How to Do Your Own Oil Change with Quaker State® Ultimate Durability™

10 Shares

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CanadianTire #QuakerState #CollectiveBias #ad

Quaker State

I don’t know whether I am more excited to learn how to do my own engine oil change myself or share my knowledge with you. At the very least I am so happy that I can share yet another simple tutorial that will teach my readers how to take basic car maintenance into their own hands.

My Life Long Yearning to Learn How To Do an Oil Change

My dad is one of those guys that can fix anything. If I ever have any issues with my car I simply call him and he can usually diagnose my car issues over the phone with some simple (not actually good) sound effects from yours truly. By the time I head into the mechanic I am usually quite knowledgable about what the issue most likely is so that I can sound smart and not get taken advantage of.

But the oil change is something I have wanted to do on my own for ages but have always been too intimidated to learn. Throwing money away at the local shop where they not only tried to sell me on the oil change but every other thing that could possibly be wrong…plus windshield wipers.

Choosing an Engine Oil

Each vehicle has it’s own specifications when comes to parts and fluids that it takes. Please refer to your Owner’s Manual or ask the Part’s Desk at Canadian Tire for help in regards to the recommended weight and grade your vehicle requires.

Going into Canadian Tire and walking down the oil aisle can be a bit intimidating. We did our research before we headed out and knew we wanted to purchase Quaker State® Ultimate Durability™. Rigorously tested over hundreds of thousands of kilometers and in real-world conditions I knew we would be putting the heart of our truck–the engine–in good hands.

Quaker State

The Quaker State® Ultimate Durability™ line offers more durability thanks to fuel-saving additives that help keep the oil fresh. They also have heat-activated viscosity improvers and anti-wear additives kick in when your engine heats up to help maintain the oil thickness so that your engine lasts longer . As if that wasn’t enough they also got you covered in those frigid Canadian winters with superior lubrication flow and pumpability in below-freezing conditions.

Now that I have shared all of the tech specs lets get into the good stuff…the tutorial on how to change your own oil.

How to Do Your Own Oil Change with Quaker State® Ultimate Durability™

I really recommend going onto Youtube and searching your car’s make and model to get a visual of where your car’s oil tank is. Before I even attempted to do this myself I watched one and now I am oozing confidence. Seriously guys–oozing. Who runs the world? Girls! And we can totally change the oil as well.

What You Need:

Quaker State® Ultimate Durability™— Please check Owner’s Manual for your vehicle’s specifications
Protective Gear (gloves, goggles)
Flat cardboard box in case of spills
Drain pan
Correct size Socket Wrench
Funnel
Clean towels
Replacement washer for drain bolt (if needed)
A container for your old oil (I just put my old oil in the used Quaker State container)

*You should replace your oil filter at the same time as doing an oil change. I have not included it in this tutorial but know that it has been done*

**please note I am not jacking my truck up as I can reach the oil pan. If you are jacking your car up please refer to your Owner’s Manual for jack points and instructions.**

Instructions:

Purchase Quaker State® Ultimate Durability™ at your local Canadian Tire.
Collect all of the above items and make sure they are at arms reach.
Open hood of vehicle.
Locate your oil pan (should be right under the engine) and find the oil plug.
Place flat cardboard on the floor under oil plug and put drain pan on top of cardboard.
Put on your protective gear.
Using socket wrench slowly turn oil plug counter-clockwise until you have some fluid come out. If this is your first time I highly recommend (actually my dad recommends) checking to see what colour the oil that comes out of the pan is. If it is red STOP and close it back up. That is the transmission fluid. Engine oil is brown.
Once you are sure that you have the engine oil get out of the way, position the drain pan and take off the plug completely. Make sure you hold onto the plug and washer. Take off the oil cap as well so that all of the oil drains out.
Drain all of the oil. Once the oil stops coming off replace the plug and washer and clean around the plug. Please refer to Owner’s Manual to see how tight the plug should be. If it is too loose it will leak and if it is too tight you will strip the thread. Easy does it. **you should replace your oil filter here**
Go up to where the oil cap is and insert a funnel. Pour in the correct amount of Quaker State® Ultimate Durability™.
Replace the oil cap.
Start the car and let it run for 1-2 minutes. Visually inspect drain plug for leaks. Turn off engine and let sit for a few minutes before proceeding to next step.
Find the oil dipstick. Remove the dipstick and clean it off with a lint-free cloth or shop towel. Reinsert and remove the dipstick this time checking the oil fill line.
If the oil is below the fill line you need to add oil and if it is above the fill line you need to remove oil. You can do this by repeating the steps above. Reinsert the dipstick.
Empty the used oil in your drain pan into a closed container and most car places will displose of it for free.
Clean up your work area. Dish soap and water will clean up spilled oil.

