Changing oil/other car maintenance in apartment complex?

[jeromedawg]

For those of you who live in an apartment complex, do you perform regular maintenance/oil changes/etc on your cars in the lot? I know a lot of complexes don't allow this (I'm assuming for reasons of liability). Do any of you *knowingly* go against the rules/contract and do it anyway? And/or does the management office really care?
I know oil changes may seem minor but I've spilled several times in my garage at our last place and I can see why a shared community wouldn't want any of that.

I've often wondered what to do if I want to change my oil but can't do it here.

There is a neighbor directly across from us who, this past weekend, was doing pretty major maintenance on his car in his carport - he was rotating wheels and/or working under his car and had the car jacked on one side at a time with a floor jack, Gorilla ramps and jack stands. He was out there for probably 4-6 hours, at least, working on his car. He has done this multiple times actually so it's obvious the mgmt office either doesn't know about it or they don't care (I'm pretty sure I saw in the contract/lease that car maintenance/work isn't allowed). I don't recall if I ever saw him changing the oil but this last event seemed pretty dangerous. Anyway, it had me thinking about what most people (who do work on their own cars) do in the case that their apartment complex prohibits this kind of work.

[ixtap]

Changing the oil is different because of the environmental hazards.

I take the car to a cheap place and let them change the oil. I only change the oil on my boat's diesel because I pump it out, rather than draining it out, which is much safer from an environmental perspective. I am doing exactly what a mechanic would do.

[bearcat1]

I'm in an apartment. I change my oil in the parking lot. There's a back lot where almost nobody parks and it's kinda hidden from the road view, I run one wheel up on the curb since I don't have a ramp, and I can scoot under there and drain it into a pan with only a couple drops spillage. Works for me. I've borrowed jacks/stands and changed my outer tie rod ends once too. Changing air filter, MAF sensor from the top was pretty easy.
Much easier to do work if you can borrow a friend's garage though, I would agree :-)

[ChickenStash]

I lived in an apartment for awhile and did my own oil changes, brake jobs, etc. in the parking lot. My rule was to do it as far away from other people as reasonable, not make a mess, and don't do anything that would be visible over night. Technically, it wasn't allowed but I figured since I didn't get in anyone's way or leave a lasting mark of me being there then no one would report me - it worked. YMMV.   

[cool7hand]

We used to live in a condo complex that prohibit such work. Some work we did on the street outside of the complex. If we needed electricity for the job, we'd borrow space in two friends' driveway and would make them dinner to say thanks.

[LibrarIan]

I lived in a complex that did not allow this, but people did it anyway sometimes. I changed the spark plugs in a Honda Civic Si once which requires removing a lot of stuff from under the hood to get to them. I'm sure it looked like a big mess, but no one said anything. I guess if management confronts you and asks you to stop, just apologize and do it elsewhere in the future. Until then, I don't see it why it's a big deal if you clean up after yourself.

[Michael in ABQ]

I'm having flashbacks of helping my best friend work on an old car in the parking lot of his apartment complex. It had a salvage title and I learned very intimately about bent frames as three of us spent literally hours in the rain and cold trying to get the cross frame supporting the engine back into place. In the end it took a lot of hammering and a very large pipe to use as leverage to finally get all the bolts to line up again.


In my experience most apartment complexes have these rules but won't actively enforce them unless someone is making a mess or a nuisance of themselves.

[lthenderson]

Back when I lived in apartment buildings that prohibited this kind of thing, I just timed my oil changes for visits back home to see the folks.

[SndcxxJ]

I'm a property owner and prohibit such things in the rental agreement, but the reality is that if it is a quick project (less than a day), doesn't make a mess, you tidy up when you are done and the place looks respectable by the evening time I'm not going to make any fuss.
It's in our rental agreement so that people don't have cars up on jack stands for days, with parts laying all over, making the place look like a pick n pull.

[sealab2021]

Friend,

I live in a townhouse and the HOA states that any work commenced must be completed within 3 hours. This is no problem even if I need parts, I put the wheels back on and let it back down on the ground and nobody knows any different. I have changed the oil in my car many years ago now in my car, a quick drain plug (fumoto on Amazon) is helpful as you don’t have to remove the oil pan bolt. It replaces your bolt in the oil pan and it’s basically a quarter turn valve that lets you drain your oil without many tools. When I did this back then I bought a $1 disposable aluminum turkey roasting pan at the dollar store. I just wipe it out and throw it out when I was done.

