ATD Tools 5185 Green Drain Pan - 4-1/2 Gallon Capacity

I have finally gotten fed up with the oil change options around me. The next to last time the national chain doing the oil change did it efficiently but tried to charge me for an upgrade to a special oil additive that I did not order. I refused to pay for this extra charge they tried to slip in, but it was an unpleasant experience. Then last time I tried another shop and went in for my 1:30 appointment, and after making me wait 20 minutes to check in, they told me they'd try to get to it by the end of the day! I was not prepared to wait half the day so told them to cancel the order. I hadn't changed my own oil since college days, but was certain I could do it myself faster and with a lot less hassle.I researched all of the oil drain pans available, not only on Amazon but all the local big box stores and auto parts outlets and decided on this one. I know black is traditionally for oil and green for antifreeze, but chose green so I could better see the oil. I considered the pans which drain the oil into an inner chamber, but that seemed to be an unnecessary complication and extra cleaning work.This pan is quite rigid and the perfect width and height. The hand-holds are just right for moving it around and pouring and it has a rim which is effective in helping to prevent the oil from splashing or dripping when pouring. I poured the oil into an empty plastic gallon water jug — the drain pan's pour spout fit neatly into the mouth of the jug and not a single drop was spilled. My Camry holds slightly less than 4 quarts which filled this drain pan about 1/3 so it should have plenty of capacity to drain most cars and trucks. Luckily, there is an oil recycling station about one mile from my house which makes disposal of the old oil very convenient. Never pour used oil down the drain, storm drain or pour it into a hole in the ground... unless you hate future generations and want to be sure they will live on a polluted earth. I used newspaper to wipe out the small amount of oil remaining in the pan.So the bottom line -- thanks to this drain pan, changing the oil was so fast and easy that I'll definitely be doing it myself from now on. Changing my own oil isn't a huge money savings (maybe $10), but the real savings is in time and convenience. It would take me far more time to drive to a service center, wait, and then drive back than just doing it myself... plus I get to choose the oil and filter and know that I'm getting exactly what I ordered. And, no cross-threaded drain plug (that also happened at a commercial oil change center).I credit this excellent drain pan with making my oil change experience as close to painless as it can get. Thanks to this pan, my oil change ordeals are now in the past.

Catching old coolant

Easily holds enough to service my biggest equipment. And pours out easier than anything I’ve ever used with no mess.

Does the job well and is very sturdy. Easy to clean with a solvent and is holding up well.

The spout makes the job cleaner and quicker. Thank you.

When draining coolant it is important not to contaminate with other fluids as it can't be recycled. This color makes it easy to distinguish from my oil change pans so that won't happen. Large diameter helps to catch large stream of coolant when first opening the drain plug and the pour spout makes it easy to pour into containers for recycling

Used for draining coolant to change water pump . Pan was higher quality than I expected . Much better than the WalMart or Harbor Freight ones for about the same price

I wanted to know its real usable capacity. I tested it by filling it from a 1-gallon plastic jug and added fill level marks (with my black marker) at 1-gal, 2-gal and 3-gallon as shown in photo. At 4 gallons the water level was into the rounded upper lip so I couldn't mark that. It was plenty strong (rigid) to lift the 4 gallons of water without deflecting, but when its that full I had to be very careful if I wanted to avoid sloshing liquid over sides. The listed 4.5 gallon capacity is probably technically accurate when filled all the way up to the very top brim.I hope that helps other shoppers decide if it meets their needs.It does also pour well, good handles well placed. I was able to pour back into that 1-gallon plastic jug using the spout without a funnel. But might use a funnel or receiving container with larger opening, on fluids when spilling would be more important (like antifreeze or engine oil.)