[COLD STEEL]

I figured I would throw it out there.....if you folks can avoid oil change only places and car washes that offer a free car wash with an oil change, please do so. I cant tell you how many times we have had cars towed here right after getting an oil change at these places. Some have stripped oil drain plugs,no oil was put back in,differentials were left unplugged after they were checked and they burned up inside.... All these things for a $20.00 oil change.

I know they seem convenient and cost effective but its really not that hard to change your own oil. One place by me did a "flush" service and ended up messing up an entire power steering system, this lead to us replacing damaged parts and them being taken to court by the customer( her husband happens to be a lawyer) and then us being bad mouthed by that service place that caused all the problems.

In short, spend some time and do it yourself, otherwise, make sure to keep your receipt in case they forget something like reinstalling the drain plug.

 

[77Impala]

I have heard of this before myself.

Recently I observed a place do a change on one of the fleet vehicles that I took in for service per the owners request and noticed that they did not even do a leak check. That is something that to me should always be done no matter what.

They are also famous for the so called "stripped drain plug" where they "say" the plug came out stripped so they "have" to sell you a new one. I wonder how many times they sell the same plug. I have done countless oil changes over the last 20 years and have never had a plug strip out.

 

[maesstro]

I have done countless oil changes over the last 20 years and have never had a plug strip out.

That's because you were doing it yourself, not some distracted jackass in a hurry that doesn't give a rats ass about the quality of work performed.

 

[DA BIS 15046]

I just changed my oil today and it took a bit longer to complete, but @ least I know it was done right!

 

[PeterMeridingo76]

i will never let anyone touch my babies unless im there observing every move that sh** head mechanic does , i just bring the car to his shop and say ill do it myself , i just give him a liitle extra cash to borrow his lift:wink:

 

[Timmay2]

If you're going to do it yourself, you should also at least find out what the torque spec is for the oil pan drain plug. Too many people think it needs to be so tight so it dont fall out, and are surprised when that 20ft lbs or whichever your car plug calls for barely feels snug to them.

 

[Gregg-O]

Same goes for the filter. I've had to cut some off in the past.

 

[COLD STEEL]

When I do a service, I take a small amount of oil and apply it onto the o ring in the filter.....this prevents the filter from becoming stuck unless they really really jam it on.

 

[capricewiz]

Just today I did an $1200 oil pan. This guy took his Audi to a quick lube, and they stripped his drain plug. So bad that I couldn't get the drain plug out, it just kept spinning. To make it better yet, they also forgot to put his belly cover back up tight, and he ruined the cover. OUR COST for a belly pan = $300.

 

[DA BIS 15046]

My Dad taught me that trick with oil on the ring. I had a bit of trouble getting off the K&N oil filter. Vise grips worked though.

 

[capricewiz]

some oil filters tell you to put the oil on the ring. with pictures

 

[DA BIS 15046]

But of course they denied it, evidence not withstanding.

 

[JohnCuePublik]

Just today I did an $1200 oil pan. This guy took his Audi to a quick lube, and they stripped his drain plug. So bad that I couldn't get the drain plug out, it just kept spinning. To make it better yet, they also forgot to put his belly cover back up tight, and he ruined the cover. OUR COST for a belly pan = $300.

when I worked for a VW dealer I can't count how many times I saw stupidity on nice cars due to these places. my personal favorite was a wingnut some washers and chewing gum to make up for a lost drain plug

 

[COLD STEEL]

Yesterday, had another customer come in. He fell for the $19.99 (now the chain went up in price to $24.99) oil change. Well, he had it towed here a day after this oil change concerned with a massive oil leak. Yesterday I lifted the car and found the problem. They used the wrong oil filter and when they realized that, they torqued it down with pliers to try and make it seal. It sealed enough to not leak while at idle and while under 2000 RPM. The moment pressure built up it literally squirted out.

I replaced the filter and changed his oil as the oil they used looked like water with a hint of oil for color. Bottom line, be careful who you trust your car to.