When I was really hard up I was living at an apartment complex and they allowed zero work on vehicles. The starter went out on my truck and I replaced it right there in the lot ad as far as I know nobody ever seen me do it. As a courtesy, be clean, quiet and quick and I’m sure nobody will care at all. Pro tip, get your self some oil absorbent pads off of Amazon. You can be sure not to get any oil on the ground. Depending on the oil I need, sometimes I buy it in the 5 gallon bucket and buy 5 filters or so at a time to save money per gallon/unit.

I use light weight 3500 pound capacity plastic ramps from harbor freight (great value) don’t buy the plastic harbor freight oil pan, it’s flimsy and junk. There are many better plastic oil drain pans at Napa, Amazon and tractor supply. I get rid of my used oil at any auto parts store or marina. I save all my oil in a random 5 gallon jug that most likely held cooking oils or chemicals, I empty it and bring it back. This may not suit you, in that case you should save a few gallon containers, juice, milk, etc.

If these places didn’t have these rules, there would be vehicles on blocks with no wheels. People doing week long engine swaps with a bunch of crap and parts laying around. I see why they make these rules, it only takes one person to ruin it for everyone.

https://www.amazon.com/Fumoto-F106N-Drain-Valve-Nipple/dp/B07D995XRF/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2B6OXGDRFI3TU&dchild=1&keywords=oil+pan+quick+drain+plug&qid=1614057797&sprefix=Quick+oil+pan+%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-2

[ohsnap]

I'm a property owner and prohibit such things in the rental agreement, but the reality is that if it is a quick project (less than a day), doesn't make a mess, you tidy up when you are done and the place looks respectable by the evening time I'm not going to make any fuss.
It's in our rental agreement so that people don't have cars up on jack stands for days, with parts laying all over, making the place look like a pick n pull.

Were you my landlord? :)
We leased a house once that had a provision about no car maintenance/repairs being done on property.  Before we signed the lease, my husband talked the owner into agreeing to let him do routine maintenance as long as he didn't leave stuff in the driveway or leave a mess.

To the OP - it sounds like your landlord doesn't care since another renter is doing big projects like you described.  I'd just make sure to put down plenty of newsprint or a tarp so you don't have an accidental spill that someone could complain about.

[Artem_F]

as mentioned before, a rule of thumb is to do it far from the central entrance, keep everything more or less organized when working on a car, and not leave a mess after you're done. I've been using this rule for ages and I never had a problem with the management. The biggest job performed this way was replacing the fuel sending unit on my Chevy Lumina that required unmounting the gas tank. For messier jobs, I used either the DYI garages or some industrial zones.

[Car Jack]

I just started having my son change the oil in the car he's using (mine).  I've installed a Fumoto valve which makes draining oil wicked easy.  He did it without jacking the car up.  Needed one of my oil drain pans, a filter wrench and the oil and new filter.  He forgot a funnel and took a soda can, cut a hole in the bottom and cut the top off and it worked.  I told him you can also take a simply 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper and make a funnel out of it.

To be able to do this, you'd only have to initially remove the drain plug and after oil drains, install the Fumoto.

[jeromedawg]

I just started having my son change the oil in the car he's using (mine).  I've installed a Fumoto valve which makes draining oil wicked easy.  He did it without jacking the car up.  Needed one of my oil drain pans, a filter wrench and the oil and new filter.  He forgot a funnel and took a soda can, cut a hole in the bottom and cut the top off and it worked.  I told him you can also take a simply 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper and make a funnel out of it.

To be able to do this, you'd only have to initially remove the drain plug and after oil drains, install the Fumoto.

Great tip on the fumoto valve! How do you choose the right size and type? For our Mazda CX9 2008 v6 I found this one, http://fumotousa.com/parts.php?partname=F-107&partnumber=24 but there are also F107 valves with a long nipple and short nipple.

