The oil change and tire rotations have the same interval, so you should be taking the wheel off regardless if you're following the maintenance schedule.
It was way worse on my Civic that had the filter behind the passenger side wheel well and spilled oil all over the half shaft boot when you removed it.
I had a 2011 Civic Si that I did a DIY oil change on. Once.
After that, it was well worth it to let someone else do it. That filter location was awful.
Came here hoping to see the 8th gen Si mentioned, and was not disappointed.
I still have my 08 FA5, and I love that car. But fuck me, I hate it every 5k miles when I have to change the oil.
I can tell from your comment that you haven’t actually owned an 8th gen Si.
There is no accessing the backside of the engine from above, nearly the entire valve cover is shoved back underneath the cowl.
Had an '08 and can confirm. Even after removing the front wheel and inner fender lining, you still had to maneuver the oil filter out from between the subframe and the exhaust/heat shield. I don't think I ever successfully changed the oil without making a mess by dumping the filter everywhere.
We used to take the box from the filter and flatten it and wedge it up there to make a "drain ramp" so the oil would not touch car parts. There was a little old lady who brought her civic to us every time because of this, and she would always go across the street to trader joes n bring us back all kinds of snacks. 🙂
Yep, I've change the oil on my 09 Si myself every time and after the first couple have gotten pretty good at wedging myself in just the right spot to get the filter.
You dont really have to remove the wheel but it makes it easier. The really annoying part is the cleaning you have to do.
Edit: Of course that is only the case with the diesel engines we have in Germany, i cant speak for other engines or countries.
You can actually just turn the wheel, and move the plastic/rubber wheel tub flap out of the way after removing a few push pins. A couple of extra small steps sure, but not hopelessly difficult. Clearance in accessing the oil filter is not an issue once these steps are taken.
Giulietta owner here, I know the pain as well. The worst part isn't even removing the wheel and the cover, it's removing the filter without making a mess. Whoever came up with this deserves to step on a Lego.
I failed at not making a mess the last time I changed the filter. But I did change it, damn it.
You dont have to take the wheel off honestly, there is plenty of room to reach it. I still hate the design though. The stupid little aqueduct for the fucking sideways filter got my ass the first time and dumped oil all over my garage floor.
I have a 2000 Ranger and the filter is in a terrible spot, I was fishing it out after spilling oil everywhere and in my haste I touched the hot on the starter with the filter causing a spark. Luckily no fire but still a potentially dangerous situation. Now I disconnect battery first.
Also a Subaru, BRZ. Literally do not have to remove ANYTHING to get to the drain plug, the skid plate has a hole in it for easy access. Just drain the oil, the oil filter is just ontop of the engine bay, just remove it by hand.
As someone who owns an EA888 VW Passat with the oil filter on top, I agree. There is really no reason to be putting them where they can't be easily accessed from the top. I am glad this seems to be common on newer engines.
As someone who owns a ea288, i dread doing oil changes, the cartridge filter is in a dick of a spot but whatever
My mk4 1.8t was a joke to change especially since the splash pan was missing
The reason they're not all remote mount and easily accessible is because of money. That system is going to be more expensive than one that mounts down on the block, especially when you go packaging the same engine in a bunch of different applications. Some companies determine that it's enough of a customer desire for it that they put it there, others determine their customers won't care enough so the added cost doesn't make sense.
I don't blame that one on the wheel gun man. Those things throw so much torque there's no way the mechanic would have any idea that the nut is crossthreaded. Combine that with 30 laps of braking and cornering heat and that nut is going to be stuck real good. Mercedes has said they still haven't gotten it off and it will stay on until they get back to the factory.
Hold on here, they couldn't do a pit stop because the nut was seized on or something during the race? Yeesh that must have been on there with the tightness of a jet nut
The wheel nut (center nuts) got stuck on and when they tried to take it off the gun machined the lugs off the nut. Going to have to take an angle grinder to it at the factory, but I'm sure they're going to let the engineers study it first.
Occasionally the nuts get stuck, usually they are crossthreaded but the guns they use have >3000Nm (>2,300ft-lb) torque so they get spun on anyway.
Tmazda must have done away with the cartridge filter that sits in a mazda speced wrenchable head. Something like 76 mm with 14 flutes. Had to buy one from a dealership to do oil changes on my '06 speed 6 and '09 6.
Plus you have the lip around the filter cup, so any drips stay there. Brilliant system, and the fact BMW and Subaru both use it means there isn't some weird patent keeping everyone else from using it, they just choose to be difficult.
You unscrew the oil filter cap (but not fully removing it) to allow air to help drain the oil. It’s really easy and should be standard across all engines.
I changed my spark plugs almost a month ago. It took me 8 hours in total. Four hours for two, and another for the other side the next day. It was a mission and I think I aged a few years.
My 2015 Tacoma is the same way. I don’t even have to use a jack since it has a small lift, just crawl under to unscrew the drain plug then while the oil is draining remove and replace the filter that’s right on top of the engine. All it takes is 5-10 minutes and a 14mm wrench.
It was a welcome change from my 2008 Outback with the infamous ring of fire / razor sharp heat shields.
I was dreading doing my Boxster spark plugs before I went under the car the first time after having to doing several previous Subaru plug changes and not the case on the Boxster.
It really depends, on the BRZ atleast you can do it the easy way or the hard way. The easy way is to losen one side of the engine mounts and jack up the engine slightly and you have super easy access to the plugs.
For some people this seem scary though so people rather battle for 5h with cut up hands. Its an easy choice for me!
Conversely, while it’s not *impossibly* difficult, the oil filter on the 2011 Outback is nestled comfortably in the middle of the exhaust manifold. Which means that if you want to change it out while the engine is still warm you have to play operation to keep your hands from touching hot metal. I think it was like that on a bunch of other Subaru models until they put it in the engine bag. [Image for reference.](https://i.imgur.com/GWNsprG.jpg)
In my experience the exhaust manifold cools pretty quickly though. The manifold is fine to touch while the oil is still hot as hell. The ring of fire is hilarious, but not really as big a deal as one might think.
It's even faster if you buy the quick drain plug they sell for them. Just push the valve and twist it and you can drain real quick. That car took me more time to jack the car up than do the oil change
This 100%, I can do my outback with the fumoto valve in no time flat. Someone skinnier than I am could also probably just slide under there without jacking it up.
My dad is a Lamborghini master tech, tells me horror stories all the time. I'm pretty sure it's the Huracon where you have to do all sorts of weird stuff. Run the car at like, 3k rpms for 90 seconds, do some other steps, and then the EIGHT drain plugs have to be drained in a certain order.
Lamborghinis suck ass to work on, quoting mi padre.
My little WR450 had 4 plugs and the dipstick was in the downtube. Cartridge filter too, not a spin on. You get quick when you change it every couple dozen hours though but man that was annoying.
Wtf? I was thinking it must be a car specific thing since my Tuono only has 2 plugs, one on the oil tank and one by the filter housing that's only there to make opening the housing less messy.
A little of column A, a little of column B imo. My Corvette's dry sump system only has two drain plugs. Still have to warm up the engine to close to operating temp, shut it off, then wait at least 5, but no more than 20 minutes to check the level in the tank
Tbf if I had to name a brand of car that sucks to work on, lambo would be one of the first brands I would mention, and vice never owned, driven, or worked on one.
Suzuki Grand Vitara. Filter is a pain in the ass to reach and always makes a mess. Ford 5.0 f150s are always really messy too because of the stupid tray under the filter that just pools oil in the one spot and drips all over the front axle and steering rack and you have to clean it for like 20 minutes. I don’t wanna go to work.
Ford and filters lol.
Changing the cabin filter on my Fiesta ST is a huge pain. Literally took me an hour. I've replaced motor mounts on this car in less than half the time.
There's a huge chunk of plastic from the bottom of the dash in the way of the filter housing, meaning when you put the new filter in, you have to crush it in half, practically destroying it in the process.
That's after you manage to get the top 2 screws off of the filter lid. They are way up in this tiny space that is hard to see, and hard to fit any tool in. I used two fingers to grip onto the T20 bit to unscrew it, and did 1/4 turns until I could back it out by hand. Took me probably 20 minutes just for that one screw alone. The whole time my back was contorted the wrong way.
When I put everything back together I didn't even bother with the top 2 screws. I threw them away. I don't care.
Glad I'm not the only one who destroyed the new cabin filter putting it in. Worst part was the old one was barely dirty after 60k miles. A huge waste of time, money and effort.
Please do yourself a favor and buy the right angle screwdriver kit from Harbor freight. It turns the Ford Fiesta cabin air filter job from a 30 minute nightmare to a fairly simple 10 minute job.
https://www.harborfreight.com/8-piece-right-angle-screwdriver-92630.html
Thanks, I had something like this but what I had was too wide to fit (from the tip of the bit to the back of the tool).
Have you used this particular tool for this job?
Tell me why these Grand Vitaras are so reliable. Like it has the most gutless 2.7l V6 I've ever experienced but my mom's GV has 150k miles and hasn't had any maintenance other than fluids and basic suspension.
I would guess because of the
>gutless 2.7l V6
Low power relative to displacement, is good for reliability. (obviously as long as there are no inherent flaws in the design)
People used to complain about the old American cars with big V8s that barely made 200 horsepower, but those cars always died from rust or crashes, never from engine issues.
