Who does your oil changes?

[98Shabah]

Re: Who does your oil changes?

I do it myself, I don't trust anyone to do anything for me, I've gotten burned on having the simplest of tasks performed for me. It costs me about the same to do a simple/basic oil change myself as it would to have it done at any quick lube place, but while I am doing it I can do a quick inspection of the drivetrain.

The last time my mom had her oil changed at a quick change place she noticed it started leaving large oil puddles on the parking lot at her apartment complex, I went to check it out, the entire underside of the car was soaked.. I put 2 quarts in it and drove it the few miles to my house where I could get it in the garage and jack it up. The oil filter was barely touching the base. I bumped it with my hand and it wiggled. Never again, I change the oil in her car now too. Incompetence in the service industry is at a high level these days it seems. lol.

-Forgot to add, they didn't latch the lid back on the airbox either when they opened it to check the air filter.. The thing was breathing unfiltered air.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Who does your oil changes?

-Forgot to add, they didn't latch the lid back on the airbox either when they opened it to check the air filter.. The thing was breathing unfiltered air.

They did this to me too. In fact that was the final straw. The car was making a funny noise and I thought that they had seriously damaged something.

 

[soggy_feet]

Re: Who does your oil changes?

I dont trust anybody to work on my toys etc. It also give me a chance to get under and insspect for leaks ,etc.

Fully agree. Bought a old beat up Jeep pickup, Had a shop tell me my engine was shot and all the blow by past the valves was causing my valve cover gasket to blow out and leak.
In reality, my valve cover bolts were finger tight, and I couldn't move enough air thru it to blow out the seal, because none of the pcv crap was in place in the valve cover, aka, 1" hole to look in on the rockers...

Thanks, I think I'll just take care of things myself....

 

[Fleetwin]

Re: Who does your oil changes?

The dealer. $29.95 with a 20 point inspection and tire rotation. Hard to beat and they know what they are doing and use the right stuff.

 

[paultjohnson]

Re: Who does your oil changes?

The dealer. $29.95 with a 20 point inspection and tire rotation. Hard to beat and they know what they are doing and use the right stuff.

Thats debateable IMHO You would think so, but.....

 

[Thalasso]

Re: Who does your oil changes?

Thats debateable IMHO You would think so, but.....

The rotate the tires and when yiou get a flat you can't get the tire off because they put the air gun on high and cranked them down. Had my oil changed and they checked the in cab and engine filters and showed me ,asked if i wanted them changed and i told them to go ahead. They had the nerve to charge me labor for the instal after they had them out. I asked the Mgr. if there was a labor charge if i said no. He said no. My response was then take them out i will do it and save labor charge. Well the labor charge came off.

 

[Fleetwin]

Re: Who does your oil changes?

Thats debateable IMHO You would think so, but.....

What's debateable? I know exactly what I'm getting. I don't have to mess with used oil and filters. They use a TORQUE WRENCH on the wheels. No "tweaked" rotors that way. I'll stick with them.

 

[paultjohnson]

Re: Who does your oil changes?

What's debateable? I know exactly what I'm getting. I don't have to mess with used oil and filters. They use a TORQUE WRENCH on the wheels. No "tweaked" rotors that way. I'll stick with them.

I used to deliverer parts to dealers, it would scare you to see what goes on behind the scenes. Some pot head pimple face punk may be the one doing your oil change, congrats to you for finding a dealer you feel comfortable with. How do you KNOW what you are getting ? Cuz they tell you ? I have compared work that was supposedly done on the invoice, stuff as simple as a lube job and fluid top off just to get under and see the zirks covered with dirt and no evedense of the diff fill plug being removed. More power to ya, I still dont trust anyone to work on my stuff...

 

[Fleetwin]

Re: Who does your oil changes?

I used to deliverer parts to dealers, it would scare you to see what goes on behind the scenes. Some pot head pimple face punk may be the one doing your oil change, congrats to you for finding a dealer you feel comfortable with. How do you KNOW what you are getting ? Cuz they tell you ? I have compared work that was supposedly done on the invoice, stuff as simple as a lube job and fluid top off just to get under and see the zirks covered with dirt and no evedense of the diff fill plug being removed. More power to ya, I still dont trust anyone to work on my stuff...

I didn't deliver parts to dealers, I used to work at one. I knew exactly what went on. If that behavior went on, we fired them-IMMEDIATELY

I KNOW what I am getting because I LOOK! How can one trust a Doctor or a Dentist or Pharmacist? You don't know what is in those pills. I tend to trust people until proven wrong.

Making a general statement that I found the only good dealer is not a fair one. General statements tend to be, well.....not generally true. The "punks" can work anywhere. I would feel very safe in betting that a lot more of them work at specialty lube shops than at dealers. Dealers cannot afford the liability.

 

[greenbush future]

Re: Who does your oil changes?

I can't say I have any more faith in a dealership than a oil change shop. They sell image and many customers have faith, but in the end I see no difference in any of the work performed. Neither of them are batting over 500 with me, so I also do it myself, then if I screw up I know who to get mad at. And for the prices they charge, on other work the dealer is my last choice, and it's based on my experiences in dealing with a few of them, not just one. With today's trucks there is so little to do, visit's to do repairs are few and far, thank god I am able to own newer cars, with very few problems. Warranty work is the same deal, I really do scrutinize work performed for the exact reasons above.
Paint shops at dealerships IMO are not any better than non dealer shops, virtually no value add. Heck my insurance company doesn't even recommend them, and again my opinion is based on really bad work performed, which required more work for me. They have no pride in workmanship what so ever, but they do have an image.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Who does your oil changes?

