Mechanic vs Engineer – Oil Change Race – Who’s Faster?!

Who can change their oil faster – a mechanic or an engineer?!
Engineering Explained and Humble Mechanic face off in an Oil Change Race

Jason of Engineering Explained has challenged Charles of Humble Mechanic to a race. An Oil Change Race, that is. Jason has a degree in mechanical engineering and worked briefly as a test engineer. Charles went to trade school to become an automotive technician and worked within the industry for over 13 years.

The rules are simple! Change the oil on your car. Whoever does it faster wins. The following steps are generally required for an oil change:
1. Lift the car/drive up on ramps.
2. Drain the oil.
3. Replace and torque the oil pan drain bolt.
4. Remove the oil filter and replace with a new filter.
5. Fill the engine with new oil.
6. Lower the car/drive off ramps.
7. Check for oil leaks.
8. Check the oil level.
9. Properly dispose/recycle the old oil.

BUT, for the purposes of the race, timing starts when you pop the hood, and timing stops when the hood is closed, before steps 7 through 9. In reality, you should never rush automotive maintenance, as it can lead to mistakes. Always be thorough and take your time to get things right!

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[EngineeringExplained]

This was a totally fair competition because both cars were blue! Would an engineer ever put a mechanic in a compromised situation?! 😉 This was a lot of fun to put together and a nice change of pace - hope everyone is enjoying the holiday/weekend, happy Friday!

[mojo]

It's not the engineer's job to change oil. It's their job to make the oil change as difficult as possible.

[SkylerB]

"Engineers would rather win, than be good at something." So many things just became so clear.

[HumbleMechanic]

I think we should do another challenge!!!! as long as I don't have to math and math. LOL

[Weezedog]

The smart engineer would have used his Tesla Model 3 for this challenge and won by default for having the most “highly optimized vehicle for changing oil”.

[shay]

As a former mechanic and currently an engineering student, I appreciate the friendly competition. And as a former VW owner and current Subaru owner, I know why Jason won.

[kalabash]

I love it! This was some awesome light hearted humor. We all know Engineers make cars to be assembled, not worked on! 😆

[vonJaerschky]

That Subaru oil filter location is just brilliant. Makes things so easy and clean.

[hyperraptor]

Now this is what I call a Feelgood movie - the special friendship between an engineer and a mechanic.

[nismo]

Love the collaboration! I'm on the mechanic side of this battle. Although I like to drain the oil as long as possible. I left my Miata on the lift for 3 hours while it drained. It was a slow day and we had a free lift.

[richardschofield]

Jason cheated.
Dropping the drain nut in the oil bucket and then fishing it out is a must when changing your oil.
He completely missed this entire step.
Amateur.

[seasong]

Software engineer would spend hours programming the robot only for it to do it one second faster. 😂

[craigquann]

Only on your channel can engineers and mechanics be friends...🤣🤣🤣

[Bularistano]

I dont know WHO I want to see, but a whole series of you guys working on a car like this would be awesome. Break pads, disks, clutch etc.

[pezz_pezzer]

Okay Jason wins with the "is this what flat rate feels like?" comment lol, holy crap that got me laughing hard. Now I think back to David and Jack and now Paul has Duncan who I think all came from the flat rate dealership or other service department. Awesome as always Jason and love these collaborations with Charles. Met him finally at last spring's Wookies in the Woods and he is indeed a great guy and very friendly to talk to and hang out with. Thank you for all that you do. Still use your videos all the time to show folks various aspects to automotive engineering. Look forward to the next one.

[seana]

Engineer: you don't need a lift to change oil
Also engineer: does two oil changes per year.

[jGRite]

I've been editing videos all week, and I really appreciate the order, and smoothness of this video.

[Noukz]

The Humble Mechanic and The Cocky Engineer have a better chemistry going on than all the other YouTuber couples.

[midwest_encyclopedic]

This was hilarious. .875 rotations...LOL.

[vr]

EVERY Engineer should be FORCED to take apart and put back together, including repairs, EVERYTHING they design. You'd see a LOT better engineered products!