Servicing Diy

[finest1]

hi all,

i was wondering if anyone out there services their car themselves, rather than bring it to a dealer.

i would like to do a basic servicing like oil change etc.

if anyone does theirs, can they explain to me what tools i need and how to do it?

photo's would be nice

many thanks

oh, my car is gs300s sport mk 1

:)

[janey]

Think quite a few of the guys do their own servicing - hopefully you can find a few 'how tos' here to keep you going until someone who's done it comes along :)

[finest1]

Think quite a few of the guys do their own servicing - hopefully you can find a few 'how tos' here to keep you going until someone who's done it comes along :)

thanks, i've never seen that part of the forum!

:winky:

[ihpj]

Best advice I could give you is to get a Pela Oil extractor and use that to change the oil in the car.

Easy, simple to use and clean. Wonderful way to change your oil.

[TigerFish]

I do my own servicing although I've not done any "how to's". I'll try and remember the camera next time.

Not much is need for an oil change. The filter is in a sh*t position and you can't get it off without some oil going down the engine and steering rack/subframes etc. It is one of the reasons why I asked questions on here before about remote oil filter kits so that it could be moved to a better location. An oil filter wrench is a must of course to get the filter undone. I'd agree with ihpj, I use an oil extractor that goes down the dipstick to remove the oil, no idea if it is the same as the one he mentions but makes life dead easy rather than catch cans under the car and the sumplug out. Oh, and one more point, the engine oil needs to be hot when you drain it, try and do it when you enough time to let the engine cool again before having to remove the filter as it gets pretty uncomfortable with your arms wedged down the side of the engine bay when everything is hot :tsktsk:

Air filter is a doddle. I can do a "how to" for that today easily enough as long as it stops raining

Spark plugs are not so easy. They need the throttle body removing and I'll try and remember the digicam next time I do those.

[janey]

The link that Chris has put up in the 1st post of this thread maybe of help too :)

[finest1]

thanks all

once oil is removed, do i need to flush out the engine or something to get rid of any deposits? is so, which one is good.

what oil is best for this type of engine (mk1 gs300 sport)

look fwd to the tutorial

thanks :D

[aido]

You can get some Forte Oil cleaner stuff that you add to the existing oil before you drop it all out.

If I remember right you run the car for about 10 - 15 minutes with it in so that it gets worked about and then once it's cooled just drop it all out and then put all the fresh stuff in?

[finest1]

according to lexus manual, the oil type should be 5W-30. has anyone used other types?

i use my car for work and do alot of short journeys around traffic. i do use on motorways but not often, possibly once every 2-3months

regarding PELA oil extractors. i managed to source one for £35 inc P&P which i will be ordering tomorrow. apparently Mercedes-benz do their oil change this way, but not 100%. i have read some good reviews about it. considering how messy oil changes could be, and i don't have a private drive, or garage, this makes sense and be very practical. for those that are interested, here's the link:

http://www.seamarknunn.com/acatalog/PL176634.html

:winky:

[aido]

A mate of mine at work used one of those on his Beemer, was very happy with it. He said something about not all cars being designed to work with a system like that though?

[finest1]

aido,

according to the pela website and videos on youtube, you simply put the plastic tube in to the channel where the dipstick usually goes. this is where the oil is drawn from. yes, you may have to question the diameter of the dipstick channel and the plastic tubing, but if all these components are made equal, it shouldn't be a problem. member IPHJ has mentioned it above, not sure if he's actually used it, or seen it been used.

i think i'll keep researching until someone who has used it on a lexus can verify if it works well.

thanks

[aido]

Sorry fella, I was thinking in terms of the sump design with these types of removal - the newer BMWs are designed for the oil to be removed from the top my mate was saying (don't know if that's rubbish) but some cars have difficulty with them as they're designed for oil to come out the bottom and so the sucker type kits can't get it all out.

Don't know even then if it's just a tiny bit that wouldn't make any difference anyway?!

[finest1]

yeah i get what you're saying. even if this item does not get all out, at least if you reach underneath to undo the sump not much will come out. if you get the oil warm enough to be as much liquid as possible then it has a better chance of being removed. thats what the reviewers are saying anyway. its very popular with boat engines. for £35 a go, its worth giving it a go. even if it's not brilliant, you can always give it to someone as a gift next xmas! or to someone that owns a boat!

[aido]

:D

My mate swore by it though, did both his car and the birds car and it worked a right treat :)

Where do you take the oil when you're done though as a matter of interest? I saw at the local tip they had an area for car oil but it was for full containers? Unless you empty yours into this thing, then put the new stuff straight in and then put the old stuff into the container it came in. Makes sense I guess!

[finest1]

here in north london we have a recycling depo. you can put it in any container, just as long as you leave it in the right area. check your local council website

[ihpj]

You don't have to use the Pela Oil Extractor - there is nothing unique about the pela, other than that it is very user friendly and seems to be the preferred unit of choice. I am sure other extractors are just as good. I can only personally recommend the Pela.