One tip for Hondas with the rear mounted filter: change the oil cold. Oil will be in the pan; mess will be minimized.
This is 100% my preference.
This is 100% my preference.
I am considering the Dark Side. Quick Oil Change shops.
- Thread starter Kurtatron
- Start date
And all these happened to you? Or was it a friend of a friends-third cousin once removed?
I drive company cars, and have for decades, the oil is changed frequently due the number of miles driven.
In about 25 years I have yet to have a problem with any quicky lube places.
If they failed to change the oil or filter, or cheated me in some way, it didn't appear to have any detrimental effects.
No over fills, no under fills, no stripped drain plugs, no filters have fallen off, no leaks.
The only bad experiences have been at car dealers, and they were numerous.
In about 25 years I have yet to have a problem with any quicky lube places.
If they failed to change the oil or filter, or cheated me in some way, it didn't appear to have any detrimental effects.
No over fills, no under fills, no stripped drain plugs, no filters have fallen off, no leaks.
The only bad experiences have been at car dealers, and they were numerous.
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I agree the convenience is nice for sure! I have given in when I had to many moons ago... I remember the upsells when they didnt even look at my vehicle... Told me I needed a coolant flush. (the radiator had a small crack, I had one on order and was going to replace it that weekend) I told them it has a leak, they said it didn't just needs a flush.... Also the cheap filters that are used scare me. But I know I have seen TONS of over tightened filters and drain plugs (some under, but mainly over). I get being over it, and if you can find a place you are ok with, why not, but as a DIY'r and a person who is particular about their vehicle, its hard to use a "quickie lube" shop.
The last time I visited an oil change place, they underfilled the car (2017 Mustang 2.3) with 5W-20. It was below the FILL line, and was the wrong viscosity. The time before that (2001 Sentra), they under-tightened the filter and oil dripped directly on the exhaust immediately after leaving, smoke rolling from under the hood after a mile of driving. Would you like me to review my entire history with these places, or will this suffice?
Why not run a super long life oil filter and change it every 3rd oil change or so?
This. A good friend is a manager of a quick lube, and he tells me to stay far away from them. The number of oil pans they have had to replace due to screw-ups by the techs is astounding, and that only counts the ones they had to replace because it leaked bad enough. That doesn't count the cars not filled up with oil (maybe they put in 5 quarts instead of 6, good enough right?) or the drain plugs that were on just tight enough until the next guy goes to mess with it and it falls out.
I'll go to an independent shop or dealership before a quick lube.
This.
My sister's 2005 Civic had the same oil filter setup, it's basically impossible to not dump oil everywhere on the exhaust and down your arm when changing it. I used a Fram Ultra on that car for 10k miles.
You know on any other forum-I would be concerned if the oil was not up to the "fill-line". But on here if it's 1/64" below the fill-line (not that the dipstick is an accurate tool to measure anyway) due to the prevalent OCD on here it's the most minute detail sets the alarm bell offs. If it was 1/64" over you would have mentioned that as well.
Just another day on BITOG....................
Not more than 3 yrs ago our local Sears Auto offered conventional oil/filter changes for $20. I knew the service manager and he said they really made nothing off of that, but the things they advised the customer actually needing (not typical upselling there) made up for it for the most part. I was getting full synthetic/high mileage filter changed for an average of $45. He added in what coupons he could every time and it paid off. Thing is recently that Auto center/Sears store next to it were shut down and now leveled to make room for a new Publix.
Could be worse, like a ford fiesta.
(pic taken from google; the horizontal filter is above those hoses)
Sorry...but it sounds like your good friend is incompetent and doesn't need to be managing a lube shop. First of all, nearly all "stripped" oil pans aren't stripped. 99.99999% of every oil pan I ever saw could easily be repaired with a thread chaser. The threads are still there, they've just been pulled and need to be straightened, new plug installed and tightened per the manufacturer specs with a torque wrench. A lot of times...it's the plug that has damaged threads...then an uneducated pit worker tries to put it back...and amplifies the problem. Most of the time, a brand new drain plug is all that's needed. It's all about training.
If his employees screw up THAT much...it's a direct reflection of poor management. In 14 years and 4 quick lubes I worked in...I can remember 2 claims that required me to pay out money....and a 3rd that was an oil filter failure that was paid by the filter manufacturer. Sloppy workers didn't work for me long at all. If procedures are followed...mistakes are minimal to nonexistent.
Dealerships have $9/hr "lube techs" changing oil and most have minimal training. The majority of oil pans I ever had to fix were serviced at a dealership prior. Mostly Ford and Honda.
GoldDot40, I greatly appreciate the information... The funny thing is I saw it from the dealership side. While at a VW dealer, we constantly replaced oil pans from independent facilities. As you said "quickie lubes" get bad reps, I feel the same about dealerships. I think the automotive industry as a whole gets a bad rep regardless if a dealer or independent.
Here's an example of what happens when you do the quick lube shops route;
3.5 EcoBoost under valve covers/front cover | Bob Is The Oil Guy
AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2025
Yep exactly. Me working for one I would never send any car there ever especially with the mystery oil we always got at the one I started my career at that was enough for me.
In the big city near me (50 miles away) there is a 10 MINUTE OIL CHANGE SHOP. This place has an awful reputation for ripping off the consumer. They have been busted by undercover news agencies so many times.
Take 5 Oil Change | Stay In Your Car | Contact-Free Car Care
AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2025
Oh yeah I have seen claims about those. Mine wasn’t much better.
Please, don't. If you like the car, you should always do it yourself. I bought my in law's car that has always had Prompto oil changes. He was happy to mention they just changed the oil when I was looking to buy it. Even had a fresh oil change sticker on the windshield. When I got it home and drained the oil, it slowly glubbed out a thick, shiny grey "oil" that was also 2.5 quarts low. The only thing they ever changed was the filter. Also, they replaced the drain plug with a hook bolt from Home Depot and RTVd the crap out of it. Not every place is the same, but it's always a risk.
Me. I like the Ford Quicklane operation near me. I switched because I was trying to make sure that the extended warranty stayed in effect. They use good materials. They never up sell me. They even seem to have low turnover.
I was reassured the first few times when I saw a variety of well preserved old cars in line ahead of me. (Motorcraft oil is almost exactly like Honda oil FWIW.)
They’ll knock $20 off the price if you bring your own oil, which is what I do now.
The price has gone up by $10, but they deserve it. Whoever is in charge of the operation for Ford should be promoted.
