Stens 051-703 Oil Extractor

I'm a amazon addict. Buy lots of things, but never seem to take the time to write reviews...I guess I'm lazy...but I have to for this product, and this company. Bought one of these tanks with mediocre expectations, as I've tried other types before to change the oil on my boat. To my delightful surprise it worked great, with one small hitch. After about 25 pumps on my first time the tank started to distort. No biggie, I worked through it a few times and just went easy until all the oil came out. However each time I used it, because now I'm hooked and changing the oil on everything, it seemed to distort easier and sooner each time. This made it hard to work with. So I figured why not call them, their number is right on the instructions in the box. To say it was probably the best customer service I have ever had would be an understatement. A live person picked up the phone, no menus, no transferring...she spoke about the issue intelligently, and without an second of hesitation offered to send me a new tank. Within 30 minutes of hanging up I received an email from UPS with my tracking number and my delivery date. I'm floored at this point! They also followed up with picture requests so that they can address their manufacturer/supplier. Usually I would have just thrown it in the trash and chalked it up to another made in china piece of junk. Boy was I wrong, I'm so happy I bought this, and I'm so happy I made that call. I'm looking to see what else they sell, because this company, from MICHIGAN, rocks!!!

I was a little skeptical that this would work well for changing the oil in my TDI, but with the costs of oil changes for the TDI vehicles I figured I would give it a try. To get under my car would have been a nightmare, including taking off the bottom skid plate before draining out the oil. It seemed that pumping it out would most likely be worth the first time expense, and I was not disappointed. I read the directions, watched a video on Youtube (the only way to really learn anything) and went out and did an oil change in about 20 minutes. Following the directions on was easy. Close the inlet valve, pump it 40 times. Stick the tube (with the included dip stick extension) down the oil dip stick. Then slowly open the inlet valve, less than 10 minutes later the oil was all out (about 4.5 liters). When I heard it starting to slurp I closed the valve, added some more pumps (vacuum) and worked it around to try to slurp up any extra oil in the oil pan. I then did the same in the cartridge that holds the oil filter. The pump did exactly what it was supposed to and did it relatively fast I would say. Now I am looking at my lawn mower thinking it could use an oil change.

I bought the pump to change oil in a couple of small engines that are otherwise hard and messy to change. I bought the device in April 2015 but did not use until recently (July 2015) when it was time to service both engines. On the first oil change it worked flawlessly and made the job 10x easier which made me very happy. However, on the second oil change the pump handle pulled off after only 10 pumps, which 20-30 pumps is recommended for small engines. Clearly the handle should stay on better than that. I tried to push the knob back into place, but after a few more pulls it just came off again. I had to use pliers and hold the handle end from coming off to finish the job. I will say operationally the LiquiVac worked and made the job less messy. However, durability wise it does not hold up at least in my case. I am a mechanic and take good care of my stuff and the device was stored in my home before use, so dust, heat, or cold, played no part making the handle to become weak. I have sent an inquiry to the company as the warranty is only for 30 days, so we will see what happens. Personally I can not recommend this unit and would suggest buying a more expensive unit if you plan on keeping and using it more than twice..... Update....7/23/2015.. Air Power returned my email within 24 hours and said they would send out replacement parts for free as the handle should have not failed. A few days later as promised a new handle showed up and the pump is once again working perfectly. I would definitely buy again from Air Power as they stand behind their product which in my case was clearly outside the warranty period. If your looking for a good little pump to service your lawnmowers, or any other small engine quickly without all the mess, pick up a LiquiVac, you will be glad you did.

This product is an EPIC fail. Loved it the first time I used it, but hated it the second time I used it when the cheaply attached pump handle came off during an oil change. Great idea, but poorly executed manufacturing design. The most important part of this device is the pump handle and it is the part that will fail first. Really guys this is the best you got? UPDATE: Contacted the manufacturer and requested replacement parts and was promptly sent a new pump unit free of charge. While this may make the product useable in the short-term I didn't notice there was any change made to how the handle was attached so I fully expect the pump handle to detach with normal use again. UPDATE 5/10/15: After receiving the new replacement pump unit the pump handle again detached. This time it came-off after just a few pumps. The manufacturer is still using the same faulty attachment system. Avoid this product.

This is IMHO the best vacuum oil extractor on the market. This one didn't pull oil very well at first. I drenched the push rod with a bunch of light weight oil and the next day tried it again and it worked well. The seal is actually leather adn can become dried out. Yep I read that on the destructions!