This is one reason I prefer to do my own oil

[Kruse]

Way back in December of 1987, I bought a brand new Mercury Cougar. The dealership threw in free oil changes every 3K miles for the life of the car. I tried to have them lower the price of the car if I had them ignore the oil changes, but it was the dealership's policy and they wouldn't budge.
Since I then lived in an apartment and working on your own car was prohibited, I took it to the dealership for the very first oil change. On the very first oil change, they stripped the oil drain plug. When I took it back for them to remedy their mistake, I watched them drain the oil in to a dirty oil catch can, replace the plug and then put the old oil back into my car.
I never went back to that dealership again and I then changed my oil in the parking lot of my apartment complex after that, usually at 2:00 AM where I had the least chance of getting caught. Yes, I did get caught once.

 

[Ihatetochangeoil]

I spend a lot of time on the road. In my trunk at all times are an aluminum floor jack, oil, filters, sockets and oil filter wrench, jack stand, funnel and gallon container, paper coveralls, etc. You'd be surprised how much space this DOESN'T take up; most of it is in a Tupperware container way in back, right behind the rear seat.

If I need to change my oil and I'm not home, I pull into a local car parts store or Walmart parking lot, (into an out of the way parking spot), jack the car up, put my paper coveralls on and change oil. I pour it straight from my drain pan with a funnel into a gallon container, leave NO mess on the lot where I am, and go on my merry way. Most any parts store will take the used oil "free" for recycling. (THEY are selling it in bulk). I have NEVER been challenged or bothered. I have been asked a few times if I need help...

As the details of this thread demonstrate, I find my car runs best when I'm the only one who services it. Most of the nightmare stories do not have complicated causes, just carelessness...It's not THEIR car. Really? Don't you think a 17 year old with his first car that HE bought by cutting grass, shoveling snow, raking leaves and picking up soda bottles off the side of the road cares enough NOT to strip/overtighten with an impact and ruin his drain plug?

I was that 17 year old...

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
Professionalism is defined less by 'never doing it wrong' than by 'making it right when a mistake happens.'

Exactly. Lots of people round off fasteners, for instance. Wrecking a drain plug isn't some unforgivable transgression. It can be easily fixed. Ignoring it or trying to sweep it under the rug is the real problem.

 

[pacem]

Good points.

I do my oil changes slow, paying attention to things and I am pretty sure I do as good a job as 17 year olds at quick-lube places.

Including jacking the car up, getting everything in place, tools, etc. I think it takes me 45 minutes and nobody rushes me, it's a fun activity on a slow Saturday night. It's such an easy job that there is no excuse not to do it - unless you live in such a restrictive area, but even then, as explained above, you can camp out at the Advance Autoparts store and change it there.
Plus I know what's going on in there -- I don't trust these guys to install my synthetic versus keep it and putting junk in - how would you know?

My aunt was very punctual about changing oil - every 3 months sharp. Even if she drove 1,000 miles, or something low like that. Well, she caught the shop one time, they changed the oil, but not the filter. They never thought a 65 year old would notice, but she did. The car was a Ford Tempo and you could see the filter from the top, if you opened the hood. They could have put on a new filter and kept the old, almost new one. Technically, they were right not to replace the filter with only 1,000 miles on it but they got paid for a new one and should have installed it.
And that was a nice stop with ASE mechanics, not min-wage kids.

 

[GiveMeAVowel]

The fact is that unless you are grossly negligent there is NO way a any bolt or specifically a drain bolt should look ANYTHING like the one pictured here, that looks like it was done DELIBERATELY!

I have heard about shops that mangle such things so that the DIYer cannot service the vehicle, it happens ALL the time.
Of course in my book that is destruction of property and a crime.

 

[The_Eric]

Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Zero pride even from 20 year techs. Its not their car so why care ?


Complete and utter bull excrement. You shouldn't paint with such a broad brush.


Geeze what an untrusting bunch! Maybe you guys should find better shops or change your approach in addressing them if you're having such widespread issues?

Originally Posted By: GiveMeAVowel
The fact is that unless you are grossly negligent there is NO way a any bolt or specifically a drain bolt should look ANYTHING like the one pictured here, that looks like it was done DELIBERATELY!

I have heard about shops that mangle such things so that the DIYer cannot service the vehicle, it happens ALL the time.
Of course in my book that is destruction of property and a crime.


And then we have this gem... Another post from antiqueshell- more hateful anti-mechanic conspiracy talk. Yeah, you tell 'em... Lock that miserable mech up in shackles and sentence him to hard labor! What an idiotic statement.

 

[wtd]

I've been changing oil myself for about 31 years and have never done that to a drain plug. One of my vehicles I've had for 29 years with the current engine in it for 19 years and one of my other vehicles I've had for 18 years with the same engine and neither drain plug on these vehicles are deformed or messed up. I don't over tighten these plugs and there is no need to. I have never had a drain plug come out on anything I have worked on.

What you see above comes from someone tightening the drain plug too tight and someone else trying to get it off. Over tightening drain plugs seems to be a common thing from dealers and repair shops.

Wayne

 

[Ducked]

Originally Posted By: Kruse
I watched them drain the oil in to a dirty oil catch can, replace the plug and then put the old oil back into my car.


That is spectacularly bad. Isn't there anything like a Trading Standards organisation in the US you could have reported them to?

No incontestable physical evidence, I suppose, but that would make me very angry and I'd want to get the word out somehow.

I've had to drill a drain plug out on a (UK) car that had almost certainly been exclusively "professionally" maintained, and I had to use a 10ft scaffolding pole extension on a breaker bar to get the wheels off after a "free" "safety" inspection.

Isolated incidents, but I don't have much to do with mechanics, so they would be.

