Oil be damned!

Mar 01

Oil be damned!

I was having a discussion recently about changing oil in cars, specifically how frequently people do it. It made me realise than unless something goes 'bang', I start to hear ticking on start-up or the oil light comes on I don't really bother with what's happening with my oil. Maybe it's because I have German cars and Japanese bikes, which require very little mechanical attention, but I think I've only ever changed my own oil twice, and that would have been nearly 15 years ago (I started young... OK!). My Father used to have an old Mk2 escort (Popular Plus no less) in a lovely shade of orange, and we used to do regular oil changes on that, but since I've owned my own cars I haven't really bothered. Maybe it's because I live in London and most DIY mechanics have to be done 'roadside' (have you seen the price of garages!! :-O), so getting under the car is a bit hazardous! I've just had the oil changed on both cars (Beemer and Beetle) as part of their servicing and I haven't a clue what they put in there, although saying that I don't really care on those machines. I managed to change the oil on my Suzuki DR350 SuperMoto recently, only spilling a couple of pints worth of oil on the pavement (sidewalk) outside our flat, which went down well with the neighbours (like a pork sausage at a Bar Mitzvah!). I made sure I used a decent grade, as I'm an 'enthusiastic' rider (as you can probably tell from my ID piccie), so I did have something in my defence. I guess that's what you get for not replacing the sump plug gasket when you've taken it out! I did replace the filter though, like a good boy! So... am I just being a lazy twat, or do you lot also get someone else to change your car oil for you? Please let me know, coz if I am being lazy I might do the Beetle the next time it's due, just to keep my hand in and save some face :-) Here's a pretty good reference guide if you want to have a go... http://doityourself.com/auto/howtochangeautooil.htm