Your style of post oil change clean-up

[The Critic]

Let's share our strategies on how we clean up oil drips after an oil change.

On cars with unpainted oil pans, I usually take an entire can of brake cleaner and hose off the entire oil pan, oil filter mounting area, and any region within 6" of the drain plug and oil filter. I do not use any rags - I just spray with brake cleaner.

On cars with painted oil pans, I used to do the same thing...until I realized that the brake clean made the oil pan turn dull.

Now, I just wipe everything off with paper towels (expensive)...but would like to find a cheaper and more thorough solution. Any ideas? I was thinking of using Super Clean mixed 50/50 and following up with a garden hose.

 

[MaximusD]

Um...wow. My thought? Who cares if there is oil on the oil pan?

 

[DragRace]

You like making things difficult.

All I've ever used was paper towels to clean anything during or after an oil change.

 

[dernp]

I used to do oil changes for a living. So making a mess doesn't usually happen.

 

[63Marauder]

Useing a whole can of brake clean is kinda extream and wasteful.How much oil do you spill????I'm thinkin' about 10 sheets of paper towels

 

[uart]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Let's share our strategies on how we clean up oil drips after an oil change.

On cars with unpainted oil pans, I usually take an entire can of brake cleaner and hose off the entire oil pan, oil filter mounting area, and any region within 6" of the drain plug and oil filter. I do not use any rags - I just spray with brake cleaner.

Critic you're giving Prius owners a bad name. You've got a really low emission vehicle and then you've gotta go all environment menace with the brake cleaner.

I just take a piece of rag under the car with me to wipe my hands so I can get a decent grip on the oil filter. So when I've finished tightening the drain plug and new filter, I just give a really quick wipe around with said rag and I'm done.

 

[KD0AXS]

Couple paper towels to wipe up any excess drips and wipe off my hands, and if I spill any on the driveway I throw down a little cat litter and sweep it up in a couple days.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Oil left on the oil pan means it won't rust ... or disintegrate as it's aluminum on the focus.

 

[fxrider]

Wow, a little obsesive dont ya think.. i use a RAG just like grandpa did..

 

[Donald]

After the drain plug goes back in, the only thing that gets cleaned are my hands. If the oil wants to drip off the oil pan, it will drip on my opened up dog food bag (better than newspaper).

I do clean the oil drain plug area before putting back the drain plug.

Critic - you live in an apt. and need to find more things to do.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: uart
Dammit Critic you're giving Prius owners a bad name. You've got a really low emission vehicle and then you've gotta go all environment menace with the brake cleaner.

Maybe he's at least using low- to no-VOC brake cleaner.

Come to think of it, in California, that's likely all you can buy anyway.

I don't spill any oil on the oil pan. If there's a drip or two on the floor, I wipe it up with a few paper towels.

 

[lars11]

I usually put an old news paper under the pan to avoid staining the driveway, then just wipe drops off. Problem occurs when dropping a full filter or something that really pours oil...

 

[Colt45ws]

Just wipe the big stuff up with a rag. On my car, the oil filter pours onto the steering rack and makes a mess that is difficult to remove. I just soak it up with a rag as best I can.

 

[KrisZ]

I can usually get away with using two or three shop paper towels. I use one to clean the oil filter mating surface and the drain plug area, so that I can easily spot if it's leaking. I then re-use that paper towel to have a first pass at cleaning the oil drain pan. The second paper towel usually finishes the job and if it's not too dirty I use it to clean my hands, if not I use a third towel and wash my hands.

Other than that I don't clean the underside and I would definitely not waste brake cleaner to clean an area that generally gets filthy the next time it rains or snows.

 

[DaHen]

Just using the good old RED shop rag to wipe the drain plug and filter area.

 

[JHZR2]

I rarely have a mess, but whatever residue is there I spread around/absorb with one or two paper towels and leave. Far cheaper than a can of solvent, and healthier too. The slight oil residue if nothing else, protects that area from corrosion.

 

[javacontour]

I keep old cardboard boxes (reuse) to keep the mess off the garage floor.

Usually a paper towel is all that is needed for most of the clean up. The 2.5L Altima does drip oil on a "frame rail" of the unibody when a filter is removed. Usually a paper towel or two will clean that up.

I supposed I could save some used aluminum foil and cover that rail so the clean up is simply dropping that in the recycle can.

 

[SLCraig]

Blue shop towels.
The more dripping/loose oil on the under side of the car, the more rust protection she has.

Saturn owners can attest to this, it is definitely why the subframe on the drivers side of those cars rots, and the other side never does.

 

[Recalculating]

Old newspaper between the rhino ramps before the vehicle goes up.

Wipe down the oil filter area if the oil filter is getting changed out. Usually going 2X with Bosch D+.

Ensure the clear plastic tube from the nippled Fumato valve doesn't fall out of the five galon recycle oil container.

Shop rag ( old cotton t-shirts, socks and underwear) on stand-by.

 

[apwillard1986]

Red shop rag to clean hands and drips. My trucks are easy so usually there is no mess thank goodness. No way I am burning through a can of brake clean. I just wipe it all down nice and clean. I would be worried about the application of brake clean over time. My frame has a waxy factory coating all over it that I am pretty obsessive about keeping on there.