Angry at Walmart service center

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted by AZjeff
Originally Posted by FordBroncoVWJeta
I work for Walmart....... Nothing worse than a guy acting like he knows better yet he brings his car to Walmart.

Huh?

I agree. If you think you're so much better than the people you pay to work on your car then keep the [censored] thing at home and do it yourself. No one needs that grief. Not the owner, not the shop.

Your ignorance is not an excuse.

I have done plenty of oil changes with an extractor. In fact I prefer it.

 

[billt460]

Originally Posted by FordBroncoVWJeta
A lot of stores have gone to the vacuum tube so they do not screw up drain plugs.

How in God's name do you, "screw up a drain plug"? If someone is so mechanically inept they cannot remove and replace an oil drain plug without damaging it, or the car they took it out of, they have zero business being allowed to touch anyone's vehicle. I don't care who they work for.

So, just to make sure I get this straight..... They have these nit wits supposedly use an extractor, because they don't want to run the "risk" of ruining the drain plug, threads, or oil pan. But yet they have no problem allowing them to remove and install oil filters. That is the dumbest logic I've ever heard of.

 

[Lubener]

Next time take 15 minutes out of your busy schedule and help out your father and avoid all that nonsense..

 

[billt460]

Originally Posted by Jetsfan421
My father wanted to get his oil changed today and I didn't feel like doing it, so he went to the dreaded Walmart to get it changed. The horror of finding the using a vacuum tube to suck the oil out and not use the drain plug. It took them two hours to do the job and they didn't even do it right.

So basically it took them 2 hours to do a 15 minute job....... Improperly. All because they can't seem to hire people who are talented enough to remove and install drain plugs without destroying them. Still more insane logic.

Stories like this are obvious proof the world is dumbing down. I just never realized it was at such a rapid pace that even I have trouble keeping up with..... Too dumb to remove drain plugs. At least now I have still more reasons to tell people why I change my own oil.

 

[4WD]

Originally Posted by Jetsfan421
It's a 07 Acadia. And that is not how you change the oil on a car. Lawnmower sure, car heck no. I was completely cordial with the technician and the cashier. I just can't believe how dirty the oil is after a change. And I suspect the method is the reason. The only thing I use vacuum pumps on are transmissions without drain plugs. Which makes the job way less messy. Just seems wrong the way they did it.


Well, perhaps they stopped short and did not measure what was removed … but bet that many Mercedes Benz engines have had oil changed from the top.

 

[bbhero]

Originally Posted by billt460
Originally Posted by FordBroncoVWJeta
A lot of stores have gone to the vacuum tube so they do not screw up drain plugs.

How in God's name do you, "screw up a drain plug"? If someone is so mechanically inept they cannot remove and replace an oil drain plug without damaging it, or the car they took it out of, they have zero business being allowed to touch anyone's vehicle. I don't care who they work for.

So, just to make sure I get this straight..... They have these nit wits supposedly use an extractor, because they don't want to run the "risk" of ruining the drain plug, threads, or oil pan. But yet they have no problem allowing them to remove and install oil filters. That is the dumbest logic I've ever heard of.



Man that a doggone good point billt460...

 

[demarpaint]

I would pay them a visit and politely ask for a refund. Then learn by the lesson and not use them for oil changes anymore. Problem solved.

 

[Mad_Hatter]

Originally Posted by Lubener
Next time take 15 minutes out of your busy schedule and help out your father and avoid all that nonsense..

Right!..it takes me longer to drag out the ramps compared to how long it actually takes for 5.5qts to drain out once I pop the plug.. and my (cartridge) filter is up top, so I replace that while the oils draining.

This whole fiasco was easily avoidable.

Originally Posted by demarpaint
I would pay them a visit and politely ask for a refund. Then learn by the lesson and not use them for oil changes anymore. Problem solved.

Every city has a VIOC nearby somewhere...

 

[FordBroncoVWJeta]

Originally Posted by bbhero
Originally Posted by billt460
Originally Posted by FordBroncoVWJeta
A lot of stores have gone to the vacuum tube so they do not screw up drain plugs.

