Another reason to avoid quicky lube places.
- Thread starter EA82
- Start date
What a joke! The last time I had someone else change my oil was over 25 years ago.
Like I said, there's always the first time for some minimum wage guy.
We have an indy oil change/lube shop in town. They are NOT affiliated with any chain shops anywhere. The owner is a local resident that retired from Ford as a shop foreman. It's just him and one other tech. Their OCI prices might seem a little high, but their reputation is an A+ with the BBB and local dignitaries. They will change your oil, or any other fluids in your vehicle, even if you bring your own. I know a few people that swear by them as the best shop around for fluid maintenance.
And then, there is Biffy Lube about a mile down the road from them.
And then, there is Biffy Lube about a mile down the road from them.
I've read just as many horror stories from dealer oil changes as quickie lubes. Mistakes shouldn't happen, but they do. You just hope it doesn't happen to your car. When I first started wrenching, I once saw a 20+ year mechanic crack a windshield changing wipers.
People who change their own oil never cross-thread a bolt or install an oil filter with the old gasket still stuck on the motor. I know because they don’t write into BITOG about it.
Never had a problem at the Ford Quicklane place and they seem to gravitate to Motorcraft oil and filters for some reason. ( Although they’ll discount the change by $20 if you bring your own oil.) I’m guessing that they use Valvoline oil at the Valvoline places.
Never had a problem at the Ford Quicklane place and they seem to gravitate to Motorcraft oil and filters for some reason. ( Although they’ll discount the change by $20 if you bring your own oil.) I’m guessing that they use Valvoline oil at the Valvoline places.
AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2024
Yeah exactly. Management matters a lot. When we had customer complain they would laugh about it so would corporate too they didn’t care. They would act like they cared when a customer was talking to them then when the customer left they laughed and threw the notes they had written down in the trash. Same with online reviews they would just laugh at them and nobody ever got in trouble except the innocent ones. One time we had a customer write a nice review and she singled me out as the only good and respectful worker so the next day I came to work and they pulled me in the office asking why I wrote a fake review to make me look good and I’m like I have no idea what you are talking about and they are like yes you do don’t act like you didn’t write this review so I looked up the customer in the system called them and had them verify they wrote the review it saved my job. Then the next week we got a batch of oil in that was really dark and had metal shavings in it so I refused to put it in any cars and so they told me I could leave and not come back or I was fired so I walked out the door haven’t stepped foot near that place since then. The oil company who brought our oil was the same company that went around and picked it up from the parts store for recycling so I think they had gotten confused and dropped off the wrong oil or just didn’t care. I always tell people never go to them at all.
I did as a teenager. And, I'm not ashamed to admit it. It sure taught me a lesson and I haven't done it since (up until I last changed my own oil a few years ago).
There should be bold raised lettering next to each Drain Plug.
There should a be a demonstrated level of competence, before being allowed to touch customer vehicles unsupervised.
My guys make $18-$25 an hour.
Cant easily check the ATF level on the 4Runner as it has no ATF dipstick.
Not seeing an obviously overfilled crankcase on the dipstick is an issue.
Have read of a trend of using torx or allen socket headed drain bolts for the ATF on the theory that it slows the tech down and makes them think.
The ones on my prii have been very very tight after 200+k and I worry about stripping them out.
The ones on my prii have been very very tight after 200+k and I worry about stripping them out.
They’re quick, so I avoid them. My typical OC takes some more time than they’re willing to spend.
Funnel, oil, rugs and oil-collection-pan is all I need.
Funnel, oil, rugs and oil-collection-pan is all I need.
Back in 1997, a VIOC forgot to re-install the drain plug in my 1987 Maxima, causing me to run it with no oil for about 5 miles.
I was 18, didnt know much about engines, neither did my dad, and when i told him it was making noise, he told me to take it up to Firestone, which I did.
They called and said it was missing the drain plug, and had no oil. Said they replaced the plug and filled with oil, and it quit knocking.
Not really knowing any better, I never pursued the issue with VIOC, and the car actually ran fine until I sold it a couple of years later.
