Ford Quick Lane Oil Change Review

[CKN]

Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: CKN
And how many threads do we see that an engine was actually damaged-by a "Quick Lube" type place. Not many....not many at all.

Fair enough. So, is your gold standard to judge a quick lube place that "nothing was damaged?" Non-spec oils, filters not explicitly listed by an application guide, overfilling, underfilling, paying for work that wasn't done, and upsells are all okay, as long as there's no damage?



If any of the stuff you listed happened.....your car wouldn't blow up. There are thousand of cars that get their oil changed everyday at "Quick Lube" places and other type "garages". They are all on the road and NOT SITTING ON THE SIDE of the road.

But hey-change your own oil-validate whatever your position is-that's fine. Most owners do not wish to crawl under their car-deal with removal of the aero covers/skirts that are under almost all cars that need to come off-and then have to dispose of the old oil-nope most don't want to deal with it.

 

[JTK]

I've used my local Ford quick lane a bunch of times for various make/model vehicles. Mostly for yearly State inspections, but I once had them do a brake service on a Hyundai Santa Fe I had, where they pulled the pads all the way around, cleaned and lubed everything for around $70. I like the way they take their time. It appears the Techs are paid by the hour, but I'm not sure on that. No appointments, first come first served is very convenient as well. Their pricing is OK as well, but like I've discovered, the price gap between independent shops and dealer service is narrowing big time IMO.

 

[pandus13]

Originally Posted By: oil_film_movies
...Plus, they don't use Fram Ultras.

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA,

The Ultimate BITOG insult!!!!!!

P.S. how many BITOGers saw that?

 

[oil_film_movies]

Originally Posted By: tig1
I removed the shield on my 2017 Fusion and it ain't goin back on. I also removed the shield on my 2007 Fusion when I first bought it.

I've heard people complain about Ford's shields. I don't see how they are a pain.
Torx bits is all it takes. Very E-Z to slide off and on.
Those shields keeps the underside of the engine from having intimate encounters with rocks and mud.
Also increases MPG filling in those areas.

 

[SilverSnake]

Originally Posted By: oil_film_movies
Originally Posted By: tig1
I removed the shield on my 2017 Fusion and it ain't goin back on. I also removed the shield on my 2007 Fusion when I first bought it.

I've heard people complain about Ford's shields. I don't see how they are a pain. Torx bits is all it takes. Very E-Z to slide off and on. Those shields keeps the underside of the engine from having intimate encounters with rocks and mud. Also increases MPG filling in those areas.


You are correct. There is nothing difficult about removing and re-installing the pans on Ford cars. You are also correct in the functions they perform that you identified. In addition, they are designed to help direct the air flow through the radiator and engine compartment for the most efficient engine cooling. They also do a good job of keeping dust and debris out of the compartment which makes it a lot easier to keep the engine clean (although if you pop the hood on most cars you can see that most people don't care at all about engine cleanliness). These types of "modifications" are just one of many reasons why I do not buy used cars.

 

[PimTac]

Originally Posted By: oil_film_movies
Originally Posted By: tig1
I removed the shield on my 2017 Fusion and it ain't goin back on. I also removed the shield on my 2007 Fusion when I first bought it.

I've heard people complain about Ford's shields. I don't see how they are a pain.
Torx bits is all it takes. Very E-Z to slide off and on.
Those shields keeps the underside of the engine from having intimate encounters with rocks and mud.
Also increases MPG filling in those areas.




A smart automaker puts a access plate in the shield to get to the drain plug and filter.

 

[oil_film_movies]

Originally Posted By: PimTac
A smart automaker puts a access plate in the shield to get to the drain plug and filter.

Very true. Does cost a few pennies more per car to make it that way. BMW does this, and its oil filter is accessed from the top.

Getting back to the thread subject, those undercar shields can slow Quickie-Lube commercial work down some. They hate them. They like to get-r-done fast.