How in God's name do you, "screw up a drain plug"? If someone is so mechanically inept they cannot remove and replace an oil drain plug without damaging it, or the car they took it out of, they have zero business being allowed to touch anyone's vehicle. I don't care who they work for.

So, just to make sure I get this straight..... They have these nit wits supposedly use an extractor, because they don't want to run the "risk" of ruining the drain plug, threads, or oil pan. But yet they have no problem allowing them to remove and install oil filters. That is the dumbest logic I've ever heard of.



Man that a doggone good point billt460...

I have never messed a up a drain plug since beginning in 2017. Only car I ever screwed up was the 2012 Jetta in my sig, long story short first time ever changing oil at 13.

There are probably around 10 times in thousands of oil changes the shop has screwed up a drain plug over thousands of cars. I find the most times people attempt to DIY and when they can't get it they bring it in to have us change it. Especially if they overtightened it last or it has a element filter they hired an ape to put on. They usually end up striping the drain plug or rounding it off, so then we use the vacuum. I know I have confirmed it with customers after I told them to take it to the last shop that did it because they jacked up your plug. Then they respond "My fathers cousins dad's sister's brother did it last." Yet we all knew you did it last as you have grease on your forehead. Some will come out and tell you. But most won't because you can tell they are embarrassed and they are trying to take the cheap way out.

Also we are talking about Walmart as a whole here. There a LOT of techs that shouldn't be techs. They come and go at my store, but they are usually weeded out after cars start to come back on them. Walmart some times doesn't hire quality.

It's hard to screw up a filter. Filter problems are known before they leave the shop.

Originally Posted by 4WD

Well, perhaps they stopped short and did not measure what was removed … but bet that many Mercedes Benz engines have had oil changed from the top.
On our vacuum you can't tell how much it has sucked out. You just know that its done because there is no pressure and you can't see any moving through the hose. It's very easy to misuse it if you don't know exactly what you are doing.


Sunday we seem to always have a car come in because its leaking oil and the place that did it Saturday is closed for the day. One that really sticks out in my head is a lady came in on a Saturday and wanted an oil change on a newer VW with the 1.8T, which is a cartridge engine. I play both tech and service writer so I see it all. Anyways I told her it would be around $80 before tax since its requires an off the shelf VW 502 oil and a specialty filter we don't carry in the shop. She walked and got it down at a smaller regional chain in town that's home to Kansas and Colorado. Well she came back Sunday and talked to me because it was leaking oil profusely. From the drain plug. She was also leaving town. I told her the standard line I tell everyone in this situation. "We are not a mechanic shop and we can't diagnose things. If I was to bring your car into the shop, you could come back and say it wasn't leaking before hand. Then I would get in trouble, and we also don't do it. We would take a look and see if we screwed up, if we did it. But we didn't do it in this case". She was mad at me

.

I tried to explain everything I can. from my POV. You might not agree with it but its just how I have seen things play out of the last couple years. Hopefully I get my degree this semester and not have to work at Walmart anymore. I'm not trying to defend Walmart but they have worked with me, paid me quite fairly, and let me bounce around as much as I want. I can almost guarantee that the Walmart TLE I work for is probably top 10% in the nation. We have a lot of smart people that I have worked with that know quite a bit, and the reason they switched to Walmart is because they are treated more fairly and compensated better than a lot of shops, even some dealerships. Some of you probably remember me talking about the VW dealership I worked at in May and told me to run. Well Walmart was right there and they took me back.

Also I tried to proofread and fix as much as I can, it is 6AM and I can't sleep, so excuse my poor wording and grammar.

 

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted by billt460
Originally Posted by FordBroncoVWJeta
A lot of stores have gone to the vacuum tube so they do not screw up drain plugs.

How in God's name do you, "screw up a drain plug"? If someone is so mechanically inept they cannot remove and replace an oil drain plug without damaging it, or the car they took it out of, they have zero business being allowed to touch anyone's vehicle. I don't care who they work for.

