Hi, I just wanted to know what the benefits are of not going to a mechanic. I bought castrol motor oil and an oil filter and it came out to about $20. I'm sure if I buy a case from like Costco or something it'll come out cheaper, but I don't see it as being more benefical to go through all the hassle when I can just go to a Sunoco or something and spend a few bucks extra. And they refill the Washer fluid and stuff and do the 21 point check.

I know it's better because you won't get ripped off, I see on the news and stuff that jiffy lube and stuff claim to change the filter and you don't got to worry about it if you do it yourself.

I'm guessing the other reason, the more important one, is that you get to put your own oil in, instead of whatever brand they want. Is that all?

And as for the oil, what oil should I buy. I tend to shift gears at about 3000-4500 rpms. Sometimes a little higher, but I don't drive too hard.

Is the type of oil that important, and when should I change it? I know it's supposed to be 3000-3500 in general, but is that also the case for our cars? (02 Protege5).

I've never changed my oil before, but it seems fairly easy. I just ordered a craftsmen Jack and Stand set for 28$ from sears. There doesn't appear to be anything wrong with them right?
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...FL=Y&ihtoken=1
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And Kraziefox....You gave me those instructionso on how to install the remote entry and they worked. Thanks again.

 

I'm glad those instructions worked for you, I never tried them but I knew where to find the article. Bookmark http://protege5.ugly.net as it will come in very handy later on as well.

As for the oil change, just do it yourself and you can't go wrong. It's a very easy thing to do .. plus you'll have the peace of mind knowing exactly what kind of product was used. All you have to do is unscrew the oil drain plug .. let the oil drain out, then remove the filter (located behind the engine ... very visible). Replace the filter, screw in the drain plug, remove the oil cap from the valve cover and pour in the fresh oil. Start the car and let it idle for about 6-7 seconds... turn it off and check your oil level. Top off if needed and screw the oil cap back on. Done

One thing that gets to be a pain though is crawling underneath the car in order to get to the filter. I've buddied up with a mechanic that lets me use his shop late and night so I get to jack it up and the job is even easier yet!

Now as far as brand goes .. there's a lot of different opinions out there but the general rule of thumb is to go by what you can afford. I personally use Mobil1 synthetic ... it's mid-range oil price wise, but it definately gets the job done. Synthetic oil is by no means necessary but it will keep your engine running a little smoother and hopefully prolong its' overall life and performance. Some claim an increase in gas mileage, but I never noticed a damn thing... Also, if you decided to go down the synthetic route it might be a wise investment to purchase a quality oil filter. Yet again, I may be brainwashed and brand biased, but I use Mobil1 filters as well. I guess I just trust their products when it comes to oil.

I hope that helps, feel free to post any more questions.


P.S. NEVER EVER go to Jiffy Lube for an oil change .. or for anything for that matter. They'll hire just about anybody and usually (note I said usually not always ..) half the people working there have absolutely zero experience.

 

if you live in the southeast there's a chain of quick lubes called "Express Oil Change" that does real good work. They are very well known for firing employees for trying to oversell jobs or lying or not doing the complete process. It's about $28 for a regular valvoline oil change but worth it if you dont have the time.

I prefer Mobil1 in NA engines and Royal Purple in turbo engines.

also, when it comes to filters I'm biased but WIX filters are generally known as the best filters you can buy. A NAPA gold filter is made by WIX and will have an anti-drainback valve, more layers of filter element and better filtering element than most other filters. I don't know about mobil1 filters. I've only recently seen them on shelves.

 

So I was right that that the benefits are that you can choose your own oil as well as not get ripped off right? If that's the case, is there really going to be a performance difference if I use better oil. It just doesn't make too much sense to me why people would buy the oil and jack up the car, change the oil, dispose of the oil, change the filter, all for the same price as if the mechanic did it. It is just that the oil makes that big of difference. I want to know if using your own oil is worth the extra trouble.

That was my main question that didn't really get answered.

And no, we don't have the Express oil change, at least I don't think we do. I live in Jersey.


and one more question: I'm at about 70 K miles and I'm not sure if the previous owner changed the transmission fluid. Is it neccessary to change it with a manual, if so how often.

Thanks for the help.

 

The benefits of using your own products vs. whatever the shop uses in my personal opinion IS worth the extra trouble if I'm not familiar with the shop. However, the most important thing is that the oil gets changed on time and the filter is changed during each service. The type and quality of oil are not near as important, although they do make a difference on the performance. If your car still had low mileage on it then it might be a benefit for you to switch to synthetic to at least prolong the lifetime of the engine, but since your car is already at 70K miles I don't know if using higher performance oil will really make much of a difference at this point. Bottom line is, if you can't find a mechanic/shop you trust then just do it yourself to prevent any shady activity going on under your hood. The type of oil used is not near as important as how often you change it.

As far as the tranny goes, you WILL need to change that fluid also. On automatic transmissions it's recommend to perform the service every 30K miles and on a manual I think it's about the same but you can probably get away with 40-50K miles also. Either way, you might wanna look into doing that as well since you're at 70K. http://protege5.ugly.net/05-15A.PDF on page 2 will help you take care of this. Also, invest in good tranny fluid .. this WILL make a difference on how smooth your shifts are. Good brands are Redline, Amsoil, and Mobil1 (I of course use Mobil1 cuz I'm brainwashed ..).

Now that we're on the subject of fluid and maintenance, also consider flushing out your coolant before the winter kicks in. http://protege5.ugly.net/01-12.PDF on page 3 tells you how to do it. If you do decide to do this, keep in mind when mixing your coolant/water solution you should only use distilled water to prevent corrosion inside the radiator. It's ok to use regular garden hose water to flush the system but when pouring in the new stuff, take the time to buy distilled.

Lastly, check your plugs and replace with NGK ZFR5F-11 if needed. No need to replace them if the ones you have in are still good tho ..

 

30K miles on the trans flush. Use either, Redline MTX90, Royal Purple 90W or GM Synchromesh. It REALLY makes it shift smoothly.

Yes, oil is made in different qualities for a reason. Some oils are better than others. Performance may not be the benefit but rather longevity, better detergents, better lubricity, better heat dissipation, etc etc etc. I dyno'd my MSP on OE break-in oil....drained it, added 4.5 quarts of royal purple and got 4whp on the same day, same dyno.

 

Thanks for the replies. I can go to a mechanic and watch him do it for 10$ after I buy the stuff, but I think I'll just do it myself just cause it's something I should know how to do.

I'm gonna probably change my tranny fluid pretty soon too. This is the car I learned to drive stick and have never driven any other, so I'm not sure how smooth it's supposed to be, but when shifting from 1st to 2nd it's a little rough.

thanks again