NEVER Do This After an Oil Change! (KILLS Your Engine Fast)

Learn the 9 critical mistakes to avoid after an oil change to protect your engine and extend its life, plus a bonus tip from a seasoned mechanic.

Key Takeaways

Small mistakes during oil changes can cause major engine damage without immediate symptoms.
Always remove the old oil filter gasket completely before installing a new filter.
Warm oil improves drainage and cleaning during an oil change.
Check oil levels carefully and top up slowly to avoid overfilling.
Perform a quick post-oil change check to ensure everything is properly installed and sealed.

What the video covers

Oil changes are the most dangerous 20 minutes for your engine, as small mistakes can cause severe damage without immediate warning.
A common error is leaving the old oil filter gasket stuck on the engine and installing a new filter with two gaskets, causing leaks and engine damage.
Warm oil drains faster and cleaner than cold oil, helping remove contaminants more effectively during an oil change.
Always check and compare the old and new oil filters to ensure correct size and gasket type to avoid leaks.
Never overfill your engine with oil; measure carefully and top up gradually after running the engine.
Opening the oil filler cap before draining helps oil flow out smoothly by allowing air in, preventing glugging.
After an oil change, crank the engine briefly to circulate fresh oil and build pressure before driving.
Use the correct torque and tightening method on drain plugs and filters to avoid stripped threads or leaks.
Pay attention to manufacturer-specific oil and filter requirements, including certifications and bypass valve settings.
A quick 60-second check after an oil change can prevent many common mistakes, whether done at home or by a shop.

Chapters

What is the most common mistake when changing an oil filter?

The most common mistake is leaving the old oil filter gasket stuck on the engine and installing the new filter on top of it, causing leaks and potential engine damage.

Why is it better to drain warm oil instead of cold oil?

Warm oil is thinner and drains faster, carrying more contaminants out of the engine, resulting in a cleaner oil change compared to draining cold oil.

How can I quickly check if an oil change was done correctly before driving away?

You can do a 60-second check by inspecting the oil filter gasket area for double gaskets, verifying the oil level with the dipstick, and ensuring the drain plug and filter are properly tightened.

Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown

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You know what the most dangerous 20 minutes in your engine's life are? Not the highway. Not the winter morning. The oil change. It's the one time a year somebody opens up the only thing standing between your engine's metal parts, the oil, takes it all out, and puts it back together by hand. Do it right and the engine lives another few thousand miles like nothing happened. Do one small thing wrong and there's no smoke, no noise, no warning light at first. Just a slow drip or a starved bearing or a thread that's going to let go on the highway next month. I've spent 40 years cleaning up after oil changes.

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parts, the oil, takes it all out, and puts it back together by hand. Do it right and the engine lives another few thousand miles like nothing happened. do one small thing wrong and there's no smoke, no noise, no warning light at

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Some done in driveways, some done by shops that should have known better. Today, nine things you never do after an oil change, and a bonus at the end that even careful people skip. In Mexico, my Tio's shop changed oil on taxis every few weeks. And he had one rule that I'll give you at the end. I'm Carlos Herrera.

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Some done in driveways, some done by shops that should have known better. Today, nine things you never do after an oil change, and a bonus at the end that even careful people skip. In Mexico, my Tio's shop changed oil on taxis every

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40 years turning wrenches. Let me show you how it's done. Whether you change your own oil in the driveway or pay somebody to do it, this is for you.

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40 years turning wrenches. Let me show you how it's done. Whether you change your own oil in the driveway or pay somebody to do it, this is for you.

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Every one of these nine happens every single day in garages and in quick lube bays. I'll tell you how each one kills an engine, how to spot it, and how to never let it happen to yours. And for the people who pay a shop, I'll give you a 60-second check you can do in the parking lot before you drive away.

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the people who pay a shop, I'll give you a 60-second check you can do in the parking lot before you drive away.

