DIY Engine oil change and Manufacturer Warranty

Other than the fact that I *know* it was done right, with the right oil and filter (most of the stealerships use standard dino juice bulk oil and MV filters in their standard package, whereas I always use Pennzoil Ultra Platinum and the OEM filters), I take the time to rotate the tires, and while I'm under my car, inspect everything to make sure nothing is going sideways.
 
Take a half day off work(lost $$)
Time to dropoff vehicle - 30 min
Wait at dealership for oil change- up to 2 hours(based on past experience)
* Possibly crap barrel oil.
Conversation regarding upsale services that dont need - 15 minutes
Time home - 30 minutes.
Total time - 3 hr 15 min- almost half a day.
Wait in small room that's usually out of snacks and drinks with people I dont know.

On weekend or after work
Warm up car- 5 min.
Grab ramps or jack, jackstands, find tools(the hardest part) - 30 min.
Car on Ramps - 10 min
Drain oil and filter - 10- 15 min
Vaccuum CX-5 or have a beer while draining. Maybe talk to neighbor or watch tv.
New filter and oil- 5 minutes.
Idle engine , check for leaks- 5 min
Back off ramp- 5 min
Clean up tools- 10 min
Maybe rotate tires.
Total time - 1hr 30 min
* Peace of mind knowing what oil was used and drain plug/filter not too loose or too tight. Also, am able to get UOA sample.

Saved half days pay$$, labor pay, inconvenience, stress of being upsold, and 2 hours of being cramped in small room with uncomfortable chairs.

DIY oil change - PRICELESS
 
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On weekend or after work
Warm up car- 5 min.... (etc)

As much as I tend to agree with you, you miss out the parts I hate:
  1. Wiping/cleaning up hands & arms from spurting oil when removing the drain plug (and/or from rooting around in the oil pan to find the drain plug you dropped)
  2. Wiping/cleaning up spilt oil from the ground and/or newspapers used to catch the spill when draining
  3. Trying to drain the full oil catch pan into old oil or milk containers without spilling any (then back to #2)
  4. Cleaning the catch pan from remaining oil and funnels used in #3.
  5. Driving 20mins (and back) to the local disposal and then emptying oil into bulk containers (then back to cleaning as #1).
Ugh. I really HATE those parts.
 
To track literally everything I do for my vehicles, I set up a separate Google Calendar I named Car Maintenance.
Then, on the date I did maintenance, I make an entry with the name of the vehicle, then in the description, I write in mileage, what I did, and part numbers.
 

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As much as I tend to agree with you, you miss out the parts I hate:
  1. Wiping/cleaning up hands & arms from spurting oil when removing the drain plug (and/or from rooting around in the oil pan to find the drain plug you dropped)
  2. Wiping/cleaning up spilt oil from the ground and/or newspapers used to catch the spill when draining
  3. Trying to drain the full oil catch pan into old oil or milk containers without spilling any (then back to #2)
  4. Cleaning the catch pan from remaining oil and funnels used in #3.
  5. Driving 20mins (and back) to the local disposal and then emptying oil into bulk containers (then back to cleaning as #1).
Ugh. I really HATE those parts.

Some tricks i use...

Get a jug like this. I have a similar one for drain oil. Heavy enough to not toppel over. Easily filled with funnel.

Spray your drain pan with furniture polish...makes cleaning easier. Use hard sponge to scrape oil towards drain hole.

If outside, Cardboard on floor with the folds to sides up against tires/ramps helps keep wind from blowing oil. Fold up at back too.

Back to topic on hand.
 

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As much as I tend to agree with you, you miss out the parts I hate:
  1. Wiping/cleaning up hands & arms from spurting oil when removing the drain plug (and/or from rooting around in the oil pan to find the drain plug you dropped)
  2. Wiping/cleaning up spilt oil from the ground and/or newspapers used to catch the spill when draining
  3. Trying to drain the full oil catch pan into old oil or milk containers without spilling any (then back to #2)
  4. Cleaning the catch pan from remaining oil and funnels used in #3.
  5. Driving 20mins (and back) to the local disposal and then emptying oil into bulk containers (then back to cleaning as #1).
Ugh. I really HATE those parts.


