This is the first oil change I've had to do since I bought the H3. What a PITA!!

GM engineer--"Hey...Lets put the drain plug right here above this crossbar!! That will make a huge mess and **** themoff royaly!! Then, lets put the oil filter right above another crossmember so when they pull it off oil will go from Hell to breakfast--Not to mention all over the front differential and onto the skid plates when they don't wipe it all out of this cool little spout doohicky!! Bwahahahahahaha!!"

Seriously--Do the body/frame guys not talk to the engine guys when they are putting a new vehicle together?? What a couple of f*#@ed up locations......

 

They do it on purpose so the Japanese won't copy their design.

 

Ahahaha good thinkin on their part!

 

That's why you go to the dealer!!

 

GM had always been bad at this. They just care that they are easy to put together on the assembly line.

I think most people just take the skid plate off.

 

You have got to take both of the skid plates off to change the oil and filter, don't you? Imagine the mess if you didn't??

 

Drop the skids, 6 13MM bolts, and a 13MM drain plug. The search feature will get you this: H3 Oil Change with Pictures

The tutorial says 1/2" skid plate bolts??? which would work sometimes (12.7MM), but it is all meteric? Another tip, park with the rear higher than the front, or jack the rear a tad before draining and you will clear the cross bar when draining every time.
On a level surface, the drain stream will not hit the cross bar on mine except at the very end when just a trickle.

25-30 minutes with hand tools, save 5 with a small air gun for the skids.