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: wtd
What you see above comes from someone tightening the drain plug too tight

I disagree. What I see is typical of somebody working in his driveway with the car only slightly off the ground. This situation results in the socket (or wrench) being on an awkward angle, and then slipping while under high torque.

I have seen plenty of incompetent work from the pros, but wrecked bolt-heads aren't among the results.

 

[fdcg27]

What can anyone say?
DIY and you can take the time, which isn't much, to do it right.
You also end up with the oil and filter that you want to use.
OTOH, many quicky lube maintained cars using Lord knows what oil and filter survive for well above average miles of use.
This is common with fleet cars.
I'd never put the kind of gorilla grip on a drain plug or oil filter that would be required to cause damage on removal, much less installation.
I can only surmise that many oil change techs tighten everything down excessively just to ensure that there aren't any leaks.
On my own cars, I'm not concerned about leaks based upon what I've learned but also the fact that I don't worry about leaks since I'll see them in the driveway or garage if they happen.
Different methods because I working for myself represent a different market from those serving the general public too cheap to pay for a decent service.

 

[saberz]

I feel your pain! Toyota dealer near work did an oil change on my Venza. Drove 6500 miles and when it was time for an oil change noticed a bunch of oil on the bottom of the pan and a drip from the plug! It was barely threaded in!

Just did the front and rear differentialseat on my frontier and the fluid should be done every 15k (severe) or 30k otherwise. Had a pinion Seal leak around 45k (a week after purchase with 44k),would think they would top off fluid? Nope!

At 55k,drained fluid and probably a quart came out, very sludgey! Opened the rear and cleaned and inspected, luckily didn't seem like any damage. Brought it up to the dealer and they said they don't do that as part of used turn over (same with cabin filter and the mouse nest I had).

Not sure how they get away with this stuff! Doing my transfer and Trans next, should be interesting

 

[Silverado12]

At the dealer, Mr Goodwrench isn't doing oil changes. I had a 1993 Cavalier I bought new with a stripped drain plug after the second free dealer oil change. I am one of those untrusting people who won't let anyone touch my car unless warranty work. I do all my own repairs and maintenance. It actually takes longer for me to go to the dealer than to do it myself in my driveway. My sis had a dealer in WV not do one of the free oil changes on her car, but there was no way to prove it. Still had dirty oil in it right after the "oil change". Also, I don't know what kind of [censored] oil they're using and I have a turbo car that requires decent oil. Hopefully the dealer would use the correct oil, though.

 

[TiredTrucker]

I am generally of the same mindset. My vehicles stand a pretty good chance of never seeing the dealership again unless a warranty or recall concern. To go to anywhere to get my oil changed is not cost effective for me. I am more rural, so we don't have places that operate outside of 7:30 to 5 hours, many do not have loaner cars except for their major repair customers, etc. For me to go to a shop to get oil changed would require me to shut down my business for an afternoon or morning and do a 40 mile round trip to any facility to get it done. That is a lot of money both spent and lost (due to lost business revenue) to have someone else do a simple oil change. Especially at a place that can't seem to do it properly.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: TiredTrucker
I am generally of the same mindset. My vehicles stand a pretty good chance of never seeing the dealership again unless a warranty or recall concern. To go to anywhere to get my oil changed is not cost effective for me. I am more rural, so we don't have places that operate outside of 7:30 to 5 hours, many do not have loaner cars except for their major repair customers, etc. For me to go to a shop to get oil changed would require me to shut down my business for an afternoon or morning and do a 40 mile round trip to any facility to get it done. That is a lot of money both spent and lost (due to lost business revenue) to have someone else do a simple oil change. Especially at a place that can't seem to do it properly.


I agree! I'm not rural by any stretch of the imagination though. The only time I'll go back to the dealership is for warranty work. My goal is to buy the vehicle and hopefully not see them again until I'm ready for another new vehicle. The last thing I want is someone touching or messing with one of my cars. I use a mechanic from time to time when I get lazy, last time regretted it. There are good mechanics, no doubt, but finding one is the challenge, and usually they aren't doing oil changes at dealerships or working at Jiffy Lube.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: TiredTrucker
I am generally of the same mindset. My vehicles stand a pretty good chance of never seeing the dealership again unless a warranty or recall concern. To go to anywhere to get my oil changed is not cost effective for me. I am more rural, so we don't have places that operate outside of 7:30 to 5 hours, many do not have loaner cars except for their major repair customers, etc. For me to go to a shop to get oil changed would require me to shut down my business for an afternoon or morning and do a 40 mile round trip to any facility to get it done. That is a lot of money both spent and lost (due to lost business revenue) to have someone else do a simple oil change. Especially at a place that can't seem to do it properly.


I agree! I'm not rural by any stretch of the imagination though. The only time I'll go back to the dealership is for warranty work. My goal is to buy the vehicle and hopefully not see them again until I'm ready for another new vehicle. The last thing I want is someone touching or messing with one of my cars. I use a mechanic from time to time when I get lazy, last time regretted it. There are good mechanics, no doubt, but finding one is the challenge, and usually they aren't doing oil changes at dealerships or working at Jiffy Lube.


You both nailed my reasons, too. I have better things to do than waste precious time waiting to get oil changed, especially by the lowest guy on the totem pole, the lube "tech"!

 

[MCompact]

I have no complaints about my dealer; I've patronized them for nearly 16 years and the quality of the service/repairs has always been excellent. No gouging or upselling either. And I always get a phone call 2-3 days after a service visit asking how satisfied I am with the work performed.

 

[artificialist]

I have done my own oil changes for years, but even I rounded off a bolt. I was using a 12-point wrench, and my hand slipped away. The drain plug must have been made of soft metal. I put the plug back on successfully, and then ordered a Gold Plug just so I don't have to deal with that problem again.