1. Use disposable gloves. Amazon has them cheap.
2-4. You're using the wrong drain pan. You need to invest in a wide one that has a cap.
5. Don't make a special trip, just take it the next time you go. And you can clean the outside of the pan with brake clean. Easy piezy.

1672694046808.png
 
If you are on the fence about DIYing the oil, I'd recommend buying a Fumoto valve (google it) and installing it - this reduces the time screwing around with the drain plug to zero. You can get one with a drain tube that you can guide into the container you are using which reduces the chance of spilling anything.

I can reach under my cars to open the valve, empty the oil, swap filters, then close the value without any tools (unless the filter is being troublesome). This makes changing the oil very easy.
 
Take a half day off work(lost $$)
Time to dropoff vehicle - 30 min
Wait at dealership for oil change- up to 2 hours(based on past experience)
* Possibly crap barrel oil.
Conversation regarding upsale services that dont need - 15 minutes
Time home - 30 minutes.
Total time - 3 hr 15 min- almost half a day.
Wait in small room that's usually out of snacks and drinks with people I dont know.

On weekend or after work
Warm up car- 5 min.
Grab ramps or jack, jackstands, find tools(the hardest part) - 30 min.
Car on Ramps - 10 min
Drain oil and filter - 10- 15 min
Vaccuum CX-5 or have a beer while draining. Maybe talk to neighbor or watch tv.
New filter and oil- 5 minutes.
Idle engine , check for leaks- 5 min
Back off ramp- 5 min
Clean up tools- 10 min
Maybe rotate tires.
Total time - 1hr 30 min
* Peace of mind knowing what oil was used and drain plug/filter not too loose or too tight. Also, am able to get UOA sample.

Saved half days pay$$, labor pay, inconvenience, stress of being upsold, and 2 hours of being cramped in small room with uncomfortable chairs.

DIY oil change - PRICELESS
I don't use ramp, have Fumoto valve. Only tool needed is screw driver to pull the clips.

Hardest part is disposing of oil filter, emptying, cleaning catch pan and funnel.

I keep the records on Mazda's Owners site. Also usually send myself and email with the mileage and such.
 
Take a half day off work(lost $$)
Time to dropoff vehicle - 30 min
Wait at dealership for oil change- up to 2 hours(based on past experience)
* Possibly crap barrel oil.
Conversation regarding upsale services that dont need - 15 minutes
Time home - 30 minutes.
Total time - 3 hr 15 min- almost half a day.
Wait in small room that's usually out of snacks and drinks with people I dont know.

On weekend or after work
Warm up car- 5 min.
Grab ramps or jack, jackstands, find tools(the hardest part) - 30 min.
Car on Ramps - 10 min
Drain oil and filter - 10- 15 min
Vaccuum CX-5 or have a beer while draining. Maybe talk to neighbor or watch tv.
New filter and oil- 5 minutes.
Idle engine , check for leaks- 5 min
Back off ramp- 5 min
Clean up tools- 10 min
Maybe rotate tires.
Total time - 1hr 30 min
* Peace of mind knowing what oil was used and drain plug/filter not too loose or too tight. Also, am able to get UOA sample.

Saved half days pay$$, labor pay, inconvenience, stress of being upsold, and 2 hours of being cramped in small room with uncomfortable chairs.

DIY oil change - PRICELESS
I usually go super early in the AM on a weekday/weekend when the dealer opens and I'm usually in and out around 45 minutes - 1 hour since no one is usually there. The drive for me is about 10 or 22 minutes one way depending on which dealership I go to and while I'm there, I'll do some work on a laptop to kill time. For the DIY route, I typically shower afterwards since the smell of engine oil sticks on everything so that adds extra time to the process 😀