So, just to make sure I get this straight..... They have these nit wits supposedly use an extractor, because they don't want to run the "risk" of ruining the drain plug, threads, or oil pan. But yet they have no problem allowing them to remove and install oil filters. That is the dumbest logic I've ever heard of.

So you've never made a stupid mistake in your personal or professional life? I find that highly unlikely.

Drain plug threads are probably the most worked threads on most vehicles. Likely they are protecting themselves not only from their own inexperienced workers (lube techs are the least experienced at most dealers as well), but from customers who screw it up at home and bodge it together, then take it to a shop to blame them, raise a stink, and have their car fixed for free. It happens.

Originally Posted by billt460
Originally Posted by Jetsfan421
My father wanted to get his oil changed today and I didn't feel like doing it, so he went to the dreaded Walmart to get it changed. The horror of finding the using a vacuum tube to suck the oil out and not use the drain plug. It took them two hours to do the job and they didn't even do it right.

So basically it took them 2 hours to do a 15 minute job....... Improperly. All because they can't seem to hire people who are talented enough to remove and install drain plugs without destroying them. Still more insane logic.

Stories like this are obvious proof the world is dumbing down. I just never realized it was at such a rapid pace that even I have trouble keeping up with..... Too dumb to remove drain plugs. At least now I have still more reasons to tell people why I change my own oil.

I love this logic. No, it took them 15 minutes to do a 15 minute job. It took the two hours to get all the other cars done that were in front of him, write his car up, pull it in, do the oil change, finish writing it up once it was done, and contact the owner.

 

[Mad_Hatter]

Originally Posted by rooflessVW

I love this logic. No, it took them 15 minutes to do a 15 minute job. It took the two hours to get all the other cars done that were in front of him, write his car up, rack it, do the oil change, finish writing it up once it was done, and contact the owner.

Guess the OP's father never asked, "How many are in front of me?"🤔

 

[billt460]

Originally Posted by rooflessVW
So you've never made a stupid mistake in your personal or professional life? I find that highly unlikely.

Come on. A single, "stupid mistake", that anyone can make does not compare to screwing something up on such a regular basis, that you have to change the method of doing it, that has been employed since the dawn of the automobile.

Back to common sense. I can understand using a vacuum extractor as a last resort on a boat, or some other application where the drain plug is all but impossible to get at. (And on many of the new I.O. or inboard boat applications, they run a line to the transom).

But on an automobile, at a large, nationwide automotive repair / service facility, that has the added convenience of a hydraulic walk under lift, or else a pit, it makes zero sense. Especially if their logic for doing it is because they don't trust their own employees enough to do the job without damaging the vehicle they are working on.

 

[HangFire]

I agree with the consensus here, vacuum extraction oil changes can be fine, if done properly, most cars allow for it. But if the oil still looks dirty, it wasn't done properly.

Thanks to FordBroncoVWJetta for the insight. Kudos for your working your way through college, I did the same. Also Kudos for a job involving customer service. My better half has had several such jobs, so I've heard all the stories. I always think of her when I am dealing with a poor customer service situation... the person I'm dealing with is rarely to blame for the situation, and even if they are, doesn't deserve someone blowing up in their face.

As a customer you choose to wait at a busy shop or go elsewhere. A busy shop means either they have the lowest prices around or are doing something right, rarely both. Poor workmanship, I resign myself that I'll probably have to do up the chain of command to get satisfaction. I always start with "Your employee was polite and tried to be helpful, but couldn't help me because...." Quite often bad "policy" quoted is really bad training, which is a management issue, not an employee issue. Using vacuum extraction may be policy at THAT Walmart. But that's different from being corporate policy.

 

[edwardh1]

doesnt mercedes use the suctk it out method?

 

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
Originally Posted by rooflessVW

I love this logic. No, it took them 15 minutes to do a 15 minute job. It took the two hours to get all the other cars done that were in front of him, write his car up, rack it, do the oil change, finish writing it up once it was done, and contact the owner.

