Owning a car doesn’t just mean independence, freedom and driving pleasure. A car also brings with it one or two obligations. In addition to the insurance and motor vehicle taxes that you have to pay, a vehicle also needs some care. That starts with a thorough car wash and ends with a timing belt replacement. But the thing that car owners like to forget to have done and wonder afterwards why the car sounds funny and the engine nails so strangely, although you don’t drive a diesel at all, is the oil change.
An oil change is elementary for driving a vehicle. The operating fluids are used to keep the vehicle running properly. During an oil change, the engine oil is drained out through an oil drain plug. Further, the oil filter is removed and a new one is fitted. After draining the oil and attaching the new oil filter, the new engine oil is also filled in.
Many people ask the question: How much does an oil change cost? The price differs from car to car. It depends on how much cubic capacity the engine has or how many cylinders. It also depends on whether you drive on gasoline or diesel. This also determines the type of oil. For example, there are 10W40, 5W30 and so on. Further it depends also on the mark of the oil. So whether you use oil from Castrol, Liqui Moly or no-name products.
Furthermore, the price of an oil change depends on the workshop where it is done. Workshops often charge a considerable premium for the oil itself.
On the Internet, you can also find sites that allow you to compare prices for oil changes at workshops in your region. In Perth, for example, you pay between AUD 150.00 and AUD 280.00 for an oil change including oil filter for a VW Golf 1.4. In this case, independent workshops are clearly cheaper than authorized workshops.
Oil Change Is Easy
With skill, you can also change the oil yourself. In any case, a lifting platform or ramp is advantageous. It is important to have a suitable container for the old oil. This must be large enough and suitable in the condition to catch the used oil. Since this is very harmful to the environment, it is not allowed to simply let the oil seep into the ground. First, open the oil drain plug. This is usually located at the lowest point of the oil pan.
After all the oil has drained out, you turn off the oil filter with a so-called oil filter wrench. This is usually very difficult. This is also full of old engine oil. Afterwards one turns the new oil filter again purely. Make sure that it is really straight. Then screw the oil drain plug back in. Then fill up with fresh oil from above. The rule of thumb for the amount of oil is about 1 liter per cylinder. So for a 4-cylinder vehicle this would be about 4 liters of oil. The exact quantity can also be found in the vehicle manual. When filling up the oil, always pull the dipstick to check.
It doesn’t matter whether you change the oil yourself or have it done in a workshop. It is important that the intervals (15,000 kilometers or after 1 year) for the change are observed.