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Because a lot of these mistakes are made by people in uniforms. Subscribe for real shop knowledge every week. One line. You know the rule. Let's count them down. The smallest details in an oil change cause the biggest damage. And this is the classic one. I've seen it on brand new cars, on old trucks, and on cars that just left a shop. Here's how it happens. You unscrew the old oil filter and the rubber gasket from the old filter. The black ring on its top stays stuck to the engine. It's baked on there from thousands of heat cycles, and it's black against a black surface, so you don't see it. Then you screw on the new filter with its own new gasket right on top of the old one. Two gaskets stacked. Two gaskets don't seal. They squeeze against each other. And when the engine starts and oil pressure hits them, the top one gets pushed out sideways. Sometimes it starts as a few drops. More often, it lets go all at once. A double gasket can dump the whole crankcase on the road in a few minutes.

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this is the classic one. I've seen it on brand new cars, on old trucks, and on cars that just left a shop. Here's how it happens. You unscrew the old oil filter and the rubber gasket from the old filter. The black ring on its top

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The oil light comes on and if you keep driving even a mile, the bearings are running on nothing. Quick thing before we move on. All of this, the driveway side and the shop side, both the torque numbers, the right oil and filter for your engine, and the exact questions to ask the quick lube guy before he lowers your car. It's all written down over at carloshercars.com.

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stacked. Two gaskets don't seal. They squeeze against each other. And when the engine starts and oil pressure hits them, the top one gets pushed out sideways. Sometimes it starts as a few drops. More often, it lets go all at

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It's there if you want it. Codes on the screen or just write it down. No pressure. All right, back to it. I've pulled cars off tow trucks with an empty oil pan and two gaskets on the filter and the owner swearing he just had the oil changed that morning. He had that was the problem. The fix takes 5 seconds. After the old filter comes off, look at the old filter. The gasket should be on it. If it isn't, it's on the engine. Then look at the mounting surface on the engine where the filter sits and run your fingertip all the way around it. You'll feel an old gasket instantly, even if you can't see it.

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The oil light comes on and if you keep driving even a mile, the bearings are running on nothing. Quick thing before we move on. All of this, the driveway side and the shop side, both the torque numbers, the right oil and filter for

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Peel it off with your fingers or a plastic scraper if it's baked on. Never a screwdriver. That surface is often aluminum and a scratch across it is a leak path you just made yourself. Then wipe it clean with the Finanella. No dirt, no old oil, no bits of rubber. And while you're holding both filters, set the old one next to the new one. Same height, same size gasket, same thread.

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It's there if you want it. Codes on the screen or just write it down. No pressure. All right, back to it. I've pulled cars off tow trucks with an empty oil pan and two gaskets on the filter and the owner swearing he just had the

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The part store can hand you the wrong box. It happens more than you'd think.

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surface on the engine where the filter sits and run your fingertip all the way around it. You'll feel an old gasket instantly, even if you can't see it.

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And a filter with a slightly different gasket will screw on, feel fine, and leak under pressure. 5 seconds of comparing saves you finding out on the road. 5 seconds. Skip it and it can cost you an engine. But if you think that's the only trap hiding at the filter, it's not. The next one starts before you even loosen the drain plug. This one sounds harmless and it's one of those small habits that makes every oil change a little less of an oil change. Cold oil is thick. It moves slowly. It clings to the inside of the engine, to the walls, the crankshaft, the bottom of the pan, and it drains out lazy. And the dirt you're trying to get rid of. The soot, the metal dust, the sludge settles when the oil sits. A cold engine drains slower and leaves more of that behind. Warm oil is thin. It runs out fast and it carries the contaminants out with it because they're still stirred up in it.

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dirt, no old oil, no bits of rubber. And while you're holding both filters, set the old one next to the new one. Same height, same size gasket, same thread.

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You get a cleaner drain and the fresh oil starts its life cleaner. Now, let me correct what you'll hear online because it gets exaggerated. Draining cold doesn't leave half your old oil in the engine. Some always stays behind. Warm or cold. Warm just gets more of it out and gets the dirty stuff out with it.

