Oil Change Fun. THIS is progress?

Yeah, RLI's oil isn't licensed according to the page they have for their 0w30 oil. I did use one of their 5w40 Diesel oils for 2k miles in the Suburban, though.

 

I gave up on knowing all about newer cars. I'm not even sure what engine is sideways in my 2014 Impala or what oil it should have. I do know it's the largest V-6 and listed as 300 HP. I also know it takes synthetic oil. At the Florida Buick/GMC dealer where I bought it one year old with just under 20,000 miles on it I was getting free oil changes. Counting three trips between Florida and Illinois it has only 35,000 on the odometer now.
I still pay $1000+ for car insurance. Not counting doctor and hospital runs, I drive less than 50 miles a month. 98% of that is on a little treaveled new 4-lane bypass.

Moved to central Illinois and didn't bother checking any of the GM dealers for continued free oil changes.. Right next to a few restauarants close to home is a Goodyear shop. The owner has had it for years so I stopped in. I got the car in right away for a decent price. I'm not even sure there is an engine under the hood. Lots of grey fancy plastic covering a big hole!
Had cars been this way when I was a kid I probably wouldn't have gotten interested in them. Can't wait to buy a self driving car with blue teeth and cup holders.

 

Its time for a lift, living in Texas you could even have it installed outside and use it year round. I do the oil change on my bike only because it is so simple. At least you have the weather to do it now, its very cold here.

 

I get the oil in the Magnum done at the dealership they only charge me half price for full synthetic, so why not. Both of my Mercedes diesels have plenty of ground clearance to get a drain pan under and the filters are real easy to access so I do them at home, as a plus I can strain the old oil and put it in the fuel tanks and burn it in either one.

 

101Volts: using that oil, does your vehicle smell like baked biscuits going down the road?

 

There's actually a story that goes with that joke....

When Mom and Dad were getting ready to get hitched back in '55, Mom lived in San Fran, and Dad was stationed at Port Hueneme. His best man was also stationed there, so the plan was to drive up to San Fran the morning before. Well, according to Dad, his best man had to complete a task before he could leave on liberty, but because of a supply SNAFU, parts were delivered late the day they were to leave. So the two of them busted the job overnight, and just hopped into the best man's car...which happened to spring an oil leak because the drain plug wasn't tight. So they pulled into some podunk town, tightened the drain plug, but because Mom and Dad's wedding day (October 1st) fell on a Saturday, no stores or garages were open, so no engine oil. Well, Mr. Schroll walked over to a diner that was open and bought from them a gallon of cooking oil, poured that in. They got going, and made it with almost no time to spare. But Dad said, when they arrived at the hotel, the engine was clattering and smelled like a burned biscuit.

 

Heh. I haven't used it for over a year now but no, it didn't do that.

 

I recently traded-in the Buick Enclave above. Only kept it a year-and-a-half. I WANTED to like it, but hard seats, wheel balance issues, rattles, loose trim, servicing nightmares, leaks, and finally the a/c quit...just had enough. This vehicle actually ran me away from GM for the first time in my life.

SO I bought (gulp) a Chrysler 300 for my wife and a used Suburban for me for when we need three rows. I WILL say the 3.6 V6 in Misty's new 300 has the easiest oil change I've ever seen...filter is on top/front of the motor....pure genius! That said, the 8spd transmission has no dipstick, and fluid is supposed to be "lifetime". I bought a warranty to 125K so will sell it before that point. I drove an Impala, Lacrosse, Avalon, and the 300 was by-far my favorite. We'll see how it lasts!




I really like the interior in the 300, especially the sunroof....with the exception of the STUPID and DORKY washing-machine knob shifter. The interior has tons of room, the leather seats are soft and comfy, and are heated and cooled...awesome for Texas, and really nice. My favorite part of driving it is the view over that hood and the raised fenders....specifically LOOKING over a long, sculpted hood...when in most new cars all you see is the upper dash and some wipers...this cars FEELS traditional from the driver's seat. The rear-drive feel is also welcome. I'd not owned a sedan since my 90's Bonnevilles that I've liked as much as this 300.





OH and more to the POINT of this thread, check this out.

YES our 300 ONLY has the Pentastar V6. I bought this car for my wife and she was more concerned about mileage (averages almost 30mpg on trips) than speed. Still it has 300hp and is quick for what it is. The Pentastar V6 is a LOT stronger than that GM 3.6 that was in the Enclave.

Best part, the Chrysler 3.6 V6 has the EASIEST oil change I've done in years. Has a traditional oil pan bolt that is easy to reach under the car, but the BEST part is the oil filter is a cannister-type that sits top-front-center on the motor under the hood. You can change it in no time, and with no mess. ALL cars should be like this, it's a brilliant design!



See the red circle...filter is inside there, just unbolt the cap...fantastic!


Again we'll just see how reliable it is...Chrysler scares me...Fiat scares me more. Ha!

-Texas Mike

 

C’mon man... you can’t really call the enclave a Buick. I know it says Buick but let’s be honest here is it really a Buick? What about it was typical in a Buick??? What features did it have in common with the traditional idea of a Buick? I bet you can’t name 3. Good riddance I say. You shoulda known better that’s a sharp looking 300 ya got there. At least they been making those a while. How’s the old lady like it?? GM RULES!!! And GOD BLESS TEXAS

 

I agree, that was NOT a Buick...sadly. I wanted it to be! Oh and Misty totally loves her new 300.

 

Speaking from experience, I'm gonna be clear: that filter setup is not all that clean. And, you'd better invest in the little metric socket needed to undo that cap, otherwise, you'll be posting on here that you strained your milk attempting to undo that cap with no success. When you do undo the cap, have a pile of rags laying next to it, and a small container to drop the entire assembly into...do not try to walk it over to the bench, as you'll leave a trail of dots. Use the provided o-rings every oil change, and ensure they are properly lubed before reinstalling the assembly. Turn it by hand to ensure the threads are not crossed, and use the shortest ratchet you have to snug it, otherwise, it'll be a bastard to break loose next time. That's my experience with those.

 

I wasn’t gonna burst his bubble with all this....I’m not a fan of that Style filter either...granted it still beats the heck out of that enclave filter location. I bet if you let your motor cool and your oil settle you could avoid a huge mess. Warm up the car, pull the drain plug and go make a sandwich or something. If you don’t have time to burn that canister will likely be full when you open it and it do get a little messy. I second the suggestion that you use that extra rubber ring for the cap and lube it up before installation the same way you would oil up a traditional filter. If not you will be fighting. I’ve seen them where that soft plastic cap has been stripped out and destroyed because it was on there so tight and that ain’t no fun. Especially when it’s underneath the car in a weird spot. But since you handle all the oil changes you don’t have to worry about working behind some dip at the oil change place. I would like Andrew said, buy the socket that’s made specifically for that style cap. Your a thorough and thoughtful man though! You got this

 

I've done the first oil change already....yep my wife managed to put 5,000 miles on the 300 just since we bought it in March....she drives from Austin to Dallas many weekends to see her family. Happily the oil change, especially after doing the Enclave...was CAKE! No issues getting the filter out at all, installed a new O-ring, and was OCD-enough to use my torque wrench to re-tighten the cap to book specs. The filter itself clips into the actual cap, which is neat, so when you take the cap off the filter comes with it. With the pan sitting on the radiator suport, I just held the filter over the pan when I removed it, no fuss, no mess. I love this setup so much!

Hope the car holds up! Zero complaints so far!

-Mike

 

yup like I said, I got faith in you to do it 110%.

 

Woo hoo!