Oil lube rant

[Soundguy]

Dang.. might as well just do it myself if I'm bringing in all the stuff and QC'ing / supervising every single step of the way.. and then just use the 19$ for a good lunch afterwards.. and know that I probably won't under or overtighten any o f the connectors..


greasy hands and a few minutes on a creeper don't scare me -that- much..

soundguy

 

[Cat_Driver]

greasy hands and a few minutes on a creeper don't scare me -that- much.

Ya I bet greasy hands in 120 plus degree temperatures, with tools so hot you can't pick em up when you set them down and a drive way that is so hot you can't touch the concrete and a creeper that you lay on felt like it came out of a pizza oven would though, while the whole time swet is pouring in you eyes so you can't even see the oil filter, while you are drinking bottle after bottle of water. Welcome to my world.

Besides three guys working on the vehicle for 30 minutes comes out to an hour and a half of my time added to that would be the clean up and the drive to the dump station, then theirs the laundry to clean whatever I was wearing, which costs electricity, soap, more of my time or my wife's time, nah, my time's worth more than $9.99 an hour. Less than that when I figure the clean up and laundry.

To solve the problem of them cranking on the drain plug is solved my simply asking the guy doing the work - not to do that.

For me it's the best alternative I have and like I said I've been to several dealers with several cars and they are all bad.

Lastly and the most valuable part of having someone do your oil changes is the documentation when it comes to lemon laws or vehicle warranty issues while under warranty.

Yes I know you can save receipts, etc. but who does that any way. Besides a good lawyer will just convince a jury that the receipt just proves you bought oil it doesn't prove you put it in.

I went through two Lemon law buy backs and I won both cases and got new replacement vehicles largely bases on the fact that I never ever touched the vehicle mechanically.

During the deposition they had their whole case built around me not taking care of my vehicle. When I showed them proof that the vehicle was serviced every 3K miles per the manual recommendations along with all fluids checked etc. they caved in.

Like my lawyer said very few people in buy back cases do as the manual says and that's how they win their case by showing you as mistreating the vehicle and they get off the hook for replacing the Lemon.

 

[Skyco]

The stuff I've seen in 20+ years of driving company cars convinces me no quicky lube will EVER touch one of my personal vehicles.

I've berated their people several times about such stupid stuff as setting the oil fill cap down on a dirty radiator support, with the "should be clean" interior side in the dirt.

Not buckleing the air cleaner housing back correctly is another common error.

One of my coworkers discovered the oil filter cap not even put back on one time, at the next oil change, drove 4000 miles without one.

I'm always amused when the pit guy is cussing and grunting because the previous oil changer put the filter back on too tight.

I recently discovered changing a flat tire some doofus used a yellow paint pen to paint a big smiley face on my rear diff, don't know how long I've been driving around with that on there, causing many a snicker from following drivers I'm sure. I ain't no soccer mom and don't appreciate an unsolicited smiley face on something I drive. I think they use the pen to mark the plug as factory fill don't touch it.

Around here they pay about $8 an hour, one just isn't gonna get quality employees for that price.

 

[MikeD74T]

I can't imaging the embarrassment you suffered from sporting a smiley face under your vehicle!!! What would the neighbors have thought of you had you not found it first ?? MikeD74T

 

[Chuck52]

I gave up on the quicky lube places some time back, but as much from irritation as for quality concerns. I'd pull in and tell the guy with the clipboard I just needed the oil changed. I never figured having them change the air filter made sense, but sure as sin as soon as I'd get to the waiting room here would come Gomer with my "dirty" air filter in his hand.

A buddy of mine had his air filter clips broken by one of those guys.

Then there's the dealer service. If you got a good one, bless your heart. I took my Impala in for an oil change and safety inspection a couple of years ago. The manager came to tell me the car failed the inspection due to a leak in the power steering...even had me look at the leak. Sure enough, there was a damp spot up there. Wanted $850 to replace the entire rack. Funny thing was, I park in a garage on a concrete floor and had never seen any spots. So I told him I'd think about it. Checked the fluid level and it was topped out. Put newspaper under the car for a while to see if it was a really slow leak. Two years now....I've never had to add fluid.

