What's the deal with quick lube overtightening?

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Even my wife's Ford dealer tightened the drain plug and filter soooo tight the threads on the plug were ruined. And the filter, being buried in the front suspension, was so tight it deformed when trying to remove it, even with the proper filter wrench
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. With me now changing the oil the drain plug can be removed with a box wrench and the filter can come off by hand, and they have not leaked in up to 9,000 mile OCI's. Even the Ford dealer is not following Ford's tightening spec's!

Whimsey
 
Originally Posted By: SumpChump
Does 30ft/lbs sound crazy for a drain plug?
My 04 Camry V6 oil drain plug is torqued to 33 ft. lbs. BY ME with a Snap-On torque wrench since first oil change. The drain plug on the I4 is torqued to 18ft lbs. ??????
 
Originally Posted By: HosteenJorje
Originally Posted By: SumpChump
Does 30ft/lbs sound crazy for a drain plug?
My 04 Camry V6 oil drain plug is torqued to 33 ft. lbs. BY ME with a Snap-On torque wrench since first oil change. The drain plug on the I4 is torqued to 18ft lbs. ??????


The I4 makes less torque so the plug needs less
tired.gif
 
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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


This is 100% the correct answer.

A loose plug or filter after service is the worst case scenario for a quick lube and will likely result in at least one head rolling.

To make things worse, certain common oil pans are easily damaged by overtightening. Chrysler and Honda aluminum pans come to mind. They get further boogered up with oversized plugs and eventually leak so bad from the plug they have to be replaced.
 
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Often the people working at quick lubes don't know much about cars. It is just a job they were able to find in a weak economy. If someone doesn't know much about cars, and doesn't have interest in learning more about cars, you can't expect that person to know anything about torque.

A similar problem exists at many repair shops. Many salesmen don't know that much about cars, because they all have a background in something else.
 
They want it so tight that you can't take it off & have to go back and have them do it & pay again.
At least that is what my neighbor said when I had to go over and help him removed his filter when he decided to do it himself. When I looked, he had already sheared the filter to pieces using filter pliers and stabbed a screw driver through it and it was still shearing it to pieces. Can't drive it back. Well I eventually got it removed and I didn't damage the seat area. Then I installed his new filter, then noticed the drain plug was removed. He had it clamped tight in vise grips, said he had to hammer it to get the plug to loose. The hex head was shot from either the oil place or him. Had his son go get a new drain plug at a local parts store.
Then he said he will have to find another place for oil changes because he wasn't going to go through that again - go figure.
 
Seems this must vary from region to region. I can get good quick lube service. I believe the techs there really wanna be mechanics, but are waiting out the 2 years to get ASE certs or something.

The economy is so lukewarm you get 40 year old non-minorities serving you at MacDonalds or the grocery stores.

I can imagine a hotter economy, or a place with worse trade schools, having a worse quick lube experience.
 
Originally Posted By: Errtt
They want it so tight that you can't take it off & have to go back and have them do it & pay again.
At least that is what my neighbor said when I had to go over and help him removed his filter when he decided to do it himself. When I looked, he had already sheared the filter to pieces using filter pliers and stabbed a screw driver through it and it was still shearing it to pieces. Can't drive it back. Well I eventually got it removed and I didn't damage the seat area. Then I installed his new filter, then noticed the drain plug was removed. He had it clamped tight in vise grips, said he had to hammer it to get the plug to loose. The hex head was shot from either the oil place or him. Had his son go get a new drain plug at a local parts store.
Then he said he will have to find another place for oil changes because he wasn't going to go through that again - go figure.

Get him to join BITOG. We'll have him changing his own oil in No Time!
 
Originally Posted By: Errtt
They want it so tight that you can't take it off & have to go back and have them do it & pay again.


At least that is what my neighbor said when I had to go over and help him removed his filter when he decided to do it himself. When I looked, he had already sheared the filter to pieces using filter pliers and stabbed a screw driver through it and it was still shearing it to pieces. Can't drive it back. Well I eventually got it removed and I didn't damage the seat area. Then I installed his new filter, then noticed the drain plug was removed. He had it clamped tight in vise grips, said he had to hammer it to get the plug to loose. The hex head was shot from either the oil place or him. Had his son go get a new drain plug at a local parts store.
Then he said he will have to find another place for oil changes because he wasn't going to go through that again - go figure.


True! I consider this a form of vandalism of property which is a criminal act.
 
Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
Quick lubes also put the hydraulic cooling fan to death with them constantly filling their reservoirs with windshield washer fluid and engine coolant.


I had to Google that one, apparently this is a Lincoln thing. I learned my new thing today.

It is also the first vehicle fluid I have Googled that didn't result in a bunch of BITOG hits near the top. Obviously we need a long drawn-out debate on the topic of "hydraulic cooling fan fluid".
 
Originally Posted By: HangFire


I had to Google that one, apparently this is a Lincoln thing. I learned my new thing today.

It is also the first vehicle fluid I have Googled that didn't result in a bunch of BITOG hits near the top. Obviously we need a long drawn-out debate on the topic of "hydraulic cooling fan fluid".


It is a Ford product thing as they have a habit of some models having a dual coolant and washer fluid tank setup next to each other. Not paying attention, one can put the wrong stuff in.

71DwjUqE9UL._SX355_.jpg
 
Originally Posted By: HangFire
Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
Quick lubes also put the hydraulic cooling fan to death with them constantly filling their reservoirs with windshield washer fluid and engine coolant.


I had to Google that one, apparently this is a Lincoln thing. I learned my new thing today.

It is also the first vehicle fluid I have Googled that didn't result in a bunch of BITOG hits near the top. Obviously we need a long drawn-out debate on the topic of "hydraulic cooling fan fluid".


In the early 80s toyota camrys had the rad fan run off the power steering pump/ fluid.

They were still working out how they wanted to do a transverse FWD arrangement, methinks.

Also think they use this on stuff like forklifts, skidsteers etc where there's hydraulics to tap into.
 
So your GF is using you to save herself a buck or two?
I hoped you offered before she asked.
I fixed the brakes on my GF's '76 Civic way back when.
She said there was a noise from the front brakes. I drove the car and there was the unmistakeable noise of metal to metal contact that a worn through brake pad makes.
Put the bad side up and removed the wheel to discover a siezed calliper piston.
If I had known then what I know now, I would have used the brake hydraulics to blow one piston out and told her to buy a piston kit and done the rebuild myself for less money.
I told her to buy a rebuilt calliper and a set of pads and we'd replace the calliper, replace the pads on both sides and then bleed the brakes, which we did.
I'd also told her to buy beer, of course.
I married this woman a few years later and she remains on the left side of our bed to this day.
Facing the headboard, she is always on the left and I'm always on the right wherever we might be staying when away from home.
Habit.
 
I can't see how you are doing oil changes for less than 20 bucks?

Every place in town has oil changes with filter for 20 dollars.

I could put a 2 dollar filter on my matrix, but I get a Denso or OEM Toyota filter, for 6 bucks, drain plug gasket is 99 cents, and oil is 15-16 bucks.

Still 23 bucks, and I do it myself.

Usually use dino Mobil or Quaker state oil, whatever walmart has in the jug that day.
 
Originally Posted By: JustinH
I can't see how you are doing oil changes for less than 20 bucks?

Every place in town has oil changes with filter for 20 dollars.

I could put a 2 dollar filter on my matrix, but I get a Denso or OEM Toyota filter, for 6 bucks, drain plug gasket is 99 cents, and oil is 15-16 bucks.

Still 23 bucks, and I do it myself.

Usually use dino Mobil or Quaker state oil, whatever walmart has in the jug that day.


Closeout house-brand ashland oil and $1 off the $3 house brand wix-made filters. I think in all it was ~$15
 
Originally Posted By: JustinH
I can't see how you are doing oil changes for less than 20 bucks?

Every place in town has oil changes with filter for 20 dollars.

I could put a 2 dollar filter on my matrix, but I get a Denso or OEM Toyota filter, for 6 bucks, drain plug gasket is 99 cents, and oil is 15-16 bucks.

Still 23 bucks, and I do it myself.

Usually use dino Mobil or Quaker state oil, whatever walmart has in the jug that day.


Loss leader to up sell more profitable services, or in a new car dealers case sell another car.


The real cost of an oil change for a shop or dealer is probably closer to $50.
 
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Originally Posted By: JustinH
I can't see how you are doing oil changes for less than 20 bucks?

Every place in town has oil changes with filter for 20 dollars.

I could put a 2 dollar filter on my matrix, but I get a Denso or OEM Toyota filter, for 6 bucks, drain plug gasket is 99 cents, and oil is 15-16 bucks.

Still 23 bucks, and I do it myself.

Usually use dino Mobil or Quaker state oil, whatever walmart has in the jug that day.


If I couldn't do oil changes for five or ten bucks, I wouldn't bother with them.
I can do oil changes all day long with various synthetics from the stash and any decent filter for five or ten bucks a shot.
The most expensive oil changes I do are on our newer Accord using HGMO, which along with a Fram Ultra will run about thirty dollars. Most recent change to this car involved TGMO bought cheap plus a K&N that was part of an AAP oil change special involving stacked AAP online and SOPUS MIRs. This ran around twenty five dollars, depending upon how you value the filter versus the jug of PP it came with.
Net for both was ten bucks plus postage and sales tax.
If you're going to change your own oil, at least shop the deals on oil and oil filters.
 
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