Local mechanic does oil changes for $11.99. It's a loss-leader for him. Cheaper, easier, and quicker then me doing it myself. I do always feel guilty not doing it myself though.

Definitely true. My GF just went into the local Honda dealer for her 70K mile checkup which is a joke in itself. She had a coupon from them for a very good price which included the oil change, fluid top off and tire rotation. They wanted to get her to agree to a $60 "premium fluid" upgrade(not synthetic motor oil) and other stuff that wasn't really necessary.

 

[mphy98]

Re: Who does your oil changes?

Anyone who has a Chrysler and changes their own oil has not heard about Chryslers oil change packages. You can buy up to 24 of them in a 6year package for anything but a diesel... yes fords Honda etc. for as little as $355.00. Divide it out and you paid $14.00 and change for a service most people pay $30.00 or more for. I have it on everything including my 35 foot class a motor home. You cannot buy the oil and filter for that. Then if you do it yourself you have to dispose properly the old oil and filter. I have had nothing but great times at the dealer. Sorry if some of you haven't. There are a lot of good ones out there. Ask your local dealer to sell you these. You can get them in a 4 pack on up to 24 pack. These are VIN specific so you cannot use them on different vehicles and have time limitations, but you cannot go wrong with them. Another plus is that they will tell you if you need an air filter or something else. You do not have to buy there if you do not want to. I usually do because my dealers price is about the same as Walmart and he does not charge installation. So a win win for me.

 

[halfmoa]

Re: Who does your oil changes?

I can't say I have any more faith in a dealership.... They sell image.......but they do have an image.

My thoughts exactly! Standing on a dealership's sales floor makes me feel like I need a shower.

 

[NYBo]

Re: Who does your oil changes?

I always used to do it myself, but I'm getting too old, I guess. So I sometimes have my mechanic do it, or go to one of the highly-rated quickie places (yes, not all of them are bad).

We recently got a coupon from our Nissan dealer for a $19.95 oil change for my wife's Altima. We also asked them to check out a whine in the transaxle. We ended up with a new transaxle. On Nissan's dime (they extended the warranty without informing owners)!

 

[puddle jumper]

Re: Who does your oil changes?

I was looking at the poll and noticed that no one has there relative or friends do it for them . I get asked all the time.

 

[Av8nBill]

Re: Who does your oil changes?

I was looking at the poll and noticed that no one has there relative or friends do it for them . I get asked all the time.

We live near my wifes relatives and none of them know which end of a wrench to use, so that's not an option for me. My friends aren't much better, you only loan them tools you don't care about getting back in any kind of working condition... :facepalm:

 

[dave11]

Re: Who does your oil changes?

1 I have my Super Duty with a V10 done at the dealer. It must be a loss leader because it costs me less than if I bought the oil and filter. Mine also has places to lube. They do that, too.

2 I have my Miata done at a local mechanic shop. They have to remove a shield from under the motor to drain the oil.

The truck has twice the oil capacity and costs half as much. I would never take the Miata to an oil change place. I did that once with my last Miata, and they just let the oil out over the shield. What a mess. I have oil spots on my garage floor because of that.

 

[Fleetwin]

Re: Who does your oil changes?

OK, I admit, I'm the loser here. I trust my dealer and they have never let me down. I have lots of experience.

I did work at a dealer, as a Parts and Service Director. Brands represented, in three locations: Cadillac, Honda, Lincoln-Mercury, Mercedes, Oldsmobile, Toyota, Volvo. I was in charge of all three locations. I left to pursue another "related" career which I am still in, many years later.

One thing I always found interesting and fascinating was the perceptions, that customers had, regarding foreign vs. domestic. The domestic customer would thrift every maintenace nickel, if they maintained them at all. The foreign customer would spend money like there was no tomorrow. Interesting! We never took advantage but always tried to get the domestic owners to maintain their vehicles like foreign owners. Some did. I saw Oldsmobiles, Caddy's, Linc's and Merc's with over 300K miles on them. Maintained by us.

I'll stick with the dealer. My local dealer is never pushy. They give me a vehicle health report: (brake life, etc.). So far, they have been spot on. When they said it would need brakes-it did. Got them replaced at a great price before any damage was done (close). They only did what was needed-rotors/pads. Less $$$ than; "Just Brakes". I called to check. Plus, I got the good stuff. If they went 60K to begin with, the new stuff will be at least 2/3 that. Plus, it stops like it's supposed to.

Those guys (dealer) know what they are doing. On my last visit, they performed a recall I didn't know about (moved-never got the mailer). That IS service. They showed me exactly what they did. Nobody else can do that.. COMPLETELY satisfied.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Who does your oil changes?

I trust my dealer and they have never let me down.

You aren't alone. My local chevy dealer is fantastic. Very honest and they do great work. Sure their labor rate is a little higher but it's fixed right. And if it isn't fixed right, they take care of me. In troubleshooting a check engine light issue on our Impala they replaced an $80 part. That turned out not to be the issue and the light came on again. Took it back and it turned out to be a $200 part and I wasn't charged a penny extra. Unfortunately they are a smaller dealer and don't have a quick lube bay that I'm aware of. With small children, dragging everyone over there twice to drop off, and then pick up a car just to have the oil changed isn't worth it. So it's Jiffy Lube or DIY for me and as I said earlier in the thread, JL messed stuff one too many times and now I DIY.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: Who does your oil changes?

When I go to those quick lube places...

...and I watch what they are doing under that gap when my hood is propped up (many times I'll just get out and and stand right next to them, yes I know it's not allowed)

...and listen to what they are saying when my window is down, as they work on my truck I...

:facepalm:

So, I try very hard to do my own oil changes. Once in a while I'm just too stinking busy and I can't pull it off, so I go.