Now, if that happened with a vehicle I owned now, it would be new engine and transmission time, on their dime. I would not accept the risk that something could have been damaged (very likely that the transmission was damaged or at least experienced premature wear).
Id go straight to corporate, and wouldn’t waste any time getting a lawyer if they balked.
Id be making sure they paid my lawyer bills, too.
Luckily, though, this is something I’ll never have to deal with, anyway, as I haven’t had someone else change my oil since prior to 2007, when I bought my Tacoma, and started doing all my own servicing.
I cringe at the thought of even taking a vehicle to the dealership, as I know they won’t baby it like I do, and there’s always the risk of something being damaged.
I feel bad for the girl that this happened to, and wish I could personally advise her on how to handle this.
I was 18, didnt know much about engines, neither did my dad, and when i told him it was making noise, he told me to take it up to Firestone, which I did.
They called and said it was missing the drain plug, and had no oil. Said they replaced the plug and filled with oil, and it quit knocking.
Not really knowing any better, I never pursued the issue with VIOC, and the car actually ran fine until I sold it a couple of years later.
Now, if that happened with a vehicle I owned now, it would be new engine and transmission time, on their dime. I would not accept the risk that something could have been damaged (very likely that the transmission was damaged or at least experienced premature wear).
Id go straight to corporate, and wouldn’t waste any time getting a lawyer if they balked.
Id be making sure they paid my lawyer bills, too.
Luckily, though, this is something I’ll never have to deal with, anyway, as I haven’t had someone else change my oil since prior to 2007, when I bought my Tacoma, and started doing all my own servicing.
I cringe at the thought of even taking a vehicle to the dealership, as I know they won’t baby it like I do, and there’s always the risk of something being damaged.
I feel bad for the girl that this happened to, and wish I could personally advise her on how to handle this.
Minimum here is higher, but at the time I had a tenant that worked at those places and he put down minimum wage as his income so at the time, a tad over $10/hour. He only worked there a few weeks so I guess turnover is high when pay is low.
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- Sep 21, 2020
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Could it be that the industry is so sketchy, dishonest and incompetent they deserve that?
Nope, not possible.
Nope not at all. The local "quickie place" here is packed all the time. It's a "Grease Money". I am betting they do 100's of cars a week. Here on on local community Facebook page-people are REAL QUICK to complain. And there hasn't been a one...not a one since they have opened three years ago. It's the same with new car dealers. They do 100's of cars a week. Yeah they make mistakes-just like people posting on here on how to thread a plug they stripped out. But the thing is there are not many mistakes, And when they are that's what they have insurance for.
I had a a half dozen oil changes at Chevrolet dealers literally all across the country...not a single issue.
But posts on here have to show up...to give each "atta boys" to each other for laying in the drive way under your car and to justify that 150 quart stash.
Well its pretty hard to check to see if your oil drain plg is cross threaded or damaged if you never are under the car. Most people are blissfully ignorant about their cars and barely if ever open the hood. These quickie lube places know that and take advantage of peoples' ignorance. The managers that advance at these places or get big bonuses aren't knowledgeable about cars other than sales bs.The top selling manager in our region could barely put gas in his car but he could sell the sh@#% out of useless flushes and credit. The auto repair industry in general has earned a reputation of deceit and dishonesty that preys on peoples lack of automotive knowlege and the inabilty to work on their own vehicles. Are there honest shops out there? Absolutely, but for every honest shop with well trained staff there are 5 that aren't. Why do you think these places have such high turn over? Techs are pressured to do jobs as fast as they can on flat rate, this encourages sloppyiness and cutting corners. You can't expect people to work 6 days a week 7am to 6pm on a weekly salary and expect good results. I've seen it, done it, and have been in the trenches with these guys. As for shops using E&O insurance its very, very rare that they do because shop insurance is extremely high and 99% of the time the repairs on a vehicle aren't going to be justified by the premium increase, so the shop eats it and writes it off as a loss. The big chains can afford to do it. I do my own maitenece because I have seen and expeienced bad repairs and oil changes and I don't want to deal with it. I don't have a 125 quart stash I buy my supplies when I need them like most folks on this forum do.
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