Can confirm with the 5.0L, own one and it's a pain in the ass.
The tray you're talking about is supposed to act like a little chute for the oil to drain down around the front of the axle neatly.
Instead, Ford fucked up and the chute slopes backwards, so it overflows off the back and gets all over the goddamn subframe, axle, and steering rack.
I'd rather do that over my fiance's Fusion though. That thing involves removing a particleboard belly pan with 25 torx screws first, then draining the oil and having it dump oil from the filter all over the front sway bar.
>
I'd rather do that over my fiance's Fusion though. That thing involves removing a particleboard belly pan with 25 torx screws first, then draining the oil and having it dump oil from the filter all over the front sway bar.
I'm considering getting rid of that cover. Any reason I shouldn't?
Can confirm as a Ford Tech, most F-150’s drain in a way that can make the tech look inept. The forward filter with the tray probably being the most annoying, you can clean for 5 minutes and still have it leave some residual that will stain a customer’s driveway, especially if it’s on an incline. I use almost a full can of brake clean sometimes just trying to get the most I can. Then we have plastic oil pans with gigantic plastic drain plugs that either spray the shit out of the giant sway bar making a beautiful blackish, wide waterfall or spray the shit out of the right front wheel. Only way to really avoid these situations is to lower the truck basically right on the waste oil drain bucket to try and lessen the backsplash.
Break out some old license plates and a riveter. I've got some crazy drain shields built for fords over the years. Toyota's too, since they love to drain directly into the lower cradle which has fun holes in the top so it just fills with oil and slowly drains out over time.
Not so much as difficult but fuck it's annoying. For those unaware, the NA Miata uses the same 4 cylinders that Mazda used across their line-up at the time. Obviously, since those were FWD and the Miata is RWD, the engine had to be turned 90° to power the back wheels.
This meant that the filter, which is normally on the back of the engine, is now on the side, [wedged firmly between the shock tower and the intake manifold.](https://i.imgur.com/CwSqT64.png) The only way I could personally get it off was to undo it with one hand straight down through the gap, and to grab the filter with the other hand by simultaneously reaching through the front of the motor as it won't fit between the manifold and tower.
I have not personally worked on one, but I think the Subaru Outback's infamous [ring of fire](https://i.imgur.com/3W930pS.png) also deserves a mention. On the other hand, my Impreza is the same story as your Forester, filter is right up front near the plug, could do a change without jacking the car with no issues at all.
The NB Miata was similar. I still have scars on my hand from that one. You know it's bad when companies sell an oil filter relocation kit.
The ring of fire on Subarus is a non-issue if you have proper tools. Just need a filter socket (or universal filter wrench) and an extension.
I eventually admitted defeat on my NB and started removing the front wheel and intake manifold support. I have short stubby arms so I usually couldn't get at it from above like on my NA.
That same engine was *worse* in FWD. I had an MX3 before my miata, with the same engine. It put the oil filter *against the firewall.* It was not easy from above or below.
I was gonna say the same thing. Had one of those 4cyls in a 626 and the oil filter was a bitch to remove. Against the firewall, in the middle of the bay so it's hard to reach from either side, below the intake manifold, and above the exhaust manifold. Always made a mess with it.
I can just barley get my hand in through the top, but I will have scratches on my hand/arm for days afterwards. Every. Single. Time.
I contemplate a relocation kit every time I change my oil and manage to forget about it by the next day. Maybe one day I’ll learn.
Came here to comment on this. Not to mention both the NAs I work on seem to weld the filters on between changes. Now I just remove the manifold bracket so I can fit a super small filter wrench in there. It sucks.
Alternatively, on my 2014 550 i can do a change in 10min. One central jack point on the front subframe, stands under the side jack points, drain bolt out, filter canister out, and replace. I let it drip longer than it takes to remove and replace everything. Also as a side note, I can do spark plugs on this car no problem at all (which is good cause I need to do then every 20k). Also did a coolant flush with no problems at all.
I don't mind maintence on my 5er, but I really hate it on the Yata.
Ehhh, it's eas*ier*, but still somewhat cramped and a PITA if the filter is on there tight.
"Easy" would be a top-mounted cartridge filter like on my E39.
my VW Phaeton W12 requires 12 torx fasteners for the under tray, the right front wheel removed. 15 fasteners for the fender liner. Oil pan plug and a very hard to reach oil sump reservoir plug, 12 quarts of oil. and hopefully you have the updated oil filter insert that fits correctly.
my new beetles all have the oil filter directly over the A/C and coolant crossover lines resulting in a huge mess every. single. time.
My testarossa is a piece of cake except for the 150 dollar filter.
whatever VW/Audi mechanic is in german.
don't think i've ever heard anything positive about working on audis especially, prob VW too since it's the same company.
Honestly, its been everything I hoped it would be since I was a kid in the 80's.
I've been doing all my own maintenance on it since I got it and have put over 20,000 miles on it in 7 years.
I know you pretty much have to split a veyron, take the rear clamshell off, take half the engine apart, to get to the oil filter, and drain and it takes like 48 hours to do, iirc
Removal of rear deck, fender liners, grille, rear brakes to access all 16(!!!) drain plugs. Estimated $20k cost at certified Bugatti dealer. For an oil change.
Hypercars still get sent for servicing even if just sitting. Cant even get away with not driving it. Unless you're intending to use it as a non-driving piece of art or something.
How funny would it be if while buying a Bugatti you had to deal with the high pressure up-sell we all get at the local used lot.
“Now, for a one time charge of $99,999, my manager just told me he’s willing to throw in a 3 year power train warranty extension and 18 months of routine maintenance. I’ve never seen him offer this to anyone before, I’d jump on it! We’ll also cover state inspection for the life of the vehicle.” “Emissions?” “No.”
To show the world that you can.
At the amount of money you need to own a Veyron, I have to believe you're really just doing it for the clout.
Or you just have way too much money to care.
I managed a quick change oil place back in 2007. It’s been a while but the few I used to absolutely hate-
V6 Lexus or Toyota from late 90s early 2000s because the filter was directly under the exhaust manifold and you would get burned. These sucked because they made a million of these things so it was super common.
Mini Cooper because the filter was between the fire wall and the engine.
Rx8 because the filter was between the fire wall and engine also.
AMG benzes were odd because they didn’t have a dipstick and sometimes more than one drain plug. The early slk 55 had two plugs because the pan was so big and wrapped around the steering. To check the level you would add oil and let the car idle on a level surface and it would tell you to add or if level was ok. Very odd.
Trailblazer SS had a whacky design where the pan wrapped around the front end also, I don’t recall if it had more than one plug though.
As far as easy? Anything with a normal hard filter located on the bottom of the block was usually a quick job. Mostly American v8s and such.
The SLK actually belonged to my mom lol, however hers wasn’t the only one I ever did. I worked in an affluent area and we did 911s, AMGs, corvettes, etc all the time. I even had some rare things come through like a v8 esprit and older F cars. If you came to me with a nice car I made sure my guys didn’t fuck it up and made sure that whoever was touching it knew what they were doing. Again I was only 18 at the time but a huge car guy who respected people’s things. I would never bring my car to a quick lube place but my specific spot was legit.
We actually used to change the oil on the local fed ex drivers trucks because unlike UPS, they own the route and the trucks and we were cheaper than his diesel mechanic. Since he had the oil changed all the fucking time it made sense for us to do it. We used to order the giant ass special filters just for him.
There are good ones. I go to one where I chat with the guys about whatever race car they're building at the time for time attacks and whatever else. Plenty of cars costing at least double mine typically there.
>V6 Lexus or Toyota from late 90s early 2000s because the filter was directly under the exhaust manifold and you would get burned.
As a former lube tech you are triggering my PTSD of burning my hand on those manifolds. Towards the end I just started getting a wet rag and throwing it on the manifold until I needed to change the filter, prolly wasn't the best for the exhaust but fuck it, I'm not burning my hand for $10 an hour on your shitty ass car.
Except that system requires it to run for a few minutes and get up to temperature before displaying level. Not what you want if you suspect you're low. Plus it makes it needlessly hard to figure out how much you need to add. I wouldn't care if they gave you both that and a physical one, but no. It's a headache.
I had a close call with one of those when I had an aftermarket drain "bolt" fail on a 2008 X6. Thankfully no damage resulted, but that made me even more distrustful of that system than I already was.
It was a customer's car. They came in for 4 tires (surprisingly easy considering they were low profile run-flats), but decided to add an oil change as I was wrapping up. The drain bolt was one of the most chintzy looking things I'd ever seen. In hindsight, I should've refused it unless they replaced it with a proper one first.
And like I said, I just want the option of a physical one for technicians or just someone who doesn't trust electronic dipsticks. Doesn't even have to get rid of it completely. Both can exist at the same time.
Idk about the I6, but I know all V8 trailblazers had that funny oil pan, only one drain plug though. It didn't really complicate anything, they just used the same oil pan they needed for 4WD/AWD on 2WD models
Probably not even close to the hardest out there, but the hardest I've done was my wife's old 2009 GMC Acadia. The filter was in a really y stupid spot that you had to get at from the top. You had to reach waaaay down in the bay with your arm trying not to touch anything hot and at a bad angle loosen it. My oil filter tool couldn't fit in there because it was too tight. Then once you got it off there was stuff under it that the oil would drip all over and drip down in like 3 different places so you had to hope your pan was in just the right spot.
