hey man this looks alot different than changing the oil on my previous car. how long did this take you?

Lets see :

Bring the car up on ramp = 1 minute

Take all 16 bolts and 3 clips off = 5 minutes (thanks to motorized screwdriver)

Drain and fill = 15 minutes

Put the bolts and clips back = 5 minutes

Go out for a test drive = 2 hours :D

I'd say good 30 to 40 minutes for the oil change :hello:

Just wanted to say thanks for making my first oil change on the Z easy. It was nice to know what to expect. I tried draining the oil by removing the 4 bolts and folding the flap but I didn't have much room to work with (used 2 jacks :-x). I ended up removing the whole cover and it was cake. The z had 3738 miles :) I know I shouldve done it sooner but I barely lost oil, it still looked good, and times are tough to have done an oil change at 1000 or whatever. Engine is definitely quieter..

You're welcome. I'd glad my diy helped you during your oil change. I bought a motorized screwdriver from ebay for $10 shipped and I can take all those bolts off in like 3 minutes! Great tool to have. :tup:

Hmmm, I'll keep that in mind for the next one. For some reason I just figured it was more than that so I didn't even bother looking. I used Nissan oil, oem filter and the magnetic plug from courtesyparts. I'm sure it's some other brand but I liked the chrome bolt (? Lol, no one sees it, I know) and the magnet seems to have more surface area than the one you have here (probably makes no difference). I'll probably go with redline/k&n on the next :)

I dont like you use the Aquafina water bottle for pouring oil. It makes you look cheap. Next time, I'm going to use Fiji water bottle instead.

Looks like you spend two hours with about $20 worth of goods for an oil change. Why not take it to the dealer and have them do it for $39 under one hour? That's what i do for my oil change anyway.

Also i pay $50 total for an oil change and 4 wheel tire rotation. Looks like no-brainer to me. Why do it yourself? you can't do tire rotation yourself anyway.

can't rotate Z tires anyways (cept base 18s)

Some people like to change their own oil. At $39, I doubt they're using the Nissan ester oil. I like to change mine because I know it's being done right and I don't have to worry about some kid tech at a Nissan dealer dogging my car while running errands. I've had dealer friends in high school and they would show up in my house with customer cars. The less I leave my car at the dealer, the better.

I completely agree with you. You don't know what the tech there are doing to your car half of the time. I rather do it myself and have that peace of mind knowing that I took my time on it instead of "just another oil change."

:confused: $20? The oil by itself cost $70 and the filter is about $15. Lets also not forget the 1 time fee of $24 for Magnetic plug and $40 for the filtermag. I'm also coming up on my third oil change in 9 months (I drive quite a lot).

If I try to rotate my staggered directional tires on my Z, I'm sure the forum members here will ban me!

May I ask what car you drive?

I've heard of shops (usually kwikkar type places) forgetting to add oil, forgetting to put in the drain plug, or put it in all the way. Paying for synthetic and receiving conventional is probably commonplace. At the very least I suspect you will not be getting the copper crush washer replaced or even reinstalled. Chances are, you and your car will be fine, but I've always worked on my cars myself, so changing oil is a minor task and I handle it myself.

They (PEPBOYS) forgot to tighten the drain bolt of my dads honda few years back. At that time, we parked our car in an attended lot. If it wasn't for the parking attendant to discover the oil leak, that engine would've been blown in the middle of the highway!:rolleyes: I have had dealer overfill and underfill my previous car(s) during oil change! :mad:

when you do it yourself you already have (and don't have to buy) the extra oil to top it off between fills and after the initial change.

^ Jason, Jake, and AK

I think you guys worry too much. I leave my car in the dealer for one hour and I could see them work on my car from the waiting room. Are you guys afraid they're going to take your car for a joyride if they finish your car early?

I went to the Nissan dealer and talked to the service manager yesterday. He said an oil change on a Z costs $39. No need to use ester or synthetic oil. Its way cheaper than changing the oil yourself.

I would not take a Z to pepboys to local gas station for an oil change. A cheap car, yes, but not a Z.

Do you think i could try using RedLine synthetic in my 86' Z31?
I currently have 177k miles on it as well.