Dodged a bullet with a quick lube mishap

[vaboom123]

I talked to my step-father today about an issues he had after a local quick lube performed an oil change on his Pontiac Montana. According to him he came home today and noticed a huge oil slick in the middle of the driveway leading to the garage. He followed it to the van and found it was coming from the oil filter area. It turns out the quick lube put the incorrect filter on and she let go. He said it was about a half turn loose, but would just spin when making good contact. The oil light just came on when he parked the vehicle.

We were all super lucky that the issues didn't come up over the weekend on a 100 mile round trip for a birthday party. The oil change place came to their house with some special chemical to clean the mess up left in the driveway. I guess the highschool kid was also let go that did the oil change because this was the third time it happen haha.

It all happened because my step-dad was exhausted from doing a roofing side job in the heat. He didn't want to deal with changing the oil this one time. I told him that I'd be happy to change it if he needs it next time.

 

[yonyon]

It's a nice reminder that our dads are still making mistakes and learning from them too, just like the rest of us.

 

[Donald]

I would think a computer would list the filter and oil grade and quantity. Wonder if they did not have the right one?

 

[LeakySeals]

Lesson is never get an oil change on the way to a trip. Always do it days/a week before. As far as what happened..never happened to me in 30 years of off and on quick lube use. Never happened to anyone I know. just bad luck, no indictment of the industry.

You mentioned the quick lube was not the primary changer of oil on that van, and an issue with the filter housing (fit, threads, etc). Not suggesting anything publicly, but thinking it privately.

 

[vaboom123]

Originally Posted By: LeakySeals
Lesson is never get an oil change on the way to a trip. Always do it days/a week before. As far as what happened..never happened to me in 30 years of off and on quick lube use. Never happened to anyone I know. just bad luck, no indictment of the industry.

You mentioned the quick lube was not the primary changer of oil on that van, and an issue with the filter housing (fit, threads, etc). Not suggesting anything publicly, but thinking it privately.


He had the quick lube guy come out and take a look at everything when they cleaned it up. From my understanding the housing is in good shape without any issues. Like you said it just was bad luck. They came out and put the correct filter on and added oil. Then my step-father when down to the shop and had them degrease the under carriage of the van.

He isn't really mad about that, just the huge stain on their driveway

Anyone have good product recommendations for removal of an oil stain?

 

[Rand]

kitty litter for abit.
then simple green
then power wash it.

 

[71Chevyguy]

Depending on how bad the stain is this may or may not help you. There is a product called PigMat. Around here it is sold at the local NAPA store, not sure if you have those there or not. I do not imagine it is just sold at NAPA though. IT is sort of like a thick paper towel and comes on a roll. if you lay it on the driveway and have a way of setting something heavy and flat on it to hold it against the driveway it can actually suck up all the oil till the driveway is dry. I have seen it suck up all the oil off of a concrete floor. Good stuff. Not sure if it is for your application if it is a HUGE oil stain but worth a shot either way. Works wonders in the garage.

 

[vaboom123]

I've used the pigmats before and they seem pretty decent. I'll tell him to lay some down and let 'em work. Then he can hit it with some degreaser and pressure wash.

 

[yonyon]

What's the driveway paved with?

Tarmac: A little dish washing liquid and then lots of water. Eventually the rain will get the last of it.

Poured concrete , concrete pavers, or stone: Concrete floor cleaner. Follow directions on package and it will be perfectly clean in an hour. Do not skimp on the water. This stuff is a caustic, so keep it off of any skin, clothing, or metal that you care about.

 

[LeakySeals]

Laundry detergent. As far as the filter fit. Had one heck of a time threading a new walmart purolator classic filter. Thats two in a row. Correct size by the book. I'm done with them.

 

[boosted]

That sucks, use dawn dish soap rub it in with a broom let sit for a day and power wash it away, Idk how you can put the wrong filter on a 3.4 GM motor, lots take the the 111 filter for GM's, I'm sure the kid.had other stuff on his mind or was high as a kite which you have to be to change oil on peoples junk all day lol, kid probably wasn't fired, more than likely they told your paps that to make him happier, this is why they have insurance after all

 

[Falken]

Get a jack / 2 stand set.