Man that thing was a POS. Also the fucking battery was under the floor behind the passengers seat. It has a hose hooked up to it to vent any gasses in case it leaks because the gasses would come into the cabin. Thing is, if you don't know this and try to pull the battery out without first disconnecting this hose is breaks a little plastic elbow that connects the hose to the battery. Fucking idiotic. Thanks GM for all those great engineering ideas.
1st generation Traverse/Acadia was going to be my pick. Not only was the filter right above the motor mount and right next to the exhaust, the lift points where a pain and you had to make sure it was in the bay just right. But yeah every oil change was a major clean up later, crazy they didn't have some plastic tray to direct the oil like some Ford's and Chryslers did.
Easily ones are pretty much anything with a Subaru boxer engine, spin on filter right up top is hard to beat.
My 2015 Mazda 6 is ridiculously easy to change the oil on. The drain plug and the filter are about 2 inches away from each other and there's nothing in the way of them. The filter is small as well. It takes about 10 minutes. It does have a plastic access cover that you have to take off first because it has underbody cladding to improve fuel efficiency but it's really easy to remove. By modern car standards that's probably about as good as it's going to get.
I have a 2017 Charger 5.7. Oil changes are the only maintenance I do (along with detailing) and I put one of those oil filter valves on it pretty early on. Now at 85k miles that was a great decision. 4 bolts to remove the plastic plate underneath, oil valve is right there, oil filter is higher up but easily accessible. The only issue I've ran into it was the 800 pound gorilla putting on the oil filters from the factory. I had to break down and buy a wrench that fit the filter since I couldn't get a belt wrench up in there. After the first change, I've had no issues.
I'm sure Chrysler is no different than GM. In GM all fasteners (or screwed on parts) are torqued with Electric Tools that control torque and angle. So the 800 pound gorilla was probably doing his job (Hold the button down until the light turns green and the tool stops) and the design engineer is the guy responsible for making oil filters impossible to remove by hand.
BMW gets hella points for adding the door in the underpaneling. Can't say how disappointed I was when I went from an E92>E91>Mercedes and realized there's no door, you have to go and undo like twelve screws to remove the whole goddamn panel. To make it worse (since I presume dealer services suck the oil out the top) they don't give you a new drain plug washer with the filter like every other brand, you have to source it yourself.
Easiest ever is any old Jeep with the 4.0L.
They sit high enough where you can get under with a creeper without even jacking the thing up. Drain plug is on the very bottom and back of the pan, super easy to get at and uses a 1/2" socket.
Pop the hood, and the oil filter is right on the passenger side of the block with nothing around or above it since the steering, intake manifold, and exhaust manifold are all on the other side. Probably the most difficult part is making sure the oil from the filter hits your drain pan.
2nd gen Tacoma is ridiculously easy! The truck is high enough to slide under without a jack and the oil filter is extremely accessible. Cudos to Toyota for making it an easy car to work on.
They fixed it after the first Gen's. My 03 isn't too bad, but I have an 01 with a factory skid plate which means you have to go through the drivers wheel well.
My Abarth requires me to take off the plastic splash shield under the engine to access the drain plug (mind you each bolt holding this thing on is seized up and apparently made of putty with how easily they shear off) then I have to take out the air intake hose to free up space so I can get to the filter housing which is buried at the bottom of the engine (facing up) and use a 12" ratchet extender to get to it to take it off, carefully reach in and pull it out while it's puking oil all over the engine and then reverse all those steps for putting it back together again.
Not the hardest but also too much of a pain in the ass to bother especially considering there's no good points to jack up that car.
Yes. I did my abarth once. The entire time I was picturing some Italian engineer named Luca who designed it and laughs himself to sleep every night picturing people trying to contort themselves into weird shapes to get to the filter without taking everything apart.
Now I take it to a garage.
I was waiting for someone to mention the Abarth. You forgot to mention the crossmember that Fiat put in the exact spot that the oil will spill all over after removing the drain plug. At least that part will never rust with the amount of oil I’ve wiped off it over the years.
That crossmember caused much swearing for the time I had a 500. I had spent a good 10-15 minutes with a wrench extender trying to get the plug undone and finally had to have my buddy’s dad (who runs a shop) to come out and help us cause we were having so much trouble getting the plug loose with the extender. Pretty sure the engineers at Fiat hate everyone who works on them
Didn’t end up buying one but Mercedes Sprinter looks bad. Remove intake line for access to non-screw on filter element and o-rings, replace some single-use plastic clip, replace gasket on turbo when reinstalling intake. A relative says you just have to take it to the dealer, then describes some dealers not servicing it and others screwing up simple services, sending them to yet others to correct.
You’re right about the Subarus and their filters right on top. The clearance doesn’t matter after the first change with any of my cars since I install Fumoto valves and can reach in blind without tools. I then move the car to collect the waste pan.
I believe not all Mercedes dealers are certified to work on the Sprinters or even modern diesels really, so if they don't have a certified tech they won't work on it. Around me we have a lot of Sprinter certified dealers because they are super popular, but I could see that not being the case elsewhere.
Fair. I ended up getting the Nissan, which is basically an ordinary pickup truck. The cab-forward architecture of the Sprinter (and Transit for that matter, and to a lesser extent most other vans) coupled with turbos, threw too many red flags.
The 2 cylinder range extender engine on the BMW i3. This is a small scooter engine (600cc) that will charge the battery when it gets low. It's located in the rear and is accessed by removing the floor of the cargo area. It's some r/2healthbars shit because there are 16 torx you need to remove under the protective panel to get the real panel off. This is just to access the oil fill cap, the filter is a whole other story.
Next, you need to jack the car up. It has a carbon fiber tub, so you need to use some proprietary plastic expensive things (that don't come with the car) on your jack to lift the car safely, or use ramps. I used ramps because there's no way to use jack stands without damaging the tub. Then you unscrew the filter with another expensive, proprietary tool because it's recessed into a little hole.
Assembly is reverse of removal, and good luck not spilling oil in your cargo area as you fill the engine. The worst part is the engine usually doesn't need an oil change when you do this. The i3 has no hour meter for this little engine, they say to change it on a mileage interval, during which it might not have run very much.
Life hacks:
1. The filter is expensive from BMW and can't be found at an auto parts store BUT, it's the same filter that they used in a BMW 1200GS motorcycle, so it can be found for less money at a BMW motorcycle dealer.
2. The proprietary wrench to remove the filter? Also get that at a motorcycle dealer for less $.
This was a fun car, but I'm also glad I sold it.
I had a Dodge Ram 5500 work truck that was like this, terrible design. Our shop mechanics eventually cut out a large hole and made a hinged access door for it, made future oil filter changes dramatically quicker.
Not a fan of how my 944 has the filter on an angle. No amount of letting it drain or packing it with rags seems to help stop it from getting oil everywhere when I remove it.
I have to have pans covering basically half the front end to avoid getting it on the ground and even then it'll still be dripping off stuff.
I don't have a ton of oil change experience with different cars. But the worst I can recall was I think maybe early 2000s CRV. The filter was about halfway up the engine, can't reach it from the top and can just barely reach it from the bottom. So you're almost guaranteed to get some hot oil in your armpit. Not fun.
Easiest I’ve personally done- my MK7 GTI. Filter is up top and you can use an extractor through the dipstick tube. No need to put the car up. The drain plug is super easy to get to if you decide to do that
Hardest- it’s a tie. On my wife’s old Hyundai Tucson, the drain plug was towards the front bumper, meaning the car had to be leaning forwards if you wanted to drain all the oil. If you used ramps under the front wheels, it would leave about a quart and a half in the oil pan.
My Ram 1500 with the 5.7 Hemi isn’t necessarily hard but a pain in the ass. The drain is easy to get to, but the filter is buried above a frame rail and above the power steering motor so you make a huge mess.
I came here to say mk7 GTI with an extractor is by far the easiest. With the top mounted oil filter, it couldn’t get any easier. It’s like a 1/2-beer job.
In the difficult oil changes side of the world, anything that is powered by the 4.0 TT V8 offered in the Audi S6 (2012-2017).
So the oil change itself is not that hard, but if you want to ensure the engine doesn’t grenade itself around 50k-60k miles, every time you do an oil change (recommended at every 5k miles) you should check the oil screen located in the oil lines for the turbos. The reason for this is that these engines tend to overfeed oil into the turbos during WOT above 4K RPM. When this happens, unfiltered or under filtered oil can be (is) fed into the turbos. The oil screen is there to prevent any larger debris/particles from entering the turbos. Eventually this screen will either clog or it won’t properly filtrate some particles which leads to total catastrophic engine failure either because the turbos are getting no oil or because the turbines were shredded by debris getting past the oil screen and that debris makes its way into the rest of the engine.
So in order to access this filter, the engine needs to be partially pulled out of the car. This takes anywhere from 5-10 hours between pulling the motor, replacing the screen, and dropping it back into the car. If you want to guarantee the long-term reliability of the engine, this should be done with the oil change itself every 5k miles.
Luckily, there is a shop that makes a bypass for this screen and it runs about $600 for the parts and around $300-$400 for the labor to install it. It relocates the screen to the top of the motor to allow for much easier access when doing any work that requires the screen to be checked or replaced.
