Livid: oil drain plug fell outta my Tundra

[ModMech]

Hopefully everyting will work out well, it should.

8 PSI of oil pressure is enough on a hot engine at low loads to avoid damage in most situations, some designs won't even illuminate the LOP lamp until 5psi.

OHC engines will have cam bearing "damage" before rods or mains, unless you are under a load when the event occurs, which does not seem to be the case.

I would carry on and not worry about it, documentation may become important later, but honestly, I really do not think you hurt anything at all. Fortunately, the vehicle has a conciencious driver at the wheel which saved the DEALER from a MAJOR HEADACHE. If that had happened on the interstate, pulling a hill with a trailer and a family full of chatty Kathy's, the results would have been serious for the engine and the dealer.

 

[Fixemall]

I would get a filter cutter and have a look in the filter that is on there, and the next one.

 

[xtn]

When I have the tires changed on my BMW Z3 I watch & tell them install by hand no impact then I hand them my torque wrench & socket preset at 80lbft.

For my Exige I take the wheels off the car, take them along with the new tires in the bed of my truck down to a place with a Hunter 9000 machine and a guy that knows how to use it and is willing to spend the time dismounting, rotating, and remounting several times while letting me hang out and watch over his shoulder. Then after about three hours of dismounting, mounting, balancing, etc., I take the wheels with the new tires home and put them back on the car myself. Nobody touches my lug nuts but me. Nobody puts a jack under the car but me.

I replace the lugs and nuts roughly every time I replace the rotors, whichever seems to be roughly every 10,000 miles.

Change oil and filter roughly every 400 miles. I know that sounds insane but keep in mind those are track miles. I probably shouldn't really go that long between changes. Highly recommend one of those oil pan drain valves such as Fumoto offers. Worth it's weight in brass for sure.

xtn

 

[JDgreen227]

I have a small shop and have found oil filters that were installed by these quick lube shops barely in contact with the filter base and turned off with the tips of my fingers and surprisingly did not leak.
Also drain plugs that were so tight that the threads were slightly damaged.
Same with lug nuts. Most shops hammer them on well beyond the required torque crimping the taper of the nut onto the stud.
When I have the tires changed on my BMW Z3 I watch & tell them install by hand no impact then I hand them my torque wrench & socket preset at 80lbft.
Yep I agree they took a lot boy & givem a wrench!!

What you say about handing them your torque wrench reminds me of what happened to me back about '95....

I had purchased a set of American Racing Equipment custom wheels from a local shop @ $400 for the set, and another $400 worth of BFG Radial T/A's to be mounted on the wheels. When I picked the truck up it was dark and the shop was closed, I had pre paid the invoice and told them to lock my keys inside because I had to work a double shift.

Next morning when I looked at the new rims, the area surrounding the lug nut holes was badly scuffed up, as were the center caps. After work, I went back to the shop, and asked them HTF they managed to damage brand new rims when the brochure furnished with the wheels clearly said: "DO NOT tighten lug nuts with impact wrenches". The shop used one of those "auto torquing" attachments you put on an air wrench, they are larger around and deeper than a standard deep socket and that scraped the center caps. Yes, they replaced the rims with a new set, plus the center caps, and with the cost of labor for mounting, balancing, valve stems, etc. I am sure they lost any profit they made on the original sale, and then some. What baffles me is how ANY technican could fail to see the damage done to the FIRST wheel when he tightened the lugs with his impact wrench. To ruin the remaining three.....DUHHHHH

 

[Soundguy]

at least they were consistant!

 

[JDgreen227]

at least they were consistant!

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

To a point, anyhow...the replacment set of rims were undamaged.

 

[Soundguy]

probably different guy..

 

[ModMech]

What baffles me is how ANY technican could fail to see the damage done to the FIRST wheel when he tightened the lugs with his impact wrench. To ruin the remaining three.....DUHHHHH

Ahhhhh, there is the rub, I think we KNOW there was no failure to SEE the damage.....

