Worst oil change ever

[Auminer]

I went to change the oil on my wife’s Genesis. It holds 9 quarts so I got my large plastic pan which holds 15+ quarts. Got the car up on the ramps, put the pan under and pulled the plug. All is well so far.

I crawl back under to put the plug back in after10 minutes or so and see about a quart of oil under the pan. Oh crap! THERE IS A CRACK IN THE BOTTOM OF THE PAN.

I go and get a piece of cardboard to slip under the pan so I don’t spread the oil out more than already done. Slide the pan out on the cardboard and realize there is no way to carry the pan with 8 quarts of oil plus hold the cardboard under it outside to the waste can.

OK, I’ll bring the waste can in, put it on the cardboard and pour the oil in.

Put the funnel in the can and start pouring. I get about half the oil in the can and THE FUNNEL FALLS OUT with about a half a quart of oil in it. Hits the floor and splashes oil 10’ in every direction. Oh crap 2!

I go to get the oil dry and find that I don’t have any, just have floor sweeping compound. I spread that around and it helps a little but not like oil dry.

Of course anything within 10’ is splashed with oil and will need to be cleaned separately.

Shoulda stood in bed this morning.

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Well it could have been worse, you could have forgotten to put the plug back in after adding new oil... you did didn't you?

 

[DieselBound]

Two words: Fluid Extractor. All my cars have cartridge oil filters topside at the front of the engines (German diesels, VW and MB) and I do complete oil and filter changes w/o anything other than my shoes hitting the ground: also use extraction method on my UTV. I still, however, sneak up under my truck and tractors to do oil changes (plenty of room; tractors have the split oil pans [two drain plugs] in which case a fluid extractor wouldn't work).

Many years ago when doing an oil change on my truck I was outside and kicked over an open jug of oil. Had to run out out and buy more oil. NOW every time I set any bottle/jug of oil down (or pretty much any container of fluid) I put a cap on it!

 

[rv7charlie]

Haven't read all 7 pages of responses, so, sorry if this has been said: If you don't have oil dry on hand, do you or your neighbors have cats? Cat litter works like magic; if you rub it into the concrete with your shoe sole after getting the worst up, you can barely see evidence of a spill.

 

[WinterDeere]

Two words: Fluid Extractor.

Can that do the same job of extracting any sludge from the bottom of the pan, as pulling a plug on a fully-warmed engine? Seems to me that mechanical erosion of anything in the bottom of the pan is going to be much better by pulling the plug, versus extracting oil out the top.

 

[DieselBound]

If you've got sludge in the bottom of your pan then you have problems. Have you seen sludge come out of any of your pans/engines?

With a fluid extractor one would be extracting oil that's from a warm engine, just the same as if draining via plug. If it's not warm enough to pull sludge then how is the sludge going to find its way along the bottom of the pan and out the drain hole?

 

[Paystar]

Wow i hate to say this but you got screwed twice no way the oil pan should cost that much including labor.

Not oil pan.....FLOOR PAN

 

[Santa Craig Cringle]

Seems to me the easier thing to do is have another leak, and another until all the asphalt is the same color!

Building a new home/barn soon. Thinking about pre-staining the concrete with motor oil.

 

[terrtay]

Well if it makes you feel any better, when I had my brand new VW for the wife, took it to the dealer I bought from for an oil change and they put the hoist through the floor. Went through plastic belly pan and the metal floor. Only the carpet never ripped through.
They then blamed my wife saying she ran something over. They nor VW did ever come good for it. Cost me $1100 at a body shop.

You may think I'm crazy, ya may be right. But the first problem I see machine is behind the VW logo. I've bought 3 New VWs since 2009 The first 2 were Jetta TDI SELs Realy the only problem with the first one was AC compressor and speed sensors. The second one I traded at 30K so it never gave me any issues. The third was a Passat TDI SEL because it had great backseat leg room. I replaced all 4 speed sensors one at a time, the dealer said it would be over 400$ each, I did them myself for about 30$ and 30 minutes each. The service writer said I couldn't do it myself because they needed to be programmed (B/S) Simple magnetic pulse device. The next issue was the AC compressor which was covered on extended warranty, then the water pump started leaking Extended warr again. the next was the DSG transmission replaced Extanded warr again. Then the radio quit working found that the warranty didn't cover radios,VW wanted 2500$ for a radio, Ebay for 695$. Then I started smelling coolant very close to the end of my extended warr, and I had to top off the coolant a few times, dealer said they couldn,t find a leak. About a month after the warranty expired I found the leak at the oil filter / cooler housing. Replaced the cooler/ filter housing with after market due to the ridiculous price VW wanted. Got a lot of good practice at swearing while replacing the housing. Several months later aftermarket bit me where I sit as it started leaking oil, got to perfect swearing. The factory and the first Cooler / filter housings were plastic and the whole time I was replacing them I was saying how stupid it was to make them out of plastic, Lo and behold aftermarket started making an aluminum housing (Thank Heavens) The I started loosing coolant again and wouldn't you know it was another plastic part dead with age, ya gotta love plastic engine parts. It was a plastic elbow on the left side of the block or head don't remember which. But it was almost impossible to get to . So no more VWs for me.

 

[WinterDeere]

If you've got sludge in the bottom of your pan then you have problems. Have you seen sludge come out of any of your pans/engines?

Nope, never saw any, and maybe "sludge" is the wrong descriptor to use. I just always assumed that at least some particulates you're draining out with the old oil may have started settling to the bottom of the pan as soon as the motor stopped turning, and that pulling the plug would be a better way to flush them out, than drawing oil out from the top.

 

[Fxfymn413]

I keep a spray bottle of Prep-Sol in the shop to clean up oil spills. Prep-Sol is what is used to clean a surface before it is painted.