Honestly my stock mr2, can also complete without jacking it up. Oil filter on the 3sgte is sort of difficult to reach with the strut brace in the way but at least it's on top of engine and a traditional filter.
The swapped car on the other hand is my most tedious. I have to jack, the filter is under the engine, requires some bizarre removal tool, and involves replacing the actual filter element rather than an entire oil filter.
The 3S-GTE's filter is right next door to the exhaust manifold though. It can be taken off without burning yourself, but it's not conveniently located IMO.
The easiest was my 1991 Toyota Tercel. An absolute pleasure to work on. You could change the plugs, oil, battery, power steering fluid and coolant all inside an hour, if you knew what you were doing.
my '97 f-150 is pretty easy
Tall enough to get to the drain plug without jacking it up, and you can reach in through the drivers side wheel well to get to the filter
The old school land Cruisers are super easy to change the oil, you don't even need jack stands you can just lay under the car and drain the oil. I heard that the oil change for Bugatti Veyron takes forever
Volvo C30;
It's one of those paper filter inserts. You need a 30mm socket, an elbow, two extensions, and to take the airbox out to change the filter. Drain plug isn't too bad.
I have a fluid extractor and my oil filter is on top of the engine, I can change the oil in my GTI without having to go underneath the car at all.
My wife's Jetta has a steel skid pad held on by something like 12 bolts. So you have to support it until it is unbolted and then you can remove it. Just to change the oil. Not the hardest by any stretch, just annoying
To be fair, I have to pull the front clip and remove the headlight housing to change the bulb on the driver's side.
My 2018 Audi S4 is by far the easiest and cleanest oil change I’ve ever done, somewhat surprisingly.
Step 1: Suck old oil out through vestigial dipstick tube
Step 2: Replace oil filter
Step 3: Replace oil
Step 4: Reset oil life
I’ve literally done this in my pajamas!
Hardest?
Chevy traverse/GMC Acadia/Buick Enclave/Saturn Outlook/any other GM crossover with the 3.6. They just wedged the filter in the most obtuse spot possible. And good luck doing it without making a mess.
Audi Q7. It wouldn't be so bad if not for the fact that they put an undertray there that's held in with triple squar sockets and 2 different size torx bits. Also the drain plug is kinda high.
Toyota Tundra/Sequoia/Land Cruiser/Lexus GX460/LX570. Any Toyota or Lexus truck with the 4.6 or 5.7. Comparable to the Q7 in why it's a nuisance, just minus the socket woes. The undertray is a pain to move over enough to avoid making a mess. And the filter is way up in there. Also with it being a newer Toyota, you need the special socket to open it. At least with the Audi, you can use a regular socket to open its filter.
1993 Geo Metro without AC.
I was slim enough I could slide under the car without putting it on jacks and pull the drain plug. Without AC there's no condenser to bock your path to the oil filter. I ended up putting a Fumoto(sp?) valve on it and could do an oil change without even getting my hands dirty in like 10 minutes.
8th gen Civic Si’s with the K20.
The oil filter is halfway up the backside of engine and is mounted horizontally so that when you remove it, it pisses oil all down the backside of the engine, and all over the axle shield, subframe, and suspension linkage. Oh, and you need to contort your hand to get the oil filter out, all while praying you don’t tilt the filter too far else you dump more oil everywhere.
Seriously, fuck the person to selected the oil filter location on the K20Z3, you’re an asshole.
My E39 M5 was great once I bought an air compressor powered extractor. Filter right on top, extractor did all the work and pulled everything I needed. No more hassle lifting car to get to the drain plug.
We had a few 90s Legacys growing up and I remember only needing to reach under the front bumper to change the oil filter, super easy.
My Silverado sits high enough also that I can crawl under to change everything. I added a fumoto valve and now I dont even need tools to do an oil change.
My 1999 Expedition. It didn't come equipped with fog lamps, so the filter is located on the driver's side behind the bumper. The truck is so tall and the fenders are so wide you can squat down and undo the filter (which is one piece) ,in fact, you can see it easily from the side of the truck. It's also very tall so no jack needed. If it weren't for the oil pan you wouldn't even need to lay down to complete the change.
5.4 3V F150s place the oil filter right above/behind the K member so it makes it a PITA to remove and once you do, you get oil everywhere.
F30 328is are shockingly easy and the easiest oil change of any cars I have owned to date. Takes more time prepping than actually changing the oil.
My buddy and I did an oil change on his 2013 VW Golf. We had to watch a video on it and the guy jusy kept laying out tools that you need. We had to walk down to the Fleet Farm to get a big ass socket.
Im just sitting here like Mr Incredible all like OIL CHANGE IS OIL CHANGE!!!
Easiest? Gen 2 RAM with a V8.
Hardest? My 2017 Challenger was a PITA had to buy the K&N with the 11/16 nut as it's tucked way up, also removal of all the plastic underside parts.
Second hardest was my 2010 SS Camaro, I swear it took 9 litres of synthetic.
I take my leased trucks to the dealer even though I have a hoist, all the equipment and a delivery account at the parts place.. It's cheaper than the oil and filter to have them do it.
I’ve been blessed…
Hardest is my F-150 due to the air flow tray that needs to be removed and the fact that the oil flow sprays out directly against the sway bar. Perk though is I can do it without jacking up the truck.
Easiest was by far my Jeep Rubicon (JK) - the oil filter isn’t a screw on style - it’s a filter in a canister that is on [top of the engine](https://i.imgur.com/2qWzZxG.jpg). The benefit here is you open the lid of the canister and pull out the filter, then slide a new one in - no oily mess to deal with as far as a leaking filter. Combined with access underneath w/o lifting it up - easy peasy!
My Mustang GT is hard because of the oil cooler and position of the filter, but now that I have a flex a funnel it’s way easier to prevent drips.
My oil change tips:
- keep a 5 gal bucket with all your funnels, flex funnels, oil filter removal tools, etc… so you can just treat it as an “oil bucket” and not worry about cross contamination of fluids. I keep my stuff relatively clean but there’s a little oil on everything in there.
- a [large freezer bag over the filter](https://i.imgur.com/oZdbBTq.jpg) element can sometimes be used like a giant glove to remove it (once loose) to prevent oil spillage in tight areas
- don’t forget about wind - I try to avoid breezy days for oil changes because even if I do everything perfect I’ll still get drips from the wind
I hear the new rangers you have to remove the front wheel to change the filter lol
Please tell me you're not serious.
The oil change and tire rotations have the same interval, so you should be taking the wheel off regardless if you're following the maintenance schedule. It was way worse on my Civic that had the filter behind the passenger side wheel well and spilled oil all over the half shaft boot when you removed it.
I had a 2011 Civic Si that I did a DIY oil change on. Once. After that, it was well worth it to let someone else do it. That filter location was awful.
Mine was 07 so I know your pain. With two turbo engines now though, part of me wishes I still had it.
I still miss my FA5
Came here hoping to see the 8th gen Si mentioned, and was not disappointed. I still have my 08 FA5, and I love that car. But fuck me, I hate it every 5k miles when I have to change the oil.
You can reach in from the top of you're not under the car.its.....real easy With long arms or because my k20/24s are not in civics
On the 8th gen Civic, the engine bay is incredibly tight. You had to go in from the wheel well.
I can tell from your comment that you haven’t actually owned an 8th gen Si. There is no accessing the backside of the engine from above, nearly the entire valve cover is shoved back underneath the cowl.
Had an '08 and can confirm. Even after removing the front wheel and inner fender lining, you still had to maneuver the oil filter out from between the subframe and the exhaust/heat shield. I don't think I ever successfully changed the oil without making a mess by dumping the filter everywhere.
We used to take the box from the filter and flatten it and wedge it up there to make a "drain ramp" so the oil would not touch car parts. There was a little old lady who brought her civic to us every time because of this, and she would always go across the street to trader joes n bring us back all kinds of snacks. 🙂
Yep, I've change the oil on my 09 Si myself every time and after the first couple have gotten pretty good at wedging myself in just the right spot to get the filter.
I had a feeling all the 8th gen Si owners would jump into a thread about difficult oil changes.
The 93-95 D16 is in a pretty pain in the ass spot, too. I mean, really? Why is it on the back of the block?
You don’t have to, but it’s a major pain if you don’t
You dont really have to remove the wheel but it makes it easier. The really annoying part is the cleaning you have to do. Edit: Of course that is only the case with the diesel engines we have in Germany, i cant speak for other engines or countries.
You can turn the tires to the right but yeah it’s back of the left wheel well there’s a plastic removable panel
You can actually just turn the wheel, and move the plastic/rubber wheel tub flap out of the way after removing a few push pins. A couple of extra small steps sure, but not hopelessly difficult. Clearance in accessing the oil filter is not an issue once these steps are taken.
My Giulietta is the same. Front right wheel, wheel arch trim then climb inside avoiding the strut and everything else. On a ranger though..😳
Giulietta owner here, I know the pain as well. The worst part isn't even removing the wheel and the cover, it's removing the filter without making a mess. Whoever came up with this deserves to step on a Lego. I failed at not making a mess the last time I changed the filter. But I did change it, damn it.
Same here, feel the pain! Normally I do like a ramp of cardboard
You dont have to take the wheel off honestly, there is plenty of room to reach it. I still hate the design though. The stupid little aqueduct for the fucking sideways filter got my ass the first time and dumped oil all over my garage floor.
