I change my own oil on the durango, but since I no longer have a lift, I DO take my lowered accord to places to have them change it for me. I don't mind except there is always an "expert" willing to tell me what I "need" to do blah blah... post funny but short stories of your experiences. Mine? i was getting a dino oil change but wanted to use a M1 filter since i didn't want the house filter...the guy told me I could only use the M1 filter with M1 oil...I just looked at him and said, "put it on"...that was at least 200K miles ago...
oil change place stories (mods move if in wrong pl
- Thread starter joel95ex
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Took my Buick in for an oil change right when I first got it because it was the middle of winter and I didn't want to monkey around with a new-to-me car. Besides, it was $15 to have the place do it. Hasn't had the oil changed by a garage since.
The guy comes out, sits down, and starts telling me how everything on this car is original, and I have to have all this stuff done to it soon or it'll "be bad". Coolant flush, transmission flush, brake fluid flush, about $350 of work for the place. This is all explained very simply like I wouldn't understand a bit of it, which just put me off completely. Anyhow, I sit and nod, decline everything, pay and leave.
I can only imagine how many older folks fall for that line.
The guy comes out, sits down, and starts telling me how everything on this car is original, and I have to have all this stuff done to it soon or it'll "be bad". Coolant flush, transmission flush, brake fluid flush, about $350 of work for the place. This is all explained very simply like I wouldn't understand a bit of it, which just put me off completely. Anyhow, I sit and nod, decline everything, pay and leave.
I can only imagine how many older folks fall for that line.
Not a huge fiasco, but when I was a sophomore in high school I took my car to a Jiffy Lube knockoff to get an oil change. After half an hour they presented me with a bill for more than $150: oil change, coolant flush and new PCV valve. I wasn't asked to authorize the work. I actually called the police and spent over an hour at the lube joint before I could leave.
Funny, but I probably would have paid the bill if I'd had the money.
Funny, but I probably would have paid the bill if I'd had the money.
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Originally Posted By: joel95ex
I change my own oil on the durango, but since I no longer have a lift, I DO take my lowered accord to places to have them change it for me. I don't mind except there is always an "expert" willing to tell me what I "need" to do blah blah... post funny but short stories of your experiences. Mine? i was getting a dino oil change but wanted to use a M1 filter since i didn't want the house filter...the guy told me I could only use the M1 filter with M1 oil...I just looked at him and said, "put it on"...that was at least 200K miles ago...
Getcha some Rhino Ramps
I change my own oil on the durango, but since I no longer have a lift, I DO take my lowered accord to places to have them change it for me. I don't mind except there is always an "expert" willing to tell me what I "need" to do blah blah... post funny but short stories of your experiences. Mine? i was getting a dino oil change but wanted to use a M1 filter since i didn't want the house filter...the guy told me I could only use the M1 filter with M1 oil...I just looked at him and said, "put it on"...that was at least 200K miles ago...
Getcha some Rhino Ramps
I cleaned out my 87 F-150, 300 6cyl, and found a coupon under the seat for $8 off an oil change. The "mechanic" told me my oil pan gasket was leaking, coolant was dirty, and need a manual tranny fluid change. He then told me that "after hours" he could do the work at the shop for cash, and not to tell his boss.
Havent gone back to an oil change place since. I do it myself now.
Havent gone back to an oil change place since. I do it myself now.
Too Funny!
Took my 96 Explorer to the quick lube place. I come back to pick it up and the mechanic says you may want to come look at this, because you have a crack in your oil pan. I'm thinking well guess I could have hit something on the way over here, because I haven't been dripping any oil on the carport.
Anyway the crack just so happened to be right down the middle of the threads for the drain plug. I'm like well looks like you over tightened the bolt and cracked the oil pan (it had an aluminum oil pan). It was a cold morning and they blamed the cold oil hitting the hot oil pan for causing the crack.
I take it to a mechanic and he said the drain plug was was just hand tight. He said it looks like they over tightened the drain plug and cracked the oil pan then loosened the bolt to cover that up.
