Reason enough to change your own oil

[ultrarunner]

Worked with a guy during the middle 70's, he had a '72 Bug, changed his own oil one time, didn't put the drain plug back in, he added new oil and then never checked the level or for leaks. Backed out to go to work, missed the huge pool of new oil, got two blocks....:laughing:

I had a tenant back I will never forget... she had bought a new 16 valve Toyota Corolla... one day... years after she had bought her car, she asked me if I could tell her what the red light that was going off and on meant... it was the oil light.

I checked the oil and none registered... the car was always parked at the same place and no oil leaks...

I asked her how often she had the oil changed and in 3 years... she never had it changed... 40,000 miles and never added or changed the oil.

The quick lube shop told her almost no oil came out and it what did looked like tar...

When she learned the seriousness of her neglect... she called Toyota and told them they could have the car back because she read all about the oil problems their car engines have...

I wouldn't want to be the next owner.

 

[The Haymaker]

You insult me there, Skyco...I drove commercial straight trucks for 31 years, it wasn't just driving, but pick up and delivery work of heavy, bulky freight all day long. My record work day was 587 miles of driving and delivery work in 15 hours. And on top of that, sometimes I had to deal with those ignorant "GREASE MONKEYS" in the shop at MR. MONKEYWRENCH.


BTW, Haymaker, when I change the oil and filter on our Lesabre, 4 1/2 quarts fills to the line on the dipstick AFTER I run the engine to fill the oil filter and let the engine drain down. EVERYBODY GOT THAT!!!!????

I too do LTL, headed to a strange terminal in NJ to do it next week (I peddle in Eastern Maine normally) If the Mr. Greasemonkey's were so bad, what does that make you for continuing to take it there? :laughing:

BTW: The FMCSA and CVSA have requested your logs for that particular record setting day you mention. It appears there are some speed related discrepancies.

 

[The Haymaker]

Have a hard time understanding why a customer would be griping at a lube tech for reasons like oil level or drain plug torque, they have NO BUSINESS being in the service area or UNDER THE VEHICLE anyhow. Another thing, anybody who is smart enough to know his oil capacity and drain plug torque should be changing his own oil anyway!!!

Take my 2004 Saturn L-300, I can rattle off the hp, torque, tire size, tow and load capacity, what other GM models use the 181 ci, 3.0 liter V6, etc. Have a girl cousin with same car, SHE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW IF HER CAR HAS A FOUR OR V6.....!!!!!

She is the kind of person to go to Mr. Monkeywrench, and if they tell her that her Saturn needs turn signal fluid, or air cleaner grease, she will just say "go ahead, fix it".....:laughing:

The shop I worked in based its business on its product. If a customer wanted to stand and watch, not under the vehicle, they were welcome. We gained a lot of customers this way. It also reinforced my realization that it is a miracle many people in this world (I call them Obama voters:laughing can make it through the day remembering how to breath.

 

[dodge man]

I had a tenant back I will never forget... she had bought a new 16 valve Toyota Corolla... one day... years after she had bought her car, she asked me if I could tell her what the red light that was going off and on meant... it was the oil light.

I checked the oil and none registered... the car was always parked at the same place and no oil leaks...

I asked her how often she had the oil changed and in 3 years... she never had it changed... 40,000 miles and never added or changed the oil.

The quick lube shop told her almost no oil came out and it what did looked like tar...

When she learned the seriousness of her neglect... she called Toyota and told them they could have the car back because she read all about the oil problems their car engines have...

I wouldn't want to be the next owner.

Thats weird, I have a co-worker who did the same thing. Had a Jeep, and he owned it for several years and never changed the oil. He knew better, he just forgot. He didn't really do any damgage to the engine, that a new set of bearings, piston, rings, overbore, new crank and rods, new valve gear, wouldn't fix. He ended up putting a used engine in it.

 

[The Haymaker]

Thats weird, I have a co-worker who did the same thing. Had a Jeep, and he owned it for several years and never changed the oil. He knew better, he just forgot. He didn't really do any damgage to the engine, that a new set of bearings, piston, rings, overbore, new crank and rods, new valve gear, wouldn't fix. He ended up putting a used engine in it.

Wow, he's lucky the muffler bearing and power band survived. Then things woulda gotten expensive.

 

[JDgreen227]

I too do LTL, headed to a strange terminal in NJ to do it next week (I peddle in Eastern Maine normally) If the Mr. Greasemonkey's were so bad, what does that make you for continuing to take it there? :laughing:

BTW: The FMCSA and CVSA have requested your logs for that particular record setting day you mention. It appears there are some speed related discrepancies.

I was a state of Michigan employee as a driver, exempt from the majority of Federal laws regarding motor carrier operation (Custom Critical Class "B" Hazmat endorsement) :laughing:

About that day of delivery work, I was in the UP of the state, delivering 2 million dollars worth of new Dell servers to every county there, and picking up the obslete Unisys systems to return. Decided to try to set a personal record for hours/miles in one day. My prior career record was 14 hours, 542 miles. I was in my late 30's then, able to work long hours when required.

 

[crazyal]

Thats weird, I have a co-worker who did the same thing. Had a Jeep, and he owned it for several years and never changed the oil. He knew better, he just forgot. He didn't really do any damgage to the engine, that a new set of bearings, piston, rings, overbore, new crank and rods, new valve gear, wouldn't fix. He ended up putting a used engine in it.

I worked at a glass company with a 3/4 ton Chevy. All people would do is check the oil and top it off. After about 60,000 miles of this I made the mistake of asking when the last time the oil was changed and when knowbody knew I did it myself (so we wouldn't be the laughing stock of the week). The oil was so black and what got on my hands stained them. I've never seen anything that looked like that in my life. The engine made it about another 15k before spinning a bearing. Kind of odd since every other truck had it's oil changed on time.

 

[ultrarunner]

Kind of drives me crazy in that I take good care of my equipment and get good service.

My Service Van is a 1985 Chevy 3/4 ton Van outfitted with an inverter, generator, air compressor, Welder, etc.. and my tow pickup is a 91 Chevy Silverado...

I change the oil every 2500 miles which now works out to be about twice a year each... don't drive them unless I need a truck for the job...

What drives me crazy is all the notices I get from the State encouraging me to retire my trucks to the State and do my part for clean air... My vehicles have always passed the State inspection... even with the State tightening the standards over the years...

It seems almost counter productive to care for equipment when in all likelihood the day will come when regulations will mandate it can no longer be operated... as Diesel Operators are finding right now.

Sixty to Eighty oil changes and not a stripped oil pan in the bunch... quite different than many I know with fairly new vehicles with stripped pans...

 

[chopped]

I agree.. I had to ''retire'' a 6 year old car because they couldnt find the problem with the emission test.. So now Im running an older car and using twice as much gas and polluting twice if not more.:thumbsup:
It would gcost more to ''fix'' the other one than to use the one that doesnt get the smog test

 

[ultrarunner]

I agree.. I had to ''retire'' a 6 year old car because they couldnt find the problem with the emission test.. So now Im running an older car and using twice as much gas and polluting twice if not more.:thumbsup:
It would gcost more to ''fix'' the other one than to use the one that doesnt get the smog test

The problem for me is my State tests anything 1976 and newer... most of the shops have had trouble even testing/finding the specs for my 1976 Triumph and 76 VW Thing...

At least my 72 Valiant is exempt...

For years the California had vehicles 25 years and older exempt... no longer...