Cleaning up after an oil change can be a pain but with this trick in your arsenal, spills can be a thing of the past.
When you have all the right tools and the process is routine, oil changes can be fun and rewarding. But, a large pain in the behind with the whole process is the inevitable spills. According to this Mazda Miata owner and this easy little trick, not spilling a drop of oil when dropping your oil filter is just a Red Solo Cup away.
Check out a screenshot of his popular DIY trick below.
The one caveat is that this tip only works if you have an oil filter that is mounted vertically. If you have an oil filter that’s mounted on its side or you have an oil filter cartridge, this won’t work, obviously.
In the group this tip was re-posted, there were a handful of alternatives to this tip.
One group member mentions how he uses an old Lucas Bottle.
I’ve used a Lucas bottle (cut in half) quite a few times. Little thicker plastic than the cup lol.
Another commenter mentions how if he knows oil will go everywhere, he just punches a hole in the side of the oil filter.
On cars I know it’s gonna go everywhere, I punch a hole in the bottom of the old filter, let it drain and spin it off.
Another commenter yet mentions they also drill a hole in the oil filter, letting the oil drain out long before spinning it off.
I would caution against doing it this way as, if you’re not careful, you might drill through the oil filter and nick the threads where canister screws on. Then you’ve got an even bigger problem.
But, if you’re the lucky few that have horizontal oil filters, this trick can come in handy.
Do you have any other oil filter tips and tricks we should know about? Let me know in the comments below.
