DIY oil change, how are you lifting your car?

[REDCON1]

Just has my last free oil change at dealership; now the rest are on me. The car seems pretty low and was wondering how you guys lift it in order to get under there and drain the oil? Looked a few ramps but wasn't sure if the front end would make contact before the tire begins to go up on the ramp. The quick jack system seems pretty nice but not sure I want to spend $1500+ just to change the oil once or twice per year. Thanks.

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[SilverRocket]

Just has my last free oil change at dealership; now the rest are on me. The car seems pretty low and was wondering how you guys lift it in order to get under there and drain the oil? Looked a few ramps but wasn't sure if the front end would make contact before the tire begins to go up on the ramp. The quick jack system seems pretty nice but not sure I want to spend $1500+ just to change the oil once or twice per year. Thanks.

I got the QJ 7000TL on sale at Costco. It goes on sale maybe once a year, sometimes twice for $1400CAD delivered.

Depends what you do and how you do it. Just the oil on the ITS, totally agree, your best bet would be wheel ramps. There are some low profile ones you can get. However is it only your car?

The biggest pain with QJ is setting it up. It's not that bad but they are heavy and cumbersome. What I do is along with my brother and father, we end up making a day out of it and we do all the tire changes and oil changes. Basically all 4 wheels are up and it's easy to switch the tires as the oil is draining. Between when one car is done and the next up in the air, it's maybe 5, max 10 minutes including shuffling the cars. Saves so much time. We maintain 6 cars this way and the QJ system has essentially paid itself off and then some.

 

[slowcountry]

I'm still on the free oil changes, but for underbody work (ASpec) I have ramps, a low profile floor jack, and jack stands.

The front bumper does flex back a bit when pulling onto the ramps so I only use that if I'll be under there for a couple sessions. It scared me a bit the first time I pulled up.

Short term stuff I'll just jack it from the center knuckle and use the jack stands.

 

[Underdog]

I drive the front wheels up on some 2x6 boards to give enough clearance for my Arcan low-pro jack to reach the front center jack point. Then I jack up the rear since I rotate my tires when I change the oil. No boards necessary to reach the rear center jack point. Been doing it this way for almost 20 years on multiple cars.

 

[StingertimeNC]

Same here basically. Front on wood ramps, then jack up the back, place jackstands, then jack up the front higher, place jackstands. With this order the car is always on two stable points while jacking from the center jack points.

 

[Brittania]

For just an oil change I like ramps. Seems like having the car tilted back will allow more oil to drain. Maybe, maybe not.

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