Where are these "tests"? Who did them? Why we don't ever get to see them? Are they locked in a secret vault somewhere? Or is this topsider mythology?

To the second point - many bottomsiding drain pans have a big screw on lid - designed to be taken directly to the recyle center.

I've gone back to bottomsiding - it now seems easier to me, and cleaner. Topsiding has all these tubes covered with and filled with oil. What a mess. And that's when it works well. Sometimes it doesn't work at all. On the question of which methods get more oil out I'm withholding judgement until the tests are released from the secret vault.

Quote from stefan300sd: "I have a 617 and sucking from the top gets more oil out then draining from the pan. A while ago I needed to change the oil pan gasket, so I drained it with my "topsider". When I took the pan off and there was only a few tablespoons full of oil left in it. I didn't think to take a picture at the time. However, later I was doing the same job but this time I drained it from the pan and there was considerabley more oil left it the pan.

I have never had a problem draining it hot and made mine real cheap out of a shop vac, a bucket, and some hose."
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Here's an example of a post on this site. Not the one I remember reading before, but same principle-- someone who took off their oil pan twice, once after using a Topsider or equivalent and once after using the drain plug.

The point about the value of a visual inspection obtained with using the drain plug is a good one!

To each his own.

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Steve
'93 400E

Exactly my point. What if that plastic drain pan with the screw-on top begins to leak during your oil change, as happened to me? Or afterwards, while it's sitting in your car's trunk as you drive to the recycle center? The Topsider is metal, and the openings through which oil could leak are at the top of the can, not near the bottom.

I change oil 4 times a year, averaging about 3 months/2700 miles between changes. No problem w/ the Topsider. If I happen to have the C230 in the shop for something else this March, at the time of the next scheduled change, I'll have 'em drain it through the pan plug to be on the safe side.

Those of you with garages forget that a lot of us don't have places to store things like old oil and ramps. For us, the Topsider works.

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-- Paul W. (The Benzadmiral)
('03 Buick Park Avenue, charcoal/cream)
Formerly:
'97 C230, smoke silver/parchment; '86 420SEL, anthracite/light grey; '84 280CE (W123), dark blue/palomino

The Explorer oil is black because it probably has dinosauer oil in it, put in Mobil 1 and it will stay clean also.

Dan

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81 240D 4speed with 300D engine
87 560SL
2005 E320
Yukon Denali
Sierra Denali
850 Turbo Volvo
1996 Mustang
1984 Mustang race car
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