Oil Change (with pics)
I hit the 1500 mile mark and did my first oil change on the Mirage. Wasn't too bad, minimal expletive spewing and wishing bad things on the engineers. I took some pics so hopefully they help.
You will need three quarts of 0w-20 synthetic oil and a new filter.
I am not using premium oil or a premium filter because I am going to change it again at 6000 miles. Next change will be a NAPA Gold filter and either Mobil 1 or Pennzoil Platinum synthetic oil (still deciding on that one)
I used ramps to put my car up, these gray ramps are not low profile but worked fine.
DISCLAIMER/COMMON SENSE: Do NOT get under your vehicle only supported by a floor jack! Use jack stands or ramps. A jack is designed to lift, it is not designed to hold. Even a ~2000 pound Mirage can kill you if it falls on you!
Place a drain pan on the floor. Using a 17mm wrench, loosen the drain plug. I was able to get this off with no issues.
This was taken in selfie mode facing the front of the car (please excuse my ugly mug in the shot...)
This was from underneath.
Let the oil drain as completely as possible. Grab a beer, smoke a cigarette, eat something, etc. The more oil out, the less crap left over.
Replace the crush washer and tighten the drain plug. Thread it in by hand and then tighten it snug but don't overtighten it.
Now the fun part, changing the filter. I swear Godzilla himself put the filter on. This is where the expletives and wishing bad things on the engineers came into play.
View from underneath.
View from above.
In order to gain access from below, I removed the plastic piece that is behind the bumper. I used a thin flat blade screwdriver and removed the ten fasteners, it came off with ease. The 90 seconds it took to remove this is worth it for the access you gain.
View without the plastic piece in place.
Using a filter wrench, slowly remove the oil filter. It will drain down the silver piece and neatly into the drain pan.
Although you can't see, wipe off around where the filter seals and make sure the old gasket is not attached.
Using new oil, moisten the seal of the new filter and screw it onto the engine. HAND TIGHTEN ONLY, you don't need to use a wrench to put it on. This will save swearing when you change the oil again.
If you took the extra step, replace the plastic piece. The fasteners just press in without tools.
Add three quarts of 0w-20 synthetic oil.
Start the car and check for leaks.
Take it for a test drive and enjoy your Mirage with fresh clean oil and a fresh oil filter. After your test drive, check the dipstick and add if necessary (I didn't need to.) Your Mirage will love you and keep you happy for many more miles!
Last edited by burghbeagle; 08-16-2015 at 04:16 AM.
__________________________________________
View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 37.9 mpg (US) ... 16.1 km/L ... 6.2 L/100 km ... 45.5 mpg (Imp)