| Author | Message | ||
     86129squids |
OK, here's the scenario- Went to Sears for an oil change in the Nissan hardbody on Monday... was told they only had 1 tech on duty, and it'd be about 30 minutes for the job. After I'd walked the whole mall and browsed around, it took a whole 2 hours to do the job- "he had a hard time getting the filter off" I was told. Today I get gas, and routinely look under the hood... I see 3 things that alarm me. One, the oil was overfilled, two, the oil was much darker than I'd expect for a fresh change, and three, the filter is filthy with oily fingerprints. Needless to say, Sears aint doing it again. I used to do my own changes, but the mess and bother is well worth $20... IF IT'S DONE RIGHT! A while back, IIRC folks were discussing how to get an oil quality test done... I just called my mechanic and my parts store, neither of them knew of any better way than simply looking at the oil on the dipstick. If anyone here can advise, I'd appreciate it. I'm really wondering if they actually got the filter off at all, and just ripped me off by the looks of things. Thanks in advance for your $.02... discuss! | ||
| Rick_a |
My wife had an oil change where they left the filler cap off, and a tire change that left a couple lugs stripped and a few lug nuts ruined. The insides of the rims were scraped up as well. These guys also suggest all manner of ridiculous repairs, half of which don't even apply to her vehicle. Cheap work is rarely good and good work is rarely cheap. | ||
| Aesquire |
Multiple labs do oil analysis. I have no preference so check online. They send you a bottle in a box to send them the sample. Fleets and airplane owners use them. Knowing what metal is in the oil and trends tell you if it's bearings or other self consumption. Good diagnostic tool. Cutting open the used filter and looking for metal is a good idea too. Aircraft Spruce and others sell filter openers. | ||
| Sifo |
http://www.blackstone-labs.com/free-test-kits.php $25.00 to get the test done though. That's more than you just paid for oil filter and labor. And then what? If you really are concerned, you might want to go back to doing it yourself. I agree that you might want to stay away from that place though. | ||
| 86129squids |
It really just boils down to the principle of the whole thing. I have a really crappy looking, but mechanically sound Nissan truck. I paid for a simple oil change, which in best circumstances should've taken about 30 minutes. Instead, it took almost exactly 2 hours, the last 30+ minutes I spent either reading ALL their car magazines (plus Rider MC mag), while the clueless tech raised and lowered my truck on the lift close to six times while I was watching. His boss came in and said "he had a hard time getting the filter off..." LONG SCREWDRIVER. HAMMER. BREAKER BAR. DONE. <5MINUTES!!!! And now I've an overfilled sump, and the oiliest, grubbiest looking "new" filter I've ever seen, with oil that looks on the dipstick about half or more used, instead of the rich, honey look of fresh oil just poured. I may just take it to my trusted mechanics, have them do it OVER for $30 to $40, and see what transpires. Or, I should just get back to doing it myself, and capitalizing on the occasion to examine the vehicle overall... nothing wrong with getting one's hands dirty from time to time. Or I could wear mechanic's gloves...  For the general principle, and such.  | ||
| 86129squids |
It's really on me for not raising the hood in the parking lot, before I EVER turned the ignition key to drive away. Then, I could've asked why the oil was so dark. Then, I could've asked to see the empty oil containers (or not, depending on their volume supplies). Then, I could've asked to see the old filter. On one hand, life's too short to worry about this crap. On the other, I won't tolerate such crappy work, much less being cheated, even if and especially if it's an advertised $20 oil change "on special". Aint done with this yet. | ||
| Pwnzor |
Too much oil is bad. Sounds to me like they couldn't get the filter off, and drained what they could, and added the full amount as if they had gotten the filter off. Happens more than you think, and it would explain the color. I don't trust anybody to change my oil. Other, more mechanical things, I'll leave to my trusted mechanic... but oil changes are mine. | ||
| Sifo |
It's hard to imagine that they don't have a set of filter sockets that slip on the end of the filters. They make removal just about fool proof. Not giving the oily finger prints from the new filter and from the drain plug is just sloppy work. I'm sure it's a sign of everything they do. The overfill is something I would address ASAP. It can cause frothing of the oil if it's being stirred by the crankshaft and that will lead to poor lubrication. It can also cause problems with gaskets and the breather system. I guess you could take it back and tell them to fix that situation. I'm not sure I would want them "fixing" anything else on my vehicle though. | ||
| Pwnzor |
Sears is not the place to get work done on your car. Just saying. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I will say that I have pulled oil right after I put it in a couple of times, and was amazed at how black it came out, and that was on a pretty new engine (break in on my new XB9SX). I ran it 250 miles, put in cheap non synthetic 20w50, ran it another 250 miles to 500 miles, changed it again, ran it to 1000 miles, then started the normal oil change interval with a good full synthetic. That doesn't mean you aren't exactly right about what they did or didn't do. Just that it may be hard to tell by looking at the oil, and that a used oil analysis may cost as much as a "just replace it anyway" approach regardless. | ||
| Robertl |
My wife tried to do me a favor once and take one of our Hondas to a quick change shop so we'd have more free time that weekend for fun. Although I appreciated it, I found out they used 10W-40 when it calls for 0W-20 (as most Hondas have for the past probably 10 yrs). I discovered after spending 2 or 3 weeks to get in contact with the local franchise owner that very few of them actually understand oil and I just wasted all of my time. The current Honda goes to the dealer because full synthetic is only $40 and it is usually ready within the hour, plus near office. 11 years of owning a Jeep with a v8 and every oil change place charging me for an extra 6th quart when it only took 5 (they leave the extra quart inside after opening and realizing it was full with 5), that it was pointless to expect anything different. Never a bad idea to have an extra quart of oil around. My current Jeep goes to a place down the street (owned by Firestone). They seem to do a decent job when given a specific task, just don't ask for troubleshooting steering/alignment. I find it is very difficult to find people that take pride in their job, no matter how big or small. | ||
| 86129squids |
Thanks for all the penny pairs, folks! My next day off is Sunday, and that'll probably be the first day with relatively dry weather... looks like yardwork and another look at my oil situation. Tom, I'll be mindful of the overfill potential... it does consume a bit over time, and I'm now running about a 50 mile highway roundtrip commute. |