The failure was to CARE.

This is my problem with piece work, aka: Flat Rate, the "tech" is essentially rewarded for being shoddy and cutting corners. On the opposite side, it is not helpful for a wanker to take 3 times longer than a job should just because they are not engaged and using the head and have to tripple check stuff.

There are three levels of "technician" in my book and I only know of a FEW that qualify in catagory #3:
1) Technician - can replace anything the computer tells "him" to....
2) Mechanic - knows that the computer is not a solution but a tool used to obtain clues, then makes repairs
3) Craftsman - Who follows set steps outlined in the book, reads and follows the service manual and has only two goals: 1) Do no harm; 2) Fix it correctly the FIRST time.

There are millions of #1s, almost as many #2s and VERY FEW #3s, but I am fortunate to know some of them.

As for tires and alignments, if the wanker needs a computer display to tell him what to do, I RUN! Tires, balance and alignments HAVE NOT CHANGED in 100+ years! You DO NOT need a computer to align a vehicle, balance a tire or mount a tire, if you do, you have not been trained in your craft and should not be allowed to risk the safety of others.

The reason shop owners buy expensive computer equipment is to AVOID spending $$$ and time on a tech who might leave. The equipment is owned, the tech is rented.

 

[JDgreen227]

Ahhhhh, there is the rub, I think we KNOW there was no failure to SEE the damage.....

The failure was to CARE.

This is my problem with piece work, aka: Flat Rate, the "tech" is essentially rewarded for being shoddy and cutting corners. On the opposite side, it is not helpful for a wanker to take 3 times longer than a job should just because they are not engaged and using the head and have to tripple check stuff.

There are three levels of "technician" in my book and I only know of a FEW that qualify in catagory #3:
1) Technician - can replace anything the computer tells "him" to....
2) Mechanic - knows that the computer is not a solution but a tool used to obtain clues, then makes repairs
3) Craftsman - Who follows set steps outlined in the book, reads and follows the service manual and has only two goals: 1) Do no harm; 2) Fix it correctly the FIRST time.

There are millions of #1s, almost as many #2s and VERY FEW #3s, but I am fortunate to know some of them.

As for tires and alignments, if the wanker needs a computer display to tell him what to do, I RUN! Tires, balance and alignments HAVE NOT CHANGED in 100+ years! You DO NOT need a computer to align a vehicle, balance a tire or mount a tire, if you do, you have not been trained in your craft and should not be allowed to risk the safety of others.

The reason shop owners buy expensive computer equipment is to AVOID spending $$$ and time on a tech who might leave. The equipment is owned, the tech is rented.

Very well stated on your part...:thumbsup:

Not trying to hijack this thread, but it has been over 15 years since I have done business at that garage, which was a general do-it-all shop, tires, batteries, brakes, tune ups, etc. Had tire and brake work done there prior to them messing up my new wheels, and thought the shop was reasonably honest and competent, and it was less than ten minutes from my workplace.

Now, seven years after that incident with the wheels, I had not gone back for any reason, partly because wife and I had two reasonably new cars that didn't need any work I could not do myself. And at that seven year mark, we also both retired, which meant the shop I formerly patronized was now a half hour drive away.

I still wonder sometimes, had I needed repair work done during that period, would I have gone back, or would I have let that one negative incident (out of perhaps 6 to 7 incident-free repair jobs) give me incentive to change shops? How about with you guys, if a garage you have had satisfaction with in the past, gives you reason to doubt their competency or honesty, do you still return there if, repeat IF, they decide the customer is always right and expedite your gripe in a manner to your satisfaction?

Or do you decide to go elsewhere?

 

[ModMech]

Having been in the vehicle/equipment repair business for 25+ years.....

Every situation is different, if the mistake/situation was an honest one, I would give them another chance and have on numerous occasions. If the situation arose from incompitence or neglidgence, then they will lay in the bed they made.