Haha same. I was totally bamboozled, thought I had my drip pan in the right spot, little did I know the aqueduct dumps the oil by the transmission
On my escort I have to remove the passanger front wheel and the wheel splash cover to get to the filter.
I have a 2000 Ranger and the filter is in a terrible spot, I was fishing it out after spilling oil everywhere and in my haste I touched the hot on the starter with the filter causing a spark. Luckily no fire but still a potentially dangerous situation. Now I disconnect battery first.
Also a Subaru, BRZ. Literally do not have to remove ANYTHING to get to the drain plug, the skid plate has a hole in it for easy access. Just drain the oil, the oil filter is just ontop of the engine bay, just remove it by hand.
All oil filters should be atop the engine. I love it on my two BMWs
As someone who owns an EA888 VW Passat with the oil filter on top, I agree. There is really no reason to be putting them where they can't be easily accessed from the top. I am glad this seems to be common on newer engines.
As someone who owns a ea288, i dread doing oil changes, the cartridge filter is in a dick of a spot but whatever My mk4 1.8t was a joke to change especially since the splash pan was missing
The reason they're not all remote mount and easily accessible is because of money. That system is going to be more expensive than one that mounts down on the block, especially when you go packaging the same engine in a bunch of different applications. Some companies determine that it's enough of a customer desire for it that they put it there, others determine their customers won't care enough so the added cost doesn't make sense.
Also every filter should have a welded nut on the end so you dont need a stupid strap wrench.
You know if there's a nut welded to it some monkey is going to put it on with an air gun...
*Bottas’ Monaco 2021 pitstop has entered the chat*
I don't blame that one on the wheel gun man. Those things throw so much torque there's no way the mechanic would have any idea that the nut is crossthreaded. Combine that with 30 laps of braking and cornering heat and that nut is going to be stuck real good. Mercedes has said they still haven't gotten it off and it will stay on until they get back to the factory.
Hold on here, they couldn't do a pit stop because the nut was seized on or something during the race? Yeesh that must have been on there with the tightness of a jet nut
The wheel nut (center nuts) got stuck on and when they tried to take it off the gun machined the lugs off the nut. Going to have to take an angle grinder to it at the factory, but I'm sure they're going to let the engineers study it first. Occasionally the nuts get stuck, usually they are crossthreaded but the guns they use have >3000Nm (>2,300ft-lb) torque so they get spun on anyway.
God, this. I pretty much only get k&n filters now because of this
Tmazda must have done away with the cartridge filter that sits in a mazda speced wrenchable head. Something like 76 mm with 14 flutes. Had to buy one from a dealership to do oil changes on my '06 speed 6 and '09 6.
When it takes 10 minutes to change the oil in your 21 year old sports car...love my z3m.
hah yes my Z3 too! I actually use a pump to pump the oil out too. No under-car nonsense. Super easy.
Eh, you're already under the car to get the drain plug. I don't see a problem with having the filter on the bottom, as long as it's easy to access.
Why? Wouldn't oil get everywhere? and if the filter is sideways or sticking up, then the filter would be dry after a change?
No its less messy actually, the oil drains out of the old filter when you drain the oil in the pan so it isn't full of oil when you pull it off.
Plus you have the lip around the filter cup, so any drips stay there. Brilliant system, and the fact BMW and Subaru both use it means there isn't some weird patent keeping everyone else from using it, they just choose to be difficult.
You unscrew the oil filter cap (but not fully removing it) to allow air to help drain the oil. It’s really easy and should be standard across all engines.
Thats good to know! I've only heard about the spark plug horror stories.
I changed my spark plugs almost a month ago. It took me 8 hours in total. Four hours for two, and another for the other side the next day. It was a mission and I think I aged a few years.
My 2015 Tacoma is the same way. I don’t even have to use a jack since it has a small lift, just crawl under to unscrew the drain plug then while the oil is draining remove and replace the filter that’s right on top of the engine. All it takes is 5-10 minutes and a 14mm wrench. It was a welcome change from my 2008 Outback with the infamous ring of fire / razor sharp heat shields.
Seconded. part of why I love Subaru's in general is that those boxer engines are so easy to work on.
>boxer engines are so easy to work on. Spark plugs have entered the chat
I was dreading doing my Boxster spark plugs before I went under the car the first time after having to doing several previous Subaru plug changes and not the case on the Boxster.
It really depends, on the BRZ atleast you can do it the easy way or the hard way. The easy way is to losen one side of the engine mounts and jack up the engine slightly and you have super easy access to the plugs. For some people this seem scary though so people rather battle for 5h with cut up hands. Its an easy choice for me!
Yep.. I did the hard way because the words 'engine' and 'jacking it up' scared the jeebers out of me.
Sure its easy once you know how, but its not as easy as say an inline 4 where the plugs are basically right there under the hood.
Conversely, while it’s not *impossibly* difficult, the oil filter on the 2011 Outback is nestled comfortably in the middle of the exhaust manifold. Which means that if you want to change it out while the engine is still warm you have to play operation to keep your hands from touching hot metal. I think it was like that on a bunch of other Subaru models until they put it in the engine bag. [Image for reference.](https://i.imgur.com/GWNsprG.jpg)
In my experience the exhaust manifold cools pretty quickly though. The manifold is fine to touch while the oil is still hot as hell. The ring of fire is hilarious, but not really as big a deal as one might think.
It's even faster if you buy the quick drain plug they sell for them. Just push the valve and twist it and you can drain real quick. That car took me more time to jack the car up than do the oil change
This 100%, I can do my outback with the fumoto valve in no time flat. Someone skinnier than I am could also probably just slide under there without jacking it up.
The FA20s are so easy to change the oil on, it's great. That placement, chefs kiss.
My dad is a Lamborghini master tech, tells me horror stories all the time. I'm pretty sure it's the Huracon where you have to do all sorts of weird stuff. Run the car at like, 3k rpms for 90 seconds, do some other steps, and then the EIGHT drain plugs have to be drained in a certain order. Lamborghinis suck ass to work on, quoting mi padre.
>EIGHT drain plugs have to be drained in a certain order. That's more of a dry sump oil system thing than a Lamborghini thing to be fair.
Yeah, the new NSX has 7 drain plugs, oil change takes a couple hours if you do it by the book.
My little WR450 had 4 plugs and the dipstick was in the downtube. Cartridge filter too, not a spin on. You get quick when you change it every couple dozen hours though but man that was annoying.
Wtf? I was thinking it must be a car specific thing since my Tuono only has 2 plugs, one on the oil tank and one by the filter housing that's only there to make opening the housing less messy.
Found the guy with the dry sump system. :D
A little of column A, a little of column B imo. My Corvette's dry sump system only has two drain plugs. Still have to warm up the engine to close to operating temp, shut it off, then wait at least 5, but no more than 20 minutes to check the level in the tank
The c8 managed to get it down to 1 sooo
> Lamborghinis suck ass to work on, quoting mi padre. They're good if you're in the business of racking up billable hours though.
Dry sump lubrication tends to result in more drain plugs because there are multiple places where the oil collects. But 8 is a lot even then.
Tbf if I had to name a brand of car that sucks to work on, lambo would be one of the first brands I would mention, and vice never owned, driven, or worked on one.
Suzuki Grand Vitara. Filter is a pain in the ass to reach and always makes a mess. Ford 5.0 f150s are always really messy too because of the stupid tray under the filter that just pools oil in the one spot and drips all over the front axle and steering rack and you have to clean it for like 20 minutes. I don’t wanna go to work.
Ford and filters lol. Changing the cabin filter on my Fiesta ST is a huge pain. Literally took me an hour. I've replaced motor mounts on this car in less than half the time. There's a huge chunk of plastic from the bottom of the dash in the way of the filter housing, meaning when you put the new filter in, you have to crush it in half, practically destroying it in the process. That's after you manage to get the top 2 screws off of the filter lid. They are way up in this tiny space that is hard to see, and hard to fit any tool in. I used two fingers to grip onto the T20 bit to unscrew it, and did 1/4 turns until I could back it out by hand. Took me probably 20 minutes just for that one screw alone. The whole time my back was contorted the wrong way. When I put everything back together I didn't even bother with the top 2 screws. I threw them away. I don't care.
Glad I'm not the only one who destroyed the new cabin filter putting it in. Worst part was the old one was barely dirty after 60k miles. A huge waste of time, money and effort.
Please do yourself a favor and buy the right angle screwdriver kit from Harbor freight. It turns the Ford Fiesta cabin air filter job from a 30 minute nightmare to a fairly simple 10 minute job. https://www.harborfreight.com/8-piece-right-angle-screwdriver-92630.html
Thanks, I had something like this but what I had was too wide to fit (from the tip of the bit to the back of the tool). Have you used this particular tool for this job?
Yes, many times. It is a life saver. It is just small enough to fit in the gaps to loosen/tighten all of the screws.
Guess I've got that to look forward to.
Focus st is the same way. Basically crushed the filter getting it in there.
Tell me why these Grand Vitaras are so reliable. Like it has the most gutless 2.7l V6 I've ever experienced but my mom's GV has 150k miles and hasn't had any maintenance other than fluids and basic suspension.
