I hear you about the horizontal configuration of our oil filter. Really sucks.

You know what I did years ago? I bought this plastic pad thing that I cut to fit the bottom of my drain pan for oil changes. No splashing at all. Something so simple, yet really makes a difference.


Love the upright filter on my wife's Forester, right there at the top of the engine under the hood. Easiest oil filter access I've ever seen.

 

Can always do one of those oil filter relocation things. The x has an access door in the plastic, unlike the 6mt or the 7at sport like you mentioned. Still annoying. The tray is so nice to have. And my tray needed a date with a hammer last oil change. Got somewhat bent around my sway bar, but saved the oil pan from getting demolished. This was my first time using my drain valve too, and it was awesome.

 

I gave half a thought to this, but decided against due to the amount of space available as well as just another spot created for oil to leak from. For now, I will just continue to complain about it.

 

True. Im contemplating making a detachable shield out of sheet metal that I can hang on my swaybar or attach somewhere to deflect the oil. Magnetic perhaps.

 

If the mess is an issue for you, what I do is use a sharp punch (actually it’s a modified long screwdriver) and hammer to make a hole in the bottom of the filter, then I loosen it a bit to allow it to drain fully, it’s pretty controllable.

 

It's possible to jam a small funnel into there with a hose on it you can avoid a spill.. I have one that's about 4" diameter and 3" tall. Break the filter loose, jam the funnel in and then unscrew it by hand until it starts draining and let it sit for a couple minutes.

 

There it is. See, now that makes sense.

But honestly, I don't understand why you guys are having a mess of a time with the oil filter. I mean after you drain the oil, the only thing left is what's pooled sideways in the filter, and you just slowly loosen the filter so that it drains into the pan. Maybe the only modification you need is patience.

 

Maybe because they are X models with more stuff in that area? I don't have the filter leak on anything either. Mine is a December 2012 build 2013 model and I've got the access flap in the undertray.

 

On the X the filter sits horizontal directly above the front sway bar.

 

Just purchased my first big thing to go electric instead of gas, but it wasn't a car.

It was a 24", two-stage, self-propelled snow blower from Toro. Can't wait for it to snow! LOL

 

Wow! That looks like a fun (and useful) Winter toy. Betting that wasn't cheap though...

 

In broad comparison, it's about a 50% premium over its gasoline counterpart.

It's about the same ratio for lawn mowers... which is something I'll be upgrading as well next Spring, and do some battery sharing.

 

Twin turbocharge it or go home.


JK lol

 

Temps are around 60°F today, which is downright balmy around here in mid-November. So today I took the opportunity to put my snows on the car. Staggered duckfeet, X-Ice on the rears, Blizzaks on the front, and 15mm spacers all around.

Oh man, I'm getting too old for this. Simple wheel swap (with spacers, LOL) just wipes me out these days. I mean, I've got the right tools... torque wrench, low profile floor jack, time on my hands . But the wheels are stored in the basement, and the whole thing is just a big chore.

Now that the front pass tire is off the car, I can diagnose the slow leak there, and I've got all winter to deal with it. Snow tires notwithstanding, it will be good to not have to deal with that anymore.

On the negative side of all this, (other than straining my back & shoulders), I've got 4-5 months of seeing the TPMS light, but this time because the sensors aren't paired up, not because the pressure is off spec. Not that there's any way for me to know the diff in any moment except to actually check pressure. I really wish I had a car that reported actual tire pressure numbers unique for each corner. That would be lovely.

 

Are the spacers really required for your winter setup? If not, aren't you just making more work for yourself? (I am only trying to save you the strain on your back that you reference and also a few minutes per wheel)