What's the deal with quick lube overtightening?

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My girlfriend has started having me do her oil changes for her after she realized it is in fact cheaper than quicky lube places. I went to take the filter off and it was an exercise in futility to try and do it by hand, I've never had a problem getting them off by hand before then. I swear the hulk must have put that filter on. I ended up buying a filter wrench that I'll never use again to get it off. I've always gone hand tight then a half turn and never had any leaks, I'm sure the quick lube guys know better....or do they?
They did manage to: crack my girlfriend's cousins oil pan, put waaay too big of a filter on a coworkers car causing it to puke oil all over the place, and forget to put oil in another coworkers car all together.
 
I have found the 3/4 turn after gasket contact is still too tight depending on the vehicle and filter. I have a band style wrench that works on a few vehicles, but I need a smaller one for the others. Tired of killing my wrists. Lol.
 
They make minimum wage or just above it, and like so many
people today they don't give a [censored] about doing an honest job, even if you paid them twice the money. I honestly don't know how these places stay in business because even the dumbest customers know they are likely to have issues after using them. At least find an indy shop you like for all your work and pay them a bit more to do it properly.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris142
The boss told them that they will all be fired if another plug falls out or a filter comes loose

Exactly, they rather over tighten the drain plug and filter than have either one came loose and pay for replacing the engine.
 
Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
Same reason tire places pull out the truck gun, turn it up to max, and forge your lug nuts to the studs.


I did watch one tire place actually torque the lugs on my old truck... I was impressed
But I'm sure that was the exception, not the norm.
 
Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
They make minimum wage or just above it, and like so many
people today they don't give a [censored] about doing an honest job, even if you paid them twice the money. I honestly don't know how these places stay in business because even the dumbest customers know they are likely to have issues after using them. At least find an indy shop you like for all your work and pay them a bit more to do it properly.


I worked in a tire shop (did you ever?) and the techs wanted to do an honest job but the management wanted things in and out as fast as possible, and to complete a multipoint inspection to provide opportunity to upsell.

As with most things in life, a fish rots from the head.

I had an endless supply of rags and nitrile gloves, so I had unlubricated hands with which to twist new filters good-n-tight.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
They make minimum wage or just above it, and like so many
people today they don't give a [censored] about doing an honest job, even if you paid them twice the money. I honestly don't know how these places stay in business because even the dumbest customers know they are likely to have issues after using them. At least find an indy shop you like for all your work and pay them a bit more to do it properly.


I worked in a tire shop (did you ever?) and the techs wanted to do an honest job but the management wanted things in and out as fast as possible, and to complete a multipoint inspection to provide opportunity to upsell.

As with most things in life, a fish rots from the head.

I had an endless supply of rags and nitrile gloves, so I had unlubricated hands with which to twist new filters good-n-tight.


eljefino- I'd say that there's likely some truth to what antiqusehell said. Some people just don't care- and it's not just the younger ones.

I bet though that the main cause is as Chris142 said- fear of losing their job.
 
Some of the employees at quicklube places are minimum wage locals that are frequently alcohol/drug abusers that are still drunk or high when they manage to roll into work in the morning. Obviously there are good and bad folks at any services company but I think the quicklube places are high risk places to take your car.

I was at a brake shop once when a lady brought her relatively new Honda Accord in - seems the quicklube place had mistakenly refilled her brake master reservoir with either oil or ATF (not sure which) that totally hosed the brake system on her car. And of course the quicklube place refused to admit any wrongdoing so she was stuck with huge repair bill.
 
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Originally Posted By: Chris142
The boss told them that they will all be fired if another plug falls out or a filter comes loose


Yep! A lot of times they also have the buddy system in place where a second employee signs off on the plug, filter and oil level being okay...so you've got two people cranking down on everything!
 
Reminds me of an instance in which I was working at the dealership back in the 90s.

A truck came in for an oil change and the drain plug was so tight, I couldn't loosen it by hand, so I went and grabbed my light duty 1/2 drive impact gun and still couldn't get it off.

After saying a few choice words about that drain plug, I had to reach for the big boy twin hammer impact gun to get it off. That worked.

A coworker in the bay next to mine observing that sequence of events nearly fell out laughing at me struggling with that drain plug and really fell out laughing when he saw me hit that drain plug with the twin hammer impact gun.

Ah the memories......
 
Originally Posted By: Chris142
The boss told them that they will all be fired if another plug falls out or a filter comes loose


+1 this ^^^
 
One time I had to position the wrench on the oil drain bolt to push it off with my foot under the car. Had to use so much force I hurt my foot getting that thing off. From that point I would never take my car anywhere for an oil change. Even if was a free one, like the one I received before this oil change that had me throwing stuff and cursing just to get the drain bolt off lol.
 
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