oil change

Rikter8

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Funny no one has mentioned pouring some oil in the new oil filter before installing it. Good idea, yes?

The Car Talk guys (NPR weekends) have said that changing your oil every 6 months should be sufficient for most uses. Clearly, people who drive their vehicles hard need to adjust that schedule.

You can pre-fill with oil, but you dont have to. Many makes have the oil filter horizontal, so filling the filter before would result in poured oil all over the engine, cradle, and eventually dripping all over you.
There's already oil left in the oil pump to prime when started, so its just a few seconds to fill it anyway.

Yes, lubricating the O-ring seal at the top of the filter with fresh oil, and then spinning it on is the way to go. It helps to seal, and helps for removal.

The Car Talk guys have been so pathetically wrong in their discussions that I refuse to even listen to their bullshit talk.
Some of the stuff they were saying made me so irate that I wanted to call them up and tell them how pathetically WRONG they were, and how many thousands of listeners are heeding their WRONG methods and advice.
Yes, most people would have to adjust their schedule depending on how many miles they drive, and how they drive. The color of the oil alone can indicate when oil is breaking down.
"how does this guy know he's right" - I speak from first hand experience.
I work on cars for a hobby and to keep them on the road so I don't have daily breakdowns. I've built engines from a bare casting to spinning on the finish cover. I've seen how people blow their engines up, and the mistakes that garages and people make.
My experience comes from driving a 300,000 mile car daily, my secondary car, 200,000 miles, my truck 130,000 miles, and digging into each one of them and looking for wear patterns. I also replace engines for other people too, right here in my home garage. I don't have any fancy Lifts, or cradle tools.

Jovial - that was cute.
Sadly I knew a guy that did exactly as you had suggested. His engine siezed up tighter than a fart.

As for the heads, Cylinder heads generally start to wear out the valve guides around 150K miles. A leaky head is a junk head. I think you are mis-interpreting it for a bad head gasket.
I had my heads re-done at 200K miles, and the guides were nearly gone. It still ran good, compression good, but the guides were wore out.

Yes, it's expensive if you have the local garage do it. It's better to do it yourself if you have the knowledge, because You would be suprised the BS that local garages do.
I've proven that with every vehicle Ive taken in for warranty work.
My TA was in full warranty, but I refuse to take it in for the recalls and work, as they will only screw up more stuff.
It's out of warranty now, and I plan on Diggin into it once I graduate and get my hoist. Until then, it can sit.
 

Rikter8

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It's worth keeping a nice Mercedes in great condition, but not a cheap, older car that's already falling apart.

Better to drive Junk.

I drove a really nice bonneville....until a guy hit me..
I drove a really nice truck...until I got rear ended...
I had a sharp as all hell cutlass...until the door dings made the paint flake
Other LPSG members I know have also had their nice cars wiped out.
Most people think of auto's as disposable units. Use them, then get rid of them when it's fashionable.
In my opinion, its better to drive a car until the frame rots out, than it is to drive a new car and bite the big bullit of depreciation.

My grand prix got smacked by a preggo Doe with twins. Crushed the front fender completely and part of the drivers door.
Now, I drive around, and People LOOK twice before they pull out. People running stop signs when im around is reduced quite a bit too.
When people see me coming with a smashed up car...they drive a little bit more cautiously.
I've got nothing to loose. They've got a brand new car....

Also I couldn't disagree more with you Jovial. Just because a car is Old, shouldn't mean you don't have to maintain it.