Long story short the shop owner agreed to pay for half the repairs for the oil pan since he believed his guys were telling the truth of what happened and he's heard of many stories of the aluminum oil pans cracking. It was $1200 for a new oil pan at the Ford dealership. The Explorer had a 5.0 V8 crammed into the engine compartment, so in order to remove/replace the oil pan you had to remove the entire front suspension. The replacement oil pan was steel. That got me wondering if this was an issue or not.
From that point on all oil changes were done at the dealership, until I bought my 08 Nissan Titan. I change the oil on it since the Nissan dealer wants way too much for an oil change.
Anyway the crack just so happened to be right down the middle of the threads for the drain plug. I'm like well looks like you over tightened the bolt and cracked the oil pan (it had an aluminum oil pan). It was a cold morning and they blamed the cold oil hitting the hot oil pan for causing the crack.
I take it to a mechanic and he said the drain plug was was just hand tight. He said it looks like they over tightened the drain plug and cracked the oil pan then loosened the bolt to cover that up.
Long story short the shop owner agreed to pay for half the repairs for the oil pan since he believed his guys were telling the truth of what happened and he's heard of many stories of the aluminum oil pans cracking. It was $1200 for a new oil pan at the Ford dealership. The Explorer had a 5.0 V8 crammed into the engine compartment, so in order to remove/replace the oil pan you had to remove the entire front suspension. The replacement oil pan was steel. That got me wondering if this was an issue or not.
From that point on all oil changes were done at the dealership, until I bought my 08 Nissan Titan. I change the oil on it since the Nissan dealer wants way too much for an oil change.
Shortly after I had finished tech school and was half-heartedly bumming around looking for a real job I met a neighbor who I used to smoke a lot of "wacky tobaccy" with. I needed to be hooked up with some stuff one night and he took me to the local Iffy Lube after hours. The "manager" sold me what I needed and offered me a job as well. He was a creepy little weasel, and I realized that Iffy Lube was not the place I wanted to take my car. Ever.
That was in my days of being young, dumb, and.... but I imagine many of the idiots that work at Iffy Lube to be pothead losers, not giving a rat's a** about much, if anything.
I gave up on the green smoke about 5 years ago, working on cars along with de-motivational substances that are smoked do not mix.
That was in my days of being young, dumb, and.... but I imagine many of the idiots that work at Iffy Lube to be pothead losers, not giving a rat's a** about much, if anything.
I gave up on the green smoke about 5 years ago, working on cars along with de-motivational substances that are smoked do not mix.
the ify lube guy came out with my air filter in hand and said we recommend you change these every 15,ooo miles - i said I agreed- but the car only has 7000 miles on it (was new)
I've seen several times at drive-in oil change
places where you sit in your car, where at the
end, the guy will come to your window to show
you the dipstick is at the full mark to prove
they filled you up, but will follow this procedure
right in front of you:
1 - remove and wipe off dipstick
2 - insert dipstick
3 - remove dipstick
(and stand there with it pointed to the ceiling
till whatever oil is on the stick drips down to
the full mark!)
4 - come to your window and show it to you...
places where you sit in your car, where at the
end, the guy will come to your window to show
you the dipstick is at the full mark to prove
they filled you up, but will follow this procedure
right in front of you:
1 - remove and wipe off dipstick
2 - insert dipstick
3 - remove dipstick
(and stand there with it pointed to the ceiling
till whatever oil is on the stick drips down to
the full mark!)
4 - come to your window and show it to you...
I used to work at one for a year or so when I was a young adult - the things I saw put me off to those places for life!
I always go to my own mechanic for all my work. even when my car is new and under warranty, my own mechanic gets the work. same as when i need any sort of filter change, I buy the filter, then i give it to him, and he replaces it. all parts i always buy in advance and present it to him. he's happy to get the work, and i'm happy because i save a fortune on parts by buying them online, and the work always gets done properly.
Those Jiffy Lube guys are crooks. Too many people let them get by, though, without watching them do the work they pay for. If I have to use a place like that, I get to where I can see my car and always feel better when the tech then sees me eyeballing him and my car. But I've never had them do a long job like an in-tank fuel filter.
