Worst you've seen oil changes/car maintenance

[Kira]

AIRJAC3's aunt is one lucky lady!

I had to rent cars from a local place for a period of time.
I returned the car clean inside and out. I'd drive up with the ashtray open and clean (unused).

They'd see the cleanliness and I'd tell 'em the tire pressure and that the fluids were up to level.

They soon learned I was truthful and ALWAYS got a free size upgrade (truncated phone booth to full size).

Make it work...communications help.

 

[MarcS]

After having the front of the engine off for a leaking oil gallery gasket. I suspect the first owner of my car (lessee) was of the "not mine, don't care" mindset, and may not have changed the oil during the lease term.

Note that this picture was after about i had done about 25k mi of regular oil changes with m1 synthetic.



Pretty much everything you see here, rear timing cover, timing chain, tensioner, guides, cam sprocket, vvt actuator, was replaced.

On the bight side, compression test was perfect

 

[Nickdfresh]

This thread reminds me of the "scar scene" in Jaws.

 

[Red91]

I just don't understand the point of these threads. I've said my opinion, so I'm out.

 

[doublebase]

Originally Posted By: MarcS
After having the front of the engine off for a leaking oil gallery gasket. I suspect the first owner of my car (lessee) was of the "not mine, don't care" mindset, and may not have changed the oil during the lease term.

Note that this picture was after about i had done about 25k mi of regular oil changes with m1 synthetic.



Pretty much everything you see here, rear timing cover, timing chain, tensioner, guides, cam sprocket, vvt actuator, was replaced.

On the bight side, compression test was perfect




You sunk a little money into it then...vvt actuator had to be $500 plus, right? How many miles are on it?

I like timing chain engines, but I do worry that when they do go wrong, it'll cost much more than timing belt regular maintenance.

I have a Lexus LS460, the procedures for removing the timing chains is pretty labor intensive...something I hope I'll never have to do.

 

[AirgunSavant]

It's called shop talk and conversation.
When I see subjects I don't care to read I move on. However my conscience is clear. lol
I have not abused a car...........


Originally Posted By: Red91
I just don't understand the point of these threads. I've said my opinion, so I'm out.

 

[AirgunSavant]

Made me happy.

Originally Posted By: jayg
Originally Posted By: AirgunSavant
I've changed oil on rentals because I had long trips to take and the OLM gave little time.




HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. That is ridiculous.

 

[Lubener]

Originally Posted By: Red91
I just don't understand the point of these threads. I've said my opinion, so I'm out.


Don't let the door hit you in the a$$.

 

[fdcg27]

Some people appall me with their poor maintenance of durable goods.
Whether you're speaking of cars or lawnmowers, people pay good money for things and then cheap out on maintenance.
I've known folks to buy brand new higher end cars and then take them to a Walmart TLE for oil changes.
When I suggested to one woman that her old man could do the deed in the driveway using a better oil and filter for less coin, she replied that her husband wasn't going to get dirty like that.
I have no problem getting dirty like that, but what do I know?
People will pay big dollars for a machine and then pinch pennies in maintaining it.
They'll then wonder why they can't seem to get much more than 120K out of a car without major work.
Maintenance is cheap and easy as compared to repair and a worry-free car is always bliss.

 

[jayg]

Originally Posted By: AirgunSavant
Made me happy.

Originally Posted By: jayg
Originally Posted By: AirgunSavant
I've changed oil on rentals because I had long trips to take and the OLM gave little time.




HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. That is ridiculous.



You spent your own money to change oil on a RENTAL car and that made you happy?

 

[Torrid]

Originally Posted By: jayg
Originally Posted By: AirgunSavant
Made me happy.

Originally Posted By: jayg
Originally Posted By: AirgunSavant
I've changed oil on rentals because I had long trips to take and the OLM gave little time.




HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. That is ridiculous.



You spent your own money to change oil on a RENTAL car and that made you happy?



The OLM means nothing to rental car companies. They don't track it that way. The company I work for (major rental company) changes everything with 5w30 at 7,500 miles regardless of make and model.

 

[Richtrashman]

I used to work with a girl at a restaurant while in high school. She had a Toyota Celica. She claimed she never changed the oil, said she didn't have time. She had around 90k on it and had put 2 engines in it if my memory is correct. I asked how she had time for an engine swap but not an oil change. Some people like to swab the deck while the ship is sinking.SMH

 

[mlatour]

In the late '80s I worked for a big name car rental company as a car jockey.

Brand new cars were off loaded transport trucks, apart from topping off the fuel tank,
screwing on the license plate and adding company ID stickers
they were put into service as-is off the factory production line.
(GM, Ford, Nissan, VW, Lincoln, etc. etc. many car brands)

It was company policy to check the oil and windshield washer fluid levels
each time the cars were returned from a customer as they went thru the car wash / interior vacuuming
but more often than not that order was simply ignored.

