In the late sixties, right out of high school I had a beutiful, white '64 Ford Galaxie 500XL with a tri-power 390, leather interior and a four speed. I don't know which was more rare in this car, the tri-power 390, or the leather interior.

As a luxury to myself, I left it for an oil change and lube job at a local service station. When I picked it up, it had greasy hand prints everywhere. From that day forward I have had a real problem with anyone but myself and closely trusted friends doing any maintenance or repair to my cars. I can't even let anyone pump gas into them. This means that I have spent too much of my life worrying over keeping my cars running, to the point of doing my own engine overhauls, etc.

I could probably count on both hands the times in the last 30 years that someone besides myself have done anything to my cars other than warranty work, and there have been many nightmares from the dealers doing warranty work.

The thought of turning my car over to the third grade educated kid at KMart gives me a cold sweat. Changing oil is an extremely simple operation that, if screwed up, can have disastrous results. Probably the most common mistake is repairable, and that is stripping drain plug threads. But if it's left loose or something it can cost an engine.

If you use a 1/4" ratchet, an extension and an 8mm socket, you can get that belly pan out of the way in absolutely no time. Your oil changes are important, I suggest that you do them yourself, save money, know that it's done right and sleep well.

Have a great day,