DIY OIL Change QUESTION

[hryderiii]

I want to jack both wheels off the ground. The manual says to jack at the designations locations which is at the pinch welds.

Do I get a second screw jack?

Are ramps the best answer?

[markjenn]

Ramps are definitely easier for oil changes, but they are not as versatile since you can't use them for things like tire rotations. Oil changes are usually possible on most cars without any raising of the car although you do have to scrounge around on the ground and know where the locations are for the drain plug, filter, shields, etc.

You should never be under a vehicle held up only by jacks, no matter how many. You jack the car up and then use jackstands. The jacking area around the pinch welds is typically big enough to be able to jack at one spot and put a jackstand at another, but I always take a hard look and assess how big an area is reinforced. Sometimes a small block of wood helps distribute the load.

There are usually other areas nearby that are reinforced also (typically near the suspension pickup points), but you do need some experience to be able to know where you can jack and where you can't.

- Mark

[GT155]

Just curious, didn't your GT come with free oil changes? Or did you purchase your car far away from the dealer that it's not worth driving all the way over there? Just curious. I was going to purchase mine from a dealer an hour and a half away and wouldn't take advantage of the oil changes then but a dealer three miles from me came through, so needless to say I'll let them do it for free. If you just want to do it yourself, remember if you have the front end on ramps the car is on an angle which means when you drain the old oil, you may not be draining all of it because the oil is sitting in the back of the oil pan if the front is raised up on ramps.. It's always better to have the car level when changing the oil. Just my opinion.

[markjenn]

Originally Posted by GT155

If you just want to do it yourself, remember if you have the front end on ramps the car is on an angle which means when you drain the old oil, you may not be draining all of it because the oil is sitting in the back of the oil pan if the front is raised up on ramps.. It's always better to have the car level when changing the oil. Just my opinion.

Most sumps have a depression around the oil drain plug that will allow you to do a fairly complete drain even on ramps. And most often, the drain plug is at the rear of the pan where the slope of the ramps helps rather than hinders a complete drain. (Haven't looked at Hyundai's 1.8 yet.) Finally, about 15% of the total oil capacity of an engine is undrainable under any circumstances, so if you leave 17% rather than 15%, it really doesn't matter much.

- Mark

[austex04]

+1 on the ramps. You should NEVER work under a vehicle on jacks, since jacks can slip or move. A good set of ramps run $30-$40 or so, I've had mine for years. Don't forget to set the parking brake when using ramps. Oil and filter changes only takes about 10min with the ramps.

[GT155]

Originally Posted by markjenn

Most sumps have a depression around the oil drain plug that will allow you to do a fairly complete drain even on ramps. And most often, the drain plug is at the rear of the pan where the slope of the ramps helps rather than hinders a complete drain. (Haven't looked at Hyundai's 1.8 yet.) Finally, about 15% of the total oil capacity of an engine is undrainable under any circumstances, so if you leave 17% rather than 15%, it really doesn't matter much.

- Mark

True, the 2% of oil left isn't a big deal. Also true that the plug is usually in the back, usually. Just my preference in the past that I like when the car is level when I do an oil change. I'm just curious if he can get free oil changes or not. I thought the free oil change was for anyone, anywhere. Or maybe I'm wrong and it just depends where you live, because as far as I know, no matter where you purchased your Hyundai, they include lifetime free oil changes as long as you take it back to the dealer where you purchased it.

[GusHassen]

Originally Posted by GT155

True, the 2% of oil left isn't a big deal. Also true that the plug is usually in the back, usually. Just my preference in the past that I like when the car is level when I do an oil change. I'm just curious if he can get free oil changes or not. I thought the free oil change was for anyone, anywhere. Or maybe I'm wrong and it just depends where you live, because as far as I know, no matter where you purchased your Hyundai, they include lifetime free oil changes as long as you take it back to the dealer where you purchased it.

No such luck here (Toronto) took it back to the dealer from where I bought the car for the first oil change and I was dinged for it...

[grandpaswagon]

Originally Posted by GT155

True, the 2% of oil left isn't a big deal. Also true that the plug is usually in the back, usually. Just my preference in the past that I like when the car is level when I do an oil change. I'm just curious if he can get free oil changes or not. I thought the free oil change was for anyone, anywhere. Or maybe I'm wrong and it just depends where you live, because as far as I know, no matter where you purchased your Hyundai, they include lifetime free oil changes as long as you take it back to the dealer where you purchased it.

It's a dealer option or promotional feature to sell cars.............. and to get you back in the service dept to sell you other service. None of the dealers around me have it and I have never seen it advertised locally by Hyundai or anyone else. Could be a regional or zone thing.

FWIW - I always do my own for many reasons - one being I am not under any time constrains to do a halfass job.

[Bianco]

Originally Posted by grandpaswagon

FWIW - I always do my own for many reasons - one being I am not under any time constrains to do a halfass job.

Absolutely!!! Have the freedom to do the job anytime you like without having to book an appointment. Most important, you can do a visual inspection of other components underneath the vehicle.

[GT155]

I must be getting old. I used to change my oil all the time, Do my brakes myself, sparkplugs back in a day. No more. Maybe it is a regional thing because all the Hyundai dealers in this area provide this service and it's fine by me. Some of them you don't even need an appointment because they have certain people assigned to just change oil and that's all they do. In my case the dealer is about 3 miles from me so it's no big deal. The other thing that's nice in my case, since I purchased my car before November 3rd, when ever I take my car in for an oil change at 3,750 miles and 7,500 miles etc. I will also receive a visa debit card a few weeks later from Hyundai for approxmiately $31.00 because of the error in the vehicle window sticker with the mileage. Every time you take the car in and they document your mileage, Hyundai will reinburse you. So if I take it in sooner than 3,750 miles the debit card would be somewhat less. This is for as long as you own the car. How can you beat that?