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And a filter with a slightly different gasket will screw on, feel fine, and leak under pressure. 5 seconds of comparing saves you finding out on the road. 5 seconds. Skip it and it can cost you an engine. But if you think that's

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It's a better oil change, not a miracle. Here's the right way. Start the engine and let it run a few minutes or change it after a short drive and then give it some time to cool down. You want it warm, not hot. Hot oil will burn you badly. It's much hotter than boiling water. And when that drain plug comes out, it comes out fast, right at your hand. I've seen a lot of burned forearms from people who pull the plug right after a highway drive. One small trick makes it drain faster and cleaner. Before you pull the plug, open the oil filler cap on top of the engine. That lets air in from the top so the oil doesn't glug and hold back. Same reason you poke two holes in a can of milk. Just don't forget to put the cap back on. We'll come back to that one. Warm to the touch on the oil pan. Gloves on. And when you pull the plug, keep pressure pushing it in as you back out the last threads. Then pull it away quickly. The stream follows your hand if you're slow.

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is thick. It moves slowly. It clings to the inside of the engine, to the walls, the crankshaft, the bottom of the pan, and it drains out lazy. and the dirt you're trying to get rid of. The soot, the metal dust, the sludge settles when

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And if you think that's obvious, wait for the next one. It can hurt an engine even faster. And people do it on purpose because they think they're helping.

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You get a cleaner drain and the fresh oil starts its life cleaner. Now, let me correct what you'll hear online because it gets exaggerated. Draining cold doesn't leave half your old oil in the engine. Some always stays behind. Warm

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Here's one people do out of love. More oil means more protection, right? No. Too much oil can hurt an engine just like too little. Here's why. Your crankshaft spins inside the engine just above the oil in the pan thousands of times a minute. When the oil level is right, it doesn't touch. When you overfill, the level rises until the spinning crank dips into it and whips it like an egg beater. Now your oil is full of air bubbles, foam, and foam doesn't lubricate. The oil pump sucks up froth instead of solid oil, and the bearings get a mixture of oil and air. The dipstick says full, and the engine is starving. It doesn't end there. The extra oil gets pushed into the crankcase ventilation system, gets sucked into the intake, and gets burned. You'll see blue smoke and you'll be feeding oil into your catalytic converter, which is the most expensive part under your car, and the extra pressure pushes on your seals.

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It's a better oil change, not a miracle. Here's the right way. Start the engine and let it run a few minutes or change it after a short drive and then give it some time to cool down. You want it

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Now the honest part because people panic about this. A little over the full line is not a catastrophe. If it's a hair above, the engine will live. What does real damage is a half quart, a quart or more? Somebody dumped in the whole jug because the jug said five quarts and the engine takes four and a half. And this happens at shops more than you'd think.

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after a highway drive. One small trick makes it drain faster and cleaner. Before you pull the plug, open the oil filler cap on top of the engine. That lets air in from the top so the oil doesn't glug and hold back. Same reason

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Oil comes in five quart jugs. A lot of engines take a little over four. And a tech in a hurry pours in the whole jug because it's easier than measuring. Or a shop fills it. Then the next shop tops it off without checking. That's why you check the dipstick yourself after every oil change, no matter who did it. The safe way. Look up your engine's oil capacity with the filter change. Put in about half a quart less than that. Run it, shut it off, wait, check, and top up slowly from there. You can always add.

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pushing it in as you back out the last threads. Then pull it away quickly. The stream follows your hand if you're slow.

