comes out, it often hits the top of the pan (the part I drilled the holes in) and sends out this wave of used motor oil beyond the outer perimeter of the drain pan. Last time I didn't get a drop on the driveway, though I make no guarantees I'll always be able to achieve that.