Dont take your Audi S4 to an instant oil lube shop

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
The oil overflowing thing sounds more than a little suspicious. I'd even venture that a engine cannot crank over with its crankcase 100% full of oil.

If I read his comments correctly, he did not start the car after the shop got done with it. He had it flat bedded to an Audi dealer instead where they did a full oil change and trans fluid change. The DSG trans had no fluid in it, according to Audi service.

Quote:
I will say that smarter auto makers seem to have a nice practice of putting small hatches in the undertray to reach the necessities. Lexus is pretty good about that. Ours has a nice little hatch that unbolts to expose the bottom-mounted oil filter housing.

And then some, like MB, don't even perform regular oil changes from below. It's all extraction from the top.

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

Wouldn't let them work on my wheelbarrow. And *%# sure wouldn't have posted it on the internet, especially on BITOG.

 

[MCompact]

I'm just blessed to have an excellent BMW dealer and an excellent Mazda dealer as well as several first rate indie shops I can use when I don't feel like a DIY.

 

[Andrew1972]

One really poorly trained or apathetic employee making an entire industry look terrible.

I'd venture to guess 98% customers leave those places with no issues apparent to them and drive off into the sunset.

Not a fan of those places, I have used Walmart though in winter when I had a 95 Civic >200k.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
I will say that smarter auto makers seem to have a nice practice of putting small hatches in the undertray to reach the necessities. Lexus is pretty good about that. Ours has a nice little hatch that unbolts to expose the bottom-mounted oil filter housing.
And then some, like MB, don't even perform regular oil changes from below. It's all extraction from the top.

After you're done doing oil change in an MB engine with a fluid extractor, you wonder why others don't design oil dipstick tube similar to MB.

 

[Vikas]

Quote:
I'd venture to guess 98% customers leave those places with no issues apparent to them and drive off into the sunset.
OhMyGod! Please give me your guess as to how many oil changes are being done in an year by the instant oil lube shop chain.

 

[philipp10]

One other issue to bring up....how does the dealer get to a $1442.00 bill for a refill of the transmission, an oil change and some plastic shroud on the bottom of the car.....haha....German cars suck!

 

[Ifixyawata]

Originally Posted By: philipp10
One other issue to bring up....how does the dealer get to a $1442.00 bill for a refill of the transmission, an oil change and some plastic shroud on the bottom of the car.....haha....German cars suck!


In the original thread it's stated that a DSG (direct shift gearbox) Service is around $800...

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
So the guy hears them sawing into the bottom of his car ["I feel a jarring / ripping sensation through the floor of the car"] and he makes a "mental note?" Come on, not very smart!

Well, his 'smarts' were already in question the moment he decided to bring his car into a quickie lube place, IMO.


Good point!

 

[stchman]

Originally Posted By: Ifixyawata
Originally Posted By: philipp10
One other issue to bring up....how does the dealer get to a $1442.00 bill for a refill of the transmission, an oil change and some plastic shroud on the bottom of the car.....haha....German cars suck!


In the original thread it's stated that a DSG (direct shift gearbox) Service is around $800...


$800 to fill the DSG with fluid. I don't know how much fluid the DSG in that car took, but no way is it $800 worth of fluid and labor.

Oh well, I would not let a quick lube change oil on my lawnmower.

 

[Ifixyawata]

Originally Posted By: stchman
Originally Posted By: Ifixyawata
Originally Posted By: philipp10
One other issue to bring up....how does the dealer get to a $1442.00 bill for a refill of the transmission, an oil change and some plastic shroud on the bottom of the car.....haha....German cars suck!


In the original thread it's stated that a DSG (direct shift gearbox) Service is around $800...


$800 to fill the DSG with fluid. I don't know how much fluid the DSG in that car took, but no way is it $800 worth of fluid and labor.

Oh well, I would not let a quick lube change oil on my lawnmower.


I would completely believe it after seeing that an OEM kit to DIY is north of $100.

http://www.amazon.com/OEM-AUDI-FLUID-CHANGE-SERVICE/dp/B006CN9FNM

Then again, if the trans in my Focus took 6 quarts like it looks like DSGs do then I, too would be over the $100 mark as the spec'd Ford lube is $20/qt.

 

[Joe1]

How can a quick lube outlet turn a profit servicing a euro luxury make?

