Which oil drain pan is best?

This website talks a lot about the need to look after your engine by looking after its oil. We all know how important motor oil is to keep the engine healthy but we know that over time oil becomes saturated with chemical compounds, shards of metal, dirt and other detritus left over from the combustion process make it black and thick. Oil is designed this way to stop these elements from acting as an abrasive is on the metal inside the engine. We also know that engine oil contains many additives. Detergents and dispersants help keep the engine clean and avoid the build-up of the deadly black sludge. Viscosity index improvers change the mechanical properties of oil went cold and when hot to help it flow more easily but not get too thin that it cannot lubricate or cool. Over time these additives become depleted and the oil becomes dirty and the only fix is to change it all.
Luckily changing your oil is one of the easiest DIY car maintenance jobs to do.

There are many different websites explaining the process of changing your oil one piece of equipment they often overlook is the oil drain pan. This is the container that the oil is collected in wants you want to the plug on the oil pan. It’s easy to think that you can collected in plastic ice cream container, and with experience you can but it’s a lot less messy for the novice to use a cheap drain pan with large capture area big enough to catch the oil when it first spills out in a rush and when it’s close to a trickle. It’s also great to have a built in spout to pour this liquid into a container with a lid where it can be stored before being taken for recycling.
Some things to look for in an oil drain pan:

Make sure you purchase a drain pan that can accommodate all the oil in your car’s oil pan. For most cars four and a half to five gallons will be fine. Check in your owner’s Handbook for the capacity of the oil pan.
The pan should have a lip running around the top edge to reduce splashing and spillages.
Ensure it has a built-in pour spout and is not just another plastic container.
If plastic the drain pan should have some resistance to the chemicals inside the oil to avoid rapid degradation of the plastic.

A decent pan and can be purchased from Amazon for as little as $10, a small cost to pay compared to cleaning up an oil spill on your driveway.

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