Oh the image is a lasting one. Carol in her little miniskirt, wrench in one hand, oily rag in the other as she rises from beneath the family wagon, smudge of grease on her brow accentuating that look of disapproval just so. We don't need to wait for Mike to get home. Mommy, I've been bad, bad, bad!
Hey, I'm a guy! I have guy thoughts. I do guy stuff. Here's a random notion: There's nothing sexier than a chick who works on her own car (except of course, the chick who'd work on my car)! It wasn't just the short shorts that made Daisy Duke so hot!
Is it me or is it musky in here?
Sure, I get to fart, scratch, and pee standing up, but with all that comes an awesome responsibility. As the ultimate guy, if you will, I'm expected to have an appreciation for everything from auto racing to ice-hockey, beer, and Baywatch. It just so happens that I do. I also happen to like musical theatre and androgynous clothing, but that's a whole other article.
The point is, guys everywhere are thought to possess an innate ability on all manner of guyisms from outdoor cooking to tearing down and rebuilding that old V-8 just because it sounded a little wimpy. The truth is, all that stuff is learned over years and years of trial, error, humiliation, and very little communication with one's inner hairy child. My own foray into mechanics began with an oil change, and whether you're a guy or gal, live in an apartment in the city or have your own garage, I will splain to you how to do a quick oil change. Really, no thanks necessary.
Why in the wide world of Jiffy Lube would I want to change my own oil?
I'll get to the feeling of accomplishment and empowerment that comes from going under your own hood later, there's a more tangible reason: simple economics. Cold, hard cashola. Oil change franchises charge anywhere from 25 to 40 semolians for something you can do yourself for about $6.50 and an hour or so of your time. You have to change your oil every 3000 miles anyway. The more you drive, the more you save! When you do it yourself, you tend to stay more in tune with your car's maintenance.
Tools You'll Need
New Oil and a new oil filter. If you don't change the filter too, don't bother. You can usually find out the amount and grade of oil, and size of filter you'll need where you'll buy it. If the clerk doesn't know, asking a mechanic or call the service department of a car dealer who sells your make of car.
Old clothes and a rag. Your gonna get dirty. As you get better at this, not so much. A tube of heavy-duty hand cleaner might be a good idea too.
A socket or medium adjustable wrench.
An oil filter wrench.
An old pan or pot that will hold more oil than is in your engine.
A funnel.
In a perfect world, a jack and/or wheel ramps, but if you don't have access to these, don't worry. I'll show you a cunning and evil way to get around this.
