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Oil & filter

Engine oil & filter change.

The lighter option when a full service isn't due yet. We drain the old oil, fit a new oil filter and sump washer, and refill with the correct grade for your car.

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A new oil filter and sump washer
Darnley Garage
Why it matters

Oil wears out, not just runs out.

People think of oil as something that needs topping up. The bigger problem is that it degrades. It picks up combustion by-products, thins out under heat, and slowly stops separating the moving parts it exists to protect. A full sump of exhausted oil will still show a healthy level on the dipstick while doing a fraction of its job.

The filter matters just as much. It catches the metal and carbon the oil carries. Once it clogs, most systems bypass it rather than starve the engine, so you keep the circulation and lose the filtration, and everything the oil picked up goes back around.

What's involved

Four steps, done properly.

01
Drain the old oil
The engine is warmed so the old oil flows out cleanly, carrying the grit and combustion by-products it has picked up with it.
02
New oil filter and sump washer
A fresh filter goes on so the new oil stays clean, and a new sump plug washer seals it back up properly rather than reusing a crushed one.
03
Refill with the correct grade
We refill to the level and grade your manufacturer specifies for your car. The right grade is not optional; it is what the engine was built to run on.
04
Check the level and the light
We check the level is right and make sure the oil warning light is out before the car goes back to you.
The right oil

Grade matters more than most people realise.

Oil is not just oil. Modern engines are built to run on a specific grade, and the wrong one can mean poor protection when cold, higher fuel use, or trouble for parts like the timing system on engines that rely on oil pressure to work.

Your handbook lists the grade your car needs, and that is what we use. Tell us the reg when you call and we will make sure the right oil goes in.

Fresh oil at the correct grade for the car
Darnley Garage

When it's worth doing

The oil warning light is on

Usually the level is low. Topping up or changing the oil clears it. If it stays on with the level correct, something else is going on and it needs looking at.

The oil looks dark or gritty on the dipstick

Fresh oil is amber and slippery. Black and gritty means it has stopped doing its job and started carrying the grit around the engine instead.

The level keeps dropping

It is going somewhere: burnt or leaked. Worth finding out which before it runs low enough to matter.

The engine sounds noisier than usual

Oil is what keeps metal from touching metal. A tappier, harsher engine is often the first thing you hear when it is thin or low.

What it isn't

An oil change is not a service, and we won't pretend otherwise. It won't stamp your service book and it won't reset the service light, because neither would be honest. Nobody has been through your car's schedule. If you're keeping a service history for resale, or the car is under manufacturer warranty, you want the Full Service, not this.

What it is: a way to keep the engine protected when the service isn't due but the oil has had enough.

All prices include VAT. MOTs are zero-rated, so there is no VAT on an MOT.