DIY oil change

[finest1]

hi all, hope you are all doing well

has any of you changed your own oil?  i know ideally the car needs to be on a lift to access it from the bottom. just wondering if any of you have tried it, or just go get it done at a garage

i've seen some on youtube, but the ones i've seen are from the states where they have their own garage space

 

thanks in advance

[jumbojake]

it is possible, but only if you are thin with long arms.... neither applies to me!

For me, my drive is on a slope, so I use ramps to level the car, giving me easy access.  

[Herbie]

21 minutes ago, jumbojake said:

it is possible, but only if you are thin with long arms.... neither applies to me!

Or, if the OP has somewhere like this near to him

[Spacewagon52]

1 hour ago, finest1 said:

hi all, hope you are all doing well

has any of you changed your own oil?  i know ideally the car needs to be on a lift to access it from the bottom. just wondering if any of you have tried it, or just go get it done at a garage

i've seen some on youtube, but the ones i've seen are from the states where they have their own garage space

 

thanks in advance

If you have nowhere to do the job safely off the highway, just take it to a local garage, if it is just an oil change you want. If you supply the oil and filter they will only charge you labour.

[NemesisUK]

Don't most workshops now syphon the oil out? Certainly Mercedes do. No need to remove the undertrays etc..

Only useful if one can access to change the filter from above though ...

[steve2006]

I’ve always done my own but have trolley jacks and axle stands, do not go under a car just on its own jack!

Basic tools required, hardest part can be the filter removal but all in all a 3/10 easy job.

Link is for LS400 but is similar

 

http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/lubrication/oilchange.html

[finest1]

7 minutes ago, steve2006 said:

I’ve always done my own but have trolley jacks and axle stands, do not go under a car just on its own jack!

Basic tools required, hardest part can be the filter removal but all in all a 3/10 easy job.

hi steve, i have axle stands and access to a drive way (at my sisters outside london)

[NemesisUK]

Is the IS250 oil filter accessible from above?

[ColinBarber]

4 minutes ago, NemesisUK said:

Is the IS250 oil filter accessible from above?

Nope 😞 

[NemesisUK]

How about the more modern/current models? Or do all Lexus cars have to go on the lift to change oil?

[ColinBarber]

10 minutes ago, NemesisUK said:

How about the more modern/current models? Or do all Lexus cars have to go on the lift to change oil?

The ES and UX have the most modern engines, both have filters near the bottom of the engine - sticking out horizontally like the IS250 so at least you don't get oil down your arm when taking them off. Interestingly Toyota have moved back to the full metal can filters rather than the replaceable paper element type they have been using for the last 15 or so years.

Personally I don't see the point in having the filer fitted high up, you need to drain the oil from underneath so you may as well remove the filter whilst you are there at the same time.

[NemesisUK]

11 minutes ago, ColinBarber said:

Personally I don't see the point in having the filer fitted high up, you need to drain the oil from underneath so you may as well remove the filter whilst you are there at the same time.

But that's my point if the filters were located accessible from above one could simply suck the oil out via the dipstick tube, just as many garages do. Saves removing all the under-gubbings.

[true blue]

Hi I always service my own cars ,good link from Steve ,the job is straight forward  but my advice is   make sure you can safely get the car to a good height to access the filter housing and it is supported on stands or ramps .The filter is loose in a housing not a sealed canister so you will need the correct tool to remove the housing cap ( do not try to remove the housing with any other tool /stillsons etc ) and a good length bar for your socket as this housing WILL BE TIGHT ! ,make sure your receptacle for the used oil is big enough as there is 6.5 litres of waste oil . Use a new sump sealing washer 

Dave

[finest1]

hi all,

i've just looked at this link that steve posted

oil change LS400

i have these ramps, but thought i could not use them as the car needed to be level for all the oil to drain. is this correct?

[Mr Vlad]

Ideally level but it won't matter if you just use your ramps. There will always be a little of the old oil left in the sump but less than half a litre so putting 6+ litres of fresh clean oil won't get diluted much at all.

[finest1]

thanks

[Texas]

The 250 has an ‘inspection’ type flap that gives access to the filter, you don’t have to remove the whole underbody tray to get to it and oil drain plug is in plain sight!

[Mr Vlad]

A thought came to mind. If only using ramps then to counteract the effect of old oil staying in the rear section of the sump place a plank of about 4 inches deep on the opposite side where the drain plug is. This is to make the car lean so the old oil comes out easier and also the high probability of 99% of the old oil coming out. Might sound daft but I've used that method many many times in the past. 

[finest1]

hi Mr Vlad, i'm finding it difficult to picture your idea in my head. is this a well known tip that I can get a diagram to see?

[rich1068]

I think he means a plank on the ramp? Not too familiar with the IS250 but I'm guessing from Vlad's post the sump plug is off set on the sump? Raising one side of the car slightly higher allows for a better drain if I'm understanding correctly.

If you're unsure about this Rishi then I wouldn't use the plank. Rear wheel drive cars can be a little tricky to get on ramps depending on the surface. I've used ramps many times on FWD cars and I'm always happier with ramps rather than stands. But for a RWD car (I find) it's easier to jack the car up and put it on good stands.