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Taking out is a mess. And if you did overfill, don't drive it like that. Cra

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Here's one people do out of love. More oil means more protection, right? No. Too much oil can hurt an engine just like too little. Here's why. Your crankshaft spins inside the engine just above the oil in the pan thousands of

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times a minute. When the oil level is right, it doesn't touch. When you overfill, the level rises until the spinning crank dips into it and whips it like an egg beater. Now your oil is full of air bubbles, foam, and foam doesn't

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lubricate. The oil pump sucks up froth instead of solid oil, and the bearings get a mixture of oil and air. The dipstick says full, and the engine is starving. It doesn't end there. The extra oil gets pushed into the crankcase

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ventilation system, gets sucked into the intake, and gets burned. You'll see blue smoke and you'll be feeding oil into your catalytic converter, which is the most expensive part under your car, and the extra pressure pushes on your seals.

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Now the honest part because people panic about this. A little over the full line is not a catastrophe. If it's a hair above, the engine will live. What does real damage is a half quart, a quart or more? Somebody dumped in the whole jug

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because the jug said five quarts and the engine takes four and a half. And this happens at shops more than you'd think.

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Oil comes in five quart jugs. A lot of engines take a little over four. And a tech in a hurry pours in the whole jug because it's easier than measuring. Or a shop fills it. Then the next shop tops

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it off without checking. That's why you check the dipstick yourself after every oil change, no matter who did it. The safe way. Look up your engine's oil capacity with the filter change. Put in about half a quart less than that. Run

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it, shut it off, wait, check, and top up slowly from there. You can always add.

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Taking out is a mess. And if you did overfill, don't drive it like that.

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Crack the drain plug just a turn or so with a pan underneath and let a little out. Then snug it back up. or buy a cheap oil extractor pump from the parts store, a little tube down the dipstick

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hole, and pull out exactly what you need. 20 minutes and you've saved an engine from foaming itself. And one pro tip, always check the level parked on flat ground. On a slope, the oil pools at one end of the pan and the dipstick

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lies to you. Now, the next one catches people right after they think they're done. You've drained it, you've changed the filter, you've filled it, you've tightened everything. Most people put the tools away right there and that one skip step undoes the whole job. Here's

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what happens. When you pour in fresh oil, the dipstick reads full, but the new filter is empty. The moment you start the engine, the pump fills that filter and fills all the passages and the level in the pan drops. On a lot of

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cars, that's a good chunk of a quart. If you checked it before starting and called it done, you're now driving around low. So, here's the rule. Fill it, start it, let it run a minute, look under the car while it runs, shut it

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off, wait a few minutes so the oil drains back down to the pan. Then check the dipstick again and top up to the full mark. That minute of running is also your leak test, and it's the most important one you'll ever do. A fresh

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oil change is exactly when leaks show up. A drain plug that's not tight, a filter that's not seated, that double gasket from number nine. If there's a drip, you'll see it right there on the ground while you're still standing next

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to it instead of finding out from the oil light on the highway. My Tio had a rule about this that I've never broken.

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The man who changes the oil isn't done until he's been under the car twice.

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Once to drain it, once to look after it runs, and check it again the next morning, cold on flat ground before you drive. Overnight, all the oil has drained back to the pan. And that's the truest reading you'll ever get. Look at

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the ground under the engine at the same time. Two extra minutes. They can save you the engine, the tow truck, and your pride. And if you thought that one was easy, the next one is something most people have never even heard of. When

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you screw on a brand new filter, it's empty. The first time you start the engine, the pump has to fill that filter before oil can get where it's going. And for those first seconds, the engine is turning with less oil pressure than it

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wants. That's called a dry start. Now, keep this in proportion because the internet doesn't. Your engine isn't bone dry in those seconds. There's still oil on everything from before. And on most cars, the oil light goes out within a

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couple of seconds. One time won't hurt anything, but it's the worst few seconds of the whole oil change. And over a lifetime of changes, less of it is better. So, here's the trick. And here's the part most people get wrong. If your

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filter mounts pointing upward standing up, you can prefill it with a little fresh oil before you screw it on. Pour slowly into the small holes around the outside edge of the filter's face, not into the big hole in the center. The

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outer holes are where dirty oil goes in to get filtered. The center hole is the clean side where filtered oil comes out and goes straight to your engine. Pour into the center and you've put unfiltered oil on the clean side. Let it

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soak in. Add a little more and you're done. Not full to the brim, just enough to soak the filter. If your filter mounts sideways or upside down, don't try it. it'll run out and make a mess and you'll just get oil all over

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yourself in the engine. Same with the cartridge style filters that sit in a housing. Those don't get pre-filled. For those engines, here's the next best thing. After the oil change, crank the engine for a few seconds without letting

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it start. On many older cars, you can do it with the fuel pump fuse pulled to build pressure, then let it start or just start it and let it idle gently, no revving, until that oil light goes out.

