Advice and question on possible non-oil change scam.

R

rurockn

Joined
Jul 31, 2009
Messages
4
Location
Dallas, TX
I've been a member of this site since 2009 but haven't really had any questions to post, hoping the community can give me some advice on this situation. I have a one-year-old Ford, that was in for warranty work and I decided to have them do an oil change (12k miles). I got the vehicle back last week, and two days later noticed in the Ford app that my oil life still showed 43%; just about where it was when I dropped it off. I checked with the dealership and they claim an oil change was performed and they forgot to reset the computer.

Just now, I remembered that when I changed the oil at 6k miles I snapped one of the ears off the plastic oil plug about 75% of the way. It was still hanging on, so I left it and ordered a new plug and put it in my toolbox for the next oil change. Since I remembered this, I just pulled the cover off under the oil pan and there is the plug with one of the plastic ears barely hanging on. There's no way anybody touched that plug since I last did 6k miles ago.

The dealership is currently closed, so I'll have to call them tomorrow.

I thought about checking the filter, but unfortunately used a Motorcraft filter so that won't give me any data.

Does anybody know if Ford sucks the oil out from the top? I would highly doubt this but it would be good information to have.

And my final question (besides for an overall opinion of the situation) would be: If I sent a sample to Blackstone, could I identify if it is Ford Motorcraft oil like the invoice says, or Pennzoil Platinum Ultra which is what I used on my last oil change?

Thank you all.
 
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Imho whether they forgot or not, they must redo it. Next time remember.

When it goes back in you can mark the filter with a scratch or sharpie or whatever.

It’s these types of incidents why I haven’t let any dealer do oil on any car since 2012.
 
Sounds like all of the signs are pointing to a bad scenario... I hate this situation for anyone but unfortunately it happens. Not sure if they suck lol from the dipstick tube but you could ask them. It should be drained from the bottom to remove contaminates that settle at the bottom of the oil pan. Tell them to make it right Either by giving 50% credit back or them changing the oil & filter, you bring in, for free next time at your choosing.
 
Sounds like they didn’t do it. I’ll admit I’ve forgotten to reset maintenance lights several times but fixed it each time if it came back. But based on the plug they probably didn’t do it. At my dealership we would have documented that the plug was broken and would have asked if they wanted it replaced.
 
Take a close look at the current oil filter too. If it is 100% clean, they changed it. While you may have used a Motorcraft filter for the previous oil change, it will have signs of dirt, etc. on the canister after 6 thousand miles of road exposure. Who knows, the dealership may have used a different filter too (i.e., consolidation of interchangeable parts).
 
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Should be easy to wipe the dipstick on a paper towel - if it's black they likely didnb't change it..should be golden/brown color. It's also possible they top-sided it...is the filter on the top or bottom? I'd say it's more likely it was done and they didn't reset the minder. BTW - absolutely nothing wrong with extractor oil changes as much as folks want to believe there is.
 
I agree with others, would change the oil myself instead of having them do it, never take the vehicle back there unless it is ONLY doing warranty or recall work.

If they suck the oil out the top, that is yet another reason to go elsewhere or DIY. The drain plug is at the bottom for good reason.
 
My .02: either way they should do it again once you politely and calmly lay out your concerns. My local Toyota/Ford dealer did a free oil change for my buddy just because the (stupid) Toyota filter housing was leaking after the last time they did it (not cracked plastic, surprisingly)

A UOA could be interesting and might indicate use/mileage. Might be difficult to tell brand conclusively, though.

If the dealer is obstinate I'd just walk away and slam them on social media/neighborhood groups/word of mouth. Simply don't return and tell anyone who will listen.
 
I hate to read posts like these. Never a perfect coincidence. Oil monitor life still unchanged. Broken plug still there (they want to sell you another one to make more money). Is the filter body clean or any road grime/soot? Is fill cap area clean from wipe down? I don’t think they did it.

Same experience except it was for a brand new ‘04 Harley Fatboy in MA. Caught them when I marked the filter and after receiving it back, the oil color is way too brown and original filter is still there. I spoke with owner, went up to district manager, and then up the chain to regional in Ohio. I got a case of oil plus filter as I refused to have them work on my motorcycle ever again and made them admit “maybe it’s likely we didn’t do it by mistake”. Well the tech drove it for 10 miles (yes I recorded odometer) so you’re all dishonest.

Be persistent and don’t be afraid to talk beyond service dept.
 
Again my tale of woe was my wife’s 2011 GM SUV where I would pay the dealer for Mobil 1. The car didn’t come with synth it came with dexos1 which at the time was $30 cheaper.

