Quick Lube Success Stories?

[Shannow]

Originally Posted By: turtlevette
Valoline let's you sit in your car here. I could feel the car bump several times when they tightened the plug. When I did the next change myself the plug was too tight and I spent hours getting the filter off, a mangled mess.


You reckon you are a car guy and let someone else mess with your ride while you've obviously got time enough to do it yourself...you are sitting in it.

Do you bring another guy into the bedroom and complain on the mattress shifting ?

 

[burchster13]

We had pretty good systems in place at Grease Monkey. When the car was ready for oil we called up the filter number and "ready for oil" to make sure the filter matched what the sheet showed. And on cars with lubed ball joints and u joints we called up the number of lube points and if it didn't match the number shown from a previous visit you had better find that missing one. Aldo for the prepull inspection there had to be no oil on any frame parts or grease globes on the lube points.

 

[Johnny2Bad]

The local Chrysler dealer has a 15 minute maximum wait time (to get the car in) for oil changes, and enough bays to see that guarantee is valid. I never use them but they sponsor the local Circle Track and sell High Performance parts, and mot just Chryco products, and have a good reputation.

The Great Canadian Oil Change shops in town have a good rep, the shops are 100% glass walls, you can see the techs work from just about anywhere, including from the street. Each location has some kind of classic car or hot rod on static display inside, so there is something cool to do besides sip coffee while you wait.

I just don't like paying for something I can do myself, and buy a good steak and a beer for myself when I'm done, and be money ahead.

 

[Johnny2Bad]

Originally Posted By: RISUPERCREWMAN
Originally Posted By: Clevy

snip ...

And if a car is an investment it is by far the stupidest investment any human being can make in their life with the rate of devaluation the minute you drive it off the lot so to call it an investment is absurd.
It's an appliance. I don't invest in securities that depreciate like an automobile does. What kind of fool invests in such a manner.
I thought investments were supposed to up in value.


It's not a question of whether a car is a stupid investment. Rather than a investment of necessity for most Americans who want to get to work & have a life. Dahhhh. Given the fact that most New cars today are well north of $20K off the lot. Heck my Harley Street Glide was over $20K! I'd rather not have a High School drop out do the wrenching on my ride! To each his own. I live my life by a simple saying. " Life is Tough but it's even tougher when your Stupid! "


Theres the right approach ... a car is not an investment-grade purchase, but it is a tool required for most people, to earn a decent income. Every job needs supporting "tools" be they clothes, work tools, a home, and some form of transportation. For some jobs even a decent watch is a necessary tool, even the choice of mobile phone you use is job-dependent.

Even if you have free use of a company car you still pay, with tax implications, and it's a payroll cost ... money that could be in your pay packet instead.

It costs money to work. But the value of those expenditures can't be viewed in a vacuum. Just because we have choice when it comes to what vehicle we drive doesn't necessarily mean we view those choices in purely investment terms.

Some people love to drive, some people hate it. They will place different values on transportation costs, but they both pay for transportation.

If a vehicle was such a poor investment, there is no way you could get people to pay for gas. But the oil industry seems to chug along without too much trouble.

 

[RISUPERCREWMAN]

Originally Posted By: Cristobal
I used to take company cars to those places. Never my personal cars. Drunk, stoned, incompetent/dishonest guys, I met them all.


Exactly!

 

[cb_13]

Originally Posted By: turtlevette
Originally Posted By: Ethan1
Originally Posted By: turtlevette
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Nobody posted any good/successful(without over-sell) oil change at quick lube on internet. But a slight disappoint oil change(0.001% ?) will be posted and discuss forever.


They're all incompetent. Have you ever seen one use a torque wrench on the oil plug? Eventually they'll strip that out. They all over tighten, because of the horror stories of plugs falling out. How much is it to ask that they invest a few hundred bucks in torque wrenches?



You use a torque wrench on your drain plug? I consider myself a stickler for proper torqe, but I really don't find it necessary to use a torque wrench. I would never do suspension or engine work without a torque wrench. I keep a torque wrench in my trunk in case I have to change a tire. But not for a drain plug.

