Autos: oil change video

Self-tutoring about autos: the tutor mentions a video from Blue Collar Garage on YouTube.

The following is according to my understanding.

One holiday activity an auto maintainer might do, in my experience, is an oil change. Yesterday I decided to change the oil in my son’s daily driver, a 2013 Jeep Patriot.

I changed this car’s oil back around July 1st. I checked it yesterday; though the level looked good, the oil seemed a little dark. Therefore, I decided to change it.

Before I do something I’m even familiar with, I still often watch a video about it, just to remind me of anything I might miss. I found this great one from Blue Collar Garage, on YouTube.

The video is just short of nine minutes. To me, it shows how someone very familiar and comfortable with working on cars might change their oil. The cup trick, at around 2:45, indicates the practicality that’s built into this mechanic’s procedure.

What one sees close-up in this video are important cues that a veteran may not even think about, but a beginner probably wonders about. Some examples are how dirty oil looks, versus how clean oil looks, and the fact that the mechanic, although clearly very experienced, checks the manual to decide how much oil to add. Other helpful guidance he shows, and discusses, is the fine-tuning of the oil level.

I was interested with the way the mechanic replaces the drain plug as well as the oil filter. My understanding is that drain plugs and oil filters, in general, aren’t meant to be tightened much. “Snug and a bit” is what I’ve heard. More or less, the mechanic in the video seems to agree. Yet, it seems to me he tightens them somewhat further than I do. At the same time, I suspect he’s much more experienced than I am.

“Jeep Patriot Oil & Filter Change How-To,” by Blue Collar Garage on YouTube, is probably the best single video I’ve seen on the subject. I look forward watching more videos from the channel.