DIY Servicing Advice

[trem1]

whereabouts are you based?? someone might be close enough to look over your shoulder and give advice.
No more sound advice than jaspers on the post above BE CAREFUL !!!!!

[gumby6371]

To be honest I don't usually bother lifting the car at all to do a service, as long as you can get at the sump and have a wide and shallow tray to catch the oil there isn't much point. I've even parked with the drivers wheel on a brick before now when if the car is low and I couldn't be bothered to dig the ramps out of the shed.
Take it for a 5 minute drive to warm the oil up as it flows out faster and better then try and park so that the sump is at the maximum angle for getting most of the oil out.
The plug on mine had an allen key centre and a socket outer which was much easier to undo without worrying about rounding stuff.
If it is only the allen key type I tend to use my 1/2 ratchet and my bit set rather than a fiddly allen key.

I use one of these to get the filter off and its bloody brilliant, I've even used them without the ratchet before now as they grip so well;
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_255216
You can get cheaper than the Halfords one but as I just borrow my mates I've never compared for quality.

Get yourself a basic toolkit together going for decent quality stuff as its cheaper in the long run (Halfords pro range, Sealey etc..), having said that I do use an Aldi trolley jack which is perfectly acceptable but I do have 3 tonne axle stands so it never sits in the air on the jack alone.

[trufflehunt]

The first oil change I did on mine, immediately after I bought the car, I couldn't undo the sump
plug. It was so tight I didn't have enough leverage. I used a pump to remove the oil through the
dipstick tube.

Next time round, I jacked the car well up, onto stands, and extended the socket drive handle with some
pipe. That did it.

I also fitted a new copper compressible sump washer.

[iantek]

Thanks again everyone. I've been looking at oil filter removal tools, especially as the fuel filter housing lid looks tricky to get off.

The new aerial I ordered today arrived (found a leak from the old one and broke it taking it off!) and I've got some rubber door clips coming too for the rubber seal along the sill (keep catching the bloody thing and its pulled right off!) so these are jobs to be done first.

Oh, and I won't be jacking the car up on the drive!

Cheers!

Ian

[GingerMagic]

I forgot to add that when buying a new fuel filter, the Mahle is a Siemens filter....

[lozz]

[quote="GingerMagic"]I have just been online to Europarts and with the code 'pat30' ( thanks Lozz ) I got a fuel filter, air filter and both front lower ball-joints ( Lemforder ones ) for less than £25.

Bargain.

That PAT30 code as now Expired,
Another code here if Needed, (MOT30) =30% discount,

[iantek]

Well, I completed the service over the Easter weekend changing the oil and filter, fuel filter, air filter and pollen filter (which was absolutely filthy!) without any major hiccups! The oil sump plug was well and truly stuck so I extended the socket drive handle with a metal pipe and it came off nice and easy. I managed to find a bit of flat pavement at the bottom of my drive to put the car on ramps and used the axle stands as an additional support if the ramps failed (which I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have done).

The fuel filter leaked a little bit so I tightened the lid and the drain plug and that seems to have done the trick.

Farmer Pug; in the video you posted you sprayed EGR cleaner in the air filter housing, what does this do? Is it a worth while thing to do?

Thanks all for the advice, Cheers!

[Rolebama]

If you are just doing an engine service, then leave it on the floor by all means, but if you are servicing the car, you may need to jack it up to check the inner disc pads. I also check wheel bearings while its up, and if I can be bothered, even if they are still good, I take the pads out, clean them off, and put new copper based grease on the backs. It is also easier to check the condition of the aux drive belt from underneath, as you can see it with the wheel arch liner off.
Don't forget to check you other fluid levels, and condition of wiper blades, and do a lights check all round.

[dave406]

How to tell what fuel filter is needed

[Doggy]

How to tell what fuel filter is needed

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[TheSongRemainsTheSame]

A protip for oil filters - despite me owning several sets of special tools for getting them off, I almost always use a large pair of waterpump pliers. Easiest and quickest, most of the time:)