Tools you wish you'd bought sooner...
Discussion
skwdenyer said:
Condi said:
tight fart said:
Any recommendations for an oil suction pump?
My joints are getting a bit creaky climbing under the car.
£15 eBay jobby good enough?
Just to come back to this, changed the oil on my car this afternoon using the Pela, took 22 mins from unlocking the garage to locking it back up again. Granted that was just the oil, no filter, but it's such an efficient way to do it. and so much better than going underneath to undo a drain plug. My joints are getting a bit creaky climbing under the car.
£15 eBay jobby good enough?
I've done 25+ oil changes across various cars with my pela, I dropped the sump plug out of the first couple and no more than a tablespoon of oil comes out.
Key is getting the oil nice and warm beforehand and setting the pipe correctly in the dipstick tube.
OutInTheShed said:
I bought a Pela for use on boat engines. It's great for that.
The first car I used it on, I got 99% of the oil out.
Since then, every car I've had, it leaves too much oil behind for my liking.
1% left behind is too much for you?? Why would it be any different on a car engine than a boat engine? The first car I used it on, I got 99% of the oil out.
Since then, every car I've had, it leaves too much oil behind for my liking.
First time I used it I did drop the plug and got such a tiny amount of oil out it really wasn't worth the effort. As the poster above says, get the oil nice and hot, and the tube into the bottom of the engine as far as it will go. Even if you only get 90% out, which would leave half a litre in most engines, by the time you've filled it with fresh it's perfectly fine. There is much less than half a litre left normally, so it's nothing to worry about.
McGee_22 said:
As a 'tool' to help the lawnmowing go by a lot easier I had these for Christmas - DAB, bluetooth streaming, FM and ear defenders all in one. Excellent so far.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09MDYHHJX/ref=sspa_dk...
Maybe for the WFH thread but also perfect for those who are being forced back into the office?https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09MDYHHJX/ref=sspa_dk...
Condi said:
OutInTheShed said:
I bought a Pela for use on boat engines. It's great for that.
The first car I used it on, I got 99% of the oil out.
Since then, every car I've had, it leaves too much oil behind for my liking.
1% left behind is too much for you?? Why would it be any different on a car engine than a boat engine? The first car I used it on, I got 99% of the oil out.
Since then, every car I've had, it leaves too much oil behind for my liking.
First time I used it I did drop the plug and got such a tiny amount of oil out it really wasn't worth the effort. As the poster above says, get the oil nice and hot, and the tube into the bottom of the engine as far as it will go. Even if you only get 90% out, which would leave half a litre in most engines, by the time you've filled it with fresh it's perfectly fine. There is much less than half a litre left normally, so it's nothing to worry about.
Condi said:
Just to come back to this, changed the oil on my car this afternoon using the Pela, took 22 mins from unlocking the garage to locking it back up again. Granted that was just the oil, no filter, but it's such an efficient way to do it. and so much better than going underneath to undo a drain plug.
You changed just the oil & not the filter ?There's quite a bit of old oil just in my filter - I pre-fill the new filter before fitting it.
Car bon said:
You changed just the oil & not the filter ?
There's quite a bit of old oil just in my filter - I pre-fill the new filter before fitting it.
Filter is changed every 2 years, oil every year. There isn't that much crap in it, and the volume of oil in the filter isn't that great, maybe 1/4 of a litre or so. Given that the recommended service intervals for most cars are 18,000 miles or 2 years, there is no need to worry about it. There's quite a bit of old oil just in my filter - I pre-fill the new filter before fitting it.
Doofus said:
defblade said:
Doofus said:
Ok. Not Lidl, then. 
Plenty available on ebay; £30 is the current normal Lidl price anyway. Make sure what arrives looks like the pics linked, as that's the up-to-date version.https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/9058912994?iid=3541167507...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/9058912994?iid=1555620915...
Condi said:
OutInTheShed said:
I bought a Pela for use on boat engines. It's great for that.
The first car I used it on, I got 99% of the oil out.
Since then, every car I've had, it leaves too much oil behind for my liking.
