Undercover Investigation - Oil Change Scams

[davison0976]

6 out of 7 shops investigated in NJ used wrong oil. Not only wrong grade, but the sub par quality oil not meeting API standards when it comes to additives.

While it may not be surprising to many of you, watch the undercover investigation video by our own Walt Kane of News 12 NJ.

Kane in Your Corner: Mechanics duping drivers on oil quality

 

[901Memphis]

It's a good story, let's keep the discussion in one thread if possible.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb..._NJ#Post3707967

 

[Bluestream]

Nothing new here, we've known this for years

 

[antiqueshell]

Kane mentions that he is doing a follow up on this story, is it up on YT yet?

 

[jimbrewer]

Those stories have been devastating to the shops around here. They all seem pretty empty the past few years, with the exception of the car dealership affiliated places.

 

[antiqueshell]

Originally Posted By: jimbrewer
Those stories have been devastating to the shops around here. They all seem pretty empty the past few years, with the exception of the car dealership affiliated places.


The devastation is well deserved. These criminal shops have been caught over and over again and still the leaders in the industry have done little or nothing to create significant change to eliminate the fraud over the years, the industry deserves what it gets. Empty bays and desolate parking lots. I see the entire service and repair industry losing potential customers, I know many folks that keep driving until their vehicle breaks down rather than be screwed in their attempt to get preventative repairs.

 

[OneEyeJack]

These investigations in the LA area have been a gold mine for local independent shops with a good reputation. Sometimes people have to learn the hard way but at least many are learning. It appears that paying a bit more to have the job done right is a better bargain.

 

[Stewie]

What if it says 710???

 

[OneEyeJack]

Originally Posted By: Stewie
What if it says 710???

Then your car is upside down.

 

[Stewie]

Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Originally Posted By: Stewie
What if it says 710???

Then your car is upside down.


you mean belly up?

 

[NHGUY]

If it says "710" then its a Datsun.I would recommend 10w40 at this stage.....

 

[Oil Changer]

Wow. Look at 'Memphis taking charge.

Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
It's a good story, let's keep the discussion in one thread if possible.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: davison0976
6 out of 7 shops investigated in NJ used wrong oil. Not only wrong grade, but the sub par quality oil not meeting API standards when it comes to additives.

While it may not be surprising to many of you, watch the undercover investigation video by our own Walt Kane of News 12 NJ.

Kane in Your Corner: Mechanics duping drivers on oil quality


I'm not one bit surprised. It's just another one of many reasons to DIY. Or bring what you want put in your car and watch if you can't DIY.

 

[alarmguy]

Not surprised at all. Fact is, the consumer should look out for it, funny, now adays we have to wait for a new reporter to reveal one of many things people pay for and dont get.

Common knowledge for some places to just make believe they change the oil if they think the customer will not check, others to not change the filter if they can wipe it down nice. SO the people getting substandard oil are doing good compared to the others above!
One more thing, ha, the people who pay extra for synthetic, forget it! Many get conventional.

My own personal experience, at Sears no less.
1. I am crazy about changing my own oil, I actually enjoy it, takes me minutes, faster then driving to a place, then waiting, in that time I can be done by doing it myself in my driveway.
2. However over the years, more cars in the family, kids get older!
3. So between work, weather, days off, sometimes can get overwhelmed.

SO I TOLD my wife and daughter to get my daughters car oil changed at SEARS Automotive Center since they were going to the mall shopping. Good enough, it was to the point for me it was worth it to have someone change her cars oil as I was really busy at work.

Long Story short. First thing I did when I got home from work and pull the dipstick on my daughters car to check the oil, should have been nice and clean, NOPE. Black!
Look under the car, same old oil filter!

SEARS EMPLOYEE SCAMMED MY DAUGHTER OUT OF AN OIL CHANGE.
Went back to Sear raised [censored], manager was in disbelief, had him show me the filters they use, nope, wasnt on my daughters car, he and other mechanics all went out to the car, ALL AGREED, NOPE, oil wasnt changed.
Manager swore he saw the kid with her car on the lift...
TURNS out the kid they had do it just made believe he was changing it, while he hung out back behind the shop and smoked a cig.
The part that REALLY annoyed me, no one in corporate Sears cared. No matter how much I tried to contact Sears, NO ONE CARED, I was always just reverted back to the Store Manager contact info. Wonder why they are going out of business? Anyway, since then, this Sears was just closed down in the last year, good.

People need to take charge of things, if your paying for something, make sure you are getting it. If you dont change your own oil at least check that they changed the filter and oil when they are done and FORGET about paying extra for synthetic, just do the regular cause a good change you wont get the syn anyway.

