Air filter improperly installed at Walmart...
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Originally Posted by Electromotive
Harbor Freight has a decent metal set of ramps for a similar price that are nice. ... Some lower sitting cars might not be able to use on.
You can solve that problem by putting something sufficiently thick just behind the ramps. That will raise the car enough for the body ahead of the wheels to clear the ramp. I use short 2×6s, which are high enough for the Prius to clear my makeshift ramps. Go thicker, if needed.
Harbor Freight has a decent metal set of ramps for a similar price that are nice. ... Some lower sitting cars might not be able to use on.
You can solve that problem by putting something sufficiently thick just behind the ramps. That will raise the car enough for the body ahead of the wheels to clear the ramp. I use short 2×6s, which are high enough for the Prius to clear my makeshift ramps. Go thicker, if needed.
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Originally Posted by vw7674
There is really nothing 'simple' about an oil change.
Might be the reason BITOG exists. Brand choice, weight choice, filter choice. Interval choice.
yes, it's practically like sending a rocket to the moon...so difficult
There is really nothing 'simple' about an oil change.
Might be the reason BITOG exists. Brand choice, weight choice, filter choice. Interval choice.
yes, it's practically like sending a rocket to the moon...so difficult
Originally Posted by vw7674
There is really nothing 'simple' about an oil change.
Might be the reason BITOG exists. Brand choice, weight choice, filter choice. Interval choice.
To the contrary - the owner's manual (and/or oil life system in modern) cars takes care of two of those right off the bat. Brand of oil or filter ? Any oil that meets the spec called for in the manual is fine so the brand doesn't really matter at the end of the day. As for filters, any filter sold at Walmart, Autozone, etc that is spec'd to fit your car will be fine.
There is really nothing 'simple' about an oil change.
Might be the reason BITOG exists. Brand choice, weight choice, filter choice. Interval choice.
To the contrary - the owner's manual (and/or oil life system in modern) cars takes care of two of those right off the bat. Brand of oil or filter ? Any oil that meets the spec called for in the manual is fine so the brand doesn't really matter at the end of the day. As for filters, any filter sold at Walmart, Autozone, etc that is spec'd to fit your car will be fine.
Originally Posted by CJWinWA
Some time back i realized that just arriving at a Walmart parking lot was a negative experience, setting foot inside was bordering upon degrading, and spending money there was insulting. There is absolutely nothing at Walmart that is worth lessening my quality of life for.
Not even sure what you mean by this. They sell the same stuff as other places like Target and other chain stores.
They're also the largest retailer in the US by far. I shop there when I need to. It's just capitalism.
Some time back i realized that just arriving at a Walmart parking lot was a negative experience, setting foot inside was bordering upon degrading, and spending money there was insulting. There is absolutely nothing at Walmart that is worth lessening my quality of life for.
Not even sure what you mean by this. They sell the same stuff as other places like Target and other chain stores.
They're also the largest retailer in the US by far. I shop there when I need to. It's just capitalism.
An inch gap is inexcusable, but installing air filters is apparently a lost art form at multiple shops. I've bought several supposedly fully serviced used cars from *dealers* that had stripped closure screws, hooking tabs that were weren't hooked in their slot, one where a internal reinforcing rib had caught the media and torn a hole, and another that the filter had been placed off center and the gasket didn't catch one edge. It has reached the point that when I buy a used car, the first thing I do when I get it home is check the air filter. In fairness, however, as underhood space is shrinking and the air box is relegated to whatever space is left over, it is getting harder to change air filters.
Originally Posted by philipp10
Originally Posted by vw7674
There is really nothing 'simple' about an oil change.
Might be the reason BITOG exists. Brand choice, weight choice, filter choice. Interval choice.
yes, it's practically like sending a rocket to the moon...so difficult
You obviously never stacked one oil filter gasket on another & pumped a quart or two of new oil allover the place.
Or had to use a chain wrench to liberate a filter spun on far too tight.
Originally Posted by vw7674
There is really nothing 'simple' about an oil change.
Might be the reason BITOG exists. Brand choice, weight choice, filter choice. Interval choice.
yes, it's practically like sending a rocket to the moon...so difficult
You obviously never stacked one oil filter gasket on another & pumped a quart or two of new oil allover the place.