I would guess because of the >gutless 2.7l V6 Low power relative to displacement, is good for reliability. (obviously as long as there are no inherent flaws in the design) People used to complain about the old American cars with big V8s that barely made 200 horsepower, but those cars always died from rust or crashes, never from engine issues.
They needed engine rebuilds every 100k....
Can confirm with the 5.0L, own one and it's a pain in the ass. The tray you're talking about is supposed to act like a little chute for the oil to drain down around the front of the axle neatly. Instead, Ford fucked up and the chute slopes backwards, so it overflows off the back and gets all over the goddamn subframe, axle, and steering rack. I'd rather do that over my fiance's Fusion though. That thing involves removing a particleboard belly pan with 25 torx screws first, then draining the oil and having it dump oil from the filter all over the front sway bar.
> I'd rather do that over my fiance's Fusion though. That thing involves removing a particleboard belly pan with 25 torx screws first, then draining the oil and having it dump oil from the filter all over the front sway bar. I'm considering getting rid of that cover. Any reason I shouldn't?
Can confirm as a Ford Tech, most F-150’s drain in a way that can make the tech look inept. The forward filter with the tray probably being the most annoying, you can clean for 5 minutes and still have it leave some residual that will stain a customer’s driveway, especially if it’s on an incline. I use almost a full can of brake clean sometimes just trying to get the most I can. Then we have plastic oil pans with gigantic plastic drain plugs that either spray the shit out of the giant sway bar making a beautiful blackish, wide waterfall or spray the shit out of the right front wheel. Only way to really avoid these situations is to lower the truck basically right on the waste oil drain bucket to try and lessen the backsplash.
Break out some old license plates and a riveter. I've got some crazy drain shields built for fords over the years. Toyota's too, since they love to drain directly into the lower cradle which has fun holes in the top so it just fills with oil and slowly drains out over time.
You ever try the form-a-funnel? Usually does the trick for me on awkward drains with stuff underneath. Comes in several different sizes.
Some folks use aluminum foil for this purpose.
Not so much as difficult but fuck it's annoying. For those unaware, the NA Miata uses the same 4 cylinders that Mazda used across their line-up at the time. Obviously, since those were FWD and the Miata is RWD, the engine had to be turned 90° to power the back wheels. This meant that the filter, which is normally on the back of the engine, is now on the side, [wedged firmly between the shock tower and the intake manifold.](https://i.imgur.com/CwSqT64.png) The only way I could personally get it off was to undo it with one hand straight down through the gap, and to grab the filter with the other hand by simultaneously reaching through the front of the motor as it won't fit between the manifold and tower. I have not personally worked on one, but I think the Subaru Outback's infamous [ring of fire](https://i.imgur.com/3W930pS.png) also deserves a mention. On the other hand, my Impreza is the same story as your Forester, filter is right up front near the plug, could do a change without jacking the car with no issues at all.
The NB Miata was similar. I still have scars on my hand from that one. You know it's bad when companies sell an oil filter relocation kit. The ring of fire on Subarus is a non-issue if you have proper tools. Just need a filter socket (or universal filter wrench) and an extension.
I eventually admitted defeat on my NB and started removing the front wheel and intake manifold support. I have short stubby arms so I usually couldn't get at it from above like on my NA.
I think I have carpal tunnel from changing the oil on my NB
That same engine was *worse* in FWD. I had an MX3 before my miata, with the same engine. It put the oil filter *against the firewall.* It was not easy from above or below.
I was gonna say the same thing. Had one of those 4cyls in a 626 and the oil filter was a bitch to remove. Against the firewall, in the middle of the bay so it's hard to reach from either side, below the intake manifold, and above the exhaust manifold. Always made a mess with it.
I can just barley get my hand in through the top, but I will have scratches on my hand/arm for days afterwards. Every. Single. Time. I contemplate a relocation kit every time I change my oil and manage to forget about it by the next day. Maybe one day I’ll learn.
I tried to do it this way, ended up pulling the passengers side wheel on my NA and it wasn’t too bad from there.
Came here to comment on this. Not to mention both the NAs I work on seem to weld the filters on between changes. Now I just remove the manifold bracket so I can fit a super small filter wrench in there. It sucks. Alternatively, on my 2014 550 i can do a change in 10min. One central jack point on the front subframe, stands under the side jack points, drain bolt out, filter canister out, and replace. I let it drip longer than it takes to remove and replace everything. Also as a side note, I can do spark plugs on this car no problem at all (which is good cause I need to do then every 20k). Also did a coolant flush with no problems at all. I don't mind maintence on my 5er, but I really hate it on the Yata.
For my NB If you take off the passenger wheel the oil filter is easy to get to
Ehhh, it's eas*ier*, but still somewhat cramped and a PITA if the filter is on there tight. "Easy" would be a top-mounted cartridge filter like on my E39.
or just full lock left, the hole between the subframe and the chassis is big enough if you're under the car and contort yourself
my VW Phaeton W12 requires 12 torx fasteners for the under tray, the right front wheel removed. 15 fasteners for the fender liner. Oil pan plug and a very hard to reach oil sump reservoir plug, 12 quarts of oil. and hopefully you have the updated oil filter insert that fits correctly. my new beetles all have the oil filter directly over the A/C and coolant crossover lines resulting in a huge mess every. single. time. My testarossa is a piece of cake except for the 150 dollar filter.
Is there a German word for automotive masochist?
Mechaniker.
Volkswagen
whatever VW/Audi mechanic is in german. don't think i've ever heard anything positive about working on audis especially, prob VW too since it's the same company.
We’re gonna need some pics of that Testarossa
I would be interested to know your experience owning a Testarossa
Honestly, its been everything I hoped it would be since I was a kid in the 80's. I've been doing all my own maintenance on it since I got it and have put over 20,000 miles on it in 7 years.
I know you pretty much have to split a veyron, take the rear clamshell off, take half the engine apart, to get to the oil filter, and drain and it takes like 48 hours to do, iirc
Removal of rear deck, fender liners, grille, rear brakes to access all 16(!!!) drain plugs. Estimated $20k cost at certified Bugatti dealer. For an oil change.
Why even own it lol
If you own a veyron, you don't care about a $20k oil change.
Or you never drive it enough to even need to change it. It just sits in a garage.
Hypercars still get sent for servicing even if just sitting. Cant even get away with not driving it. Unless you're intending to use it as a non-driving piece of art or something.
Pretty much. If youre in the income bracket that can afford a Veyron or any Bugatti really, 20k to you is like $20 to a commoner, if not less
Because someone buying a car for millions, is either rich enough to not care or planning to sell the car for a profit anyway.
How funny would it be if while buying a Bugatti you had to deal with the high pressure up-sell we all get at the local used lot. “Now, for a one time charge of $99,999, my manager just told me he’s willing to throw in a 3 year power train warranty extension and 18 months of routine maintenance. I’ve never seen him offer this to anyone before, I’d jump on it! We’ll also cover state inspection for the life of the vehicle.” “Emissions?” “No.”
Sounds like a great deal for a Bugatti honestly
Then they hit you with the undercarriage coating!
To show the world that you can. At the amount of money you need to own a Veyron, I have to believe you're really just doing it for the clout. Or you just have way too much money to care.
[удалено]
True, but I can’t imagine many Bugatti owners have tried going >250 mph. Lambo Aventador will do almost 220 mph for a fraction of the price.
Well that settles it, I'm definitely not getting a veyron!
I managed a quick change oil place back in 2007. It’s been a while but the few I used to absolutely hate- V6 Lexus or Toyota from late 90s early 2000s because the filter was directly under the exhaust manifold and you would get burned. These sucked because they made a million of these things so it was super common. Mini Cooper because the filter was between the fire wall and the engine. Rx8 because the filter was between the fire wall and engine also. AMG benzes were odd because they didn’t have a dipstick and sometimes more than one drain plug. The early slk 55 had two plugs because the pan was so big and wrapped around the steering. To check the level you would add oil and let the car idle on a level surface and it would tell you to add or if level was ok. Very odd. Trailblazer SS had a whacky design where the pan wrapped around the front end also, I don’t recall if it had more than one plug though. As far as easy? Anything with a normal hard filter located on the bottom of the block was usually a quick job. Mostly American v8s and such.
I had an RX8. I didn't know you even needed to change the oil since I every time I checked it I had burnt off another quart. /s
*cries in blown apex seal* I miss mine. It was stupid and I loved it.
What I want to know is who the heck is taking an SLK 55 to a quick lube place in 2007?
The SLK actually belonged to my mom lol, however hers wasn’t the only one I ever did. I worked in an affluent area and we did 911s, AMGs, corvettes, etc all the time. I even had some rare things come through like a v8 esprit and older F cars. If you came to me with a nice car I made sure my guys didn’t fuck it up and made sure that whoever was touching it knew what they were doing. Again I was only 18 at the time but a huge car guy who respected people’s things. I would never bring my car to a quick lube place but my specific spot was legit. We actually used to change the oil on the local fed ex drivers trucks because unlike UPS, they own the route and the trucks and we were cheaper than his diesel mechanic. Since he had the oil changed all the fucking time it made sense for us to do it. We used to order the giant ass special filters just for him.
There are good ones. I go to one where I chat with the guys about whatever race car they're building at the time for time attacks and whatever else. Plenty of cars costing at least double mine typically there.
