Oil change time!

[NathanR]

So I picked up 6 qts of Mobil1 today and a PureOne oil filter. Advance Auto was running a special for 5 quarts of Mobil1 oil + Mobil filter for 29.99. They don't stock a cartridge filter for the MS3 in Mobil so they let me substitute the PureOne filter instead.

I get home and get ready to pull the car onto the ramps. I've got those yellow metal ones with the extra plastic ramp extension for the "lower" cars. Unfortunately, it still wasn't low enough. I could only get about 4 inches onto them and the bottom of the bumper touched. I back off the ramp and look underneath for a central jack point under the engine so I can just jack it up and slide the ramps directly under the wheels. Turns out there's a big piece of plastic that covers nearly the entire bottom of the engine bay.

So off to the dealer I go...

What have ya'll payed for synthetic oil changes from the dealer?

 

[Hank3]

Hmmm...usually putting some 2 x 6" or 2 x 8" boards in front of the ramps would work. Don't know how high those extensions puts the car, but many of us have had success with the boards. Might need to get some lower ramps and use the boards - it'll pay off down the road.

Dealer should maybe charge $10 - $20 since you're providing the oil and filter.

 

[NathanR]

I think this extra little bit of headache might have been a good thing actually. I stumbled onto the "how to" oil change thread and discovered that Protege Garage carries a spin-on filter conversion kit. I'm seriously considering placing an order for it.

 

[Hank3]

I would highly recommend the spin-on conversion. That combined with a quickdrainvalve (AKA Fumoto Valve) makes oil changes quick, clean, and easy

 

[mikethern]

I am pretty sure you can find a Mobil One filter that fits your car. It already exists but it is not in the auto shop databases yet. In other words, you need to figure out which older cars have the same filter as your car.

I have a 2010 Mazda3 i-touring. It has a plastic shield under the engine, but you do not need to remove it because there is a hole in the shield big enough to remove the filter.

You shouldn't need to elevate your car to change your oil unless you are very chubby.

Right now, try to fit under your car and look for the oil filter. See if it is reachable without removing the plastic engine shield.

I do not recommend letting someone else change your oil. They really don't care about your car. Only you care about it. And you have no way of knowing if they put in the correct oil type.

 

[Hank3]

I do not recommend letting someone else change your oil. They really don't care about your car. Only you care about it. And you have no way of knowing if they put in the correct oil type.

That and finding out the next time you're under the car that there are a bunch of screws messed up from the dealer not caring about your car as much as you!

If the '10 MS3 is like the '08-'09 MS3, the hole in the undershield won't match up in the right place with the oil filter. They used the same undershield as the regular Mazda3 - it's off by enough where you have to remove the undershield or make the hole bigger.

 

[CWPspeed3]

my dealer charges me 14.99 when i bring my own oil and filter. seems like a good option as long as ur stock or dont mind them seeing your mods.

 

[mikethern]

That and finding out the next time you're under the car that there are a bunch of screws messed up from the dealer not caring about your car as much as you!

Exactly. If the plastic shield must be removed, then you should DEFINITELY do it yourself. If you let someone else do it, eventually the shield will be missing screws.

 

[graviongr]

I let a quick-shop change my oil once in my '96 Civic. They use those freaking wrench guns for everything, including oil filters.

Next time I decided to do it myself, I found out they just put the filter in that gun and just screwed it on there not only tight as ****, but they mis-threaded the entire thing, the next time I changed the oil, the filter would not fit properly and it leaked all the time.

It was a major pain in the butt to get that fixed. I was considering letting my dealer do it, but I'm glad the users here talked me out of it. Changing it myself was a snap, and like mikethern said, you don't even need to put it on ramps, you can do it on your back, that's how I did it anyways.

 

[Nevaren]

was under my car yesterday, and i have a spin off standard oil filter, and it lines up correctly with the hole in the pan...
2010 Mazdaspeed.

 

[NathanR]

You shouldn't need to elevate your car to change your oil unless you are very chubby.

Maybe it's the difference in the front bumper in the MS3 vs. the normal 3, but I doubt my 9 year old cut fit under the car without having it jacked up.

was under my car yesterday, and i have a spin off standard oil filter, and it lines up correctly with the hole in the pan...
2010 Mazdaspeed.

Yeah, I posted a follow-up right after my initial post in this thread.
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123753658

 

[mikethern]

Maybe it's the difference in the front bumper in the MS3 vs. the normal 3, but I doubt my 9 year old cut fit under the car without having it jacked up.

Then I recommend a cheap pair of jackstands, chock blocks, and a floor jack.....
http://shop.oreillyauto.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=ALT&MfrPartNumber=410755&CategoryCode=3397

 

[NathanR]

Then I recommend a cheap pair of jackstands, chock blocks, and a floor jack.....
http://shop.oreillyauto.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=ALT&MfrPartNumber=410755&CategoryCode=3397

That's exactly what I did. Almost. I jacked up each side and slid the ramps underneath the front tires. I feel safer with the ramps under there than I do with my jackstands for some reason.

 

[mikethern]

That's exactly what I did. Almost. I jacked up each side and slid the ramps underneath the front tires. I feel safer with the ramps under there than I do with my jackstands for some reason.

It's also a good idea to have someone watch you in case you have an accident. Imagine being pinned down by a car with no one around.

 

[MikeHTally]

Maybe it's the difference in the front bumper in the MS3 vs. the normal 3, but I doubt my 9 year old cut fit under the car without having it jacked up...

Man, no lie! Seriously doubt anyone could fit under there with the car on the ground. Granted, mine's an '08 1/2, but there can't be that much difference. Mine goes on ramps (homemade).

 

[MikeHTally]

What you need is this. It works for the Speed:

Or the Ram: