There are a few sure fire ways to make sure your car keeps rolling down the highway and an oil change is on the top of that list.

DIY Oil Change
Tanya Ryno
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Oil changes are very important for to extend the life of your car and doing it yourself is the best way to know it's done right.

As a kid, I can remember my grandpa checking his oil every time he put gas in his truck. When I asked him why, he gave me a simple but important answer "to make sure I have oil and oil is the life of your truck".

When I started driving, I drove a 1973 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme with a 350 Rocket under the hood. That car was big and had a lot of room under the hood to tinker around and get to know the basics of car care and how to change the oil.

As an adult, we don't always have the extra time or we just get lazy and don't want to do our own oil changes so we rely on the local shop or quick oil change place to do it for us. The problem with this sometimes is that, just like fast food, the order gets messed up and the job isn't done to your liking.

When you take your car or truck in for an oil change you expect they're doing the job properly, but one bad oil change can really leave a bad taste in your mouth and more money coming out of your pocket. I've seen cars ruined because of oil changes gone wrong and have been burned a couple times by careless mistakes. Unless you know the person changing your oil, it's hard to know their actual skill level.

You've heard the saying "if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself" and that's exactly where I am with oil changes.

A proper oil change will only take between 30-45 minutes and really isn't as hard as you may think. Your cars owners manual is full of the information you'll need to make sure you're using the correct oil, the proper amount of oil, right oil filter and location of all the key areas you'll need.

Here are the steps to a 'do-it-yourself oil change'

1. Jack up and secure your vehicle

1ROAD via YouTube
1ROAD via YouTube
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2. Find your oil fill cap under the hood and remove it to help the oil drain quicker

Oil Fil Cap
1ROAD via YouTube
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3. Locate oil plug under car and using the properly sized wrench remove it slowly, drain oil into oil change pan that is easy to move around so you can take the oil to be properly disposed of. You can find a location close to you that will take it for you.

remove oil plug
1ROAD via YouTube
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4. Remove existing oil filter and replace with new.

remove and replace oil filter with new
1ROAD via YouTube
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5. Replace the oil in your car with the correct amount that you find in your owners manual and remember to replace the oil cap after refilling.

Oil Change
1ROAD via YouTube
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When you change your oil, it's a good time to check the air pressure in your tires, coolant and other fluid levels to make sure you're ready until next time.

It's a pretty simple process. I found a great video from Jimmy at 1RoadGarage on YouTube that describes the process perfectly.

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