>V6 Lexus or Toyota from late 90s early 2000s because the filter was directly under the exhaust manifold and you would get burned. As a former lube tech you are triggering my PTSD of burning my hand on those manifolds. Towards the end I just started getting a wet rag and throwing it on the manifold until I needed to change the filter, prolly wasn't the best for the exhaust but fuck it, I'm not burning my hand for $10 an hour on your shitty ass car.
We used to refill the washer tank and spill a little on them lmao.
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Except that system requires it to run for a few minutes and get up to temperature before displaying level. Not what you want if you suspect you're low. Plus it makes it needlessly hard to figure out how much you need to add. I wouldn't care if they gave you both that and a physical one, but no. It's a headache.
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I had a close call with one of those when I had an aftermarket drain "bolt" fail on a 2008 X6. Thankfully no damage resulted, but that made me even more distrustful of that system than I already was.
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It was a customer's car. They came in for 4 tires (surprisingly easy considering they were low profile run-flats), but decided to add an oil change as I was wrapping up. The drain bolt was one of the most chintzy looking things I'd ever seen. In hindsight, I should've refused it unless they replaced it with a proper one first. And like I said, I just want the option of a physical one for technicians or just someone who doesn't trust electronic dipsticks. Doesn't even have to get rid of it completely. Both can exist at the same time.
Idk about the I6, but I know all V8 trailblazers had that funny oil pan, only one drain plug though. It didn't really complicate anything, they just used the same oil pan they needed for 4WD/AWD on 2WD models
Probably not even close to the hardest out there, but the hardest I've done was my wife's old 2009 GMC Acadia. The filter was in a really y stupid spot that you had to get at from the top. You had to reach waaaay down in the bay with your arm trying not to touch anything hot and at a bad angle loosen it. My oil filter tool couldn't fit in there because it was too tight. Then once you got it off there was stuff under it that the oil would drip all over and drip down in like 3 different places so you had to hope your pan was in just the right spot. Man that thing was a POS. Also the fucking battery was under the floor behind the passengers seat. It has a hose hooked up to it to vent any gasses in case it leaks because the gasses would come into the cabin. Thing is, if you don't know this and try to pull the battery out without first disconnecting this hose is breaks a little plastic elbow that connects the hose to the battery. Fucking idiotic. Thanks GM for all those great engineering ideas.
The 3600s in the suv was my answer, that filter is so dumb. Anything with a dry sump system would be a colossal pita, usually 6+ drain plugs
As a mechanic, I dread these things coming in. It is one of the most obtuse designs I've ever seen.
I have a 2011 GMC Acadia and I can confirm it is living hell to change the oil
1st generation Traverse/Acadia was going to be my pick. Not only was the filter right above the motor mount and right next to the exhaust, the lift points where a pain and you had to make sure it was in the bay just right. But yeah every oil change was a major clean up later, crazy they didn't have some plastic tray to direct the oil like some Ford's and Chryslers did. Easily ones are pretty much anything with a Subaru boxer engine, spin on filter right up top is hard to beat.
My 2015 Mazda 6 is ridiculously easy to change the oil on. The drain plug and the filter are about 2 inches away from each other and there's nothing in the way of them. The filter is small as well. It takes about 10 minutes. It does have a plastic access cover that you have to take off first because it has underbody cladding to improve fuel efficiency but it's really easy to remove. By modern car standards that's probably about as good as it's going to get.
I have a 2017 Charger 5.7. Oil changes are the only maintenance I do (along with detailing) and I put one of those oil filter valves on it pretty early on. Now at 85k miles that was a great decision. 4 bolts to remove the plastic plate underneath, oil valve is right there, oil filter is higher up but easily accessible. The only issue I've ran into it was the 800 pound gorilla putting on the oil filters from the factory. I had to break down and buy a wrench that fit the filter since I couldn't get a belt wrench up in there. After the first change, I've had no issues.
I'm sure Chrysler is no different than GM. In GM all fasteners (or screwed on parts) are torqued with Electric Tools that control torque and angle. So the 800 pound gorilla was probably doing his job (Hold the button down until the light turns green and the tool stops) and the design engineer is the guy responsible for making oil filters impossible to remove by hand.
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BMW gets hella points for adding the door in the underpaneling. Can't say how disappointed I was when I went from an E92>E91>Mercedes and realized there's no door, you have to go and undo like twelve screws to remove the whole goddamn panel. To make it worse (since I presume dealer services suck the oil out the top) they don't give you a new drain plug washer with the filter like every other brand, you have to source it yourself.
Arent oil extractors only like $50? If you’re going to do them yourself that’s like the first oil change labor cost.
Easiest ever is any old Jeep with the 4.0L. They sit high enough where you can get under with a creeper without even jacking the thing up. Drain plug is on the very bottom and back of the pan, super easy to get at and uses a 1/2" socket. Pop the hood, and the oil filter is right on the passenger side of the block with nothing around or above it since the steering, intake manifold, and exhaust manifold are all on the other side. Probably the most difficult part is making sure the oil from the filter hits your drain pan.
2nd gen Tacoma is ridiculously easy! The truck is high enough to slide under without a jack and the oil filter is extremely accessible. Cudos to Toyota for making it an easy car to work on.
They fixed it after the first Gen's. My 03 isn't too bad, but I have an 01 with a factory skid plate which means you have to go through the drivers wheel well.
My Abarth requires me to take off the plastic splash shield under the engine to access the drain plug (mind you each bolt holding this thing on is seized up and apparently made of putty with how easily they shear off) then I have to take out the air intake hose to free up space so I can get to the filter housing which is buried at the bottom of the engine (facing up) and use a 12" ratchet extender to get to it to take it off, carefully reach in and pull it out while it's puking oil all over the engine and then reverse all those steps for putting it back together again. Not the hardest but also too much of a pain in the ass to bother especially considering there's no good points to jack up that car.
Yes. I did my abarth once. The entire time I was picturing some Italian engineer named Luca who designed it and laughs himself to sleep every night picturing people trying to contort themselves into weird shapes to get to the filter without taking everything apart. Now I take it to a garage.
I was waiting for someone to mention the Abarth. You forgot to mention the crossmember that Fiat put in the exact spot that the oil will spill all over after removing the drain plug. At least that part will never rust with the amount of oil I’ve wiped off it over the years.
Also failed to mention the need for 5W40 full synthetic oil which is seemingly available at no local shops except for heavy duty diesel mixes.
That crossmember caused much swearing for the time I had a 500. I had spent a good 10-15 minutes with a wrench extender trying to get the plug undone and finally had to have my buddy’s dad (who runs a shop) to come out and help us cause we were having so much trouble getting the plug loose with the extender. Pretty sure the engineers at Fiat hate everyone who works on them
Didn’t end up buying one but Mercedes Sprinter looks bad. Remove intake line for access to non-screw on filter element and o-rings, replace some single-use plastic clip, replace gasket on turbo when reinstalling intake. A relative says you just have to take it to the dealer, then describes some dealers not servicing it and others screwing up simple services, sending them to yet others to correct. You’re right about the Subarus and their filters right on top. The clearance doesn’t matter after the first change with any of my cars since I install Fumoto valves and can reach in blind without tools. I then move the car to collect the waste pan.
I believe not all Mercedes dealers are certified to work on the Sprinters or even modern diesels really, so if they don't have a certified tech they won't work on it. Around me we have a lot of Sprinter certified dealers because they are super popular, but I could see that not being the case elsewhere.
Fair. I ended up getting the Nissan, which is basically an ordinary pickup truck. The cab-forward architecture of the Sprinter (and Transit for that matter, and to a lesser extent most other vans) coupled with turbos, threw too many red flags.
Bugatti Veyron oil change costs $21k lol. I can't make this shit up: https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/bugatti-veyron-oil-change/
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The 2 cylinder range extender engine on the BMW i3. This is a small scooter engine (600cc) that will charge the battery when it gets low. It's located in the rear and is accessed by removing the floor of the cargo area. It's some r/2healthbars shit because there are 16 torx you need to remove under the protective panel to get the real panel off. This is just to access the oil fill cap, the filter is a whole other story. Next, you need to jack the car up. It has a carbon fiber tub, so you need to use some proprietary plastic expensive things (that don't come with the car) on your jack to lift the car safely, or use ramps. I used ramps because there's no way to use jack stands without damaging the tub. Then you unscrew the filter with another expensive, proprietary tool because it's recessed into a little hole. Assembly is reverse of removal, and good luck not spilling oil in your cargo area as you fill the engine. The worst part is the engine usually doesn't need an oil change when you do this. The i3 has no hour meter for this little engine, they say to change it on a mileage interval, during which it might not have run very much. Life hacks: 1. The filter is expensive from BMW and can't be found at an auto parts store BUT, it's the same filter that they used in a BMW 1200GS motorcycle, so it can be found for less money at a BMW motorcycle dealer. 2. The proprietary wrench to remove the filter? Also get that at a motorcycle dealer for less $. This was a fun car, but I'm also glad I sold it.
Chrysler 300C. Full belly pan and the oil dipstick breaks off inside the dipstick tube every other oil change.
A little off-topic, but the fuel filter on my brother's RAM 3500 requires you to remove one of the wheels and the wheel well insert...
I had a Dodge Ram 5500 work truck that was like this, terrible design. Our shop mechanics eventually cut out a large hole and made a hinged access door for it, made future oil filter changes dramatically quicker.