Do you use the torque wrench on your filter


No I don't use a torque wrench on anything but head bolts. But I'm not an idiot either although there are many here who will disagree. I also worry about the over tightening of oil filters and trans and diff drain plugs. I don't know why but those items take an order of magnitude more torque to remove than install. If I ever have my oil done again, I will bring a torque wrench with me and tell the monkeys to use it.

I don't know when it became cool to degrade people because of their profession but I have noticed it a lot on this site recently. There could be multiple reasons they work at such a place. Inability to do anything else is one but they could be doing it as a second job or because they are currently going to school to be a technician.

At least they are working and not selling drugs or living off government assistance. So get off your high horse or at least be man enough to go out and say it to their faces instead of being a keyboard commando. And no I do not work at a quick lube, just sick of seeing these people run down just for having a job.

 

[turtlevette]

Originally Posted By: Shannow
Originally Posted By: turtlevette
Valoline let's you sit in your car here. I could feel the car bump several times when they tightened the plug. When I did the next change myself the plug was too tight and I spent hours getting the filter off, a mangled mess.


You reckon you are a car guy and let someone else mess with your ride while you've obviously got time enough to do it yourself...you are sitting in it.

Do you bring another guy into the bedroom and complain on the mattress shifting ?


That's cute. you're trying to bust my balls. Philosophy changes over the years. You make a big mess changing oil, then decide its not worth it. Then have it done for a number of years. Then you do a change and realize they're on the verge of stripping the plug. I also watched a jiffy lube guy rifling thru my papers in the vette which contained Picts of the wife for my eyes only.

I'm very private and don't want people messing with my stuff.

 

[Benito]

Why would you keep "private" pics of your wife in your car?

Do you want your girlfriend to see them?

 

[ramammoth]

Quick lubes are fine. Never had a major problem with them. I use SpeeDee oil change and have been for 20 years. It's just like any other contract job. Watch them and if you don't like what they're doing, speak up and resolve it. You can always take your business elsewhere.

 

[ccap41]

Originally Posted By: Benito
Why would you keep "private" pics of your wife in your car?

Do you want your girlfriend to see them?

lol Right?!?

And it isn't unreasonable to go through a glove box looking for a manual to verify something. You complain they are incompetent, then when they try and do a good job get criticized for it.. jeez..

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: cb_13
Inability to do anything else is one but they could be doing it as a second job or because they are currently going to school to be a technician.

The latter group I can trust; the former not so much unless they actually take pride in their work. I've seen both ends of the spectrum. I've seen guys very careful and been happy with their work. I've seen them use quality products and take pride in what they've done.

I've also seen my G37 from the used car dealership filled with 6+ litres of oil because someone doesn't know how to read specifications or measure properly, when I took possession of the thing. I've also had to loosen a Cummins oil drain plug with a breaker bar thanks to a quick lube. So, as long as I can do my oil changes myself, I certainly will.

 

[cb_13]

Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: cb_13
Inability to do anything else is one but they could be doing it as a second job or because they are currently going to school to be a technician.

The latter group I can trust; the former not so much unless they actually take pride in their work. I've seen both ends of the spectrum. I've seen guys very careful and been happy with their work. I've seen them use quality products and take pride in what they've done.

I've also seen my G37 from the used car dealership filled with 6+ litres of oil because someone doesn't know how to read specifications or measure properly, when I took possession of the thing. I've also had to loosen a Cummins oil drain plug with a breaker bar thanks to a quick lube. So, as long as I can do my oil changes myself, I certainly will.


There are hacks for sure but the same can be said of every profession. Grouping them all together and calling them monkeys is completely uncalled for though. Not referring to you there Garak as you did no such thing. Just a few months ago another member of this forum was referring to all dealership techs as monkeys as well.

 

[Garak]

There certainly are good techs and certainly good lube people. I understand the fears, so avoid such places. It's not like there is some certification required to work at a quick lube, and that's got it's good and bad points. Then again, a certification system doesn't prevent dishonesty from the business or employees themselves.