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The bonus at the end is about exactly this. A few drops of oil on your hands is cheaper than a worn bearing. And just when you think you've done the filter right, there's one more thing on it that

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ruins the job. This one looks too small to matter. And it's the reason so many oil changes end with a slow leak nobody can explain. The rubber gasket on the new filter is the only thing between your engine oil and your driveway. And

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rubber doesn't like to slide dry. When you screw on a filter with a dry gasket, the rubber grabs the metal, twists as you tighten, and can roll or tear. It might not leak at first. Then the engine heats up, the pressure builds, and a

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week later, there's a spot on the driveway. The fix: Dip a fingertip in clean oil and wipe a thin film all the way around the gasket before you install the filter. That's it. The film lets the gasket slide and seat flat, and it makes

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the filter much easier to get off next time. A dry gasket can bake itself to the engine like glue, which is how you end up with the double gasket from number nine. And tighten it the right way. Most filters say it right on the

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side. Screw it on by hand until the gasket touches the engine. Then turn it about 3/4 of a turn more by hand, not with a wrench. A filter wrench is for taking it off. Tighten it with a wrench

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and you crush the gasket. And the next person, maybe you, needs a hammer and a screwdriver to get it off. And wipe that mounting surface clean first. A speck of dirt under a gasket is a leak waiting to

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happen. While we're on the filter, one more thing people never think about. Not every filter that screws on is the right filter. Two filters can have the same thread and the same size and still be different inside. Many engines need a

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filter with an anti- drainback valve, a small rubber flap that keeps oil in the filter overnight so the engine doesn't start dry every single morning. Some engines need a specific bypass valve setting which decides when oil goes around the filter instead of through it.

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A cheap filter that fits can be missing the one feature your engine was designed around. Use the part number listed for your exact engine from a brand you trust. The filter is a few dollars. It's the last thing to go cheap on. But if

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you think the filter is the only thing people overtighten, wait until you see what they do to the drain plug. This one hurts to talk about because it's destroyed more oil pans than I can count. People think tighter is safer.

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They grab a long wrench and crank the drain plug with everything they've got and they feel good about it. What they've actually done is stretch the threads or strip them right out of the pan. And on a lot of modern cars, the

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oil pan is aluminum, which is soft. overtighten it and you can crack the pan around the hole. Now, a 10-minute oil change is a new oil pan. And on some cars, that means lifting the engine to get it out. Here's what people don't

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understand. The plug doesn't seal because it's tight. The washer seals. There's a small washer on that drain plug. Copper, aluminum, fiber, or rubber depending on your car. And it's designed to crush slightly and seal. And here's the part almost everybody skips. That

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washer is single use on most cars. Once it's crushed, it doesn't seal the same way again. A new one costs about a dollar. Reuse the old one, and the only way to stop the drip is to crank the

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plug harder, which is exactly how people strip the pan. And on some newer cars, especially a lot of European ones, the drain plug itself is plastic or has a built-in seal, and the whole plug is single use. Check what your car has, a

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few dollars every time. So, here's the right way. New washer every time. Start the plug by hand, never with a wrench and turn it several full turns with your fingers. If it doesn't spin easily, it's crossed. Back it out and start again

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because a cross-threaded plug will ruin the pan. Then tighten it with a torque wrench to your car's number. For a lot of cars, that's somewhere in the 20s of foot-lbs. But look up your own. Aluminum pans often want less. No torque wrench,

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snug, not strained. Tighten it until it seats. Then a short extra pull about a quarter turn on a crush washer. That's it. And if you pay a shop, know this. A lot of stripped oil pans come from techs

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running the drain plugin with an impact gun, the air tool that makes that loud rattling noise. It's fast and it's far too strong for a drain plug. If you hear that sound under your car during an oil change, it's fair to ask them to finish

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it by hand next time. And if you've been cranking it for years, watch that plug.

