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Nice vid, you forgot to post the torque specs for the oil canister.
Thanks for the kind words! Hope it helps people!
The omission of the spec was intentional. Maybe I should've put it in. The torque specs are measured in in-lbs. and most people don't have a wrench that low. The torque spec for the real world DIY'er is just "snug". I suppose I could've added that. Oh well! Next time.
Seriously. I just wonder why it has to be that way! I'm sure they had good reason though.
Engine was designed for another car, that might be one of the reasons it's literally shoe horned into a busy engine bay and they pipe everything around it, blocking everything off
I know it's a totally different make/model (and engine bay size), but the oil filter on our 320 CDI motor is accessed from the top, and is a drop in cartridge. It takes about 20 seconds to change, and only requires one tool (a specialized filter cap socket).
I use a vacuum to pull the oil out of the motor. A complete oil/filter change takes about 20 minutes, and the majority of that time is waiting for the vacuum to do it's thing, and then pouring the new oil in.
It would be nice if other makes made routine maintenance this easy (as possible, based on size/shape constraints).
Nicely done, glad you gave up on the thumbs up gestures after a bit. Twas I a younger man I'd still be into doing this myself. Now it seems prudent to pay the $69 and let the dealer take care of it.
I agree it is nuts that you have to move the coolant tank to get to the filter. And the plastic covers on cars now are equally crazy. Especially in that MB above, it does nothing for me to see my engine covered in plastic, what a waste of money.
Nice video. Good job. Straight forward and simple enough for those that may have never done it to try it.
A few points to add
A) always open the filter box before you start and make sure it looks ok and appears correct
B) you should just loosen the filter prior to draining the oil to release the suction. More old oil will drain
C) when moving the coolant bottle out of the way use a small bungee cord to hold it up and out of the way. NOT to tight as you don't want to pop off the lower hose but it makes it much easier to deal with the filter without having to fiddle with the coolant bottle.
D) on DIY oil services for those who keep records. I tear the flap off the filter box and staple it to my oil purchase receipt and write the date and mileage on it and put it in the folder.
