I'm all for the 15,000 mile interval but don't much care for the 10,000 initial change so I dove in at 2K:

1 case Mobile 1 -- $28 at Costco
1 Stanley large socket set -- $13 at Wal-Mart
1 filter -- $6 at Classic MINI

Total cost $47 and 47 minutes.

I looked at the 36mm socket at Home Depot ($7) but decided it was too deep. Wal-Mart sells a Stanley set of 5 or 6 large sockets for $13 and the 36mm is *plenty* short enough. I'm glad I didn't try it with an adustable wrench -- it doesn't spin freely like a regular filter, the wrench is needed for 3-4 complete turns.

Everything went smoothly until I removed the filter. OMFG that thing gushed oil like an Iraqi on crack! Oil here, oil there, must have been 3 gallons of oil on the driveway alone. The entire suspension was drenched in oil. The half-shafts, the exhaust system, the entire engine and transmission -- covered in Texas Gold. There was oil everywhere! It was dizzying, nauseating, there was so much oil, passers-by surely must have thought I was supporting Bush. Not good. Not good at all.

 

when did you pull the filter in relation to pulling the drain plug? I remove the oil pan drain plug and start the oil draining...then one or two turns on the oil filter so it is slightly loose but still connected....I then let it drain and once it is done draining I then remove the oil filter all the way.....usually just a few drops spill.

I changed my oil last night I don't think a drop touched the ground.

 

I removed the filter about 20 minutes after draining the oil. I just cranked the filter right off -- that was apparently my mistake. Next time I'll crack the filter the night before and lay down a tarp.

 

Like daMatta said - just loosen the canister enough to break the seal, and the oil inside will drain back through the engine and out through the drain plug. Then remove the canister, trying as much as possible to rotate it it upward as you remove it, and not very much oil at all should spill.

 

I wonder if they fixed the cannister. Because everytime I take off that cannister on the 2003 MCS even if I wanted to screw it off fast it wont. There is quite a bit of resistance and by the time its off some of the extra oil has already drained out through the plug.

 

I followed that advice and didn't spill a drop on either change. Open the plug and while it's draining loosen the cannister. I almost completely remove it, and at the angle it sits it drains through the engine. After a few minutes finish removing the cannister and no problems. (Other than the cannister can get bloody hot.)

Aside from trying to re-thread the cannister (always takes me a couple of tries) I think it's the easiest car I've ever changed oil on.

Jeff

 

I ordered a 36mm 3/8" drive socket from Samstag Sales. It was a bit pricey, but it's the smallest 36mm I have ever. The link is http://www.SamstagSales.com. The part number is Hazet 2169-36 MB Oil Filter Socket.

 

If anybody has a solution for changing oil whilst the skid plate is still attached, let us know. As soon as the oil hit that skid plate it went bloody everywhere!

 

>>If anybody has a solution for changing oil whilst the skid plate is still attached, let us know. As soon as the oil hit that skid plate it went bloody everywhere! <<

Solution: remove the skid plate for oil changes!

 

You could also cut a hole in the plate for drainage and drill and tap 2 holes for a cover plate. A lot of heavy equipment use this system. It's a little work to initially do it, but you'll save a lot of time on future oil changes. Or, and I don't know if this will work since I haven't seen a skid plate installed, you might try to use a folded piece of cardboard to act as a guide for the oil and drain it past the plate.

My first oil change was a piece of cake, other than having the same problem as Friedduck with getting the stupid canister threads started again. An extension of 2 more threads on the filter housing would have made this the easiest oil change in the world.

 

>>>>If anybody has a solution for changing oil whilst the skid plate is still attached, let us know. As soon as the oil hit that skid plate it went bloody everywhere! <<
>>
>>Solution: remove the skid plate for oil changes!
>>

Check out the FRAM site for their sure drain plug or something like that...forget the exact name. It is a oil pan drain plug that has a valve on it that you can hook up a tube provided with the kit to it and open up the valve that way....thus you can reach up there and put this tube on and just route the tube through one of the skid plate holes...of course to get it on you would have to remove your skid plate as it is a whole new drain plug....i have never used one of these so I can't speak from experience, but I remember seeing it and thought it would be perfect for this application.

 

An interesting idea. FYI, if the flow out of the oil pan was moderate, it wouldn't have hit the skid plate at all. In fact, after about 1/3 of the oil had drained it wasn't hitting the skid plate.

It's only that first rush of oil that forces the stream far enough out to miss the hole under the skid plate, and impinge on it's flat surface.

For me, removing the skid plate isn't a nie option since I thread locked the skid plate in and don't want to bother breaking the threads out again.

 

moss offers an oil cooler & filter conversion kit.
The kit uses a K&N spin-on filter.

I've yet to take delivery of my MCS, but this upgrade appears to be worth its $300 price tag.

Sign up for their free catalog, there's some good isht in there:
http://www.mossmini.com