Think before you change your friends oil...

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Here's one for the group.

I've been doing oil changes and basic maintenance on my cars since I was a young man.

I've gotten it down to quite a science, with a system in place where I don't even drip a drop of oil on anything.

I can do it in a decent shirt, and still wear that shirt to dinner.

Right now I'm servicing my car, my girlfriends, and her younger sister. No problem.

So my girlfriend's blonde friend was telling me how she pays the dealership 35 bucks to change the oil in her 2001 focus. I started laughing, and told her that it could be done for 10-11 bucks in supplies and about 20 minutes.

So I agreed to do it the following week. I told her to just bring about 15 bucks in cash, and I would go to the auto parts store and get the supplies.

So, she arrives at our house with a bag from walmart. A five quart jug of ST dino, and an orange can of doom filter. I say to her "ah, did ya get the right stuff?". She's like "yeah I talked to the tech at walmart."

I should have known better.

So, I get the oil drained and the filter off the car. No problem. I triple check to make sure that the old gasket is on the old filter, and not stuck on the housing. Looks good.

I grab the fram suregrip, and spin it on. Feels good and tight by hand. Pour in the cheapo supertech oil, to exactly 4.5 quarts.

I take care to roll the car off the ramps before starting it.

I start the thing, and the oil light won't go off. I let it run for exactly 5 seconds.

The fram filter had blown off the housing, and the car was pumping oil all over the driveway.

I panic like crazy, thinking I will have to buy a motor for this girl.

I get the fram filter, and compare it to the old one.

The fram is about an inch longer, and not the right filter.

The tech had given her the wrong filter. I forget the last time I was so mad, I thought my head was going to explode in the driveway.

So, I yell to the girls to give me the keys to another car, I was going to advance to buy another jug of oil.

I reused the original filter, and refilled the crankcase with the right amount of oil.

Thank [censored] that the motor wasn't blown up. I have never said a prayer over a piece of junk focus motor, but this time I did.

So, the moral of the story is. Don't let anybody bring you parts to work on their car with. And probably a better idea, don't do any work on anyone elses car, you already have your hands full with yours and your ladies car.
 
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No good deed goes unpunished...

Glad it all worked out. I understand how you feel, as I have suffered a similar experience with my parents car.
 
Originally Posted By: JustinH
Right now I'm servicing my car, my girlfriends, and her younger sister.


You're a busy man.
 
Quote:
Right now I'm servicing my car, my girlfriends, and her younger sister.



Make sure the younger sister is of legal age.
 
Originally Posted By: doitmyself
Quote:
Right now I'm servicing my car, my girlfriends, and her younger sister.



Make sure the younger sister is of legal age.


Do it yourself.
 
Originally Posted By: JustinH
[snip]So, the moral of the story is. Don't let anybody bring you parts to work on their car with. [snip]


That is sage advice. I always buy the parts & provide them with the receipt (for their records which usually doubles their existing records).
 
Originally Posted By: DmanWho
No good deed goes unpunished...


Amen. Never trust someone else with your oil changes. Like Walt Disney said"If you want it done right, do it yourself"
 
I'm glad that GM went the cheap route and the filter for my '00 Cavalier is the same as my wife's '03 Impala and mom's Buick.
 
Originally Posted By: moribundman
Originally Posted By: JustinH
Right now I'm servicing my car, my girlfriends, and her younger sister.


You're a busy man.


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You want lube with that?
 
My rule of thumb when helping anyone is not to "help" on anything a lawyer could say my "help" caused damage to that I couldn't pay for out of my pocket.

So, no oil changes.

What's wrong with a Focus motor?
 
Originally Posted By: Hermann
Amen. Never trust someone else with your oil changes. Like Walt Disney said"If you want it done right, do it yourself"


Like Red Green said..."If you get someone else to do it, you don't know whether they've done a bad job. If you do it yourself, you know for sure !"
 
MrCritical,

based on your logic, I assume that you have licensed mechanics do ALL the work on your own car?
 
[quote/]Like Red Green said..."If you get someone else to do it, you don't know whether they've done a bad job. If you do it yourself, you know for sure !" [/quote]

You get the Red Green show down under? I am amazed.


I'm scheduled to change my dad's oil and my brother's oil tomorrow. Maybe I had better not.
 
My logic doesn't apply to me. Only to others.

I change my own fluids, do tune ups, minor maintenance.

But before I'll be held responsible for someone's engine that scatters after I change THEIR oil and filter, I'll just give them the money to get it done elsewhere.

So, I'm still a good samaritan without the liability.
 
Originally Posted By: JustinH
I told her to just bring about 15 bucks in cash, and I would go to the auto parts store and get the supplies.

So, she arrives at our house with a bag from walmart. A five quart jug of ST dino, and an orange can of doom filter.


The failure of others to follow instructions when I am doing a favor boggles me.

Coworker is losing dexcool coolant from his 98 sunfire. I tell him to go to walmart and get the store brand 50/50... which is undyed dexcool chemically compatible. He goes to target and buys Peak: I don't know what it's chemically made of, but I shouldn't care, as my instructions were clear.

(If I said Dexcool he'd probably have come back with some automatic transmission fluid.
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)
 
Originally Posted By: RacerE7773
I'm glad that GM went the cheap route and the filter for my '00 Cavalier is the same as my wife's '03 Impala and mom's Buick.

how is that 'cheap'? that's good engineering and use of resources, simpler for everyone.
didn't ford use the same oil filter on EVERYTHING for many years? they had 47,000 different V8 designs but same filter.
 
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