 

[jfranks314]

I like the sentiment that this gentleman expresses. Similar to what is in the book, "Shopcraft as Soulcraft". Our society is losing that element of pride in our work and craftsmanship. I, for one, have gone back to doing my own maintenance just because I enjoy it. Now that I am under the truck again, I find out that the screws holding the panel on ( to allow the oil to drain from the filter) have been stripped - put new ones on. It took some time to figure out the right size diameter and thread pitch, but that's ok. It's now done correctly. A half dozen other shortcuts are evident now that I'm doing the work. All corrected.

I also can afford the time to let the drain go an extra half hour and drain another cup of old oil. While one can debate the merits of this, I still feel better about it. Apply the same level of care to draining and replacing the ATF, Power steering fluid, differential (front and rear), brake fluid, etc. It just feels good knowing that it was done right and my trusty partner in life (Nissan Frontier) is taken care of correctly.

Feeling philosophical this morning ...

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: PimTac
Originally Posted By: oil_film_movies
Originally Posted By: tig1
I removed the shield on my 2017 Fusion and it ain't goin back on. I also removed the shield on my 2007 Fusion when I first bought it.

I've heard people complain about Ford's shields. I don't see how they are a pain.
Torx bits is all it takes. Very E-Z to slide off and on.
Those shields keeps the underside of the engine from having intimate encounters with rocks and mud.
Also increases MPG filling in those areas.




A smart automaker puts a access plate in the shield to get to the drain plug and filter.


My Mercedes doesn't do them. I think the standard way they change oil at the dealer is to vacuum it out from the top and the oil filter cartridge is also on the top so they don't need to remove the access plate. I do it the old fashioned way and it can be a tight fit for my drill.

 

[barryh]

My old 190e Mercedes had access to the drain plug at the side of the shield but my W204 doesn't. That's a retrograde step and prompted me to do a vacuum oil change and now I wouldn't go back. The new cartridge oil filter arrangement is a big improvement on the old spin on filter. Far less mess.

 

[HangFire]

Originally Posted By: CKN
And how many threads do we see that an engine was actually damaged-by a "Quick Lube" type place. Not many....not many at all.

Not many such threads on BITOG, because BITOGer's mostly DIY. Elsewhere, those threads do exist.

If you count stripped, overtorqued, and buttressed thread drain plugs as engine damage, I bet there are a LOT of Iffy Lube damaged engines out there.

I think CKN, if complaining about Iffy Lubes really bothers you, BITOG may not be the place for you. This forum is all about doing engine lubrication better. Iffy Lubes are not about doing it better. They're just about getting it done and making a buck, and more about the latter than the former.

 

[Whimsey]

Originally Posted By: HangFire
Originally Posted By: CKN
And how many threads do we see that an engine was actually damaged-by a "Quick Lube" type place. Not many....not many at all.

Not many such threads on BITOG, because BITOGer's mostly DIY. Elsewhere, those threads do exist.

If you count stripped, overtorqued, and buttressed thread drain plugs as engine damage, I bet there are a LOT of Iffy Lube damaged engines out there.

I think CKN, if complaining about Iffy Lubes really bothers you, BITOG may not be the place for you. This forum is all about doing engine lubrication better. Iffy Lubes are not about doing it better. They're just about getting it done and making a buck, and more about the latter than the former.


Sadly that not only happens at quick lube places. My wife took her new 2005 Explorer to the Ford dealer, no quick lube lane, every 5,000 miles for an oil change during her 75,000 mile extended warranty. The first oil change I did after that the drain plug threads were basically stripped, needed a breaker bar to loosen it. I had to purchase a new plug, thank goodness the pan threads are ok, no leaks. The oil filter, which is in a difficult location crushed trying to get it off, it was on soooo tight. I think all outside lube joints over tighten the drain plug and filter in fear of loosening and losing oil and being sued. IF you are able to it's best to do it yourself, though not always possible.

Whimsey