They kept the cars in rental service for 6 months before taken out and replaced by other new cars.
On average that came to about 25000 miles on factory fill / never checked.

The way these cars were treated by customer (and yes over enthusiastic race minded employees like myself)
I pitty whomever got to own all those cars afterwards, literally several hundreds per year cycled thru this shop.
Being a regional office, in any given time there were 700-800 cars on the lot.

 

[BrocLuno]

Originally Posted By: KrisZ
Some people treat their cars for what they really are, transportation tools, and some treat them better than they treat themselves or other human beings. Who cares?!


I do because I have not bought a new car since maybe 1975 ...

 

[Alex_V]

A '99 Dakota, 3.9 V6, that I was asked to repair a brake line on, but in picking it up from the owner's workplace I checked all fluids before taking off and found no oil on the dipstick. Stopped at Wal-Mart before getting out of town with it, bought 5 qts. Super Tech 5w30, and put 3 qts. in it.

Before it left my shop I told him it had to have an OC, and before the full OC (Maxlife + Napa filter) I spun on a ST filter, added a quart of ATF, and let it run @ 2,000 RPM for about 20 mins. to make some meager attempt at cleaning it up a little inside. Lifter tick had stopped by the time I took it back.

 

[Jetronic]

We took in a Tucson (pre 2010 model) which in it's life NEVER had an oil change or any other maintenance done to it. 65,000 miles on the car. When you turned the ignition on, the diesel filter made cracking noises from the strain on it (in tank fuel pump), so I immediately replaced that. I also checked the oil which was on full so the owner must have added oil as necessary. I did an oil and filter change aswell: the oil filter is a cartridge, not a can. The filter looked ok, but when I tried to remove it, it just fell to pieces. Crumbling is the correct term, I believe. Changed the cabin filter and air filter aswell, don't remember any horror stories. I'm sure the brakes needed a bit of TLC aswell but that's the norm when a Hyundai comes in. They can't properly lube a slider pin to save their life in the factory and rear pads are very prone to getting stuck in the caliper on top of that.

 

[doublebase]

Originally Posted By: Jetronic
We took in a Tucson (pre 2010 model) which in it's life NEVER had an oil change or any other maintenance done to it. 65,000 miles on the car. When you turned the ignition on, the diesel filter made cracking noises from the strain on it (in tank fuel pump), so I immediately replaced that. I also checked the oil which was on full so the owner must have added oil as necessary. I did an oil and filter change aswell: the oil filter is a cartridge, not a can. The filter looked ok, but when I tried to remove it, it just fell to pieces. Crumbling is the correct term, I believe. Changed the cabin filter and air filter aswell, don't remember any horror stories. I'm sure the brakes needed a bit of TLC aswell but that's the norm when a Hyundai comes in. They can't properly lube a slider pin to save their life in the factory and rear pads are very prone to getting stuck in the caliper on top of that.


65,000 miles on a cartridge oil filter?! Insane. I'm surprised that engine didn't fail...imagine it did soon after.

 

[WobblyElvis]

I worked for a airline with 7 large aircraft in the 80s. They had a fleet of maybe 35 vehicles for maintenance and other duties. Most of the vehicles never had the oil changed. Supposedly the idea was it was cheaper to just change engines. Every day a maintenance person checked the oil and topped up with SAE 30. Unless a vehicle failed to start, no maintenance was performed.

Another story..
I had a 85 GM full size van and a brake line ruptured in my driveway during the winter. I didn't feel like lying on the ground in the snow so I took it to the local shop [a large Canadian chain store]. When I picked it up they were still working on it and appeared to be having trouble. Finally it was released to me, but the minute I used the brakes, pulling out onto a main road, my foot almost went to the floor. I nursed the vehicle back to my driveway hoping the brakes would "pump up". I thought it was odd that the brakes were almost useless and yet the brake failure light on the dash was not illuminated. This light was on when I took it in as the system detected a pressure differential between the two hydraulic systems. I lifted the hood, and with a flashlight, I found they had disconnected the pressure warning switch just under the master cylinder. Plugged it back in and of course the warning light came on.
I complained and they eventually fixed it but that has to be the worst, most dangerous, maintenance I have ever seen.

 

[doublebase]

The other day someone was mentioning to me what they thought were the most important maintenance items of a car, he had spark plugs rated highly, which I'd disagree with. I'd put oil/oil and filter changes first, air cleaners next, .tranny fluid, followed by coolant, then plugs, and maybe brake fluid. Out of all those items the oil and filter is something you can't put off...coolant? I've seen people go 150,000 miles without issue, maybe longer. Plugs? Yeah I think they're important for fuel economy, but what's the worst that can happen? Misfire? Then you just change them. Brake fluid? I imagine most of us have had ours "flushed" when a caliper fails. Belts, hoses, thermostat...those things can last a very very long time. I've seen hoses last 300,000 miles without a problem. And some of these serpentine belts look brand new when you're changing them at 100,000 miles. Yet I just don't think oil should ever be neglected.