How hard is it to add oil to your car?

[Anonymous]

Is adding oil (not changing it completly) hard to do? I need to add some oil to my car tonight and I am not a car person. It's a Subaru outback 2016. I can follow along on a youtube video and it looks pretty easy. Any advice? We already have a service appointment for Friday but the low oil light is on so I want to add some tonight.

[Anonymous]

All you have to do is buy the right bottle and pour it in. If you go some place like auto zone they’ll even tell you what kind you need and where to pour it. I have faith in you.

[Anonymous]

Don’t add too much. Check the dipstick as you add small amounts.

[Anonymous]

Open oil filler cap. Dump in a quart of 10w30

If you can’t poor well, take a paper cup, punch out bottom.
Hold on top of oil fill hole, pour through cup.

Any oil is fine. Your about to change it anyway.

Now, how did you get so low. Did you not change it when it Told you. Either like 5k Miles or whatever the cars maintenacw minder says.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don’t add too much. Check the dipstick as you add small amounts.

If the light is on, you can safely add an entire bottle of oil without checking in between.

[Anonymous]

Pouring in oil is as easy as it sounds. But you should not be losing oil from an engine. If it's short of where it should be, either they underfilled it at your last service, you're burning oil, or you're leaking somewhere. You need to find out which in a hurry.

[Anonymous]

People like OP shouldn’t be allowed to drive cars.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pouring in oil is as easy as it sounds. But you should not be losing oil from an engine. If it's short of where it should be, either they underfilled it at your last service, you're burning oil, or you're leaking somewhere. You need to find out which in a hurry.

This. There's no reason a 2-year-old car should be losing oil. If your oil light came on, then the problem is BAD. Definitely add the oil to keep your engine from turning into a boulder, but get it serviced ASAP to find the source of the problem.

[Anonymous]

OP here.

We have done all the regular maintenance so we don`t know why it got so low but my husband does drive a lot. My husband did an oil change tonight at the dealer and we are bringing it in for service on Friday so we will find out what is going on then. I also glad he got the oil change tonight. Thanks for all your help.

[Anonymous]

Can you pour water into a glass? Can you open a bottle?

If yes, then you can add oil. You open the cap and pour oil in and then check the oil level and then replace the cap. If you have basic motor skills, you can add oil.

Same for adding windsheild washer fluid.

[Anonymous]

I would not do it myself. You can probably get by until your appointment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here.

We have done all the regular maintenance so we don`t know why it got so low but my husband does drive a lot. My husband did an oil change tonight at the dealer and we are bringing it in for service on Friday so we will find out what is going on then. I also glad he got the oil change tonight. Thanks for all your help.

A lot of driving should not cause the oil level to change. It is either leaking under the car (look where it's usually parked. Is there a stain?) or it is leaking into the engine and being burned with the gasoline (this can cause the exhaust to look bluish white). Even if it's leaking or being burned, it's usually a very slow leak so it would take weeks or months to need to be topped off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here.

We have done all the regular maintenance so we don`t know why it got so low but my husband does drive a lot. My husband did an oil change tonight at the dealer and we are bringing it in for service on Friday so we will find out what is going on then. I also glad he got the oil change tonight. Thanks for all your help.

That’s really odd. Any chance the last oil change wasn’t done properly (I.e., didn’t put enough oil)? Good luck.

[Anonymous]

I don’t understand why PPs above are so f’king nasty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why PPs above are so f’king nasty.

They are just saying what anybody would likely want to say in real life if someone asked such a stupid question, but in real life we don't say what we really think because we don't want to upset or offend people, mostly. So this anonymity allows for the free exchange of truth and rudeness with no consequences. Unless you piss off Jeff, then the consequence is your post or comment is deleted and you can be blocked if you keep it up.