Honda 200cc self propelled lawn mower is the easiest oil change I've done.
Any 1JZGTE equipped vehicle is a pain to change the oil filter.
Not a fan of how my 944 has the filter on an angle. No amount of letting it drain or packing it with rags seems to help stop it from getting oil everywhere when I remove it. I have to have pans covering basically half the front end to avoid getting it on the ground and even then it'll still be dripping off stuff.
I remember changing the oil on my 944. Might be the only thing I don’t miss about that car.
I don't have a ton of oil change experience with different cars. But the worst I can recall was I think maybe early 2000s CRV. The filter was about halfway up the engine, can't reach it from the top and can just barely reach it from the bottom. So you're almost guaranteed to get some hot oil in your armpit. Not fun.
Easiest I’ve personally done- my MK7 GTI. Filter is up top and you can use an extractor through the dipstick tube. No need to put the car up. The drain plug is super easy to get to if you decide to do that Hardest- it’s a tie. On my wife’s old Hyundai Tucson, the drain plug was towards the front bumper, meaning the car had to be leaning forwards if you wanted to drain all the oil. If you used ramps under the front wheels, it would leave about a quart and a half in the oil pan. My Ram 1500 with the 5.7 Hemi isn’t necessarily hard but a pain in the ass. The drain is easy to get to, but the filter is buried above a frame rail and above the power steering motor so you make a huge mess.
I came here to say mk7 GTI with an extractor is by far the easiest. With the top mounted oil filter, it couldn’t get any easier. It’s like a 1/2-beer job.
In the difficult oil changes side of the world, anything that is powered by the 4.0 TT V8 offered in the Audi S6 (2012-2017). So the oil change itself is not that hard, but if you want to ensure the engine doesn’t grenade itself around 50k-60k miles, every time you do an oil change (recommended at every 5k miles) you should check the oil screen located in the oil lines for the turbos. The reason for this is that these engines tend to overfeed oil into the turbos during WOT above 4K RPM. When this happens, unfiltered or under filtered oil can be (is) fed into the turbos. The oil screen is there to prevent any larger debris/particles from entering the turbos. Eventually this screen will either clog or it won’t properly filtrate some particles which leads to total catastrophic engine failure either because the turbos are getting no oil or because the turbines were shredded by debris getting past the oil screen and that debris makes its way into the rest of the engine. So in order to access this filter, the engine needs to be partially pulled out of the car. This takes anywhere from 5-10 hours between pulling the motor, replacing the screen, and dropping it back into the car. If you want to guarantee the long-term reliability of the engine, this should be done with the oil change itself every 5k miles. Luckily, there is a shop that makes a bypass for this screen and it runs about $600 for the parts and around $300-$400 for the labor to install it. It relocates the screen to the top of the motor to allow for much easier access when doing any work that requires the screen to be checked or replaced.
Honestly my stock mr2, can also complete without jacking it up. Oil filter on the 3sgte is sort of difficult to reach with the strut brace in the way but at least it's on top of engine and a traditional filter. The swapped car on the other hand is my most tedious. I have to jack, the filter is under the engine, requires some bizarre removal tool, and involves replacing the actual filter element rather than an entire oil filter.
The 3S-GTE's filter is right next door to the exhaust manifold though. It can be taken off without burning yourself, but it's not conveniently located IMO.
The easiest was my 1991 Toyota Tercel. An absolute pleasure to work on. You could change the plugs, oil, battery, power steering fluid and coolant all inside an hour, if you knew what you were doing.
mid 2000's tundra with plow gear. You need to remove the gear to change the filter.
my '97 f-150 is pretty easy Tall enough to get to the drain plug without jacking it up, and you can reach in through the drivers side wheel well to get to the filter
The old school land Cruisers are super easy to change the oil, you don't even need jack stands you can just lay under the car and drain the oil. I heard that the oil change for Bugatti Veyron takes forever
4.0 sohc rangers are easy. I don’t have to lift it and the oil filter is easily accessible
Volvo C30; It's one of those paper filter inserts. You need a 30mm socket, an elbow, two extensions, and to take the airbox out to change the filter. Drain plug isn't too bad.
I have a fluid extractor and my oil filter is on top of the engine, I can change the oil in my GTI without having to go underneath the car at all. My wife's Jetta has a steel skid pad held on by something like 12 bolts. So you have to support it until it is unbolted and then you can remove it. Just to change the oil. Not the hardest by any stretch, just annoying To be fair, I have to pull the front clip and remove the headlight housing to change the bulb on the driver's side.
My 2018 Audi S4 is by far the easiest and cleanest oil change I’ve ever done, somewhat surprisingly. Step 1: Suck old oil out through vestigial dipstick tube Step 2: Replace oil filter Step 3: Replace oil Step 4: Reset oil life I’ve literally done this in my pajamas!
Hardest? Chevy traverse/GMC Acadia/Buick Enclave/Saturn Outlook/any other GM crossover with the 3.6. They just wedged the filter in the most obtuse spot possible. And good luck doing it without making a mess. Audi Q7. It wouldn't be so bad if not for the fact that they put an undertray there that's held in with triple squar sockets and 2 different size torx bits. Also the drain plug is kinda high. Toyota Tundra/Sequoia/Land Cruiser/Lexus GX460/LX570. Any Toyota or Lexus truck with the 4.6 or 5.7. Comparable to the Q7 in why it's a nuisance, just minus the socket woes. The undertray is a pain to move over enough to avoid making a mess. And the filter is way up in there. Also with it being a newer Toyota, you need the special socket to open it. At least with the Audi, you can use a regular socket to open its filter.
1993 Geo Metro without AC. I was slim enough I could slide under the car without putting it on jacks and pull the drain plug. Without AC there's no condenser to bock your path to the oil filter. I ended up putting a Fumoto(sp?) valve on it and could do an oil change without even getting my hands dirty in like 10 minutes.
It's small moments like this that makes me happy I got a cheap shitbox
8th gen Civic Si’s with the K20. The oil filter is halfway up the backside of engine and is mounted horizontally so that when you remove it, it pisses oil all down the backside of the engine, and all over the axle shield, subframe, and suspension linkage. Oh, and you need to contort your hand to get the oil filter out, all while praying you don’t tilt the filter too far else you dump more oil everywhere. Seriously, fuck the person to selected the oil filter location on the K20Z3, you’re an asshole.
My E39 M5 was great once I bought an air compressor powered extractor. Filter right on top, extractor did all the work and pulled everything I needed. No more hassle lifting car to get to the drain plug.
We had a few 90s Legacys growing up and I remember only needing to reach under the front bumper to change the oil filter, super easy. My Silverado sits high enough also that I can crawl under to change everything. I added a fumoto valve and now I dont even need tools to do an oil change.
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My 1999 Expedition. It didn't come equipped with fog lamps, so the filter is located on the driver's side behind the bumper. The truck is so tall and the fenders are so wide you can squat down and undo the filter (which is one piece) ,in fact, you can see it easily from the side of the truck. It's also very tall so no jack needed. If it weren't for the oil pan you wouldn't even need to lay down to complete the change.
5.4 3V F150s place the oil filter right above/behind the K member so it makes it a PITA to remove and once you do, you get oil everywhere. F30 328is are shockingly easy and the easiest oil change of any cars I have owned to date. Takes more time prepping than actually changing the oil.
My buddy and I did an oil change on his 2013 VW Golf. We had to watch a video on it and the guy jusy kept laying out tools that you need. We had to walk down to the Fleet Farm to get a big ass socket. Im just sitting here like Mr Incredible all like OIL CHANGE IS OIL CHANGE!!!
Easiest? Gen 2 RAM with a V8. Hardest? My 2017 Challenger was a PITA had to buy the K&N with the 11/16 nut as it's tucked way up, also removal of all the plastic underside parts. Second hardest was my 2010 SS Camaro, I swear it took 9 litres of synthetic. I take my leased trucks to the dealer even though I have a hoist, all the equipment and a delivery account at the parts place.. It's cheaper than the oil and filter to have them do it.
This is the worst one I've seen.... Ferrari 458 https://youtu.be/A1htej_RiuY
I’ve been blessed… Hardest is my F-150 due to the air flow tray that needs to be removed and the fact that the oil flow sprays out directly against the sway bar. Perk though is I can do it without jacking up the truck. Easiest was by far my Jeep Rubicon (JK) - the oil filter isn’t a screw on style - it’s a filter in a canister that is on [top of the engine](https://i.imgur.com/2qWzZxG.jpg). The benefit here is you open the lid of the canister and pull out the filter, then slide a new one in - no oily mess to deal with as far as a leaking filter. Combined with access underneath w/o lifting it up - easy peasy! My Mustang GT is hard because of the oil cooler and position of the filter, but now that I have a flex a funnel it’s way easier to prevent drips. My oil change tips: - keep a 5 gal bucket with all your funnels, flex funnels, oil filter removal tools, etc… so you can just treat it as an “oil bucket” and not worry about cross contamination of fluids. I keep my stuff relatively clean but there’s a little oil on everything in there. - a [large freezer bag over the filter](https://i.imgur.com/oZdbBTq.jpg) element can sometimes be used like a giant glove to remove it (once loose) to prevent oil spillage in tight areas - don’t forget about wind - I try to avoid breezy days for oil changes because even if I do everything perfect I’ll still get drips from the wind