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Damaged threads can hold for a long time and then let go all at once. If you see oil weeping around it or the plug turns but never really gets tight, get it fixed now. There are oversized and selftapping plugs that get you by. But

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the proper fix is a thread insert or a new pan. Better to find out in your driveway than at 70 m an hour. And if tightening too hard is bad, the next mistake is worse because it's inside every drop of oil in the engine. You'd

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think oil is oil. That one assumption has hurt more engines than bad driving. Every engine is designed for a specific oil. Two things matter and people usually only know about one. The first is the grade. The numbers like 5W30 or

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0W20. The first number is how the oil flows cold. The lower it is, the faster it gets to the parts on a cold start.

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The second number is how thick it is at running temperature. Modern engines are built with very small clearances and tiny oil passages. And they're designed around a specific thickness. too thick and it's slow getting everywhere on a cold start, which is where most wear

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happens. Too thin for the engine and the film between the parts can get too thin under heat and load. The second is the specification, the approval the oil meets printed on the back of the bottle.

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There's the round service symbol with letters in it, and for a lot of engines, there's a specific car maker approval.

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Some American engines want a particular certification. A lot of European engines want their own approval code.

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Turbocharged engines often need oil that meets a newer standard to protect against a problem called low-speed pre-ignition. That code in your manual matters as much as the numbers on the front. Your manual tells you both the grade and the specification. Match both,

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not what the guy at the counter likes, not what's on sale, what the engine was designed for. And a warning, counterfeit oil is real. It's sold online and in some shady places in bottles that look perfect. If a price looks too good to be

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true, it is. Buy from a real store. And three myths while we're here. Mixing brands is fine as long as they're the same grade and meet the same specification. If you're a quart low in the middle of nowhere, top it up with

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the right grade from any brand and move on. Switching from conventional to synthetic doesn't cause leaks. If a leak appears after switching, it was already there and the old oil sludge was plugging it. And the high mileage oils

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on the shelf aren't a scam. They carry seal conditioners that can help an older engine that's weeping a little. They're not a cure for a real leak, but on a tired engine, they're a reasonable choice. And keep your receipts with the

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brand and grade on them. If you ever have an engine problem under warranty, the first question will be what oil you used and when. A receipt is proof. Your memory isn't. In Mexico, in a lot of small towns, the oil is whatever the

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corner shop has on the shelf. And my tio used to say that a cheap oil in the right grade beats an expensive oil in the wrong one every day. He was right.

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But even with the right oil, there's one more mistake, and it's ignoring what your own car is telling you. Here's the biggest one, and it's got two sides.

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Most modern cars have an oil life monitor. The percentage on the dash or the change oil soon message. It isn't a timer. It's a computer estimating how hard the oil has worked based on things like engine temperature, how many cold

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starts, how long the trips are, and how the car has been driven. Side one, people ignore it. The message comes on and they treat it like a suggestion.

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That's like ignoring a smoke alarm because you don't see flames yet. Oil doesn't fail loudly. It thins. It gets loaded with soot and fuel and moisture.

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It stops protecting and the engine wears a little faster every mile quietly with no noise until it's much too late. When it says change it, change it. Side two, and this is the one that happens after an oil change, nobody resets it. You

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change the oil, the monitor still says 15% and a week later it's nagging you.