Guess the OP's father never asked, "How many are in front of me?"🤔

Customers never do. They give you the keys and then wander around without telling you they're waiting so they just get tossed in the queue, then come scream at you two hours later when the car isn't done. As if the writer can read minds.
Originally Posted by billt460
Originally Posted by rooflessVW
So you've never made a stupid mistake in your personal or professional life? I find that highly unlikely.

Come on. A single, "stupid mistake", that anyone can make does not compare to screwing something up on such a regular basis, that you have to change the method of doing it, that has been employed since the dawn of the automobile.

Back to common sense. I can understand using a vacuum extractor as a last resort on a boat, or some other application where the drain plug is all but impossible to get at. (And on many of the new I.O. or inboard boat applications, they run a line to the transom).

But on an automobile, at a large, nationwide automotive repair / service facility, that has the added convenience of a hydraulic walk under lift, or else a pit, it makes zero sense. Especially if their logic for doing it is because they don't trust their own employees enough to do the job without damaging the vehicle they are working on.

Use your own common sense. They're all single stupid mistakes. New tech strips a pan, they fire him and get another new tech. No one person is chronically stripping drain plugs, but any new technician can make a mistake when the shop is slammed.

You typically don't have experienced people at Walmart. The best move one.

Audi almost exclusively performs topside oil changes. Fast, safer, more convenient.

 

[billt460]

Originally Posted by HangFire
.......I agree with the consensus here, vacuum extraction oil changes can be fine, if done properly, most cars allow for it. But if the oil still looks dirty, it wasn't done properly.

That brings up another point. It is completely ridiculous for someone to pay for an oil and filter change, then get your vehicle home only to find the oil is still black and dirty. What's the point?
If after a customer pays for this inept "suck job", and still has dirty, black oil on the dipstick afterward. It is only because they not only left a LOT of dirty oil in the engine. But they most likely overfilled it in the process because of it.

I have changed my own oil and filters for the better part of 50 years. I have NEVER once done it, and had the oil appear black and dirty after going through the process. That's inexcusable.

 

[CourierDriver]

Buy an electric car, problem solved, you will sleep better...imho

 

[Audios]

Originally Posted by Jetsfan421
It's a 07 Acadia. And that is not how you change the oil on a car. Lawnmower sure, car heck no. I was completely cordial with the technician and the cashier. I just can't believe how dirty the oil is after a change. And I suspect the method is the reason. The only thing I use vacuum pumps on are transmissions without drain plugs. Which makes the job way less messy. Just seems wrong the way they did it.


Both the Mercedes and BMW dealers I was at used vacuum cans for quickie oil changes. I also use one on foreign cars when the lifts are full. Have not had an issue in almost 10 years of my own business, and almost 20 in the industry. Oil suckers work fine as long as you get almost all out. If you have an 8qt sump and 5 is coming out, obviously not going to work, but 7.8 q out is completely fine.

As an edit: THey worked fine when the manufacturers actually provided a dipstick.

 

[4WD]

I'm down with that … only the extractor I bought sucks, wait, no … it barely does …
Many here have praised mityvac, I have their small vacuum unit … guess that's the brand I try next

 

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted by billt460
Originally Posted by HangFire
.......I agree with the consensus here, vacuum extraction oil changes can be fine, if done properly, most cars allow for it. But if the oil still looks dirty, it wasn't done properly.

That brings up another point. It is completely ridiculous for someone to pay for an oil and filter change, then get your vehicle home only to find the oil is still black and dirty. What's the point?
If after a customer pays for this inept "suck job", and still has dirty, black oil on the dipstick afterward. It is only because they not only left a LOT of dirty oil in the engine. But they most likely overfilled it in the process because of it.

I have changed my own oil and filters for the better part of 50 years. I have NEVER once done it, and had the oil appear black and dirty after going through the process. That's inexcusable.

We don't know the history of the vehicle in question. For all anyone knows, it's sludged to [censored] and back, or has been 10,000 miles and 2 years since the last change with conventional and the half quart of old oil was enough to darken the rest.

But sure, keep slamming the shop if it makes you feel better.

Who hurt you?