Design Engineering Inc. Oil Rug
Stop The Mess Before It Happens!
Story By: Kyle Callen
Photos By: Brandon Bunch
Sipping that Sunday morning coffee on the back porch, soaking in the view while planning the day ahead is always a solid start… Then the need to service that UTV enters the mind. Quietly dreading those last few threads of the 3 different drain plugs, wondering how big that mess of spilled oil will be. Sigh.
It happens to all of us, but we don’t have to fret any longer. As avid do it yourselfers, the team at Design Engineering Inc. got tired of the mess, and set out to create a solution to the problem that we all dread. Enter the DEI Oil Rug. Available in 3 different sizes to fit your specific application, these rugs will catch and contain virtually any spills you might make, and will hold up to 16oz of oil per square foot!
We decided to put DEI’s claim to the test after a few too many cups of coffee on a sunny Sunday morning. If you have ever serviced your UTV, you know when you pull the oil filter or either of the differential or transmission drain plugs, the blackened liquid seems to find every nook and cranny to bypass the oil pan and eventually make its way to the floor. So on this occasion, we pulled a 29”x48” Oil Rug of the containment bag that it is supplied with, and neatly laid it out under the engine and transmission. Setting the drain pan on top of the rug, we chuckled. After hundreds of oil changes, we have yet to find a clean way to do it, so what’s the harm in trying something new?
The engine oil drained out with almost zero mess which was less than conducive to this test, but that can’t be said for the oil filter. Per the usual, oil drains out and down every valley on the engine hitting 5-7 different spots on the oil mat. If this were a shot grouping on a target, I’d suggest the shooter practiced a bit more… The DEI Oil Mat soaked it right up, and although it wasn’t a lot, it was a good start. With a metal skid plate under the transmission drain plug, we lost a quarter of a quart or more to the mat, but again, it soaked it right up. Once the chassis, engine and transmission were cleaned up with parts wash, we simply folded up the oil mat and put it in the containment bag that was supplied. The concrete didn’t see a single drop. The DEI Oil Mat will now for sure be a part of every service we do from this point forward.