Originally Posted by E150GT
When I briefly worked at a Chevy dealership
Originally Posted by das_peikko
When I worked as a lube tech at a Toyota dealer.
Originally Posted by bullwinkle
All part of the Ford stealership experience!
There are good dealership techs. There are good dealerships. Think along the lines of places like Galpin Ford. Same way I've seen good Jiffy Lube, and bad Jiffy Lube. It all depends on who they have working there. Then there are horror stories from dealerships. The most basic service. An oil change.
Originally Posted by hallstevenson
Honestly, has anyone ever seen someone use an impact to put on a drain plug ?
Originally Posted by Virtus_Probi
I have been putting my own plug back on with a torque wrench
All drain plugs have a torque spec. Using a torque wrench is not the problem. The problem is not setting the correct torque. On my own cars, for as long as I can remember, I've always done it by hand. My hand is calibrated to nothing. I hand tighten. A lot of people hand tighten. All of our hands are different. You figure out that math.
I once went to change oil on a 12 year old Honda Accord. Drain plug was rounded off. Blue color "stuff", which I suspected to be Loctite, was all over the place. Girl told me that the car has been serviced by her auto repair shop next door, literally, next door in the next building, since it was new. She personally knew him as a neighbor, a friend of the family, and even babysat his kids. We call him up, I'm polite, and I tell him that I'm doing the next oil change, and if he could tell me something about the car. According to the shop owner; the crush washer is not sealing anymore, the oil pan is leaking, his techs have used Loctite to stem the flow of oil leaking at the washer, and they have been using an impact gun to force a better seal with crush washer and Loctite. All of which blew my mind! "Why didn't they just replace the washer at every oil change?" The shop owner also told me that he has replaced 3 clogged PCV valves; which is consistent on V6 Honda cars. There's even a TSB on this. To which I asked, "Why? Why did you do it? Why didn't you send her back to Honda, to get done for free under warranty?"
We drove over to the local Acura dealer, where I knew a few people in service & parts. Told the guys the story, and they all laughed at this shop who used Loctite instead of replacing the $0.25 washer. It was a slow day. The service bay manager put it on the rack, then they all laughed at the blue Loctite. I told him that the check engine light is on, it's the PCV valve which they all about from the TSB. No problem. It was already on the rack. They had the TSB parts kit. They did it free, as an after warranty adjustment, just like with every Honda V6. They sold us a new drain plug and an OEM Honda filter (with the pat on the [censored] discount), and the counter guy threw in a handful of washers without charging her a quarter. Car was still on the rack. Service tech offered to "courtesy install" the new drain plug and filter; since she was a girl, the tech was a girl, and girls have to look out for each other. Then she "topped off" all the fluids - including the 4.5 quarts of oil which she "accidentally" lost while performing the "courtesy install" of the drain plug and filter.
Hook, line, and sinker. The service manager invited me to the coffee machine, while a service writer and the female tech walked her under the car. They pointed out everything that the dealership wants to fix for her so that she can be safe. They've got her for life. She always gets the alleged "wink, wink" discount, along with the "pat on the [censored]" discount. After they got a few thousand dollars out of her, replacing every mechanical part on the car, they introduced her to a girl in sales, who sold her a new car. Now that female tech is a service manager, and she makes sure that "you bring all your girlfriends, and I'll make sure their cars are safe". I told her,"I'm shy. I'm not all that lucky with girls." Her: "Why do you even come here? Just to have coffee with your friend from high school? You work on your own cars. You don't even own a Honda, so you don't even buy parts here."