I often changed my own oil until I got this Impala. You can't reach the oil filter from above and I'd have to jack up the front end to get it from below. No big deal, I suppose, but just enough extra hassle to cause me to pay for the job. I've been going to a local chain (maybe national), again mainly for convenience. One of their shops is an easy walk to my job, so I could drop off the car on the way to work and pick it up in the afternoon. They were great for a while, but then they started trying to sell me some needed service every time I took it in. I went for the transmission flush, but only when it hit 100K on the odometer, rather than the 75K they started bugging me at. They wanted to flush the radiator at about that time, too, but I figured I could do that myself. That time I should have checked after them because the tech left my radiator cap off. Takes about a week of my typical driving to blow enough coolant out to cause overheating. They blamed that on an inexperienced tech and gave me a free oil change and such, and since I was getting low on potential service shops, I continued to use them....and reminded them of their screw up every time I took it in. However, now I'm tired of their games. Took the car in for an oil change and sure enough, here comes the manager with my tranny dip stick in his hand wanting to show me the dirty fluid. I was sitting in a crowded waiting room at the time, and I told him fairly loudly that since I had them flush the transmission just 20K before I figured if it really needed flushing again I'd try another shop. When they brought my car out I checked under the hood.....kinda like wandering if the waiter spits in you food if you complain, isn't it?

Chuck

 

[Soundguy]

Ya I bet greasy hands in 120 plus degree temperatures, with tools so hot you can't pick em up when you set them down and a drive way that is so hot you can't touch the concrete and a creeper that you lay on felt like it came out of a pizza oven would though, while the whole time swet is pouring in you eyes so you can't even see the oil filter, while you are drinking bottle after bottle of water. Welcome to my world.

Besides three guys working on the vehicle for 30 minutes comes out to an hour and a half of my time added to that would be the clean up and the drive to the dump station, then theirs the laundry to clean whatever I was wearing, which costs electricity, soap, more of my time or my wife's time, nah, my time's worth more than $9.99 an hour. Less than that when I figure the clean up and laundry.
.

when it takes me a an hour and a half to do a service on my vehicle that I can get at a lube place.. I'll sell my tools..

trip to the dump station can be done yearly.. just save yer oil in a 55g drum.

the key is to not get oily clothes..

hot weather? I'm familiar with that.. I live in florida... we have summer, summer, summer, and fall.

soundguy

 

[RobertN]

We can only take 5gal at a time... Even my little Kubota, by the time I drain the engine oil and hydraulics, is more than 5gal

And my truck, is 12 qts.

I like doing my own oil changes, but hate to deal with disposal. I have a 5gal bucket(from a tractor hydro/HST oil change). But I don't like storing it.

And, most places have set days for disposal. It never seems to work with my schedule.

trip to the dump station can be done yearly.. just save yer oil in a 55g drum.

 

[Soundguy]

I've done 1 of 3 ways.. all have worked.

1, any place that sells oil.. HAS to take it.. they CAN place some restrictions on time/qty.. etc. in general.. whatever quantity you buy from them.. you can return to them. I've had a few places argue... but in the end. they take the oil.

2, once you accumulate enough oil, you can simply can an oil recycler and schedule an appt.. so far everyone I've talked to is free.. they drive over, pump the oil from you and go. only thing they charge for is contaminated water or coolant, and many will not take brake fluid contaminated oil.

3, find a place that has bulk dropoff.. perhaps a friend working at an oil change place, service station or contractor that has a bulk waste oil tank.

soundguy

 

[dave1949]

Our town transfer station, which amount to one roll-off with four bins and a shed for tin and glass, has someone who picks up waste oil to heat a shop. There are waste oil furnaces. They are glad to get any motor or hydraulic oil that is dropped off. And I am glad to be able to leave it there with no hassles.
Dave.

 

[brin]

I had a Jeep dealer change the oil in a Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited I owned a few years back..It had 90,000 miles on it and it was time for an oil change...I picked it up and had to drive about 15 miles to my house ..I was about half way home when I notice my oil pressure was way down and I was close to an independant mechanic who was a friend of mine so I drove to him and he saw immediately that the dealer had not tightened the oil filter or something and as a result I ended up having to put in a new engine. I have found a local shop that I trust and I take our cars and truck to them and them only...lesson learned. You can not just pull in and trust somone with an oil change..you either have to watch or really inspect the job afterwards...Just my experience and opinion.

 

[charlz]

For disposal we can set out 2 gallons per week with the trash and they will recycle it.... haven't seemed to clue into the new '5 quart' containers that oil comes in now

A friend of mine that does not have curbside disposal puts his oil in 5 gallon gas cans. Easy to transport and since he keeps the container every time he doesn't have to worry about disposing of it after dropping off the oil at a collection piont.

 

[jinman]

For disposal we can set out 2 gallons per week with the trash and they will recycle it.... haven't seemed to clue into the new '5 quart' containers that oil comes in now

Charlz, that's a very progressive location that will do that. How much is your garbage collection fee? We pay $40 per month and feel lucky when the truck shows up once a week and dumps our trash can.

