Poor Oil Change Practices

[The Critic]

I see serious issues with the way that this guy did the oil change, and reaffirms my stance of not letting tire shops (or many big-name chain shops) work on my cars.

Does anyone else share my view, after watching this video? I'm curious if y'all noticed the same issues that I did.

 

[FoxS]

I don't have 12 mins to watch but I've seen plenty of bad practices on YouTube.

The main thing that bothers me though are folks who let fluids drain or drip into the ground.

 

[silverrat]

Used ratchet on drain plug opening
Talked about popping and selling tires, then needing a tire
Fails to install filter gasket properly
Admits to overtightening and problems previously
Sprayed brake cleaner into open filter cap

 

[donnyj08]

throws the skidplate on the floor. it looks like he over tightens the drain plug, and then he bangs the canister to get the filter out.

he sprays it with carb cleaner without putting the cap on the end of the canister.., this was my biggest problem with his job.

 

[CarbonSteel]

Originally Posted By: donnyj08
he sprays it with carb cleaner without putting the cap on the end of the canister.., this was my biggest problem with his job.

+1 - nothing like some chlorinated solvents to wreak havoc on those gaskets (and potentially the hoses).

 

[earlyre]

that wasn't a ratchet he used on the drain plug, it was a dogbone.

what's wrong with using a ratchet to open the drain plug...i always use a ratchet.....cuz i have the right size ratchets, but do not have a metric set of box wrenches..(the vehicles i change on have 13m & 14mm drain bolts)

never having done a canister filter change, how do you NOT cover your arm, and the underside in oil??

yeah, a little simple green, or soapy water would have cleaned up the area nearly as well, but those don't come in a handy aerosol can..

 

[friendly_jacek]

His oil change video is boring, his drumming video is OK.

 

[R2d2]

Did better then any service I would expect at a Jiffy lube/Ford/Honda/Toyota dealership IMO. Didn't like the brake cleaner part either, and I like to change the washer on the drain plug but its no biggie.

 

[The_Eric]

Originally Posted By: silverrat
Used ratchet on drain plug opening
Talked about popping and selling tires, then needing a tire
Fails to install filter gasket properly
Admits to overtightening and problems previously
Sprayed brake cleaner into open filter cap


Using a ratchet to open the drain plug? REALLY??? Who cares?

Originally Posted By: donnyj08
throws the skidplate on the floor. it looks like he over tightens the drain plug, and then he bangs the canister to get the filter out.

he sprays it with carb cleaner without putting the cap on the end of the canister.., this was my biggest problem with his job.


Big deal... Tossing a piece of plastic (not a skid plate) from waist height to the floor is not going to damage it. Also, rapping the filter housing on the side of the catch can isn't going to hurt it either.

Too many people get too up in arms over what amounts to trivial things.

If you're going to get torqued, do it over the idiots that beat customer cars on test drives, use non spec'ed products, lubes etc... and do grossly sub standard repair work.

In the big scheme of things, a little brake cleaner and some light banging around will never affect the life span of the car.

 

[R2d2]

Exactly, some of the guys in this thread would prefer him to be wearing a lab coat and white gloves. Oh and to have soothing music and scented candles in the background.

 

[MrQuackers]

I remember one time when i was a young kid my friend was changing oil on I think his Yamaha motorcycle and he handed me the jug of used oil and told me to pour it into the roadside drainage drain. Sure, no problem. From the ground, back to the ground. You're welcome Gaia

 

[R2d2]

LMAO

 

[rationull]

What could possibly be wrong with using a ratchet on a drain plug?

 

[BRIGUY]

It looked like their was an allen head drain plug on the bottom of the filter housing. That would have reduced the mess considerably.

 

[gathermewool]

I only see the following:

1. Reused the drain plug crush washer (do these have crush washers?) Unless I missed something, it appears as if he picked the drain plug up out of the drain pan and screwed it right back on.

2. Applied more torque than necessary on the drain plug while restoring.

3. Didn't lube the new gasket; however, he didn't wipe the seating surface down, so residual oil might do the trick.

4. Overtightened the oil filter canister.

5. Spraying anything from beneath the car. Even if it's not detrimental to gaskets, the simple fact that he's spraying from beneath is cause for concern. He may be cleaning most of it, but he's displacing the rest - to the belts, other parts of the engine bay, etc.

Dropping the splashguard - who cares! Worrying about scrapes or nicks on an splash guard is silly.

Did I miss in the video where it showed he was using carb cleaner?

While I wouldn't bang the side of the filter canister, the chances of what he did damaging the canister are slim. What he could have done to preclude having to bang it, is wear some darned gloves.

 

[Doog]

What I would do:

1. Clean filter canister and oil gasket
2. Clean off filter canister housing
3. Cover hoses so they do not get oil on them.
4. Do not use brake cleaner on the car itself.
5. Lower car, fill with oil, start and inspect for leaks, raise car and install splash shield.

 

[Nick R]

He didn't really do anything that bothered me. Ratchet on drain plug to remove, does it matter? As long as using the right size I don't seen an issue.

Dropping the plastic splash/rock guard on the floor? Just how OCD are you all? =| You wouldn't want to have been with me the other day when I did the focus. I sort of frisbeed the guard out from under the car off to the side.


I wouldn't bang the canister on the can but I doubt it's an issue. As far as not lubing the new filter, as others said he didn't clean the filter housing surface, so the residual oil will be more than sufficient to lube it. He did overtighten it, but then, a lot of people do and it's not a super egregious offense.


The carb cleaner... Well, I can see why he did it, I would personally just wipe it all down with a paper towel if I spilled any, but that's just me.

Overall I'd no real issues with this guy changing my oil.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: rationull
What could possibly be wrong with using a ratchet on a drain plug?

If it were a 12 point socket, I would likely grumble, but a decent 6 point should be no problem. Realistically, neither should be an issue if the thing wasn't overtightened to high heaven in the first place.

 

[Falken]

To not be too hard on the guy, the only two things I didn't like was how he let oil go on rubber hoses when he could have put a piece of aluminum foil over them to redirect it.

The other thing is too much use of brake cleaner. Don't use the stuff at all. It displaces the mess, is bad for your health, is expensive, and bad for the environment for nothing.

I applaud anyone who uses a 6-point ratchet on a drain plug. People using 12 point wrenches run the risk of camming off of an already slightly rounded drain plug making it progressively worse.

I would pass out if I saw someone use a new crush washer and a torque wrench on a drain plug bolt. But, that would be the place I would take my car for oil changes. And tires. And advice. And service.

And I would tell everyone to go there for oil changes.

 

[Hokiefyd]

I always torque the drain plug bolt to spec. I rarely use a new drain plug washer, but I always torque the bolt to spec.