There was a time when everybody changed their own oil. Now just nearly half of U.S. vehicle owners do their own repair and maintenance. By learning to change your own oil, you can save roughly a hundred dollars a year and maybe more.

Before you get started, there are important oil disposal laws you must understand otherwise you could be fined by the EPA fines that go as high as six figures. The days of digging a hole in the back yard and pouring dirty oil into it are long gone. Environmental authorities suggest you pour old oil into a clean plastic container and take it to a service dealer or facility that offers oil-collection services. Call your state or local used-oil program for locations of collection centers. Call 1-800-424-9346 for a list of state oil-recycling contacts or write to Resource Conservation and Recovery Docket, 401 M St., S.W., Washington, DC 20460.

Now, if you’re still interested in tackling this task yourself, Edmunds has created a Do-It Yourself List. To start, here is a list of tools and things you’ll need to perform this procedure:

* a 3/8-drive socket set (metric will work for both)
* a combination wrench set (closed- and open-ended, metric)
* an oil filter wrench
* something to catch the old oil — an oil pan, a used kitchen basin, a kid’s pail
* a couple of empty one gallon milk containers with screw-on lids.
* a funnel and a one quart Ziploc baggie
* a lot of old newspapers and several dirty rags
* presoiled work clothes and, if you have long hair, a baseball cap
* two pair surgical gloves (optional; no, we won’t ask you to cough)
* a new oil filter (see vehicle’s owner’s manual for requirements)
* enough oil to refill the engine (check back page of owner’s manual for grade and number of quarts); we recommend name brands, such as Valvoline, Castrol, Pennzoil, Quaker State, Mobil, etc.

STEP ONE: Before you do anything, pick out a flat spot on your driveway. Now take your car for a drive around the neighborhood. We do this to heat the oil and make it nice and thin, so it will drain more completely from the engine block. Drive the vehicle far enough and long enough so that the temperature gauge begins to register. If you don’t have a temp gauge, or if you have gauges but they’re broken, turn on the heater and drive until your feet get toasty. The engine is now warm. Park it in your pre-chosen spot.

STEP TWO: Turn off the engine, put the car in gear, and set the parking brake firmly. For safety, block the tires with several bricks or large rocks. Go in the house and put on your dirty clothes and cap. Come out and line up your tools.

Now slide under the car and locate the oil drain plug. If there isn’t enough room to slide under, you may have to jack up the car to get beneath it. Raise the car with a hydraulic pump and settle it on jackstands. CAUTION: Never get under a car held aloft only by a jack. Always use jackstands.

O.K., now locate the drain plug. It should be about the closest thing to the ground, a fairly large nut with a slim washer under it. Sometimes it will even be labeled “drain plug.” (Caution: Make sure you’re not looking at the transmission drain plug. It’s usually a larger nut. If not sure, feel the metal around it. The metal around the engine oil plug should be a lot hotter than around the trans plug. If still not sure, call a friend.) Find your socket set and pull out several sockets that look about the same size as the nut until you find one that fits over it.

>>> Read Part 2 of Change Your Own Oil and Save Cash >>>