Another alternative is to bring the oil and filter to a nearby independent mechanic and pay them the labor cost to avoid the hassle of doing the oil disposal/clean up also but yeah I do agree that overall DIY is better with being able to choose the brand of oil. Most dealerships that I've seen tend to use Castrol barrel oils or at least in my area.
As much as I tend to agree with you, you miss out the parts I hate:
  1. Wiping/cleaning up hands & arms from spurting oil when removing the drain plug (and/or from rooting around in the oil pan to find the drain plug you dropped)
  2. Wiping/cleaning up spilt oil from the ground and/or newspapers used to catch the spill when draining
  3. Trying to drain the full oil catch pan into old oil or milk containers without spilling any (then back to #2)
  4. Cleaning the catch pan from remaining oil and funnels used in #3.
  5. Driving 20mins (and back) to the local disposal and then emptying oil into bulk containers (then back to cleaning as #1).
Ugh. I really HATE those parts.
I know how you feel, been there for all of those points haha. For #1, I keep an extendable magnet pickup tool nearby just in case sleight of hand doesn't work out when getting the drain bolt out without having it drop into the container of used engine oil.

#3 I have the magic carpet to catch the spills when pouring the old oil from the catch pan so that it can easily be wiped but it's pretty overpriced. I bought it since it doesn't add extra ground clearance when working under the vehicle which means I need to jack up the car less and it can fold up easily for storage.

#5 There's been a few times I've driven to Advanced Auto Parts to recycle my oil to be told that their oil barrels are full so I need to drive across town to Auto Zone to do the recycling or that Auto Zone isn't accepting used oil at that location for whatever reason and I need to go elsewhere. Doesn't always happen but it definitely adds time to the oil change for sure.

I do wish Mazda made oil changes easier like having the engine oil filter in the engine bay area like Audi or some of the other German brands. I would be all for using a vacuum to siphon the used oil to do oil changes instead of going under the car. But then again, it beats having to do an oil change on a Toyota since they require a special oil change wrench and a plastic little thing that goes underneath the oil filter to release the oil. Honestly haven't looked into why Toyota made the process so convoluted.

To track literally everything I do for my vehicles, I set up a separate Google Calendar I named Car Maintenance.
Then, on the date I did maintenance, I make an entry with the name of the vehicle, then in the description, I write in mileage, what I did, and part numbers.
I typically track vehicle service intervals with Google Sheets. Some factors that I have are date, mileage and service performed on that date as well as cost. The built in service maintenance feature on the CX-5 is a nice touch and acts as a reminder for when the next tire rotation and oil change is since it's hard to ignore that orange wrench on the speedometer lol
 
If you are on the fence about DIYing the oil, I'd recommend buying a Fumoto valve (google it) and installing it - this reduces the time screwing around with the drain plug to zero. You can get one with a drain tube that you can guide into the container you are using which reduces the chance of spilling anything.

I can reach under my cars to open the valve, empty the oil, swap filters, then close the value without any tools (unless the filter is being troublesome). This makes changing the oil very easy.
There's also the Stahlbus as well but I recall it requires the tube to be inserted to unlock the mechanism and have the oil flow downwards and once that process takes place, there's no way to stop it. Read about it a few years ago but Fumoto is definitely more well known.

Some of the issues I've read about the Fumoto and these other valves is that the flow rate is pretty slow and that it doesn't allow all of the metal shavings to exit the engine oil pan. Aside from that, the other issues are that a piece of obstacle can accidentally knock the release valve open but I know they sell the little covers that protect against this issue from occurring.
 
There's always a risk associated with everything and that's why I mentioned risk tolerance level as we all can choose what we do with the vehicle, whether we have it serviced at the dealership or if we go through the DIY route. I see having the dealership performing the oil changes at their presence as me playing it safe and not have to go through the hassle of me recording a video of myself with a timestamp and everything during the warranty period of the vehicle so I do not mind eating that few hundred dollar cost of oil changes over that span of time.

Like you said, it also depends on what the time is worth to each individual as well. Some people may have more disposable income and can be doing other work while having the oil changed at the dealership or perhaps they are irritated waiting for it to be finished but it comes down to personal preference.

Quantifying the oil changes, there's a few other variables as well such as:
  1. Jacking up the vehicle
  2. Placing jack stands
  3. Getting the tools out
  4. Removing the old filter
  5. Undoing the drain bolt and waiting for the oil to drain
  6. Pouring new engine oil
  7. Pouring the used engine oil into an old oil canister
  8. Transporting that used oil for recycling at the nearest auto parts store
If it's about saving time, it isn't really saving all that much since most of us don't have a two post lift like the dealership/mechanic and we still need to transport that oil to the nearest auto parts store to recycle but if it's about saving money, then yes I would agree. If the dealer screws up the oil change, it's easier to go back and have them fix the issue as they were the last ones to touch the vehicle but I get the point of DIY and then ensuring that the work was done properly.