1% left behind is too much for you?? Why would it be any different on a car engine than a boat engine? The first car I used it on, I got 99% of the oil out.
Since then, every car I've had, it leaves too much oil behind for my liking.
First time I used it I did drop the plug and got such a tiny amount of oil out it really wasn't worth the effort. As the poster above says, get the oil nice and hot, and the tube into the bottom of the engine as far as it will go. Even if you only get 90% out, which would leave half a litre in most engines, by the time you've filled it with fresh it's perfectly fine. There is much less than half a litre left normally, so it's nothing to worry about.
99% on the first car was great.
Subsequent cars, I couldn't get the suction to the bottom of the sump and it left way too much in, IMHO.
I've had the Pela probably 20 years now been through several sheds in that time, I'm not sure which cars were good or bad.
Cheap old cars which may have been neglected by previous owner, I don't want to leave half a litre of crap in the bottom.
You tell yourself it's fine of that's what you want to believe, but that bottom half litre is going to be the densest, i.e. water and dirt.
I think I might be doing something right, because my current shed is getting towards 200k miles and doesn't burn much oil between changes.
Boat engines, FWIW tend to be installed tilted back, so if you can get the suction to the back of the sump, you're winning.
My current boat engine has a sump pump built in!
Pela is ace for removing water from the bottom of a diesel tank, water from CH radiators, clearing various pipes, emptying drip trays....
Once you have one, you will find uses for it.
Condi said:
Car bon said:
You changed just the oil & not the filter ?
There's quite a bit of old oil just in my filter - I pre-fill the new filter before fitting it.
Filter is changed every 2 years, oil every year. There isn't that much crap in it, and the volume of oil in the filter isn't that great, maybe 1/4 of a litre or so. Given that the recommended service intervals for most cars are 18,000 miles or 2 years, there is no need to worry about it. There's quite a bit of old oil just in my filter - I pre-fill the new filter before fitting it.
However BMW filters (on N52 engine) seem very prone to partial collapsing so for the cost of the filter and peace of mind I reverted to Oil and filter every time
The Lotus I have to buy filters from the USA and with Covid and other issues I haven't been for several years so I'm now down to my last one in stock so next change may well be an oil only change
Most cars will have at least half a liter in the oil cooler etc so I wouldn't worry about leaving a bit in
I have never seen any water in a sump unless it had head gasket failure
Hasn't been a need to use flushing oil for many years, I recall seeing old range rovers with a thick "crackle coating" of old oil in the rocker boxes as a kid but for the past 20+ years oil is so much better
I took the sump off an old VW T4 as it was leaking, expecting to see a thick layer of crud at the bottom, it was as clean as a whistle
I have never seen any water in a sump unless it had head gasket failure
Hasn't been a need to use flushing oil for many years, I recall seeing old range rovers with a thick "crackle coating" of old oil in the rocker boxes as a kid but for the past 20+ years oil is so much better
I took the sump off an old VW T4 as it was leaking, expecting to see a thick layer of crud at the bottom, it was as clean as a whistle
Can anyone recommend a super high quality superlative version of one of those thin box cutter knices please? The type with the long snap-off blades.
I spent a miserable few hours using a cheap one to try and cut freshly laid wallpaper and i'm sure it would have been much less stressful with a knife and blade that didnt feel like a cracker toy.
I spent a miserable few hours using a cheap one to try and cut freshly laid wallpaper and i'm sure it would have been much less stressful with a knife and blade that didnt feel like a cracker toy.
devnull said:
Can anyone recommend a super high quality superlative version of one of those thin box cutter knices please? The type with the long snap-off blades.
I spent a miserable few hours using a cheap one to try and cut freshly laid wallpaper and i'm sure it would have been much less stressful with a knife and blade that didnt feel like a cracker toy.
Don't know if there's such a thing as a high quality one, mine are a mix of Olfa and Amazon Basics and both solid & sharp enough. I spent a miserable few hours using a cheap one to try and cut freshly laid wallpaper and i'm sure it would have been much less stressful with a knife and blade that didnt feel like a cracker toy.
