Dont take your Audi S4 to an instant oil lube shop

[Wheel]

I heard a very similar story on a Subaru message board years ago, as well as several stories of owners draining trans or diff instead of the engine when trying for an oil change.

No way to tell if it is an urban legend. Subaru did change the colors and type of plug used on the diffs and transmission over the years, so maybe there is a bit of truth to it.

Anyone can make a mistake.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd


And then, after that, he can't tell the difference between an engine oil sump drain plug and a transmission drain plug.

A friend of mine (a car guy) made this mistake on his gf's Passat. And ive read many similar reports of this from various quickie lube places, predominantly on german cars. So this is probably not that uncommon.

But your point about how the tech knew where to cut the belly pan does raise some suspicion.

 

[JC1]

Originally Posted By: Wheel
I heard a very similar story on a Subaru message board years ago, as well as several stories of owners draining trans or diff instead of the engine when trying for an oil change.

No way to tell if it is an urban legend. Subaru did change the colors and type of plug used on the diffs and transmission over the years, so maybe there is a bit of truth to it.

Anyone can make a mistake.


I actually did that on my 1984 Tercel when I attempted my first oil change. I drained the manual tranny fluid and didn't drain the engine oil and added another 4 liters. But I had zero training at the time. The engine smoked like crazy until I drained the oil the next day and then fixed the issue. Had to take it to the stealer to get the gear oil refilled.

I'm thinking in a business with some sort of training they would have at least one person who would know how to do an oil change on a German car. I would also think they would have a little asterisk on this offer and say sorry but that cheap price is for Most models, but extra charges would apply. This story does sound fishy.

 

[Alfred_B]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd


And then, after that, he can't tell the difference between an engine oil sump drain plug and a transmission drain plug.

A friend of mine (a car guy) made this mistake on his gf's Passat. And ive read many similar reports of this from various quickie lube places, predominantly on german cars. So this is probably not that uncommon.

But your point about how the tech knew where to cut the belly pan does raise some suspicion.


My understanding was that they cut the plastic bottom cover in a couple of places and drained the AT by removing the plug.

 

[Vikas]

could it pour out of dipstick tube assuming the car has the dipstick tube?

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

I wouldn't let one of those fast oil change places work on my wheelbarrow, much less a $50,000 vehicle, and I *%# sure wouldn't be posting such an occurrence on a forum like BITOG. Only wish the pictures were available. Make that a big BAH HUMBUG GiveMe.

 

[dlayman]

I did see the pictures while they were available. They did show the cut out belly pan and the pieces removed from it, and showed oil clinging to the DSG plug. There was nothing in any of the pictures identifying VIOC, which is something I think you would want to capture in photographic evidence. Also, this happened on a Sunday. At least around me VIOC stores are all closed on Sunday. Hmm...

 

[dlundblad]

He is under his car weekly, but had to take it to a quick lube shop?

$49 is a good deal on a "synthetic" oil change?

 

[silveravant]

The Audi DEALER usually doesn't put the belly pan back on correctly. I love my Audi, but I would like to meet whoever designed the belly pan. 10 fasteners in 3 sizes. A complete set of hardware is over $60.

 

[emg]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
And then, after that, he can't tell the difference between an engine oil sump drain plug and a transmission drain plug. These guys may not be future CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, but I bet my lunch money that they know how to find an oil sump drain plug.


Someone on one of the Subaru forums had one of these 'fast oil change' places drain their CVT instead of the engine, then refill it with ATF. New Subarus have easy oil changes with the filter on top and the drain plug exposed underneath, but the CVT plug is probably right where they'd expect to find the oil drain plug on a typical transverse engined vehicle.

 

[spackard]

Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix
This is the thread where the actual owner ("bhvrdr") started the thread. The other link is someone posting the OP's post on another chat board.

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread...oil-change-shop

Guy got reimbursed $1,442.48 from the Valvoline headquarters to cover the cost his Audi dealer had to do to rectify the quick lube's chaos. Guess he got lucky, but what a hassle.

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread...=1#post11258084


Will requote your post ZeeOSix, since people are asking for the OP's link which is now deleted, which really was a copy-and-paste from audizine to vwvortex.

 

[ZeeOSix]

^^^ Yep, looks like the links to the actual Audi owner's thread is still there.

 

[hattaresguy]

Typical entry level luxury car owner, to broke to pay a proper shop to service it.

 

[Bladecutter]

Here are the two images from the link:

BC.

 

[Gasbuggy]

If they had removed the belly pan, like they're supposed to do on any number of cars, this would not have happened. It's an Audi S4, not a Lexus LFA. It's not that hard to change the oil. A V6 with a drain plug and filter.

 

[wirelessF]

Underbody pans are like rocket science to quick lube monkeys. I work on some cars that the owners bring to a quick lube shop and the pans are missing bolts or the special fasteners aren't tightened.

 

[demarpaint]

So the guy hears them sawing into the bottom of his car ["I feel a jarring / ripping sensation through the floor of the car"] and he makes a "mental note?" Come on, not very smart! Two seconds into the noise I would have been looking and stopping the fool.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: bullwinkle
Originally Posted By: beanoil
VOMG! I only take my company car there. It's a lease, and has to have oil & filter every 7500. It's a comedy show every time I go. Half the time they can't figure out the Ford Transit hood opens with the key. Every time so far they do not know it takes a syn blend to meet Ford specs. And the upsells. Holy smoke, the air filter has 7500 on it, I do not need a new one every time. Hopeless....
You must have a Transit Connect, we had a few of those tiny wanna-be vans ourselves! I have a Transit 250 now, at 12K it's already had it's first rollback trip to the dealer, shift cable/linkage fell off! On the air filter, I just tell them not to bother even looking, half the time they don't put it back in correctly anyway.


A lot of conventionals also meet Ford's spec.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
So the guy hears them sawing into the bottom of his car ["I feel a jarring / ripping sensation through the floor of the car"] and he makes a "mental note?" Come on, not very smart!

Well, his 'smarts' were already in question the moment he decided to bring his car into a quickie lube place, IMO.

 

[DoubleWasp]

The oil overflowing thing sounds more than a little suspicious. I'd even venture that a engine cannot crank over with its crankcase 100% full of oil.

The cut was clearly made with a power tool. How do you heat a rotary saw going under your car and not say something? They're loud as as a demon's [censored].

At the very least, I think we are definitely not getting the full story.

Guy is under his car once a week but doesn't do oil changes? Just what the heck is he doing under there once a week?

Mechanics of all grades have problems with undertrays. Mostly problems putting them back at all. I've had quite a few mechanics tell me their theory on how cars don't need an undertray to run, and that they are a major pain to deal with.

I've not had that experience. When I did the oil in our Benz, it took me all of about 45 seconds to get it off, and a out the same to get it back on.

I will say that smarter auto makers seem to have a nice practice of putting small hatches in the undertray to reach the necessities. Lexus is pretty good about that. Ours has a nice little hatch that unbolts to expose the bottom-mounted oil filter housing.