And that TV reporter is a jewell too.
And that TV reporter is a jewell too.
Myself being a lube tech at a valvoline its funny to see some of the off the wall stuff that comes from the other shops in the area. All the guys here hold our shop to be one of the honest around. ([censored] stripped plugs/pans always coming from BRAKES PLUS)
After several years of professional therapy I have been able to successfully repress all of the lube stop nightmares I have experienced.
I started a thread about it last week, but a tech at a local oil change place (Kwik Kar) told a customer that he didn't recommend Pennzoil because "it has wax in it".
I service my own vehicles, but this was a fleet car and they paid for the oil change.
I service my own vehicles, but this was a fleet car and they paid for the oil change.
When I was a teenager I always took my car to get oil changes. I would go to whichever shop had the cheapest price at the time. One day I was at my dad's house and we were changing the oil. There was a plastic drain plug on my car. Since I went to a million different places for changes there was no telling which shop had stripped my drain plug and replaced it with a plastic one. My dad said "that's why I do all of my own work". Since then I've done my own changes.
Also, a guy I knew worked at a Texaco. He never changed the oil filter when he did oil changes. Lazy [censored].
Also, a guy I knew worked at a Texaco. He never changed the oil filter when he did oil changes. Lazy [censored].
I took my VUE to a quick place once when new(er). I was happy w/ the work, they were cordial, didn't do any hard sells, etc while I sat in the car. but, afterwards I realized that I hadn't remembered them changing the filter (it goes in the top on the ECOTEC). so, I don't really know if it was done. doesn't matter, because once the weather got warmer, I started doing them myself. I did appreciate that they have a mngr come out to sign off on everything, the tech needs to show them everything was done also (cap on, plug tight, oil level, etc.)
I once took my dad's Pontiac to one, and it had the Iron Duke motor with a wide drain plug and the filter cartridge up inside the engine. Stamped on the drain plug: "Tighten 1/4 turn after gasket touches". But would they do that? No. One place made it so tight the 12-point socket rounded off the head when I tried to change it the next time. Couldn't even get it off trying to tap the edge of the plug with a chisel or with Vice Grips. Ended up taking it back, and they had some special tool to get it off, but had to replace the drain plug after they mangled the heck out of it. Every time after that, I would bring my wrench with me, and warn them that I was going to check it when I drive out, and if it's too tight, they will make it right. One manager gave me the admonition not to come complaining when it falls off or starts leaking after they had to loosen it, to which I pointed out the car had 180,000 miles on it and it had NEVER leaked or fallen off when installed correctly.
I took my Saturn one place, and they came out to tell me they didn't have any 10W-30. I asked them why they would be telling me this when it clearly says 5W-30 on the cap. "Oh, it does?". I had my share of places showing me the air filter and trying to sell me a new one because you can see dirt in it. Wow, what a concept; air filters catch dirt! Even if I had only changed it 3000 miles before they would try that trick.
They would invariably over-inflate my tires. The last place I ever went to I made them come out and fix it after I drove out and checked with my own gauge. If the door sticker says 30 front and 26 rear, I don't think that means to put 35 all around and show that on the bill.
I don't go to quickie lubes anymore. I will happily endure a cold garage and get dirty knowing it's done right.
I took my Saturn one place, and they came out to tell me they didn't have any 10W-30. I asked them why they would be telling me this when it clearly says 5W-30 on the cap. "Oh, it does?". I had my share of places showing me the air filter and trying to sell me a new one because you can see dirt in it. Wow, what a concept; air filters catch dirt! Even if I had only changed it 3000 miles before they would try that trick.
They would invariably over-inflate my tires. The last place I ever went to I made them come out and fix it after I drove out and checked with my own gauge. If the door sticker says 30 front and 26 rear, I don't think that means to put 35 all around and show that on the bill.
I don't go to quickie lubes anymore. I will happily endure a cold garage and get dirty knowing it's done right.
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