For getting rid of the old oil, without pouring it in the woods, check out earth911.com for a list of local drop off points(probably US only).

Most new European bought cars in the last 5 years or so only require you to do oil changes every 20,000 to 30,000 kms (about every 12,000 to 18,000 miles), which is a lot better than the 5000 kms (3000 miles) it used to be. Some car dealerships still try to sell you on the "every 5000 kms rule" because they claim "it's better" (for who?). I wonder who still falls for that one, since even the manufacturers claim you're still covered by the warranty as long as you stick to the 'every 20.000 km rule - or 30.000, depending on the brand.

For me 20,000 kms is about the distance I drive per year, so I simply use the credo: every 25,000 kms or once per year.

When I was a kid the neighbor would pull his car over the ditch next to the road and change his oil there. No need to jack up the car and messing with disposing the oil.

I always wondered why our well water had those pretty rainbow colors

I put mine in a 55 gallon drum. Which last week the daughter says is about full. I’ll probably run a Craig’s list and see if I can get a couple bucks out of it to someone who has a waste oil furnace.

My new car has a sensor that determines oil life based on driving style, mileage since last change, and I'm sure some other factors. I think they still recommend every year though.

I had mine changed at 1500 miles (after the break-in to get rid of any shavings from the break-in) and will get it done at 5000 miles. After that, I won't worry about it as much and will probably wait until the oil life is at 25%.

Around here any recycle place or place that changes oil takes in used oil. I think they have to by law.

I fall for all the hype and change mine every 3-5k mile and use full synthetic oil (Mobil One). For what a new car costs or an engine rebuild I think its cheap insurance.

That's the quotation straight out of the marketing campaigns. See.. advertising really does work on some (most/all) people.

And an extra $300 a year is NOT cheap. For me at least.

Yep, I told you I bought right in.

About $75 a year for me (at most 10k a year). I concider that cheap. $750 for ten years. That's about dealer list price of a a radio upgrade.

Even $300 is not that much to me but I keep my cars nice and they last forever.

I can take it down to the Tacoma Transfer station and drop it off at the household waste disposal area. They don't have something similar in Seattle? I guess the issue might be how far you have to drive to do that.

Hummmm.…. A timing belt seal (I would think that would be the crank or cam seal) replacement is a bit more expensive than a new filter.

But if they really wanted to poke it to you they could say it was the rear crank seal and they had to pull the motor.

I would spring for a new belt while they're there.

You have transported me back to 1988. I left Sheridan, Wyoming very early on the morning of August 14th on the 3rd day of my drive from Boston to Seattle in my nearly-new Volkswagen GTI 16V. Just a bit over the Montana state line (near where Custer beamed up?) I stopped for gas, checked the oil, and added a bit of Castrol.

Somewhere east of Billings, doing like 100-110 MPH, I remarked to myself with annoyance that the view in the rear-view mirror looked like it had been shot by a tasteless wedding photographer. The vaseline-smeared facts slowly dawned on me. I eased the GTI off on an approaching ramp, pulled over and popped the hood, then saw the filler cap sitting comfily in a gap on the intake manifold.

I counted to 100 and started pulling the dip stick. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. I seem to recall that the GTI then let me pour in pretty much the entire rated capacity of oil. I drove to Seattle chanting "I am doomed. I am stupid! I am bad person!"

I forget the mileage, but I sold the still-revving-happily '87 GTI to a nice young waiter from one of our local restaurants in 2001.

It doesn't take much oil to lubricate an engine. What the several quarts do, is help with cooling.

Over here the local tip has a big tank you just pour it in. I think it gets filtered and processed and used again, probably the cheap 'n' cheerful engine oil I buy!

I, too, had a brand new GTI 16V that I dearly loved. It was an 88.

It started to get serious problems around 2000. Plastic and rubber things starting to degrade and fail. (What is the logic of making shift linkage out of *PLASTIC*?! Argh.) Eventually a head gasket leak, the subsequent repair, and the fact that the car still overheated after the repair, made me trade it in for a new Accord.

Any news?

I just wanted to mention that simply because the dip stick does not register a drop of oil it doesn't necessarily mean that there isn't "enough" (more like barely enough) oil to avoid damage.
My Honda still has 2 1/2 quarts in the sump when the stick is dry.