 

[Reg]

I really HATE to use terms like "Grease Monkey", because I have a great deal of respect for competent service techs, but most of the lube shop people are NOT service techs.
The cost, price, profit, competition equation probably dictates that they use unqualified and barely trained people for this - in fact one of my sons did it for a very short time in HS.

I have NEVER trusted anyone else with my brakes, not since Dad used to do my bicycle brakes.
It has carried over to oil changes and MOST other service work.
I like to "get under there" and browse around for other stuff that might need attention - I don't LIKE to, in fact I hate the squirming around on the driveway part.

This is just something I feel I have to do myself - I can't outsource ALL my life and living (-:

 

[Soundguy]

Ditto that.. the lube places in my town are all pretty much minimum wage, hire-you-off-the-street places.. one day you are a burger flipper.. one day you are a 'lube tech'.

soundguy

 

[kenstrac]

Ditto that.. the lube places in my town are all pretty much minimum wage, hire-you-off-the-street places.. one day you are a burger flipper.. one day you are a 'lube tech'.

soundguy

I have to agree with you and many post here ,but at times we are stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Was in Ga pulling a 30ft travel trailer lost a break line without trailer attached,pulled into a prominent auto chain to have it repaired,stood outside of bay while they worked on it.
They replaced the line from the master cyl to the rear tee in three sections instead of making up one solid line,when he went to bleed the brakes he stripped it using an open end wrench,instead of a six sided box wrench, next he attacked it with a pair of water-pump pliers then he broke it off.
Now I need a new wheel cyl. they could not do it because it was nearing closing time and they did not open on Saturday,I asked if anyone was open and he pointed up the street to another repair garage.
I went to the garage and asked if he could do the job and set up to bring the truck in the morning,after removing the drum I noticed that the axle seal was leaking and asked him to replace it, then he starts to remove the differential cover and I asked him why,he says so he can take the axle out I told not to that it was a full floating .
He goes and gets his boss and and we have a discussion on how the axle comes apart to replace the seal he then ask the other mechanics if they ever worked on this type of axle and all he got was a blank look from them.
After another discussion with him he agreed to take it out the way I said,he gets the axle out and the seal and my real estate agent comes over to pick me up to go look at a house,I told the mechanic to put some oil where the seal rides and to assemble it in the reverse order,when I returned he was done the left side and was ready to install the right side without putting oil where the seal rides I asked if he had lubed the left side and he said yes.
Now it's time for the bill, 7 hrs labor @ $70 =$490 parts $140 total $630 for a job that should have taken 3hrs at the most thats in addition to the $150 to replace the brake line at the other place.
Two days goes by and the left rear seal starts leaking,back to the garage you guessed it he did not lube the seal when he did the assembly.
The thing that PMO the most is getting charged $70 an hr for a mechanic and I have to show him how to do the job!

 

[Soundguy]

it's at that point when you know you should be doing the repair yourself.. when you have to tell them how to do it!

soundguy

 

[charlz]

Charlz, that's a very progressive location that will do that. How much is your garbage collection fee? We pay $40 per month and feel lucky when the truck shows up once a week and dumps our trash can.

It about $40 per _quarter_ for weekly 'unlimited' pickup. They are switching to sideloaders so I am not sure if you can just pile up the 'unlimited' or if you have to rent more cans (additional 95 gallon cart is $1.50 per month). They are just now switching so time will tell. White goods they recycle but you have to pay extra for, just call the day before and have it out before 6am. I just got rid of my old hot water heater for $27 and it was gone by 7am the next day. I think freon containing white goods you might have to take somewhere or they charge more to pick up.

 

[charlz]

Oh and they have certain days for free leaf pickup in the fall as well as dates for free Christmas tree pickup. They have green waste diversion at the landfill so all this stuff is 'recycled'. Also our trash service is through the county so it's likely I am paying for some of this in my taxes as well as the trash bill.

 

[charlz]

Not to beat a dead horse but this showed up on the local news today

Meridian woman takes on Meineke over oil filter | KBCI CBS 2 - News, Weather and Sports - Boise, ID Boise, Idaho | Local & Regional

 

[bdeboer]

I stopped using the "quick" stops about 10 years ago after looking at my upper ball joints and seeing the grease just squirted in the direction of the zerk. Oh and the zerk was dirty like it hadn't even been wiped. I also have to assume that they couldn't reach the uppers and therefore checked them off.