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So, you ignore the message and now you're trained to ignore it. And the next time it's real, you ignore that, too. or the opposite, a shop resets the monitor and hands the car back and you assume the oil was changed. Every car

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has a reset procedure in the dash menu or a sequence with the key and the gas pedal and it's in your manual. Reset it the day you change the oil, not before and not after. And here's the honest

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part. The manual won't underline. The monitor is an estimate, not the truth. On a car that lives a hard life, lots of short trips, stopand go traffic, towing, dust, brutal heat, or cold, the manual itself calls that severe service, and

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the honest interval is often shorter than the monitor thinks. If that's how you drive, change it a little early, and you'll never regret it. And one thing the percentage can't see, time. Oil ages, even when the car doesn't move. It

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absorbs moisture, its additives wear out, and a car that sits in the garage and only goes out on weekends can have a monitor showing 60% while the oil inside is a year old. Most manuals say change it at least once a year, no matter what

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the miles say. That's the one rule that protects the weekend car, the second car, the car that belonged to your Abua, and still only goes to church and the market. Respect the warning, reset it properly, and don't let a percentage do

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your thinking for you. And here's the bonus, the one even careful people skip. After an oil change, when you start the engine, the fresh oil takes a few seconds to fill the filter, fill the passages, and bring pressure up

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everywhere. If you start it and immediately throw it in gear and pull away hard, the engine is taking load before the oil is all the way there. The fix is simple. Start it and let it idle for 30 seconds to a minute before you

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drive. Watch the oil light. It should go out within a couple of seconds of starting. If it stays on or flickers, shut it off immediately and find out why before you go anywhere. That light staying on after an oil change means no

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pressure. And no pressure means a dry engine and about the time it takes to back out of the garage. Then drive gently for the first few minutes. No hard acceleration while everything settles. That pause cost you a minute.

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Your engine gets a gentle start to a new life every single time. Now, before the shop segment, one never that isn't about your engine at all. It's about you, and it's the most important one in this video. Never get under a car that's held

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up only by a jack. Not for a minute, not just to pull the plug. A jack is built to lift a car, not to hold it. Hydraulic jacks can slowly leak down or drop all at once. The little jack in your trunk

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is made to change a tire at the side of the road, standing next to the car, not lying under it. Every year, people die doing their own oil changes, and it's almost always this. Somebody's under the car. The jack shifts or slips on a crack

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in the concrete and there's nothing between them and a ton and a half of steel. Here's how it's done. On flat hard ground, never on dirt. Never on asphalt on a hot day. Never on a slope.

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Parking brake on. Chalk the wheels that stay on the ground. Lift at the jack points in your manual. Then set proper jack stands under the car strong points and lower the car onto the stands. Then give the car a firm shove with your hand

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before you ever get under it. If anything moves, you start over. Or use drive-on ramps, which a lot of people find easier for an oil change with the wheels chocked behind. In my Tio shop, the rule was simple. Nobody goes under a

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car that isn't on a lift or on stands. And if you broke that rule, you went home for the day. He'd seen what happens. I've seen it, too. Jack stands are $30. Please. Now, for everybody who pays a shop to do this, here's the part

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nobody likes to say out loud. A lot of these mistakes are made by people in uniforms in a hurry doing their 40th car of the day. So before you drive away, 60 seconds in the parking lot, open the

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hood, look at the oil filler cap. Is it on and screwed down tight? A forgotten fill cap is one of the most common mistakes at quick lube places. The cap sitting on top of the engine or on the

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battery or in the tech pocket. Drive off without it and oil sprays all over your engine, your exhaust, and your windshield. And it's a fire risk on a hot exhaust. Pull the dipstick. Is the level right? Not low, not way over. Is

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the oil clean and amber? If it's still dark and dirty, ask them to show you the oil went in. And make sure the dipstick goes back all the way down. Look around the engine for anything that shouldn't be there. A rag, a tool, an oil bottle,

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a cap. Look under the car or at the ground where you're parked after it's run a minute. Any fresh drips? Check the sticker or the receipt. Does it say the oil grade your manual calls for? Some shops use one grade for everything. If

