So Now I Know....

[CarbonSteel]

So I go into the nearest inspection station to have my FX4 inspected (the inspection station is attached to a Pennzoil quick lube place) and I am first in line--I am thinking sweet, in and out.

After about 10 minutes, it appears the tech is ready for me to go, so I start walking out and another tech calls me over. I am thinking there was a problem with the emissions or something only to find he has pulled my air filter out to show it to me. He says "I know that you are just here for an inspection, but I wanted to show you the condition of your filter, you really should change it."

I said, "Dude, did I ask you to open my air filter housing? You really should not have done that because you have probably allowed some dirt and certainly silicon to enter the housing. I had plans to change it in a few thousand miles."

He says, "Well, I doubt much went into the system."

I said, "I do not have the time or inclination to explain it to you, but every time you mess with the housing, silicon enters the engine and any is more than there would have been. Since I will not use your generic filter and I do not have my new one with me, I will have to open it again, so twice the exposure. Close it back up and you should ASK the owner next time!"

I guess I now know how some of you feel with you post an episode with . Although it could have been worse, it sure makes me wonder how these guys can just start wrenching on things without asking. Fairly lame in my book...

 

[Deamos]

Yep. Posted about my first experience with this kind of thing a few weeks ago.

I didn't try to explain the rest about the dirt they let in by pulling the filter to show me, but I was certainly firm in my declining and saying that I would change at the manual specified interval.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: Deamos
Yep. Posted about my first experience with this kind of thing a few weeks ago.

I didn't try to explain the rest about the dirt they let in by pulling the filter to show me, but I was certainly firm in my declining and saying that I would change at the manual specified interval.



My experience was several years ago when it was just too cold outside for weeks and oil needed to be changed. They shoved a screwdriver in an air hose to pop it off and shoved the screwdriver into the MAF ruining it.

 

[JHZR2]

All my cars have the snout that the air goes into the engine above the filter panel. The reality is that besides breaking a good seal, and possibly a less compliant gasket after those miles, not much of anything did go in. Peeing in the ocean so to speak...

But I too would be annoyed that they didnt leave well enough alone.

Makes it worth it to get those K&N stop sign stickers, even if you dont use K&N.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

When I took a friend's car to a VIOC they did a good job of shoving both the air filter and cabin filter in my face!

 

[Fleetmon]

Although I too only use the quick lube places when absolutely necessary, I also inform them to leave everything alone except for the engine oil change...."don't check the air filter, don't check the tire pressure, don't wash the windows or vacuum the interior, don't, etc, etc".

Once last winter while out of town I visited one of those places and although I was watching from outside, went inside to get a cup of coffee and while fixing my coffee heard one of the workers say "hey, look at the size of these bullets". I knew right away they were rooting around in my back seat since I had a belt of .50BMG's under a jacket on the seat....I walked into the shop and asked if I could help them locate anything they were looking for. One was leaning into the rear of my truck and the other two were looking through the window.

I simply stood by while they finished up (they were silent as mice), drove my truck out of the bay and told the manager to send me a bill and I would contemplate paying it.....he apologized and told me my oil change was on the house.

 

[CarbonSteel]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Makes it worth it to get those K&N stop sign stickers, even if you dont use K&N.

LOL - this is true. They had some generic filter they wanted to charge me 2x the cost of a Napa Gold....uh...no thanks!

 

[ARCOgraphite]

First mistake is going within 150 yards of a Quick Lube Chain. After having my or my wife's car ravaged many times with horrendous service (Double overfilled oil, airbox disassembled and thrown in a pile under the hood, valvestem covers tossed away, oil spilled all over the exhaust, radiator, belts, etc, never again EVER.
If it is too cold and windy outdoors to change oil by myself, I will go to a master garage. Unfortunately Even many OE dealers are bad too. It's usually best just buck up and take the cold like an Icelander.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
First mistake is going within 150 yards of a Quick Lube Chain. After having my or my wife's car ravaged many times with horrendous service (Double overfilled oil, airbox disassembled and thrown in a pile under the hood, valvestem covers tossed away, oil spilled all over the exhaust, radiator, belts, etc, never again EVER.
If it is too cold and windy outdoors to change oil by myself, I will go to a master garage. Unfortunately Even many OE dealers are bad too. It's usually best just buck up and take the cold like an Icelander.


Ford dealers do a good job, IMO. Also - for what they charge for 5 quarts of MC Synblend and a MC filter ... it's only a few dollars more than buying it yourself!

Of course, the thought is that you'll hang out in the showroom and buy a new Ford

 

[shDK]

Isen,t normal practise to vacume The airfilterbox when removing The airfilterbox? IF doing that. I see no reason not to remove the airfilter for inspection.

 

[CarbonSteel]

Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
First mistake is going within 150 yards of a Quick Lube Chain.

I did not "go" to a quick lube chain, I went to a vehicle inspection station for the annual smog test. The quick lube is attached to it as is the case for most of these in TX. Ideally, the quick lube guy should not have so much as looked at my vehicle much less touched it and therein lies my beef--what the &*@$^%! was he doing messing with my vehicle when it was not there for service of any kind.

 

[Errtt]

How about.. I once took the wife's Escape in for a OC (my back was out). On the way back home all a sudden engine sounds different. Pull in the driveway and got to looking and found the air filter laying down below... fell out of the housing. They must have checked it and couldn't get it fit in right to clamp the housing properly. That was my 1st & hopefully last time at a quickie lube kind of place.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: 2010_FX4
LOL - this is true. They had some generic filter they wanted to charge me 2x the cost of a Napa Gold....uh...no thanks!

That's the annoying thing. They really don't understand air filters or how filtration works. They sure as heck can spot a "dirty" filter though, and are experts at selling and replacing them.

 

[y_p_w]

The thing about air filters is that they still function pretty well even with dirt trapped in them.

I've used nothing but OEM Subaru air filters on my WRX. I've gotten curious and opened boxes to see what's in them, and none of the aftermarket filters I've seen for this application are like the OEM Subaru. OEM Subaru filters are moderately oiled (I remember round AC air filters were mildly oiled) and even after a few hundred miles (I've checked a few times) you can see the airflow pattern because the vast majority of dirt is trapped right at the edge of the pleat. As far as I can tell, these aren't filters that actually improve filtration with age, but also where they don't really get restricted with age because of how the dirt sort of cakes on along the edge. I've never seen this kind of dirt pattern on a dry air filter. The dirt is also primarily across maybe a third of the area of the filter. I always wondered if I could just turn the rectangular filter around, but chose not to. Even after 25K miles, most of the filter looks to be unobstructed. I think it's a great concept, but why aren't other rectangular filters constructed this way? I used to buy rectangular AC filters cheap for my dad's Buick, but they were dry.

Now I suspect that if I took this in to a quick lube place they might look at it in 10K miles and tell me it needs to be replaced.

 

[kkreit01]

I've never stepped 1 foot, nor driven 1 tire into a quick lube. I have taken advantage of free dealer changes, but if they can't change the oil on their own cars, then we have a real problem.

 

[hattaresguy]

Whenever I bring my truck to the dealer I instruct them not to check and top off every fluid. No thanks I can keep my own equipment running just fine without someone else screwing around with it.

 

[HangFire]

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
Whenever I bring my truck to the dealer I instruct them not to check and top off every fluid. No thanks I can keep my own equipment running just fine without someone else screwing around with it.


Yeah nothing like replacing the brake pads and the reservoir overflows because some rube topped it off "because it was low", D'oh, it has an expanding rubber gasket for a reason!

 

[webfors]

Yeah, that was out of line. Hence why I always watch with mine own eyes!