That is it!

Where to Purchase Quaker State® Ultimate Durability™ Engine Oil

Quaker State® Ultimate Durability™ can be purchased at your local Canadian Tire in the Auto Department. I found it in the Oil Change aisle under the High-mileage subsection.

Quaker State

Available in both 5L and 1 Quart bottles it was easy to get the correct amount needed. I especially liked that it was such a great price (especially at Canadian Tire) for the quality.

Quaker State

This took under 20 minutes from the beginning to the end and I didn’t even need to change out of my pj’s. I am seriously second-guessing all of the oil changes I have had in the past. For more information on Quaker State® Ultimate Durability™ check out the Canadian Tire website.

Would you try to do an oil change yourself?

Remember to Pin this, you automotive goddess you!

Quaker State

Pin10

10 Shares

Follow:

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CanadianTire #QuakerState #CollectiveBias #ad

Aneta Alaei

Aneta is a Toronto-based mom of four that loves a good meal, great company, and learning something new. In her free time, you can find her trying to keep yet another plant alive.

Find me on: Web | Twitter/X | Instagram | Facebook

You may also enjoy:

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

32 Comments

Darren Scrubb
June 6, 2017 / 10:54 am

Great information I will keep for when I purchase a vehicle.
Dee Clarke
June 6, 2017 / 10:59 am

Aneta, you are my hero! It’s so satisfying to be able to do things yourself, isn’t it???
Treen Goodwin
June 6, 2017 / 11:05 am

You rock , my hubby changes the oil in our cars , i will have to try it myself one of these times , thanks for sharing great info 🙂
kathy downey
June 6, 2017 / 11:36 am

Hubby changes the oil in our cars,good for you i need to try this sometime!
Heydy
June 6, 2017 / 12:51 pm

ok this is awesome ! Girl power at its finest. I will try this next time (when im not preggo)! hehe
CALVIN f.
June 6, 2017 / 3:04 pm

What a handy guide, saves times and money!
kristen visser
June 6, 2017 / 3:18 pm

that is the brand hubby uses actually 🙂 he is usually the one who changes the oil. I am the one to top it up lol
AD
June 6, 2017 / 8:27 pm

Good for you! My Aunt made me take Auto Shop in high school; I remember being so angry that I had to be in a “greasy” class with a bunch of boys (and not the cool boys) away from my friends. But it taught me how to change my own oil, change a tire, do simple auto maintenance and other things. So grateful now in retrospect.
Cyn
June 7, 2017 / 11:20 am

You are woman, hear you roar! It’s amazing how simple this process can be once you try it for yourself. Isn’t it great to save time and money doing it yourself at home. #client
Katherine Petrunia
June 7, 2017 / 2:49 pm

I am SO IMPRESSED that you did this! It’s pathetic to say I don’t know how to change my own oil and I LOVE that you not only learnt but you shared as well. I have to stop making excuses and try doing it for myself for once, thanks for the inspiration and advice, I’ll e coming back here to read again when I give it a try.
Elizabeth Matthiesen
June 7, 2017 / 6:23 pm

I’m sorry to say that I will never be doing this on my own. Canada Tire here managed to mess up twice changing my oil, I lost all my oil twice! I was hopping mad I can tell you, this was twice straight after each other. After the second oil change I made a 275 km trip, thankfully the oil warning light didn’t start flashing until I was changing into my daughter’s street. However had I had to travel further, losing my oil could have meant a ruined engine at the worst and at the best a long wait on the highway for CAA.
Aneta Alaei
Author
June 7, 2017 / 6:25 pm