The prices quoted are for simple Honda Toyota, ford vehicles. Properly removing and reinstalling all the turn screws is a labor intensive operation.

The personnel are under intense pressure to get the service completed in a timely manner and it wouldn't surprise me if they cut corners to expedite things.

I'd pay a premium for dealer service,although that can be a dicey proposition. Perhaps find a competent mechanic who will install proper oil and filter.

Good service is hard to find.

 

[stchman]

Originally Posted By: Ifixyawata
Originally Posted By: stchman
Originally Posted By: Ifixyawata
Originally Posted By: philipp10
One other issue to bring up....how does the dealer get to a $1442.00 bill for a refill of the transmission, an oil change and some plastic shroud on the bottom of the car.....haha....German cars suck!


In the original thread it's stated that a DSG (direct shift gearbox) Service is around $800...


$800 to fill the DSG with fluid. I don't know how much fluid the DSG in that car took, but no way is it $800 worth of fluid and labor.

Oh well, I would not let a quick lube change oil on my lawnmower.


I would completely believe it after seeing that an OEM kit to DIY is north of $100.

http://www.amazon.com/OEM-AUDI-FLUID-CHANGE-SERVICE/dp/B006CN9FNM

Then again, if the trans in my Focus took 6 quarts like it looks like DSGs do then I, too would be over the $100 mark as the spec'd Ford lube is $20/qt.


No way a dealership pays $125 for that kit. I'm sorry, but OEM fluid is worth nowhere near the price they ask for it.

 

[Quattro Pete]

The story is now on jalopnik...
http://jalopnik.com/lazy-idiots-at-lube-shop-cut-hole-in-audi-s4s-aero-pan-1748394648

 

[GiveMeAVowel]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
The story is now on jalopnik...
http://jalopnik.com/lazy-idiots-at-lube-shop-cut-hole-in-audi-s4s-aero-pan-1748394648

Good. This story is going to put these hack shops feet to the fire.

I've been complaining about the horrid business practices of
the automotive repair and service industry for over a decade now,
SOMETHING has GOT TO BE DONE ABOUT IT!

How much you wanna bet that Ashland will want to take their Valvoline name off these quick lube places?

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted By: philipp10
One other issue to bring up....how does the dealer get to a $1442.00 bill for a refill of the transmission, an oil change and some plastic shroud on the bottom of the car.....haha....German cars suck!


You nailed it; I lie in bed wide awake most every night fervently wishing I had bought a four wheeled appliance...

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: MCompact
Originally Posted By: philipp10
One other issue to bring up....how does the dealer get to a $1442.00 bill for a refill of the transmission, an oil change and some plastic shroud on the bottom of the car.....haha....German cars suck!


You nailed it; I lie in bed wide awake most every night fervently wishing I had bought a four wheeled appliance...

 

[JustinH]

Seems like a pretty dumb shop.

My dad has been taking his caravan to valvoline for years. When I had a new saturn with an ecotec motor and cartridge filter the shop manager came out and told me they would not service the car because it had a cartridge filter and they did not have tools to do it or filters.

This is when cartridge filters first came out in GM cars.

Why someone would cut a hole in the $$$ belly pan of an Audi over a 49 dollar oil change is insanity.

When I changed the transmission fluid in my toyota rav4 and had to drop the transmission pan, I had to take down the belly pan. Sure enough I broke a bunch of the clips and bolts, and had to order them.

The valvoline shop should have said, no thanks take your car somewhere else.

I bet the Audi dealer uses an oil extractor to change oil on those cars, instead of risking breaking the underbody pan.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: JustinH
The valvoline shop should have said, no thanks take your car somewhere else.

It was a Groupon deal. The owner of the Audi already prepaid for the service, so Valvoline was on the hook to deliver the services.

I think their general practice is not to turn away business, even though in reality they are not equipped (from an experience and/or process standpoint) to handle some cars. The way they can offer inexpensive oil changes is by doing them quickly (to reduce labor cost), but on some cars you just can't do them that quickly without cutting corners (or belly pans in this case).

 

[deven]

Called 3 places, valvoline instant oil change, Firestone and Speedee oil change to see if they'd change oil in my 2012 Audi A6 and all three places would not do it because they did not carry the oil filter for this car. Interesting.