Anyone here using a fluid extractor to do oil changes?

[quikveedb2]

I can get the oil filter on an M20 from the top. :p

+1, and my car is lowered & I can still change the oil with the car on the ground, provided I have a thin enough drain pan. And to pull the filter you just have to reach around the exhaust manifold, which sucks if it's hot, but typically by the time my oils is done draining it's bearable. Or just wear a long sleeve shirt. Honestly, I like the idea of the extractor for convenience sake, but the drain plug is there for a reason, so I use it. Come on, it's like a 30 minute job. And @ OP, unless you're spilling oil all over the place I'd see no reason a landlord or property manager would give a shit. If you are spilling oil all over the place, maybe just take it to a mechanic.

[nrubenstein]

that's not an arguement at all. He is just twisting words around to make it seem like the hack way of doing something is right. sure it works, but it is not right. And because your dealership overfilled your car once by 1,5 quarts (which I can't really see being that 10W60 is like 30 dollars a quart by us)doesn't mean its like that everywhere...... but whatever.
sorry, I know there is no plastic rails in an M20, but there is plenty metal pieces that could be laying in there that would be nice to find before a motor might grenade and take the head with it.

10w60 is barely any more expensive than 5w30 here. And I had 6 dealer oil changes back when my old '04 M3 was getting free maintenance and EVERY SINGLE TIME THEY OVERFILLED BY AT LEAST A QUART. I've seen many reports of them doing that at many dealers. Was it universal? Probably not. Certainly common, though.

Anyway, while you're railing about how BMW uses the drain plugs always (except when they don't), why don't you comment on the 15-25,000 mile oil change intervals that they are specifying?

[mikeedler]

this man /\ has a valid argument.

that's not an arguement at all. He is just twisting words around to make it seem like the hack way of doing something is right. sure it works, but it is not right. And because your dealership overfilled your car once by 1,5 quarts (which I can't really see being that 10W60 is like 30 dollars a quart by us)doesn't mean its like that everywhere...... but whatever.
sorry, I know there is no plastic rails in an M20, but there is plenty metal pieces that could be laying in there that would be nice to find before a motor might grenade and take the head with it.

[Kvasi]

Theres no way i would suck the oil up and potentially dont get crap laying in the pan out.
When i change oil i do it to keep my engine at its best and its really worth the 30mins of work.

[markseven]

I can get the oil filter on an M20 from the top. :p

That's pretty cool - I never tried it.

[nrubenstein]

Evacuators make sense if you have a top-side oil filter (if you have to lift the car to get to the oil filter, you may as well drain the oil).

I can get the oil filter on an M20 from the top. :p

[DREWHALL]

We drain at my stealer, and on S54s we do not use the gun. 10W60 in liter bottles just like all the M cars. Parts department sets the oil gun when we do use them. I prefer to drain, just easier to me.

[Farbin Kaiber]

Ive been looking at getting one for some of the larger oil services I perform, problem is I cant find one that does 5gal in one filling.

[markseven]

Evacuators make sense if you have a top-side oil filter (if you have to lift the car to get to the oil filter, you may as well drain the oil).

[mdlimy]

My local bmw dealership does not drain, sucks the oil out on every service oil change.
Personally I don't give a shit how its done, if I had an extractor I would use it, althought I might drain the oil maybe every few changes just to relace the drain plug washer and see if there is any debree but honestly both ways are efficient enough to get the job done.

[Stanley Rockafella]

this man /\ has a valid argument.

[nrubenstein]

I still disagree with you, like I posted above, I personally have seen enough come out of a pan. you can also see if there are shavings or anything pos. going wrong.

what is comes down to is this: there is a correct way to do things, and a wrong.

BMW says to drain it with the DRAINPLUG- that's how it should be done.
jacking a car up and porsches, and.. everything else has nothing to do with the question on hand.
run the oil to operating temp, and drain it. have you seen a dealership that sucks out the oil?

I've never seen a dealership get an oil change right on my S54s. They usually overfill by 1.5 quarts because the technicians cant be bothered to adjust the machine or set it correctly. (And who knows what oil they actually put in.) So, the dealerships are not exactly the example that I would hold up. And the fluid extractor has been extremely useful in draining the oil down to the correct level as well.

Anyway, the M20 doesn't even have any plastic guides to fall into the oil pan. So, even if you accept that argument, it's as irrelevant as the Porsches.

[mikeedler]

1) Condensation is only present in the oil pan if the oil is never heated up to temperature. Otherwise, it boils off. If you never get the oil warm, you've got other problems.
2) The likelihood that you will see something else pour out of the drain is pretty miniscule.
3) The total amount of additional oil left in an M20/M50 style pan when you vacuum it out is insignificant. (And if you just lift the front end, you will leave a ton of oil anyway.)

What it comes down to is this: The arguments against it are massively overblown. The best way to change the oil is the way that is easy and which will enable you to do it as often you should.

I still disagree with you, like I posted above, I personally have seen enough come out of a pan. you can also see if there are shavings or anything pos. going wrong.

what is comes down to is this: there is a correct way to do things, and a wrong.

BMW says to drain it with the DRAINPLUG- that's how it should be done.
jacking a car up and porsches, and.. everything else has nothing to do with the question on hand.
run the oil to operating temp, and drain it. have you seen a dealership that sucks out the oil?

[F34R]

Getting under the car? M20?

You just have to reach your arm in. No jack or anything needed.. Even if it's lowered and you have a short enough catch pan.

Are you kidding me? I cannot find a catch pan low enough for my e30. I use a car lift at my Uncle's garage to change my oil. That way I don't leave old in the back of the pan.

[nrubenstein]

true, but now you are going to have even more in there. oil does break down, and will carry crap down in the pan with it including condensation. as well as you would have no real idea how or what is in your crankcase if your just sucking it out with a pump. had an N46 a few months ago that let a bunch of plastic pieces out in the oil catch can, was the timing chain rail, had it not been found then, it would have been pretty catastrophic.

1) Condensation is only present in the oil pan if the oil is never heated up to temperature. Otherwise, it boils off. If you never get the oil warm, you've got other problems.
2) The likelihood that you will see something else pour out of the drain is pretty miniscule.
3) The total amount of additional oil left in an M20/M50 style pan when you vacuum it out is insignificant. (And if you just lift the front end, you will leave a ton of oil anyway.)

What it comes down to is this: The arguments against it are massively overblown. The best way to change the oil is the way that is easy and which will enable you to do it as often you should.