First thing is to make sure that you have all the bits and pieces that you need (I’m also changing the air and fuel filters – see seperate articles on these)
Best practice is to make sure the engine is warm. It doesn’t want to be too hot as scalding hot oil has its obvious dangers!
This is my car a rover 620 diesel family owned from new. As you can see from the milage I can’t be doing too much wrong!
In order to access the underside of the car you need to raise it somehow (ramps/jack and axle stands), or get under it with a pit.
On the underside of the 600 there is an engine cover with two access hatches for the filter and oil drain. Simply twist the plug to remove it.
As you can see this is overdue its oil change but considering the amount of miles I do – lots of motorway miles, 15k miles is about 6 months for me at the moment.
You can see the oil drain plug arrowed here. (notice my turbo is leaking a little oil – this is quite common and so nothing to worry unduly about)
The drain plug can be quite tight. It has an aluminium washer on it which in theory needs changing, however I never have changed it yet and it hasn’t leaked.
Careful with the oil as it is hot and comes out pretty quickly.
Undo the oil filter with a removal tool (there are different types but this one is a chain type). I couldn’t manage to take a photo of me removing it as I didn’t have enough hands!
Note that some more oil will come out when you remove it. This is the messiest part of the job.
Give the oil filter sealing surface a good wipe clean to make sure there is no dirt on it (oil is ok).
Write the car mileage on the filter before you fit it so you know when it was last done. Note both a mileage and a date. Oil should be changed at least once a year in my opinion.
Replace the oil drain plug
Fill the engine with approximately 4 litres of oil
Start the engine and run for 30 seconds or so then stop it and check for any oil leaks
Assuming no leaks then replace any covers removed
Set the car on a level surface then check the oil level and add oil to bring it to the max level on the dipstick (usually 4.5 litres)
Job done for another year/12,000 miles.