Or had to use a chain wrench to liberate a filter spun on far too tight.
Get a couple of sets of Unijacks. Buy 4. And a creeper.
Originally Posted by atikovi
Originally Posted by jongies3
I know, but I don't have jack stands and can't weasel under the car to do it myself so until then I gotta have someone else do it. I change the oil myself on all my 4x4's since I can easily get under them!
Anyway, the air filter was bad so I had them change it and went on my merry way.
What kinda Buick do you need jack stands to replace the air filter on?
I believe the OP wrote he went in for an oil change, the air filter was an after thought. That said, going to Wally's for any kind of service is probably not the best choice. I don't mind picking up my oil or similar products there but I wouldn't trust their service techs to do the job properly.
Run some Gumout One and Done or Techron and call it good. Your cylinder fire burns at like 3000 degrees, so unless you were driving in really horrible conditions the worst that happened was a little more carbon build up in the cylinder/piston tops, fuel injector ends. I suppose it's possible you could have dirtied up your O2 sensors or catalytic converter but I'd be surprised if anything sizeable enuff to do that, made it out of the cylinder.
At this point there's really not a whole lot you can do except maybe stay up at night worrying about it.
Originally Posted by jongies3
I know, but I don't have jack stands and can't weasel under the car to do it myself so until then I gotta have someone else do it. I change the oil myself on all my 4x4's since I can easily get under them!
Anyway, the air filter was bad so I had them change it and went on my merry way.
What kinda Buick do you need jack stands to replace the air filter on?
I believe the OP wrote he went in for an oil change, the air filter was an after thought. That said, going to Wally's for any kind of service is probably not the best choice. I don't mind picking up my oil or similar products there but I wouldn't trust their service techs to do the job properly.
Run some Gumout One and Done or Techron and call it good. Your cylinder fire burns at like 3000 degrees, so unless you were driving in really horrible conditions the worst that happened was a little more carbon build up in the cylinder/piston tops, fuel injector ends. I suppose it's possible you could have dirtied up your O2 sensors or catalytic converter but I'd be surprised if anything sizeable enuff to do that, made it out of the cylinder.
At this point there's really not a whole lot you can do except maybe stay up at night worrying about it.
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My response when any shop tries to sell me some simple thing like that is invariably "Thanks for letting me know, I've got that at home to do the job", or something similar.
Originally Posted by Lubener
Never had anyone change something a simple as an air filter for me. You should have done it yourself instead of a Walmart gibroni.
Nor have I but I could see how it'd be tempting to have the service tech (from any place, even a shop) put in a new filter if a) I needed one and b) I'm not being charged anything addtl to have it put in. In theory, how hard can it be to put in the proper air filter, right? - apparently for this Wally's, very hard.
All that said, I buy my air filters cheap from RA or Amazon when they're on special and do them myself. Heck I probably have 2 or 3 sitting on the shelf right now.
Never had anyone change something a simple as an air filter for me. You should have done it yourself instead of a Walmart gibroni.
Nor have I but I could see how it'd be tempting to have the service tech (from any place, even a shop) put in a new filter if a) I needed one and b) I'm not being charged anything addtl to have it put in. In theory, how hard can it be to put in the proper air filter, right? - apparently for this Wally's, very hard.
All that said, I buy my air filters cheap from RA or Amazon when they're on special and do them myself. Heck I probably have 2 or 3 sitting on the shelf right now.
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Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
Nor have I but I could see how it'd be tempting to have the service tech (from any place, even a shop) put in a new filter if a) I needed one and b) I'm not being charged anything addtl to have it put in. In theory, how hard can it be to put in the proper air filter, right?
But what are the chances the tech is going to bother cleaning out the air box like you would at home?
Nor have I but I could see how it'd be tempting to have the service tech (from any place, even a shop) put in a new filter if a) I needed one and b) I'm not being charged anything addtl to have it put in. In theory, how hard can it be to put in the proper air filter, right?
But what are the chances the tech is going to bother cleaning out the air box like you would at home?