That’s sucks. I would have lost my marbles but we’ve had a great experience doing it ourselves and obviously no leaks.
Lynda Cook
June 8, 2017 / 8:53 am

Since my husband is a mechanic he does all the work and won’t let me touch the cars, which is fine by me since my bad back wouldn’t let me get down on the ground anyways!! but good for you to do your own oil change!!
Tanya
June 8, 2017 / 11:06 am

It’s a good thing to know just incase you really need to do it yourself, but for now I’ll stick with my local mechanic (it’s usually cheaper of same $)
Sab Edwards
June 8, 2017 / 1:32 pm

You also have to find someplace that will take the old oil, which can be hard if you’re in a rural town like I am where there is no garage etc, and even then they don’t have to take your oil
Janette Shearer
June 8, 2017 / 5:42 pm

My Dad taught me when I got my learners license. If I couldn’t do my own basic repairs, I couldn’t drive! It soon became one of my favourite things to do! We had to jack up the car and slide under! Came out all nasty and dirty! I LOVED IT!
heidi c.
June 9, 2017 / 11:05 pm

Fortunately, my hubby grew up on a farm and learned very on how to do oil changes. He does regular checks on our vehicles, especially before we travel.
LeslieC
June 11, 2017 / 4:35 am

Thank you so much for this post!
I’m a single mom on a budget so anytime I can save money is great!
Kristi
June 11, 2017 / 5:16 pm

I’ve bought Quaker State oil a lot for my oil changes. Fortunately I have an uncle that changes my oil so I don’t think I really want to bother trying haha.
Wanda Tracey
June 12, 2017 / 9:29 pm

Thanks for the great information.I read it all and learned a few things,but
my son is a mechanic and does this for me.
Corry L.
June 27, 2017 / 5:04 pm

This is awesome! Girl Power!!!
Davidgrobertson
July 23, 2017 / 2:17 am

When you change the oil it is imperative that the oil filter is changed at the same time. If you don’t change the filter it is like washing your feet and then puting on your dirty socks that you have worn for the last three day.
B rabbit
July 24, 2017 / 7:11 pm

How anout the pil filter? Do you need to change that toi?
Aneta Alaei
Author
July 24, 2017 / 7:43 pm

Everytime you do an oil change you must also replace the air filter. I am focusing on the oil change in this post but the oil filter is easy to fix and should be done when the oil has been drained
Dave M
August 15, 2017 / 10:58 am

Great presentation…Only thing you might want to try and see for yourself…..have the jug of oil almost on its side and pour from that position..the air will flow back into the jug and wont keep gulping for air….Cheers..
Tom Malott
August 16, 2017 / 7:17 pm

Let the pros change the oil. Not all of us are dishonest. While your car is up on the lift we take a quick visual inspection of things like CV boots, tie rods for looseness, exhaust, power steering, transmission or coolant leaks. We check all the exterior lights and the wiper blades. We don’t force you to buy anything and you are free to get a second opinion from another shop. We only make recommendations. Besides the hot oil will scaled you if you spill in on yourself. Be sure to use safety stands if you continue to get under your vehicle when it is jacked up.
Aneta Alaei
Author
August 16, 2017 / 7:19 pm

We don’t actually have to jack our truck as it is high enough and still get regularly scheduled maintenance. Thanks for the tips.
Janet M
August 22, 2017 / 7:37 pm

I haven’t done an oil change yet, but am ready to learn.
Kevin B
August 25, 2017 / 4:43 am

good clear instructions
Debbie White Beattie
October 3, 2017 / 2:37 pm

This is a great post and I’m loving you doing the job especially with those sexy goggles. Lol My husband does our oil changes and routine maintenance but we also use Quaker State Oil.
Erin N
March 12, 2019 / 6:51 pm

I have always wanted to know how to change my own oil in my car! Thanks so much for this post 🙂
Corghi
February 14, 2023 / 12:24 am

Really helpful tips and ideas that car owners can follow through. Thanks for it.