Is Oil Change a Good DIY Project?

While a DIY oil change can potentially save you money in the short term, it has many potential pitfalls and negative results that may end up convincing you to leave this job to the pros.

1. It’s messy.

This might be pretty obvious, but seriously, it’s much messier than washing your car. Instead of working with soap and water, you’re working with a slimy, smelly, dirty substance. Even the fresh, “clean” replacement fluid isn’t all that clean: It’s still oil. So if you don’t want to ruin a load of wash but want to save a few dollars on vehicle maintenance, you may want to consider washing your own vehicle instead of paying for a full-service wash and detail rather than eliminating your less frequent oil change expenditure.

2. It’s hard to do without the right equipment.

When you take your vehicle to a professional service center, it may be jacked up so people can work under it without lying flat on their backs. At places that specialize in oil change, there may be giant rectangular man holes beneath the spot into which your vehicle pulls. Either way, the benefit is not merely limited to comfort. Working in an upright position gives a person greater leverage and agility in order to complete the task at hand.

3. It’s less likely to reveal other issues.

When you take your vehicle to a professional, part of the service offered is typically a brief check of other aspects of your vehicle. The other fluids are checked and topped off, if needed. Front and back lights are all reviewed. Performing some of those additional services yourself are impossible without a second person, and others require you to keep various fluids on hand.

4. It’s not that expensive to get it done professionally.

Some services are so costly that even a botched DIY job is worth the gamble; oil change is not one of them. Since even the most pricey oil still costs less than a tank of gas, and you likely don’t have to get it done more often than a handful of times each year, you need to consider whether it’s really worth learning a new skill, keeping the needed equipment and extra fluids on hand, and getting really messy each time you need to perform the service.

5. It’s dangerous if you do it incorrectly.

If you wash your vehicle inadequately, you may be shunned by professional auto washers or embarrassed at the big party; other than that, the ramifications are pretty much nonexistent. With a botched oil change, however, you could ruin your entire engine, without which your vehicle will be rendered virtually useless. (Using the bed of a pick-up truck as a flower bed is technically making it “useful.”) Is it really worth the risk?

Whatever reason seems most compelling for you, the thought of switching out your vehicle’s vital fluids by yourself should probably be ignored. It really is a job for professionals who’d like to tell you, “Don’t try this at home.”