Is this mechanic a keeper?

[tractor240]

So my car mechanic of 15 years closed down and being a small rural place the choice of mechanics isn't great and as time goes on, they are getting fewer.
I thought I found a new mechanic some distance from here until the second visit.
I asked him to do a thorough check-over of my turbo diesel car.

Despite the engine oil being at slightly below the max marker, he overfilled the engine oil well above the max and instead of using 15w-40 he used 10w-30, which I had always thought was meant for mowers etc. Not only that, he had no idea what oil I had in there whether it was mineral or synthetic so he had no idea if he was mixing oils, which is not a good idea so I was once told by a Castrol tech. So now, I have too much oil and a mix of oils I shouldn't be risking, plus I have to pay for this unnecessary oil.
Then he filled up the radiator expansion tank which was already at the correct level, so I have paid $30 for coolant I don't need and I don't know what color because he said he couldn't see inside the tank to see what coolant was in there and how much (though a torch would have solved that). That coolant will just expand into the overflow tube when hot and be dumped out.
He charged me an additional $10 for workshop consumables though he was only doing a check over....there almost certainly weren't any workshop consumables.
So I feel that with the oil, the coolant and the 'consumables', he might as well have just stolen the $50 out of my wallet. So now I have to replace all the oil and the coolant.

Whilst I'm sure he thought he was being thorough, I think these are amateur mistakes. So I'm wondering if he is just a young guy who until setting up in business, enjoyed working on his own and friends cars without a proper training. If that's the case, he could do some serious harm to my car which I have cherished for the last 15 years,

Should I keep looking for another mechanic because these are warning signs of someone who doesn't know enough about what they are doing or risk it and give this guy another chance?

 

[Jstpssng]

I'd keep looking. He doesn't know enough to be working on other people's cars. I hate it when they do more than they are told to do without asking.

Back when green was the most commonly used and I was running older vehicles I'd have the system flushed and replaced with the low-tox (propylene glycol). Invariably if I went in for front end work, safety inspection of an oil change they would "top it off" just to sell a quart of coolant for an elevated price; thereby contaminating my fluid.

 

[tractor240]

Back when green was the most commonly used

I had only recently had a coolant flush and replaced with a top brand. He topped it up with a trashy locally made brand and charged me a top brand price. Expansion tanks need room to expand. If he does know that then he was selling me coolant he must have known would quickly end up dumped on the road. If he doesn't know that, then he has no business working on other people's cars as that's basic stuff. Either way, I agree, he needs to go.

 

[dodge man]

You obviously aren’t happy with the guy why would you go back?

Switching oils? Not a big deal in my opinion as long as it’s a quality oil. What does your owners manual say for oil weight? A lot are saying to use the lighter weight oils.

Did he use a “universal” coolant? Some coolants are not compatible.

 

[tractor240]

You obviously aren’t happy with the guy why would you go back?

Switching oils? Not a big deal in my opinion as long as it’s a quality oil. What does your owners manual say for oil weight? A lot are saying to use the lighter weight oils.

Did he use a “universal” coolant? Some coolants are not compatible.

Finding another one isn't going to be easy and in some ways they are often even worse.
He didn't switch oils, he topped up, over the maximum, with lawnmower oil. I have used Castrol RX Super, heavy duty for diesel engines for the last 200,000 miles...the last thing I want in there is contamination with lawn mower oil and to be billed for the privilege just adds to it. I didn't ask him to top up anything...it wasn't a service it was only a check-over and he knew that very well.
I have no idea what type of coolant he used (I know he used a trashy brand as the rep was there when I was)....the bill just mentions coolant $30. I know some coolants aren't compatible and as he had no idea what was already in there, he either didn't care about that or didn't know enough not to do it.

 

[yanmars]

Run away and never go back.

 

[dodge man]

Lawnmower oil? Probably not going to blow the engine up but not good. I’ve learned there is one person you can trust to do good work, yourself. Some people don’t have the tools, the time or ability so you have to put your trust in someone. I have the ability and shop to do pretty major work but at this point in my life I don’t want to. Oil changes, brakes and that kind of thing is easy and all I want to do. I still screw up sometimes but I know who to blame.

 

[tractor240]

Lawnmower oil? Probably not going to blow the engine up but not good. I’ve learned there is one person you can trust to do good work, yourself. Some people don’t have the tools, the time or ability so you have to put your trust in someone. I have the ability and shop to do pretty major work but at this point in my life I don’t want to. Oil changes, brakes and that kind of thing is easy and all I want to do. I still screw up sometimes but I know who to blame.

I do my own basic servicing....buy my oil and filters in bulk and always do an engine flush, but anything more than that I need to leave to a mechanic.

 

[Jstpssng]

I do what I can, but my last repair job cost me $500 after buying a new fuel pump, then having it still not run.

 

[ponytug]

Well, if the guy isn't interested in learning, keep looking. If he is interested, educate him.