Get your oil on sale, for your Montana I'd use PYB.

Have 4 or 5 Wix filters for your car.

After you read online how to do it, jack and stand placement and safety, after your 3rd oil change you'll wonder why you ever bothered getting a shop to do it.

Or, get a buddy to teach you. Take turns doing it at eachother's house, saves on cleaning up the supplies after, and if one guy is already dressed to do it in old clothes and the stuff is all out it is really fast doing a second and a third car.

I actually learned how to change my own oil when I was younger because up here in Canada we have the same problem of inexperienced people doing the oil change. An actual mechanic will never do them unless the car has other reasons to be on the lift and if it is on his work order.

So you get inexperienced people doing this vital service. Another good one is they love to wipe a filter clean if it is the same brand they use, and just change the oil for probably the wrong viscosity. If your car takes 5W30, you're in luck. Because if it doesn't, chances are that is what it will be getting anyway.

A rarer trick is they up sell people on synthetic and put in dino anyway, and charge you big. And if you extend your drains trusting them that they actually put in synthetic and they didn't, it isn't really good for you as a consumer, or your car.

The worst is the people who get the up sell for engine cleaning that spins a bearing in your engine possibly. Never do that stuff, shorten your OCI for 2-3 oil changes. That is the safest unless you really know the product to use and you actually have a ton of sludge.

I have personally never done an engine cleaning, ever. And probably never will. Unless I am replacing the rings, bearings, gaskets and seals on an old engine for my own personal use I'll clean it manually when I pull it out of the car and fully tear it down on an engine stand.

To clean the oil stain, use Dawn or Simple Green and scrub it with a wire brush if the wife is really mad about stuff like that. If your driveway has that black paint on it just use Simple Green and rub it with an old rag.

 

[boosted]

What was the name of this quick lube? I see your in WI was it king lube? I hope not, they use mooreflow oil and premium guard filters.... if you ask they will tell you its Texaco Havoline lol, they are to dumb to know that its chevron now though.

 

[L_Sludger]

Originally Posted By: boosted
What was the name of this quick lube? I see your in WI was it king lube? I hope not, they use mooreflow oil and premium guard filters.... if you ask they will tell you its Texaco Havoline lol, they are to dumb to know that its chevron now though.
A google search for mooreflow comes up with just this thread. Is there another name for that oil? Was it manureflow?

 

[eljefino]

That 3.4L van takes a PF47 filter with 18mm threads. Bet you dollars to donuts they put a 3/4" (19mm) threaded filter about the same size (like a PF53/ 3614) on by mistake. That would be just the right amount bigger.

I bet the kid still works there BTW despite his public flogging.

 

[vaboom123]

I believe it was a Mobil Express or whatever they are quick lube. Who knows of the person that did the work is still there haha. I'm sure it's a bunch of [censored] to make the customer feel good.

I usually do all the big maintenance for my parent's when I'm there for a visit. My step dad usually does most of the work, but like I said it was just this one time. I'll do all the big stuff that he doesn't want to tackle.

 

[mechtech2]

Even though there was probably no damage, there certainly COULD be accelerated wear that occurred.
Make a stink at the oil change place, get everything in writing, and ask about what future life the engine will NOT now have, after their egregious error. How will you be protected/compensated?
Who knows if they cut 5k to 100k off of the engine?
Just because it seems OK now is not good enough. That is not scientific .
Fight to protect your Dad's derrier!

 

[vaboom123]

Thanks for the suggestion mechtech2. I'm a tech for a living and never really dealt with a situation where I've caused an issue with a customer's car (knock on wood haha).

That's a great idea to get everything in writing because there's a big "unknown" with what happen in the engine running without oil.

 

[Doog]

Quick Lube = Allowing the monkeys at the zoo to change your oil.