Oil change offers

There's a manual in the glovebox that tells you what sort of oil goes into the engine. DIYing an oil change is fairly trivial, if you're that way inclined.

Get a decent fully synth oil. My TDDi uses Morris multilife 5W30, and my oil analysis sheet back from the makers shows me that the additive package is good for at least 15k, although I'd change it sooner. If you want an off the shelf oil then make sure it meets the relevant Ford ESS type approval number - it's in the handbook. You want 6 litres to do a change though.

Swapping the filter is tricky regards access but once you've done it it gets a whole lot easier. DIY-ing your oil change saves you a lot of money, and you know the good oil you bought went in your motor and not in the one of the garage owners motors.

In news: snipped-for-privacy@40tude.net, Chris Street decided to enlighten our sheltered souls with a rant as follows

Saves a lot of money???

I regularly get my oil changed by the spanner monkeys at National Tyres. For

6.5 litres of Shell Helix+ Semi Synthetic (including doing the change) they charged me £15.00. Had to buy my own oil filter mined ewe, but that was only £5 from MB.

I couldn't buy 6.5 litres of Helix+ for £15, so it's rather good, and instead of the hassle of getting under the car in the street, trying to get the bloody filter off etc it's well worth it.

They do know me in there though, I think it shoud be around £30ish - which I'd pay anyway...

National Tyres are always printing vouchers in the tabloids and their website for a £15 oil change. Or £10 for mineral oil.

What national tyres do you go to cos thats a bargin?? I may be mistaken but dont national use duckhams as inmplied by there web site? quote straight off there website for this months offers

manufacturers >specification) or premium QXR oil

is ABOVE >the 'minimum' marker.

Now id happly pay £20 ish quid for some one else to do my oil change with decent oil (pug 405 td) Cos its £15 for castrol gtd (£21 if i splash out on magnitec) and then £3/4 for a filter then £5 to drive to my mates to use his drive way, because i aint getting run over doing it on my street!! Please give me the details if its local i'll look it up and save myself time and bother and some money.

cheers simon

A lot of people say that it's easy, but I don't think it's as easy as you make it sound. On some cars it may be, but certainly on my Seicento it's pretty fidly. It's a very long stretch under the wheel arch to get the filter off, and then it's easy to get a bit of oil on your or the floor. However, I like to do it myself because I know what goes in, where it goes in and how much goes in.

*thud*

Well, there's the answer to your pinking then. You've been putting the wrong oil in there.