How Long Do Car Oil Changes Take – (And Why)?

How Long Do Car Oil Changes Take – (And Why)?

Exact Answer: 15 minutes to an hour

Changing your car’s oil is inevitable. As a car owner, you must have experienced this process. You might ask how long it takes to change the oil; well, this is an easy and quick process.

However, professional car services take an extended time due to a long queue of cars that they need to work on. For that reason, we shall discuss how long do car oil changes take and why.

How Long Do Car Oil Changes Take

How long do car oil changes take?

Car Oil ChangeTime Taken
At a car service station20 minutes
Experienced individual25 minutes
Unexperienced individual45 minutes

If you consider taking your car for an oil change at a car servicing center, it will take approximately 15 minutes to an hour. This depends highly on the queue at the car service center.

Pouring Oil to Engine

Most places, however, conduct the service within 15 to 20 minutes when there is no traffic. When changing your car’s oil at home, it will take you approximately 15 to 25 minutes to complete the change.

The process will be quick if you are familiar with the entire oil change process. If you have never performed an oil change on your car, it is advisable to seek assistance from someone more knowledgeable. For newbies, however, this process will take you approximately 45 minutes or more.

Why does it take long to perform oil change to a car?

Various factors affect the time taken to change the oil. As previously stated, changing the oil from a car serving station will take you approximately 15 minutes to an hour, depending on the number of cars being serviced.

However, most car service stations offer their services with 15 to 20 minutes when there is less traffic. When performing oil change by yourself, it will take approximately 15 to 25 minutes if you are familiar with the entire process.

However, if you are a novice, the process will take about 45 minutes or more.

How to carry out oil change at home

Since you have the estimation of how long an oil change takes, knowing how to perform it at home is essential. By knowing how to perform oil change will save you time and money. Here is the simplest way of changing oil at home;

• You will first lift your car using a jack and flush out the old oil. Make sure that you open the oil pan’s drain bolt to flush out the oil. Before flushing out the oil, make sure you have placed a bucket under the oil pan’s drain bolt. Draining the oil will take a while; however, do not leave until the pan is empty.

• Replace the oil filter with a new one. Furthermore, new seals should be used for both oil filter and drain bolt. Once you are through with that, close the drain bolt. Always be careful when taking out the old oil filter since it is filled with oil.

• Pour into your car engine new oil. Once this is done, take out the jack and assess the oil level.

The entire process will take approximately 20 to 40 minutes.

A Woman Pouring Engine Oil

Conclusion

When performing an oil change at home, it is essential to check on the manual for oil viscosity. This will help you figure out the right oil to use. Furthermore, different weather seasons feature different oil viscosity. During winter you might require unconventional oil from the one you use in summer.

References

  1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0301679X88900205
  2. https://www.sae.org/publications/technical-papers/content/570093/
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24 thoughts on “How Long Do Car Oil Changes Take – (And Why)?”

  1. I would’ve never thought I’d find an article about this, it’s interesting to see the process analyzed like this

  2. I think the time shown in the article is way too optimistic. It usually takes longer to get it done.

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