[a1pharm]

I just started having my son change the oil in the car he's using (mine).  I've installed a Fumoto valve which makes draining oil wicked easy.  He did it without jacking the car up.  Needed one of my oil drain pans, a filter wrench and the oil and new filter.  He forgot a funnel and took a soda can, cut a hole in the bottom and cut the top off and it worked.  I told him you can also take a simply 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper and make a funnel out of it.

To be able to do this, you'd only have to initially remove the drain plug and after oil drains, install the Fumoto.

Great tip on the fumoto valve! How do you choose the right size and type? For our Mazda CX9 2008 v6 I found this one, http://fumotousa.com/parts.php?partname=F-107&partnumber=24 but there are also F107 valves with a long nipple and short nipple.

+1 on the fumoto valves.  I have one for my Prius.  Makes oil changes very easy (and clean).  Only dirty part is swapping the oil filter, so you'll have some spillage no matter what.

[Loretta]

I have lived in apartment complexes and condo buildings, and just the act of raising my hood to check my oil and top off my windshield wiper fluid gets me all sorts of attention.  I'm a lady driving a Prius and I live in a pretty affluent HCOL region, so I think that combination shocks people :) 

Do you have family or friends you can periodically visit with driveways or more private settings? 

[Syonyk]

Only dirty part is swapping the oil filter, so you'll have some spillage no matter what.

Depending on how it's oriented, if you can get a straight shot down, use a punch and poke a hole in it to drain.  Bonuses if you have things set up such that the same pan will catch both the main drain plug and the filter.  Once both are drained, almost no mess.  I need to remember that next time I change my truck's oil, the filter holds a quart or so and is a royal pain in the rear.

I've done all sorts of stuff in apartment complex lots.  Just be neat, don't leave stuff a mess, and ideally live in a place where the landlords don't care.

[BudgetSlasher]

My experience with apartments is that they are more active enforcing things that could damage their property, while things that only bother tennents (like people doing auto repairs) they enforced only when someone complained.

So if you want to skirt the rules, follow what other have said in this thread to minimize the impact on your fellow tenants (quiet, quick, clean, infrequent, likely simple jobs, and remote).

Make sure you don't spill/stain the parking lot.

And if you get called out, either by a fellow renter or management. Game over no more auto work there every.

Alternatively, if you have a buddy who will let you do simple wrenching at his house that would be ideal. You could also look into renting time at a DIY auto garage, but for simple tasks like oil changes that might cost more than just paying a shop to do it.

[norajean]

Just park in the street,nothing the apt police can do about an oil change there.

[WSUCoug1994]

Just park in the street,nothing the apt police can do about an oil change there.

This.....

Plus any auto parts store will basically let you conduct a full blown engine rebuild or transmission project in their parking lots.  Its good for business.

[darknight]

I lived in an apartment for awhile and did my own oil changes, brake jobs, etc. in the parking lot. My rule was to do it as far away from other people as reasonable, not make a mess, and don't do anything that would be visible over night. Technically, it wasn't allowed but I figured since I didn't get in anyone's way or leave a lasting mark of me being there then no one would report me - it worked. YMMV.

100%
If you have all the tools ready to go, extra shop rags and a funnel you can make quick work of an oil change (as long as you don't have skid plates etc... ehemm toyota tundras). Most modern cars if you have it ready to go and a curb to pull up on you could probably do it in 20 min or less.

I've lived in places that had rules on this and you just be courteous. Don't run power tools, air guns, drag floor jacks etc from 5pm on and you'll be fine. I actually lived at a condo/apt for awhile and what I thought was a minor oil leak fix turned into pulling a camshaft (and many other things) off a 12 valve diesel truck. I kept the hood shut when people were home from work or out in the area, cleaned up tools every night and cleaned up all the spilled fluids. No one complained.

[roomtempmayo]

Just park in the street,nothing the apt police can do about an oil change there.

This.....

Plus any auto parts store will basically let you conduct a full blown engine rebuild or transmission project in their parking lots.  Its good for business.

I don't have anywhere flat enough at my house to safely jack a car, so I go to the community center lot a few blocks away (closed nights and Sundays) and use their lot.  I actually had a Tire Rack subcontractor come there and put new tires on without issue.

I think basically any low traffic public lot would work.  No need to make trouble with your landlord.