Step 1. Warm up the engine by driving the car for about a mile.

2. Remove the oil filler cap from the top of the engine to allow the oil to drain more quickly.

3. Loosen the drain plug about half a turn.

4. Put the container in position and unscrew the plug by hand —be careful not to drop it in the container.

5. If the plug is magnetic, wipe off the metal particles that have collected on it with a clean cloth.

6. Once the oil has drained, wipe clean the drain plug hole, and ref it the plug securely.

*7. On air-cooled Volkswagen engines, the drain plug plate should be removed and the wire gauze oil strainer underneath cleaned in petrol and dried. Refit the plate using a new gasket, and replace the drain plug.

8. On engines with an external filter, fit a new one. See next project.

9. Add a little less oil than is necessary to fill the sump. The capacity and grade of oil required will be given in the handbook. On some cars the oil must be poured slowly to avoid overflowing.

10. Take out the dipstick and wipe the end. After allowing the oil a few minutes to reach the sump, check the level. Add oil to the correct level.