GTI Engine Oil Change

Oil changes are essential to keeping your car in peak performance. It should at least be done once a year to ensure that your car gets the most power and fuel efficiency it can have. It has been a year since Puyang has bought his 2012 VW Golf GTI, as revealed near the end of Season 2, and it was finally time for Puyang to do his first oil change on this car.
It was a straightforward process and we didn't run into any complications. We took this time to change the stock drain plug for a magnetic drain plug. If you have been a long follower of Machine Zealots, you would have noticed that we are very fond of magnetic drain plugs. It catches metal shavings, and every time you do your oil change, you can be sure you'll have lots of shavings to wipe off. I think all cars should come with a magnetic drain plug for your engine from the factory. If you don't yet have one for your car, make sure you get one.
Remember to lift the car up properly, and place axle stands in safe areas. Take the time to do things safely and properly. Hope this tutorial helps some of you, have fun!

Subaru STI Engine Oil Change

If you are a veteran reader on this blog, you would have realized I've written about oil changes many times already. Although this is the first oil change for the STI, the basic concepts are still the same. With safe practice, drain out the oil, change the filter, and fill your car with new oil.

When I first started playing with cars, the oil change was the thing that got me confident enough to work on everything else. If you are a person willing to do stuff yourself, but just haven't gotten the time or courage to do so, please take my advice, follow my video, and try this out for yourself. This euphoria is developed with a combination of dirt on your hands, the smell of oil, and just hearing the clicks of your socket wrench.

As promised, I was going to review how the German Castrol Syntec differs from the oil that was in my car previously. On start up, the Castrol Syntec definitely makes the engine purr. It feels smooth, and quiet on the road, but when you put your foot down, it feels like the clean oil unlocked some of those missing horses. However, this is not conclusive, since I did not do any speed tests to compare, but my butt dyno was happy. You can argue that a clean filter with clean oil, regardless of brand, will always make the car feel faster. Yes, that is correct. However, hearing nothing but good things about German Castrol, I couldn't help but give it a try. It's relatively cheap in price, and it's available locally, so why not?

I will see how this oil performs over time, and I will write about it if anything comes up. For those of you looking for the part numbers used in this video, here they are:

Oil Filter 15208AA100
Drain Plug crush washer 11126AA000
Magnetic Oil drain plug 32103KA000

One last note about the oil change: If you don't feel like re-installing the skid plate, that is completely fine. Many Subaru drivers don't bother placing it back. I do it because it's quite rainy where I live, so I don't want my undercarriage getting all dirty and rusty for no good reason. It really only takes five minutes of your time to install and re-install.

German Castrol Syntec

If you are a car enthusiast, you have probably read about motor oil at some point. Which brand makes the best oil? Should I use synthetic oil or not? What grade of oil is best for my car? These are just some of the questions people constantly ask. I'm no motor oil expert, but I do trust BITOG (Bob is the oil guy) because he has taken so much time to experiment, test, and write about different oils. If you don't know him, please go to his website, and learn all there is to learn about motor oil.

With that being said, the choice of oil for my next oil change is based on BITOG and the recommendations of thousands of automotive enthusiasts: Introducing Castrol Syntec 0w30, made in Germany. (A.K.A. German Castrol or GC)

Oil on the left is made in Germany, and oil on the right is made in the U.S.A.

Look carefully at the back. It has to say "Made in Germany". No exceptions.

If it says "Made in the U.S.A.", this won't be the oil everyone is raving about.

Both of these are German Castrol. On the left is the new GC blend, the oil is gold in color. The one on the right is older GC blend, the oil is dark green in color. Blending the two together, if you somehow own both, is completely alright.

Some of the benefits people have found using German Castrol are: Increased fuel economy, improved speed and acceleration, smoother cold starts, and a quieter engine all together. Honestly I can't wait to try this oil, I've already used Mobil 1 and American Castrol Edge in the past, so I should be able to compare the oils. I'll tell you guys more about that later.

I know I've said that I'm taking it slow on spending on mods this season, but I'm actually suprised there is still so much to do, even if you force yourself on a budget. Here are some of the things you guys may see in the next couple of weeks on the Youtube channel!

STI OEM Lamco Boost Gauge lighting change.

Installing the RX Sponsored Oil Catch Can.

Subaru WRX STI engine oil and filter change.

I'm also getting really addicted to converting everything to illuminate red, I've already ordered some LEDs and resistors for the HVAC conversion. The I/C Spray button, HID height adjustment knob, window and lock switches, will all be eventually converted to red as well. I'm not sure about converting the Head Unit though, because I'm planning on getting an aftermarket one. However, if you guys really demand a video tutorial, I'll try to fit that into my schedule. I thought this winter would be boring, but I was wrong.

Oh, and I'm also gathering some money to get the new GoPro HD Hero 2, hopefully it will come during Christmas time. ;)

New Oil Knowledge. What would you do?

Hey guys, this morning, ROD1 from the C5 Forums posted an interesting thread about oil and filters. You guys should have a look. Please don't skim, read the whole thing.

Okay. I'll start the discussion. While most of the stuff in that article is contradicting what we know, I do see some truth behind it. However, another very well known oil expert, Bob the Oil Guy, seems to have different views. Most of what Bob says is what we sort of know. Anyway, I'm not sure what to think, because I am no scientist, and I can not prove one theory over another. Therefore, I'm left kind of stumped.

However, I will say this though, I kind of like the idea of the Pure Power oil filter. I am considering buying one to test out on my next oil change. $200 is still chump change for an experiment, and I'm willing to try it out.

So questions of the day: Are you going to start using 10w30 oil instead of 5w30? Are you going to continue to use synthetic? Let me know what you guys think, leave a comment here, or feel free to post on the Facebook page.

Oil Change and RX Catch Can final review

With summer coming up, everyone is preping their sexy cars for the nice warm pavement. Your car may have been in your garage for the past 6 months, or you've been driving it daily. Whatever the case, it is a good time to do an oil change. With this video, you should feel confident enough in doing it yourself!

This is my third oil change at 5000 miles, and it just gets easier every single time. Seriously you guys, it really is as simple as it looks. There are tons of benefits to maintaining your own car. Number one reason, it saves money. (Unless you screw up and end up causing hundreds of dollars in damage.)

Secondly, once you get to know your car, you also get to learn what it needs, when it needs it.

Well, I've already done a write up about this, AND a video, so there should be no excuses for you NOT to do this.

NOW! The RX Oil Catch Can. As you have all seen with your own eyes, that was a lot of oil caught in the can, and only after 3000 miles! If you don't have one yet, buy one, especially if you own the V6, because apparently the LLT injests tons of oil.

I hear people saying stuff like, "Well, if GM made it that way, then there's nothing wrong and I won't need an oil catch can."

To this, I reply, "You obviously don't know how an internal combustion engine works."

Because of environmental laws, car manufacturers had to re-design their crankcase ventilation system that, in the past, released gases and oils into the atmosphere. Their solution was an enclosed system where the oil is re-routed as part of the intake stream. Therefore, oil in the crankcase is fed back into the intake manifold. This way, the engine 'burns' away that oil in your combustion cycle. However, only two things should be present in the combustion chamber, AIR AND OCTANE! By adding engine oil into the mix, you will LOSE power, and slowly, but surely damage your engine.

Finishing off the RX Oil Catch Can review: It is a really great product! It is well worth the money. Obviously, there are other options out there, and I never had a chance to review them. Therefore I'm biased, sue me.

Eitherway, the important thing is, pick one up today. If not RX, you better hope the one you buy works just as well. But you guys got a first hand view of what the RX Catch Can can do, so all of my cards are on the table.