This afternoon I changed the oil and filter on my MkI Focus. After discussions here I had considered sucking the oil out with a Pela but the filter is where the difficulties are.
So up on the ramps it was. Drain plug out and sump drained. Next on to the filter.
The filter is not even visible from above so under the car I went. There were two places I could get a hand up to the filter and luckily managed to loosen it without resorting to tools. Then the fun started.
There isn't enough room to get a container just under the filter so I guessed where the oil would end up on the ground, put the old washing up bowl I was using as a drain tray there, and unscrewed the filter.
All the oil ran down the block, along the block/sump joint, dripped onto the boot of the drive shaft, then onto the chassis before dripping into the drain tray.
As I lay there watching it making a mess everywhere I thought there must be a better way.
So what do other manufacturers do? Do they consider the filter change at design stage or are you expected just to make a big mess and clean it up afterwards?
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