rexus31
Senior Member
Does anyone employ an oil extractor for oil changes vs. jacking the car up and draining through the drain plug?
I've used these on gensets and marine engines. May save you from having to wrench under the car if you can reach the valve while lying along side.Are you talking about the extractor that screws into the drain plug?
It has its purposes but in my opinion is limited. I use it on my boat because you cannot reach the plug and if you did there is no way to drain it. The marinas do the same thing. I won’t use it in my car though because I want to insure I drain as much as possible.Why use a extractor when you can just unscrew the plug? By reading some of the other comments, it seems like this is just another POS item that doesn't work worth a dam to waste your money!
Thanks for all the input.
The reason I asked this question is oil extractors are widely used in the DIY segment of the Jaguar F-Type community. With these cars being low to the ground and fitted with a skid plate, the preferred DIY oil change method is from the top via an extractor. Why DIY you ask? I just got back from Rusnak Jaguar Pasadena (selling dealer) who charged $243.35 for the oil change. Granted, it calls for 12 months or 15K miles (12 months for me; only 5,900 miles since I bought it) but it's still overpriced, IMO. I thought of taking it to an Independent Jaguar Shop but they do not use Jaguar-Land Rover spec oil (STJLR.51.5122 compliant) and with the car covered under CPO warranty for the term of my lease, I did not want to risk any potential denied engine warranty claims because I didn't use oil that met JLR spec. There are dyes in spec oil that are identified under blacklight. The dealer uses Castrol Edge Professional E which comes in at around $11 per quart. I could have sourced my own oil and filer online and taken it to the indy shop but it would have only saved me $30-$40 which was not worth my hassle. I considered investing in an oil extractor for future DIY oil changes if I was able to use it on my classics which would kill two birds with one stone: save me money on oil changes for the Jag and save the hassle of jacking up the Chrysler and GTO, getting out the jack stands and crawling under them. Getting one just for the Jag doesn't make sense as I would only use it two more times since it is a 3 year lease. I don't for see keeping the car long term as I'll most likely want something newer come 2021. Seeing as extracting the oil seems to be unpopular with classic cars I'll probably not invest in one. I'll bite the bullet two more times. In retrospect, I should have held out for a 2016 or newer F-Type (mine is 2015) as those come with complimentary scheduled maintenance. Live and learn.
1. Pair of ramps.
2. Righty tighty. Lefty loosey.
$243 for an oil change pffffttt
Well that changes the course of the conversation now that you let that cat outta the bag! You got time till the next oil change, find a independent Jag shop and get their prices for a oil change. Like they say, it pays to shop around. Like you say, if you only use it twice. It's it worth it to go through that hassle of getting a extractor? Good Luck