Made oil changes so much easier. I highly recommend to anyone who likes DIY oil changes but does not like jacking up the car or removing a bunch of cover panels that are on some vehicles just to get to the drain plug. If your filter is topside (like on my 2007 Mercedes E350) you can change the oil in a suit and tie and not get dirty.
Initially did not work on my 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan with the 3.8L engine. In July 2020 I called tech support. They promised to send me the narrower hose mentioned in other reviews here on Amazon and elsewhere for when the stock narrow hose won't fit all they way down the dipstick. When it arrived it was the same size that came with the Topsider. Though glad to have a spare, it did not help. I did not want to bother them again. They already took the time to send me the spare hose parts Fedex for free - but cost them about $10 in shipping plus time and supplies. So for a $50 device I wasn't going to complain more to the manufacturer. After visits to Lowes and home depot looking for narrower tubes I settled on buying Nylaflow thin walled tubing from an aircraft supply website.
The nylaflow tube that works is 0.187 (3/16) inch outer diameter and 0.138 inner diameter. I ordered 4 feet. It is cheap at about $1.56 for 4 feet of hose, from Wicks Aircraft Supply but with handling $4 and shipping $6 I was out about $12. It slides inside the normal narrow tube that came with my topsider, basically extending my hose another 4 feet. It shouldn't since that tube is about 0.17 inner diameter, but it flexes just a bit for a nice tight seal. As far as I could tell I got all or almost all the oil out of my 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan with the 3.8 liter engine. It took longer than my other vehicles due to narrower diameter, but it was like 20 minutes with warm oil instead of 7-10 minutes with my other cars. Not a big deal.
My recommendation is that the manufacturer of the Topsider starts selling a 4-5 foot length of NylaFlow tubing on Amazon as an add-on option for the device. They could make it work with Amazon's efficiency and make money selling it for $7 or $8 amazon prime free shipping.
| Manufacturer | Air Power America |
|---|---|
| Brand | Airpower America |
| Model | 5060TSMI Topsider Extractor Multi-Purpose Vacuum Oil Change Pump |
| Item Weight | 5.45 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 12.7 x 12.6 x 12.7 inches |
| Country of Origin | USA |
| Item model number | 5060TS |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Manufacturer Part Number | 5060 |
