I leave the shroud off, the dang holes are too small and it's a pain to take off all the time.
Thought I'd share some notes on my first DIY oil change at ~1,500 miles
> on my 2003 Forester X.
>
> I thought I was all set. I got the Mobil 1 5w30, my Fram filter and even
> the collapsible washer for the drain plug. I had investigated the nifty
> panel that exposes the drain plug and the oil filter in the plastic
> shroud under the engine. I had my 17mm socket and wrench ready.
>
> What I didn't expect was how tight they screwed in the drain plug! This
> thing has no mechanical function other than to plug up a hole, right?
> Plus the collapsible washer is supposed to do the sealing. So, how tight
> does this plug have to be? My first attempt at removing the drain plug
> resulted *breaking* the socket wrench extension. (Okay, it was probably
> an el-cheapo part, but it gave before the drain plug budged.) Following
> the don't-force-it-get-a-bigger-hammer philosophy of car repair, I got
> out my torque wrench and the heftier 17mm socket that I had used for the
> wheel lug nuts on my VW Golf. After much grunting, the drain plug
> finally released. And it released very suddenly causing me to bash
> myself on the head with the torque wrench --- giving me the proverbial
> extra hole in my head I suppose.
>
> After investigating the drain plug, my hypothesis is that they painted
> the drain pan with the drain plug in place. The paint was holding the
> nut in place. (Either that or they used an impact wrench on the thing!) >
> Oh, when the oil drains, it comes out in a hurry, so definitely have the
> drain pan in place. Also, trajectory of the oil coming out wanders all
> over the place. (Think of taking a 3-year old boy to the bathroom.) So,
> you need to pay attention to the drain pan (or get a really big one). >
> I had no problems with removing the oil filter. But, I did notice that
> the replacement filter was not the same shape as the original Subaru
> filter. The Subaru filter has a flange at the end that meets the engine.
> The Fram filter is pretty much straight. I noticed that the gaskets were
> in the same place, so I wasn't too concerned.