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your engine wants 0W20 and the receipt says 10W30, go back in now and don't be shy about asking for the old filter back or to see the drain plug washer they took off. A good shop won't blink. A

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shop that hesitates is telling you something. And watch out for the upsells that come with the oil change, the engine flush, the fuel system service, the air filter they show you that looks dirty because they tapped it on the

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counter. Some of those are real. Plenty aren't. Ask to see what's wrong before you say yes. And you're always allowed to say, "I'll think about it." Then over the next few days, look at your parking spot and check the dipstick again after

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the first couple of drives. If the level's dropping, something's leaking, or something's burning. And it's much better to find out in a week than in a year. One more thing, while you have that drain pan in front of you, and this

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is what separates a mechanic from a man who just changes oil. Look at what came out. Rub a drop between your fingers.

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Normal used oil is dark and smooth. Gritty means metal or dirt is getting in and that's worth asking about. Tiny glitter in the pan, shining in the light. Is metal from something wearing?

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Watch it next time. And if it's more, get it looked at. Milky or light brown like coffee with cream means coolant is getting into the oil. That's a gasket problem and you want to know today, not when the engine overheats. A strong

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gasoline smell means fuel is getting into the oil, which happens with lots of short trips and on some engines more than others. It thins the oil and it's a reason to change it sooner. Look at the magnet on the drain plug, too, if your

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car has one. A little dark fuzz is normal. Chunks are not. And if you want to go one step further on a high mileage engine or one you just bought used, you can buy an oil analysis kit for

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somewhere around $30 or $40. You fill a small bottle with used oil, mail it to a lab, and they send back a report of the metals, the fuel, the coolant, the dirt in your oil. It tells you what's wearing

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inside your engine without opening it. For an engine you want to keep for a long time, it's cheap peace of mind. My tio read old oil like a doctor reads blood. He'd tilt the pan in the sun, rub

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it between his thumb and finger, and smell it. And half the time he'd tell a taxi driver something was wrong with his engine before the driver had noticed anything at all. 30 seconds free. And it's the best look inside an engine

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you'll ever get without taking it apart. And when you're done, the old oil goes into a sealed container. The empty new oil bottles are perfect and back to any part store that takes it, which most of them do for free. One gallon of dumped

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oil can foul an enormous amount of water. Don't be that person. So, here are the nine one more time in the order that kills engines fastest. The wrong oil, the monitor ignored or never reset, the gorilla drain plug with the old

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washer, the dry gasket, the dry start, the missing final check, the overfill, the cold drain, and the double gasket that empties an engine in a minute. And the bonus, let it idle and watch that light before you drive. None of them

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take skill to avoid. They take attention. 5 seconds with a fingertip, a dollar washer, a minute of running, and a second look. I promised you my Tio's rule. He changed oil on taxis every few weeks for 30 years. And he never lost an

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engine to an oil change because every time before he let a car leave, he'd get down on his knees next to it, look underneath one last time, and say the same thing. The oil change is the only time we open the engine's heart. Close

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it like you'd want yours closed. An oil change is the cheapest thing you'll ever do for your engine. Done carelessly, it's the most expensive. That's it. Nine things you never do after an oil change and the minute at the end that saves the

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engine. Now, I want to hear it. Which one of these have you seen happen or done yourself? The double gasket, the strip plug, the missing oil cap. Tell me in the comments because the next person reading might be about to do the same

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thing tomorrow morning. I read everyone and I steal the good ones. If somebody you know changes their own oil or just picked up their car from a quick lube place, send them this one and hit like so. YouTube shows it to the next person

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with a wrench on a drain plug. Right now, I'm Carlos Herrera. Keep it sealed.

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Keep your eyes open. and I'll see you in the next

Topics:oil changeengine maintenanceoil filter gasketengine damage preventionwarm oil drainoil level checkcar maintenance tipsquick lube mistakesengine oilCarlos Herrera

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