Upon 3rd oil change they accidentally stapled the work order to the invoice which said Dexos. Since that day, nobody except me has ever changed the oil on any of our cars. 11 years now.

If I got a new one, not sure what I’d do. I’d want the oil change on carfax. But I want the oil to actually be changed.
 
It's sad that there are so many shops out there that can't perform a simple oil change. It's the simplest maintenance item, but no shop is paying an "A" Tech to change oil. I hope none of you reading this ever, ever think that some highly experienced, expert mechanic is changing your oil. Ever. 99.9% of the time, yes, at the dealer, it's the lowest paid person that walks into the building that day. The janitor makes more than the guy changing the oil in your precious vehicle.

I'm sure a lot of people wonder why I'm so meticulous about maintenance and why I want to do things like this at my house and won't even talk about taking my vehicles anywhere to have maintenance done.

These stories are why. They are why I have three 5-gallon buckets for used oil, why I have two oil catch pans and three tool boxes full of tools. 2 jacks, 4 jack stands, 4 ramps. Lots of special tools I'll use 10 times in my life. My worry and anxiety comes from me potentially screwing up, not worrying if someone at a shop didn't do something....
 
Can't wait to hear what the Dealer has to say. Betcha they extract it ........My Audi dealer does and so do I when I change it or the MB.
 
I’m paranoid when it comes to quick lube and some dealerships when I get my oil changed, I never had any bad experiences in the past except a dealer overfilling the engine with oil or over tightening the drain plug, I like prefer to do my own fluid services.
 
In my work truck (2022 f150 2.7 ecoboost) I took it in to dealership (boss told me I had to take it there because he had 1 free oil change because it came with it when he bought it lol 1 free! Anyway I know they did not change the oil . I know color isn’t an indicator but I checked oil when I was in parking lot at dealership when I was bringing it in, also checked immediately when I picked up truck again in parking lot. Same exact color, even took pics. Of course not sure if I can prove it or not as it was the first oil change. Unless there is a factory oil filter that is different than the oe ones from stealership. Anyway, got a new Fram FE oil filter along with enough oil to do change. Gonna change it and then maybe a month or two later take it to get another change and see if they really did it or not. I’ve heard too many stories about dealerships (especially ford) of not even doing anything but still charging for the service. I’ll update when then happens in a month or two. I don’t know why anyone would take their vehicle to a stealership for maintenance work (obviously warranty work is different) . But my boss won’t let me take it to my Indy even tho he only charges 50 bucks for a change. He and frankly most people I know think for some reason having your vehicle serviced EXCLUSIVELY at the dealership is the correct way to take care of your vehicle. I love my Indy and am so thankful I found him. Been going to him for years and he has never once tried to sell me an unnecessary service. In fact, many times he has saved me money because I brought it in to him thinking it was something worse but in reality it would be a simple fix. I remember the last time I went to a dealership to get oil change (I was young and dumb) it was a rav 4 with 18k miles. The guy literally tried telling me that I absolutely needed an alignment and that the vehicle would be unsafe to drive. Simply amazing to me that they get away with this stuff.
 
rurockn said:
I've been a member of this site since 2009 but haven't really had any questions to post, hoping the community can give me some advice on this situation. I have a one-year-old Ford, that was in for warranty work and I decided to have them do an oil change (12k miles). I got the vehicle back last week, and two days later noticed in the Ford app that my oil life still showed 43%; just about where it was when I dropped it off. I checked with the dealership and they claim an oil change was performed and they forgot to reset the computer.

Just now, I remembered that when I changed the oil at 6k miles I snapped one of the ears off the plastic oil plug about 75% of the way. It was still hanging on, so I left it and ordered a new plug and put it in my toolbox for the next oil change. Since I remembered this, I just pulled the cover off under the oil pan and there is the plug with one of the plastic ears barely hanging on. There's no way anybody touched that plug since I last did 6k miles ago.

The dealership is currently closed, so I'll have to call them tomorrow.

I thought about checking the filter, but unfortunately used a Motorcraft filter so that won't give me any data.

Does anybody know if Ford sucks the oil out from the top? I would highly doubt this but it would be good information to have.

And my final question (besides for an overall opinion of the situation) would be: If I sent a sample to Blackstone, could I identify if it is Ford Motorcraft oil like the invoice says, or Pennzoil Platinum Ultra which is what I used on my last oil change?

Thank you all.
Click to expand...
Hey, rurockn so what was the outcome? Is the filter clean? Did they say they sucked it out?

As far as the analysis, they would definitely be able to tell you if it has 6000 miles on it or not.
 
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