I see your point but to clarify the way I change the oil. I use ramps (unless I need to rotate the wheels) and in the just the time that it would have taken me to drive to my local dealership, I would have already been done with the work.

To your point about disposing of the used oil. I have several vehicles and a large garage. I save all of the old oil till I get around 10 gallons or so. Then I take it into the local quick oil change place and they're happy to have it.

You don't have to go through the trouble of recording a video of your work. A receipt and the milage on the car when the work was done is sufficient.

Last point. While I'm working on the oil change, I can also check out what's going on with my car and see if anything else needs to be taken care of. I always take WAY longer than needed to change the oil because of this. I'm retired so my time is my own.
 
I would not use a Fumoto valve on a car that goes off road but otherwise it is a pretty low risk if some common sense is applied. In the cases I'm using it, the valve faces backwards and the oil pan would have to take a hit for the valve to be contacted.

As far as used oil goes, another option is to turn it into diesel/biodiesel An acquaintance of mine makes his own diesel fuel. I give him my used oil and he burns it in his old Mercedes.
 
There's always a risk associated with everything and that's why I mentioned risk tolerance level as we all can choose what we do with the vehicle, whether we have it serviced at the dealership or if we go through the DIY route. I see having the dealership performing the oil changes at their presence as me playing it safe and not have to go through the hassle of me recording a video of myself with a timestamp and everything during the warranty period of the vehicle so I do not mind eating that few hundred dollar cost of oil changes over that span of time.

Like you said, it also depends on what the time is worth to each individual as well. Some people may have more disposable income and can be doing other work while having the oil changed at the dealership or perhaps they are irritated waiting for it to be finished but it comes down to personal preference.

Quantifying the oil changes, there's a few other variables as well such as:
  1. Jacking up the vehicle
  2. Placing jack stands
  3. Getting the tools out
  4. Removing the old filter
  5. Undoing the drain bolt and waiting for the oil to drain
  6. Pouring new engine oil
  7. Pouring the used engine oil into an old oil canister
  8. Transporting that used oil for recycling at the nearest auto parts store
If it's about saving time, it isn't really saving all that much since most of us don't have a two post lift like the dealership/mechanic and we still need to transport that oil to the nearest auto parts store to recycle but if it's about saving money, then yes I would agree. If the dealer screws up the oil change, it's easier to go back and have them fix the issue as they were the last ones to touch the vehicle but I get the point of DIY and then ensuring that the work was done properly.
There is no need to lift the CX5 to do an oil change.
 
I would not use a Fumoto valve on a car that goes off road but otherwise it is a pretty low risk if some common sense is applied. In the cases I'm using it, the valve faces backwards and the oil pan would have to take a hit for the valve to be contacted.

As far as used oil goes, another option is to turn it into diesel/biodiesel An acquaintance of mine makes his own diesel fuel. I give him my used oil and he burns it in his old Mercedes.
2nd Gen CX-5 has under cladding. You can't see the Fumoto valve or drain plug until you remove a panel.
 
There is no need to lift the CX5 to do an oil change.

This is true. There's enough clearance under the car to get the job done. Unless you're a really big person that is. I mentioned that I use ramps when I do this work, they're homemade ramps (made with scrap 2x10's) and have three steps. I only put the CX on the first step which is only 1.5" high. This is just enough to make that extra bit of room that makes is easier to maneuver under the car.

When I change oil in my MX I have to put the car on the top step.
 
This is true. There's enough clearance under the car to get the job done. Unless you're a really big person that is. I mentioned that I use ramps when I do this work, they're homemade ramps (made with scrap 2x10's) and have three steps. I only put the CX on the first step which is only 1.5" high. This is just enough to make that extra bit of room that makes is easier to maneuver under the car.

When I change oil in my MX I have to put the car on the top step.
Was thinking of making these. Did you nail or glue and screw?
 
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