Personally, if he had done unauthorized work, I would have had him undo what he messed up at no charge. (Coolant and oil change) He would remember not to mess with things that he hadn't been asked to do, in ways that were inappropriate. Overfilling oil is not good and that is a "mechanic 1" issue. He should know that it isn't good, and why it isn't good, and not matching the oil to the factory weight/quality is another "mechanic 1" item.

Big picture comment: a little 10W30 isn't going to cause an issue, nor is a little of the wrong coolant going to cause much of an issue, unless your coolant is one of those 5yr/300,000 mile coolants, in which case, yes it is a problem, yes, he should redo it while you watch.

Personally, I'm not wild about paying for something, and then having to fix the "rookie mistakes, and to do the job properly myself, which has lead to me doing more and more lately. Nor am I wild about dealers that can't properly diagnosis and fix the vehicles they sell. It seems as cars get more like computers on wheels, if the OBD isn't throwing a code, mechanics are adrift.

All the best,

Peter

 

[tractor240]

Well, if the guy isn't interested in learning, keep looking. If he is interested, educate him.

Personally, if he had done unauthorized work, I would have had him undo what he messed up at no charge. (Coolant and oil change) He would remember not to mess with things that he hadn't been asked to do, in ways that were inappropriate. Overfilling oil is not good and that is a "mechanic 1" issue. He should know that it isn't good, and why it isn't good, and not matching the oil to the factory weight/quality is another "mechanic 1" item.

Big picture comment: a little 10W30 isn't going to cause an issue, nor is a little of the wrong coolant going to cause much of an issue, unless your coolant is one of those 5yr/300,000 mile coolants, in which case, yes it is a problem, yes, he should redo it while you watch.

Personally, I'm not wild about paying for something, and then having to fix the "rookie mistakes, and to do the job properly myself, which has lead to me doing more and more lately. Nor am I wild about dealers that can't properly diagnosis and fix the vehicles they sell. It seems as cars get more like computers on wheels, if the OBD isn't throwing a code, mechanics are adrift.

All the best,

Peter

Yes it was a 5yr/300,000 mile coolant.
I just can't stomach the argument to get him to undo what he did. I have a spare bottle of coolant, enough to do a flush and plenty of engine oil as I stocked up just before the war started, so will do that myself.
After he told me he had found the oil level to be low, (which it wasn't, I checked the day before) I showed him the full marker on the dipstick and the oil was well over that level yet he didn't admit to adding any oil. I told him I thought it might still be settling after he ran the engine, yet he still didn't admit to adding oil. I didn't notice the charge for oil until I got home and looked closely at his emailed invoice.
I suspect that he could get quite nasty/aggressive so I'm not going to confront him. I'm dealing with a medical issue at the moment and don't need that kind of stress.

 

[RandyT]

Lawnmower oil? Probably not going to blow the engine up but not good.

Despite the engine oil being at slightly below the max marker, he overfilled the engine oil well above the max and instead of using 15w-40 he used 10w-30, which I had always thought was meant for mowers etc.

A lot of modern diesel engines are calling for 10w30 oil not the old traditional 15w-40 that everybody is familiar with. Our ditch witch skid steer with the Kubota D902 engine calls for 10w30 and basically says using 15w-40 may damage the engine.

 

[tractor240]

A lot of modern diesel engines are calling for 10w30 oil not the old traditional 15w-40 that everybody is familiar with. Our ditch witch skid steer with the Kubota D902 engine calls for 10w30 and basically says using 15w-40 may damage the engine.

My car is 30 years old and before common rail engines, so I doubt it could be considered modern! Also, there is nothing computerised about it though there may be an ECU but no one has to my knowledge, ever had the need to find it.
I think from new, the engine has done the equivalent of 9 times around the earth, much of it during my ownership, so I must be doing something right, or at least my mechanic has.
15w-40 is the correct oil. If putting that in a more modern diesel can be harmful, it makes me wonder if doing the opposite is also harmful.

 

[ponytug]

@tractor240 in your circumstances, I agree, skip the hassle.

I'm sorry about the coolant. I would absolutely not sweat a pint or so of extra 10W30. I would either drain a bit of the oil out, or do something simple like swapping in a new filter, and then seeing where the oil level is.

Good luck on your non-mechanical issues.

BTW: you might want to update your location in your profile, as it helps folks give you more specific advice.

All the best, Peter

 

[RandyT]

My car is 30 years old and before common rail engines, so I doubt it could be considered modern! Also, there is nothing computerised about it though there may be an ECU but no one has to my knowledge, ever had the need to find it.
I think from new, the engine has done the equivalent of 9 times around the earth, much of it during my ownership, so I must be doing something right, or at least my mechanic has.
15w-40 is the correct oil. If putting that in a more modern diesel can be harmful, it makes me wonder if doing the opposite is also harmful.

I suspect it has more to do with emissions control than harm to the engine.