 

[Eddie]

I do my own oil changes and enjoy doing them, but at 77 YO it is getting somewhat more difficult to do. When I am unable to do them I will first look for a friend recommended independent but, in no case will I go where I can't watch the person doing the work. Ed

 

[alarmguy]

Originally Posted By: Eddie
I do my own oil changes and enjoy doing them, but at 77 YO it is getting somewhat more difficult to do. When I am unable to do them I will first look for a friend recommended independent but, in no case will I go where I can't watch the person doing the work. Ed


Yes, that is the key, some reputable places will show you the dipstick of clean oil.

 

[fdcg27]

Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
Originally Posted By: jimbrewer
Those stories have been devastating to the shops around here. They all seem pretty empty the past few years, with the exception of the car dealership affiliated places.


The devastation is well deserved. These criminal shops have been caught over and over again and still the leaders in the industry have done little or nothing to create significant change to eliminate the fraud over the years, the industry deserves what it gets. Empty bays and desolate parking lots. I see the entire service and repair industry losing potential customers, I know many folks that keep driving until their vehicle breaks down rather than be screwed in their attempt to get preventative repairs.


The rain falls equally upon the just and the unjust.
I'd doubt that more than a small minority of these shops are dishonest, and the honest shops get tarred with the same brush as the dishonest ones and suffer the same loss of business as do those that should be prosecuted for fraud.
Everyone here knows that they can do an oil change with clearance or FAR oil and a mid-tier filter bought on sale for five or six bucks all in.
Evryone here also knows that a bottom dollar oil will typically run around a couple of bucks a quart absent clearance pricing or MIR. Combine that with even a cheap ecore filter and then figure in wages paid and the cost of the premisis used and it becomes pretty obvious that the twenty buck oil change place is operating on some pretty tight margins.
Some will survive, some will close their doors and some will cheat.
Caveat emptor.

 

[KCJeep]

I wouldn't assume dealers are a lot better either, especially with older vehicles out of warranty.

I've seen multiple posts about Jeep dealers dumping dino 5w20 into Jeep 4.0's (a no no) cause that is what they have in bulk since most newer Chrysler products spec 5w20.

Sure it won't grenade but far from optimal for that engine and nowhere near the owners manual spec for that vehicle (10w30).

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: alarmguy
Not surprised at all. Fact is, the consumer should look out for it, funny, now adays we have to wait for a new reporter to reveal one of many things people pay for and dont get.

Common knowledge for some places to just make believe they change the oil if they think the customer will not check, others to not change the filter if they can wipe it down nice. SO the people getting substandard oil are doing good compared to the others above!
One more thing, ha, the people who pay extra for synthetic, forget it! Many get conventional.

My own personal experience, at Sears no less.
1. I am crazy about changing my own oil, I actually enjoy it, takes me minutes, faster then driving to a place, then waiting, in that time I can be done by doing it myself in my driveway.
2. However over the years, more cars in the family, kids get older!
3. So between work, weather, days off, sometimes can get overwhelmed.

SO I TOLD my wife and daughter to get my daughters car oil changed at SEARS Automotive Center since they were going to the mall shopping. Good enough, it was to the point for me it was worth it to have someone change her cars oil as I was really busy at work.

Long Story short. First thing I did when I got home from work and pull the dipstick on my daughters car to check the oil, should have been nice and clean, NOPE. Black!
Look under the car, same old oil filter!

SEARS EMPLOYEE SCAMMED MY DAUGHTER OUT OF AN OIL CHANGE.
Went back to Sear raised [censored], manager was in disbelief, had him show me the filters they use, nope, wasnt on my daughters car, he and other mechanics all went out to the car, ALL AGREED, NOPE, oil wasnt changed.
Manager swore he saw the kid with her car on the lift...
TURNS out the kid they had do it just made believe he was changing it, while he hung out back behind the shop and smoked a cig.
The part that REALLY annoyed me, no one in corporate Sears cared. No matter how much I tried to contact Sears, NO ONE CARED, I was always just reverted back to the Store Manager contact info. Wonder why they are going out of business? Anyway, since then, this Sears was just closed down in the last year, good.

People need to take charge of things, if your paying for something, make sure you are getting it. If you dont change your own oil at least check that they changed the filter and oil when they are done and FORGET about paying extra for synthetic, just do the regular cause a good change you wont get the syn anyway.

That is why SEARS is on the verge of bankruptcy. My wife had to return something to them (they shipped wrong product) it was like [censored], a month long process. Never getting anything there.

 

[CELICA_XX]

Totally agree... if I ever need to have my vehicles serviced by someone other than myself, I would buy my own oil/filter and find a good older independent mechanic.