I'm not defending W. employee but, every car has a somewhat different latching on the Filter Box.
I've had my vehicle 17 years, and I still take some extra time to make sure it's fastened correctly.
I also check any Vacuum Hoses for cracks & looseness.
I've had my vehicle 17 years, and I still take some extra time to make sure it's fastened correctly.
I also check any Vacuum Hoses for cracks & looseness.
Well the good news is there was a valuable lesson in this for you. Next time DIY. If you don't have the tools borrow or buy the needed tools, think of them as an investment if you buy them. You'll save a ton of money over the years and have the satisfaction of knowing the job was done right.
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When contemporaries graduated auto tech school there were more small, local garages and dealerships to employ them than there are today.
I wonder (doubt?) if WM even hires one or two.
I wonder (doubt?) if WM even hires one or two.
Originally Posted by atikovi
Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
Nor have I but I could see how it'd be tempting to have the service tech (from any place, even a shop) put in a new filter if a) I needed one and b) I'm not being charged anything addtl to have it put in. In theory, how hard can it be to put in the proper air filter, right?
But what are the chances the tech is going to bother cleaning out the air box like you would at home?
Dunno. I'm sure some do and some don't. There is no way to answer that question accurately. But just because you go to a traditional shop instead of one of the qwik lube places, doesn't mean you couldn't have a bad experience. Albeit I would estimate the chances of having a bad experience at a more traditional shop are lower and DIY is always the best option if you can. But not everybody has the tools, time or wherewithal to work on their car. Look, I'm not a fan of those qwikie places because they churn over their employees too much to have/keep anyone that's worth a darn. I'm just saying there's a certain segment of the car owner population that seems to be fine with the service they're getting there. Is it for me, nope. But who knows, maybe some day my back will finally give out and I'll need to take my car somewhere to do those things I used to be able to do myself. Although I think when that day comes I'll choose a local shop instead of the qwikie lube, because I like supporting the mom and pop little guy.
Fwiw, I have a friend who's a GM master tech, his first job under the hood as a kid was at a qwikie lube. Does that mean all qwikie lube techs are genius, nope. But it does mean there are some diamonds in the rough.
Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
Nor have I but I could see how it'd be tempting to have the service tech (from any place, even a shop) put in a new filter if a) I needed one and b) I'm not being charged anything addtl to have it put in. In theory, how hard can it be to put in the proper air filter, right?
But what are the chances the tech is going to bother cleaning out the air box like you would at home?
Dunno. I'm sure some do and some don't. There is no way to answer that question accurately. But just because you go to a traditional shop instead of one of the qwik lube places, doesn't mean you couldn't have a bad experience. Albeit I would estimate the chances of having a bad experience at a more traditional shop are lower and DIY is always the best option if you can. But not everybody has the tools, time or wherewithal to work on their car. Look, I'm not a fan of those qwikie places because they churn over their employees too much to have/keep anyone that's worth a darn. I'm just saying there's a certain segment of the car owner population that seems to be fine with the service they're getting there. Is it for me, nope. But who knows, maybe some day my back will finally give out and I'll need to take my car somewhere to do those things I used to be able to do myself. Although I think when that day comes I'll choose a local shop instead of the qwikie lube, because I like supporting the mom and pop little guy.
Fwiw, I have a friend who's a GM master tech, his first job under the hood as a kid was at a qwikie lube. Does that mean all qwikie lube techs are genius, nope. But it does mean there are some diamonds in the rough.
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Originally Posted by Kira
When contemporaries graduated auto tech school there were more small, local garages and dealerships to employ them than there are today.
I wonder (doubt?) if WM even hires one or two.
When you have a business that works as hard as Wally's does to keep their wages low, you have trouble retaining talent and those that do hang around are generally working just hard enough not to be fired. In some respects, WM's a victim of their own business model.
When contemporaries graduated auto tech school there were more small, local garages and dealerships to employ them than there are today.
I wonder (doubt?) if WM even hires one or two.
When you have a business that works as hard as Wally's does to keep their wages low, you have trouble retaining talent and those that do hang around are generally working just hard enough not to be fired. In some respects, WM's a victim of their own business model.
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