Do-It-Yourself Maintenance For The Win

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Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: WylieCoyote
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Here's what I think happened. They took the car, topped it up, waited a few minutes and sent the OP packing, swearing up and down they did the work. Here's what I do and my logic for doing so. If you're going to call someone out, either you watch them make the fix, or ask for a refund, politely. I watched and heard war stories from PO'ed techs at a few dealerships I worked at do things, some very spiteful things to customer's cars because they were spoken down to by the customer, or reamed by the service writer or manager. Once that car leaves your sight if you PO'ed someone enough you're leaving yourself open for some kind of possible retaliation.

If they did change the oil I see zero reason in changing the filter.


None of this turned into an ugly exchange. I never once talked down to anyone. I only brought attention to their mistakes when there were, one by one, revealed to me during the course of the day, in an effort to get it corrected.

If dealerships are going to get their little feelers bent because someone wants the job done correctly, and holds them accountable, perhaps they should be more careful, or get out of the business.

If this engine happened to use a quart of oil during the 5,000 mile OCI, which is completely plausible, the oil level wouldn't have even registered on the dipstick by the time it was ready for another oil change. I don't find that acceptable. For a dealership to put in the incorrect viscosity of oil, when the correct viscosity is listed in at least 3 different places, just serves to highlight their apathy toward other peoples' property. Ford spec'd 5W-30 for this engine....why aren't their service departments abiding by that? Additionally, am I to believe that they even bothered to check the oil level before backing the car out? If they did, were they fine with it reading below the hashmarks? If they didn't, .....shouldn't they? Neither scenario is good.

In regard to the filter, I made the incorrect assumption that, because the filter was full of the incorrect oil, that they would change it. There I go assuming the best again.

As far as sabotage....if wrecking someone's vehicle is what they need to do to make themselves feel better, by all means, get after it. At 17,000 miles, it can visit the dealership again, for warranty work.

I was merely stating what can happen, and how to avoid it. Watching helps whenever there is a complaint, like using the wrong oil in this instance. I'm very happy you had no further issues.

The filter, maybe they removed and drained it, maybe.

As far as revenge, I recall one sick tech bragging about taking leak on a customer's back seat. The customer complained about grease on the steering wheel and came back for him to clean it. There are morons out there like that.


Yeah, the grease on the steering wheel take-back is a bit much, but that person probably also sends food back at restaurants, which I wouldn't do on a bet. I'd be better off eating what I was brought than eating the 'sneezer' that will replace it. As far as peeing in someone's car....I don't care what he thinks justified that, it's a chicken**** move and he should be barred from working in the industry (if that was actually possible).
 
Originally Posted By: JeffKeryk
I am not sure I have ever paid for a oil change service.
Too many low or no oil fills, stripped oil plug threads, over tightened filters.
Probably a lotta air tool over tightened lugs as well.

Once I had to replace a friends oil pan cuz the oil plug was cross threaded and muscled in.
It was rounded by the time she asked me to look at it.


Believe me, I would've much preferred driving it up on ramps and doing it myself, rather than dealing with this situation. As it stood, she was p***ed that I spent as much time as I did cleaning it in 100 degree heat. (She doesn't understand that some people actually love doing it). She would've broken my legs if I'd shown up with a set of ramps.
 
OP had the proper expectation for the dealer oil change. If the dealership can't follow process for a simple oil change, how can anyone trust them to do more technical work. OP did the right thing to bring it back to them. I don't know whether they'll change, but surely if we don't correct them, they would certainly continue the way they do.

I have been to Ford dealerships, Mazda dealerships, and Toyota dealerships for oil changes and tire rotations. The Toyota dealership did not rotate tires before they returned the car to me and said on the statement-of-work they did; they torqued the oil filter housing like they were installing tires. Another Toyota dealership once changes oil and filter, and by the time I got home, oil was still dripping from the car. A Ford/Mazda dealership that I used for years, once (my random inspection) "forgot" to change oil filter and tire rotation when I came in for LOF and tire rotation. And the technician swore in my face that he did. Then I pointed out the rust on the oil filter rim, and asked the service writer if they use new oil filter like that.

I have not met anyone, individual or shop, to torque lug nuts per torque spec. They use air gun to install them, and then use a torque stick to check, and tell me... see, they are torqued to 76 ft-lbf.

The service industry has to change the way they do now if the autonomous cars are to have a future.
 
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Originally Posted By: WylieCoyote


Yeah, the grease on the steering wheel take-back is a bit much, but that person probably also sends food back at restaurants, which I wouldn't do on a bet. I'd be better off eating what I was brought than eating the 'sneezer' that will replace it. As far as peeing in someone's car....I don't care what he thinks justified that, it's a chicken**** move and he should be barred from working in the industry (if that was actually possible).


He should have been fired, his work and attitude sucked. This dealership sucked, that was the best they could get. The customer was annoying, I sold him the car. He was back a few times with it, and [censored] this tech off. I had gone to him and asked that he do the proper job so we wouldn't have to deal with the complaints anymore. He did what I had hoped was the right job, but the customer showed up one day, screaming in the shop about the grease. I was off, and heard from the tech that the customer came back screaming and what he had done. We never heard from that customer again. I left that dealership shortly after for another place. I have plenty of stories from there too.
 
Originally Posted By: WylieCoyote
In regard to the filter, I made the incorrect assumption that, because the filter was full of the incorrect oil, that they would change it.
Assuming that they actually did drain and refill the crankcase with 5W-30, then the ½ quart(at most) of 5W-20 that was left in the filter would be flushed through 2 seconds after the engine was restarted. You ended up with a motor full of 5W-29.02. I doubt the motor will care.
 
Originally Posted By: windeye
I have not met anyone, individual or shop, to torque lug nuts per torque spec..

WalMarts around here do that diligently. Not that I change my oil there, but I have noticed this on anumber of times
 
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