Well, you can buy ramps but a jack will be more versatile in the long run.

Alternately, if you like living dangerously and don't mind a car falling on you, you could bodge together some ramps from scrap lumber. Odds are, you'll get crushed. No, I'm not joking.

If you don't mind a giant toxic mess, just let oil drain out all over your garage floor. Yes, I joking about that one.

The issue is that even if your arms are long and strong enough to reach the drain plug and loosen it, you won't be able to fit a drain pain underneath the car unless it's lifted up.

You could go with an oil vacuum extractor. I got this one and it worked pretty well on my RX-8; much easier than lifting the car. I get about the same amount of oil as I do by draining. Doesn't work for **** in my wife's 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe.

Though, since you are apparently trying to do this for as little money as possible, I doubt you are going to go with the easy, sensible route.

 

David, I recommend taking a look at the tools section of my newbie's guide to modding. Last post in the opening series.

 

This is what does my nut in (excuse the poor pun)

everything I choose requires an additional 3 tools!

I really need to step my tool knowledge up.

That's not the case, I'm willing to spend the money on the right tools I need without me buying a wrong sized tool and then an adapter to make that work etc etc. The reason i'm cautious about using a car jack is because of the obvious, I don't want to get crushed! According to a member on here even if I spend over 100 pound on a decent car jack it's not enough

Plus, reading through the pages on the oil changing thread people do it without jacks

I'm going to take a look at that, thank you

 

This is how shady changes oil

Drive car up on these


Place an empty one of these below the oil drain




Remove oil drain plug make sure it goes into the water bottle, loosen the oil filler cap. Drain for 2 hours.

Remove oil filter with hands.

Install oil filter, tighten drain plug fill with oil.

Blow apex seal.

 

that's what gets me.. that's bigger then an oil pan (in height)

blown apex seal is a good thing?!

 

He means that as dark humor. Blowing engines is considered "maintenance" by many rotary owners, in how frequent it happens.


I use a 5.1qt oil jug with the top cut off for a 'pan', but then I have a floor jack that can lift the car high enough to clear it. It's FAR easier to manage than a low flat oil pan with 4-6qts of oil sloshing around in it.

 

I must have a low oil pan because mine fits underneath the car when it's NOT on the jack. I do need the jack to get the drain plug off because my arms aren't long enough otherwise. My oil filter is always seems to be on "insanely tight" so I need a tool to get it off.

As for tools, I use: 19mm box end wrench to get the drain plug off, one of those end cap oil filter wrenchs, socket extension, socket wrench, and flex joint for socket extension. I have a hydraulic floor jack but I've used the spare tire jack to lift up the car to get the drain plug off (just put a jack stand temporarily underneath the car as a safety measure when loosening the drain bolt).

 

There has been more than one poor soul who has decided that getting under neath a vehicle that weight 3000lbs plus supported by a less than a 3 lb car jack was a good idea. You need not buy the most expensive stands in the world, just not some cheap POS. If you have cement blocks you can place those along the ground under the frame as an added safety measure. When people remove tires you can place your tire and wheel under the frame as well if you are going to be working under there. If it falls it will rest on these items instead of you. If you are going to be turning wrenches, jack stands are a must. I have 4 stands and a ramp, and I tend to drive up the ramps and still place a stand on each corner. Death by falling car is not how I want to leave this world. Not to mention a spot on the Darwin Awards.

You may want to go with ramps, just because of ease of use, there is not much to get confused about. Get two 2 X 6 boards about 3 feet or a little longer (make sure they are the same length if you want this to be easy). Place these on the ramp about midway up. These will keep the ramps from damaging the lower portion of your bumper. Place the boards in front of your front tires and then set your ramps in place. Drive up the ramps about halfway, set the parking brake and get out and look and be sure you are centered and not dangling off either end. If it's good get back in and ease it on up the ramp. A buddy would come in handy here to help guide you up the ramp. This can be kind of tricky with a manual transmission. It requires the coordinated use of the clutch, gas and e-brake. Try not to drive off the other side of the ramps! Once the car is on the ramp get a chock block, boards, cement blocks, bricks or whatever to chock the rear tires. This is just for safety so the car does not roll down the ramps and kill some poor chap. Some will say the emergency brake is sufficient, I prefer a little insurance. Once you are happy with the position grab the front end of the car and try to push it off the ramps from both sides, really try! If it does not fall, then and only then do you get underneath it and go to work. Make no mistake getting underneath a car is dangerous and could have deadly consequences. You can minimize that risk by using common sense and proper safety equipment.

edited to add: If you have low ramps like those pictured by Shady, you will not need the boards. Mine are pretty tall.

 

Yea the apex seal remark was joke.

using the ramps I am able to fit a water bottle directly below the drain plug.

I put the cap back in and drop it off at the local parts store for recycling.

 

Excellent advice kevinande.
In addition, I put boards in front of my rear wheels also that allows me to get my floor jack under the diff. so I can get all 4 stands under, rotate tires, & check brakes.

 

A basic tool set (like the one I linked) is enough for a great many basic tasks on the '8. If you eventually want to make everything smell awful and do the tranny and diff fluids, it'll do that, too. Most of the brake and suspension components are in the 12mm - 19mm range, so you're covered there as well. It even has spark plug sockets. If you get a K&N filter, you'll need to buy a separate 1" socket (assuming UK and US filter cans are the same, which is likely).

If you've never personally done an oil change on your car before, expect the filter to be on with enough torque to rotate a planet. That basic "expect the worst" mentality is why it's recommended that you get a filter wrench. To use the filter wrench, you need the extension and u-joint because it's buried behind the engine a bit and there isn't a strait-line of access to it. Oh, look, that kit I linked has 2 u-joints!

If you ever want to rotate your tires yourself (takes a few minutes as opposed to £30 or whatever the going rate in the UK is), swap brake pads, bleed brake fluid, swap suspension components, etc then a jack is a good idea. A £100 jack is fine as long as you don't get under it. The issue is that you don't get under a car with only a jack supporting it. Ever. Even if you borrowed the jack from God himself. A basic set of jack stands will be fine.

Or ramps. I'm a huge fan of ramps.

Or the oil extractor; don't even have to undo the drain bolt so you never have to lift the car, buy a new crush washer, worry about spilling oil everywhere when you move the pan too fast. Also, if you're starting to feel the onset of age prematurely (like I do, damned sciatica) then not crawling around on the floor when you don't have to feels AMAZING. The lack of pain an hour later is almost a narcotic.