- Are you under 20 Stone in weight?
If you can answer yes to both questions you can change the oil. There is a fact sheet somewhere on here but it really is childs play. Don't let years of garages charging a small fortune for this convince you it's difficult. I say this, "look at a lot of the mechanics in a workshop - do they look particularly clever?" ....
Go to Halfords or similar and buy an oil catch tank. It's just a plastic oil bottle but with the hole on the side (and a recess to catch the oil). It will prob be 6 litres but 7 come out of the bongo so you might need a spare container of some sort.
Grab some surgical gloves if you like, B&Q do them in a box. You can get them for £3 for 100 form "proper" tool shops. Not being filthy helps when you are not used to getting your hands dirty.....
Get a bit under the bongo on your back, head first! - no need to jack the car up. Loads of room. Look for the lowest part of the engine and there will be a fairly obvious bolt head, recessed into the bottom of the engine a bit, at a slight angle (the fact sheet will help you here - but it's really obvious).
Put your catch tank underneath, and now undo the bolt slowly with your ratchet. Oil will start to seep out, get the tank in the right place. Remove the bolt and the oil will pout into the catch tank. Remember to keep an eye on it in case you need to slip under a second catch tank (milk carton etc?) for the last litre).
Leave it as is for half an hour to totally drain. Replace the bolt. Refill the oil! there you are - you changed the oil!
You should also change the oil filter. This just unscrews by hand (make sure you have clean dry hands) and the replacement screws back in by hand. If it's stuck on then you need a £5 filter wrench from Halfords.
You will almost certainly spill some old oil so lay paper around / do it somewhere else
Take your old oil to your local recycling centre - they will have a tank to pour it in.