GeneralBanter said:
Doofus said:
defblade said:
Doofus said:
Ok. Not Lidl, then.
Plenty available on ebay; £30 is the current normal Lidl price anyway. Make sure what arrives looks like the pics linked, as that's the up-to-date version.https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/9058912994?iid=3541167507...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/9058912994?iid=1555620915...
OutInTheShed said:
Condi said:
OutInTheShed said:
I bought a Pela for use on boat engines. It's great for that.
The first car I used it on, I got 99% of the oil out.
Since then, every car I've had, it leaves too much oil behind for my liking.
1% left behind is too much for you?? Why would it be any different on a car engine than a boat engine? The first car I used it on, I got 99% of the oil out.
Since then, every car I've had, it leaves too much oil behind for my liking.
First time I used it I did drop the plug and got such a tiny amount of oil out it really wasn't worth the effort. As the poster above says, get the oil nice and hot, and the tube into the bottom of the engine as far as it will go. Even if you only get 90% out, which would leave half a litre in most engines, by the time you've filled it with fresh it's perfectly fine. There is much less than half a litre left normally, so it's nothing to worry about.
99% on the first car was great.
Subsequent cars, I couldn't get the suction to the bottom of the sump and it left way too much in, IMHO.
I've had the Pela probably 20 years now been through several sheds in that time, I'm not sure which cars were good or bad.
Cheap old cars which may have been neglected by previous owner, I don't want to leave half a litre of crap in the bottom.
You tell yourself it's fine of that's what you want to believe, but that bottom half litre is going to be the densest, i.e. water and dirt.
I think I might be doing something right, because my current shed is getting towards 200k miles and doesn't burn much oil between changes.
Boat engines, FWIW tend to be installed tilted back, so if you can get the suction to the back of the sump, you're winning.
My current boat engine has a sump pump built in!
Pela is ace for removing water from the bottom of a diesel tank, water from CH radiators, clearing various pipes, emptying drip trays....
Once you have one, you will find uses for it.
devnull said:
Can anyone recommend a super high quality superlative version of one of those thin box cutter knices please? The type with the long snap-off blades.
I spent a miserable few hours using a cheap one to try and cut freshly laid wallpaper and i'm sure it would have been much less stressful with a knife and blade that didnt feel like a cracker toy.
I use something similar to this from my local decorating shop.I spent a miserable few hours using a cheap one to try and cut freshly laid wallpaper and i'm sure it would have been much less stressful with a knife and blade that didnt feel like a cracker toy.
Run it along the corner with the blade in to crease the paper, pop the blade out until it's just contacting the paper to start the cut, then out one more click for the final cut. Snap the blade after each cut.
devnull said:
Can anyone recommend a super high quality superlative version of one of those thin box cutter knices please? The type with the long snap-off blades.
I spent a miserable few hours using a cheap one to try and cut freshly laid wallpaper and i'm sure it would have been much less stressful with a knife and blade that didnt feel like a cracker toy.
When I last wallpapered, I made a line on the paper with a pencil, peeled back the paper and cut with some long decorators scissors, then pressed it back in place.I spent a miserable few hours using a cheap one to try and cut freshly laid wallpaper and i'm sure it would have been much less stressful with a knife and blade that didnt feel like a cracker toy.
devnull said:
Can anyone recommend a super high quality superlative version of one of those thin box cutter knices please? The type with the long snap-off blades.
I spent a miserable few hours using a cheap one to try and cut freshly laid wallpaper and i'm sure it would have been much less stressful with a knife and blade that didnt feel like a cracker toy.
Scalpel. There is nothing sharper. I spent a miserable few hours using a cheap one to try and cut freshly laid wallpaper and i'm sure it would have been much less stressful with a knife and blade that didnt feel like a cracker toy.
The Gauge said:
When I last wallpapered, I made a line on the paper with a pencil, peeled back the paper and cut with some long decorators scissors, then pressed it back in place.
Yup. Scissors are much better for this. Though wallpapering is utterly miserable work at the best of times. Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff