Thank you for posting the tutorial. It's very helpful for me since i have never done for the car.

What i would usually do with the cars that have the oil filter pointing upward is to fill up the new filter with fresh oil before screwing it. I read it someplace that it would speed up the filling up of the oil line, probably not true but it doesn't hurt. Thanks for the writeup! I haven't had the opportunity to get under there yet, but now I know what to look for. That is write up is great! It should become a sticky. Thanks for taking the time to document the Elise Oil Change procedure. This is certainly someting that most owners can do if they wish.
CE Here is a tutorial on how to change your own oil in a Lotus Elise. Michael
Michael - Someone stole all of the grills off your car while you were changing the oil. htttp://www.sandsmuseum.com/cars/elise/experience/modifications/maintenance/oilchange/oilchange.html
Other than the access panel, i have never seen a filter/drain plug in a more convenient location! in a lot of cars, you need to be a contortionist in order to remove the filter without burning yourself on a hot engine. But facing downward, right next to the plug, excellent. yea, my dealership told me that they would keep it under $200. for my oil change. (I used to pay $110. for my Esprit which I thought was high).

Looks like I will be changing my own, thanks to SandMuseum‘s description.

Bruce Five quarts of Mobil 1 for about $22, $8 for a filter would cost $30, leaving $10 for labor.

It can be done, but they aren't making a huge amount of money on the labor - if they have a drive on lift or and oil changing pit, it would be a lot simpler... I have a question about Mobil 1 synthetic oil that I have been using in my MR2 Turbo. I found that my car runs a little cooler on Mobil 1 so I have been using it for about 4 years now. Yesterday I picked up my car after some repairs and the customer service guy said that the synthetic that goes into the Mobil 1 bottles is the exact same oil as what goes into Castrol synthetic. Because I pay more for the Mobil 1, can this be true? How can one verify that?

z Mine cost right at $50 to do it myself. But that's using 15-50 Mobil (bought a 6 pack, so I have a quart + left over) and a K & N filter. Rothrock charges me a reasonable rate ($120), but the time invested to get it there, wait, and drive home (4 hours) is the killer. Did it myself in less than an hour, and that included changing all my wheels out, too. customer service guy said that the synthetic that goes into the Mobil 1 bottles is the exact same oil as what goes into Castrol synthetic. No, it's not true. They are all similar, but each oil is formulated differently. Some manufacturers even make oil for others (with a different label), but that doesn't mean it's the same... A couple of additional notes for Michael's highly detailed oil change
procedure:
1) Before taking the car out for a drive (the oil must be hot before
changing), remove the access panel. This will allow you to start
draining the oil much sooner (while it's still hot and the junky stuff
is still suspended in the oil). On the other hand, you might not
need to remove the access panel before the drive if you've
substituted Dzus fasteners (quick release fittings) for the standard
hex nuts / allen head fittings.
2) Run the car at moderate to aggressive rpms for at least 15 minutes
(or more since it's fun). The point is to get the oil FULLY warmed up
and the thermostat(s) to the oil cooler(s) open so that the oil in
the cooler(s) circulates thru the sump.
3) When you've completed the banzai drive around the countryside,
and you're draining the old oil, let the sump drain for at least 20
minutes. As long as you can stand it is best -- less old oil left to
mingle with the fresh lube is better.
4) Before re-installing the sump drain plug, wrap a few turns of Teflon
tape around the threads. Not really necessary, but you know the
plug will come out the next time without damaging any threads.
5) Fill the new filter about 80% full with fresh oil, then thread it back
on to the cleaned mount (after lubing the filter's seal, of course).
This will eliminate most of the lag required for the oil pump to fill
the filter housing (which must happen before oil reaches all those
sensitive bearings). I know it's only a few seconds, but a little oil
starvation goes a long ways with crankshaft and camshaft bearing
surfaces.
Jim Talked to Dallas TX lotus dealer today. They charge $100 for the 7500m inspection and includes the correct oil change. There are rumors of higher prices, but those are more likely the 15k which the dealer said is closer to $300. This type of information, particularly in this elementary presentation, is invaluable to folks like me who scrapped all extra dough together to buy the Elise and don't have the cash to pay a dealer to do everything. It's also great for those Scrooge McDuck type folks as well. Thanks to this post, the headlight aiming post, and the brake pedal adjustment post, I've already saved somewhere around $500+ in dealer costs. Over the life, maybe the car pays for itself! Right. Umm,, I have NEVER changed my own oil. I will say thanks to this post i will try it myself on the car when I get it. I am not paying $300 for "No stinkin oil change."

Thanks guys

Ryan I've had my car for a year + now, and my dealer has only seen it for the 1000 mile checkup and the broken shifter. I can only imagine all the money I saved by doing countless things myself...and the oil change was among the easiest. Brakes were a snap, too. I have a question about Mobil 1 synthetic oil that I have been using in my MR2 Turbo. I found that my car runs a little cooler on Mobil 1 so I have been using it for about 4 years now. Yesterday I picked up my car after some repairs and the customer service guy said that the synthetic that goes into the Mobil 1 bottles is the exact same oil as what goes into Castrol synthetic. Because I pay more for the Mobil 1, can this be true? How can one verify that?

z
Best information available suggests this was true until the mid 90's, when Castrol started using hydrocracked dinosaur oil dug out of the ground instead of synthetic base from Mobil as their base oil. Mobil sued claiming Castrol Syntec was no longer synthetic, but lost, and has since started dissolving their additive package in hydrocraked dino oil basestock and adding that to their mostly synthetic PAO synthetic base. Best guess is that Mobil is somewhere between 5-20% dinosaur oil, but not surprisingly they won't say for sure. That said, it appears it's still better than Castrol Syntec.

If you want a true synthetic, you can try Amsoil or Motul.

John I had mine changed at Fox Valley this week...an unscheduled changed...nothing else done.

Labor (1/2 hour)....................$60.68
Filter.................................. .....23.96
Oil (5 qts. @ $8 ea.)................40.00
Misc..........................................4.85 *
Sales Tax...................................4.65

Total....................................$134.14

* This item is listed as 'Customer pay shop charges for repair order' I've had my car for a year + now, and my dealer has only seen it for the 1000 mile checkup and the broken shifter. I can only imagine all the money I saved by doing countless things myself...and the oil change was among the easiest. Brakes were a snap, too.
...great savings, but would that void the warranty? The book says nothing about requiring dealership gouging. I have log of what I did and when. No it does not void your warranty.