My first engine oil change

For the first time since I got my license, I did my own oil (and air filter) change, mostly because I wanted to pamper my Miata with some performance oil and because I was seriously ashamed of not even knowing how to do that. Rarely felt more manly than with used oil gunk on my hands, as a bonus.

This may seem ridiculous to only clear that landmark this late in life, but I grew up in a middle-class environment with a very non-technical father then stepfather who never did that kind of thing; and I wasn't particularly interested in cars before getting my first.

Which is why when a more experienced colleague proposed his help (including his tools) to me, I jumped on the occasion (Thanks Benoît!). And I definitely needed that help, to be honest; thankfully we didn't consider doing the transmission.

But I have to warn any prospective newbie in my situation about one or two difficulties that must be considered before rushing head first.

Documentation §

We live in a sad world where service manuals are gatekept by the manufacturers. I had to use this unofficial website to find information and still couldn't find an OEM part number catalog to check the compatibility with third-party parts.

If you have to look at instructions on YouTube and crawl enthusiast forums to know which crush washer size you need, your manufacturer failed you.

So, do search the web for a service manual PDF.

Parts §

Even worse, while Mazda sells OEM parts directly in North America through mazda.oempartsonline.com, us Europoors don't have anything like it and must go through dealerships which will certainly ask for hefty margins instead. What a pain! So Oscaro and Autodoc it is, with their extensive compatibility databases.

Even then, without the aforementioned parts catalog you must cross-reference these two sites and pray that you didn't cock up your order.

Tooling §

This is where it gets ugly and expensive, in my opinion. I needed at least:

• Something to lift up the car. Which is a pain on this model, since it's too low for a lot of hydraulic jacks (need a low profile one) and the front jack point is quite far from said front (cf service manual). Thank God my host had a small pit in his garage!
• A socket wrench for the shield's bolts; lowered sports cars often have one to prevent damaging the oil pan.
• A stronger (either monkey or better, fixed) wrench for the oil pan plug; considering a Fumoto valve for the future, too.
• A way to loosen the oil filter if it's stuck. Either a specialized claw-like wrench or some good ol' elbow grease and a rag.
• An oil drain pan flat enough to not hinder your hands when working over it.