Oil Change Place

[MoKelly]

My wife takes her car to an oil change place. They do a fast job and it costs $49.99 including synthetic oil.

This time they told her the air filter needed changing. The guy said “but, you should know the person who changed it last put it in backwards”.

Wife says “that’s funny since you guys put in my last air filter”.

Guy says “oh no ma’am, we are trained. We would never put it in backwards”.

So my wife, who is a trained CPA and more organized than a file cabinet, opens the glove box snd shows him a receipt where they installed an air filter 15000 miles ago.

The guy hems a haws and says “maybe you changed it since then”? She says - “are you serious”?

Guy says “no, sorry. Let’s me give you a free air filter and we’ll put in in correctly this time”.

I looked up the filter on my phone. Oil change place charges $24.99. Car parts place charges $14.99.

We got home and I checked the oil level and look under the car to be sure no leaks.

MoKelly

 

[stevewarner1957]

In my opinion, forget the quickie oil change places. I’ve heard to many horror stories from their work. Most of their employees are high school aged young men and we know what they are thinking about, it’s not about changing oil. I do most of the oil changes myself at home, otherwise I go back to the dealer

 

[MossRoad]

Some are good.
Some are bad.
I tell my daughters to ask for just an oil change and lube, but tell them "No need to check the air filter or cabin air filter, my dad just changed those."

 

[Roadworthy]

I change my own oil and am therefore quite able to keep an eye on my filters, too. Can you put an air filter in backwards? You may wish to do a bit of follow up on that one. The guy may have been feeding your wife a line to get an air filter sale out of the deal and had a problem when challenged.

 

[RustyA]

First thing is "needing" an air filter at 15xxx miles. Second is their reminder sticker in windshield or brand of oil filter should have been a clue that they service it. Or vin in their system should have shown they changed air filter last as well as their brand of air filter.

 

[MoKelly]

Some are good.
Some are bad.
I tell my daughters to ask for just an oil change and lube, but tell them "No need to check the air filter or cabin air filter, my dad just changed those."

Good advice. But, I guess daughters listen better than wives!

It’s hit or miss in my experience. I had my CRV oil changed and it really needed a new air filter. They charged $12.99.

At AZ they wanted $16.99 for the filter.

But on my wife’s car (Subaru Outback) they marked up the filter $10.00.

I’d change the oil if (1) I was 20 years younger (2) I had a way to do it w/o getting on my back and rolling under the car (3) I had an easy way to dispose of the oil and (4) the price was well higher than $49.99 including the oil and filter.

Plus, they refill the washer fluid, make sure tires are aired properly, wash the windshields and give free chocolate bars.

MoKelly

 

[nbking]

That's one of the things my dad taught me to do. He takes his vehicles in now since he's older, I will continue too until I can't. I agree with Steve too many horror stories, from quickie places to stealerships

 

[MoKelly]

I change my own oil and am therefore quite able to keep an eye on my filters, too. Can you put an air filter in backwards? You may wish to do a bit of follow up on that one. The guy may have been feeding your wife a line to get an air filter sale out of the deal and had a problem when challenged.

I checked when we got home. Sure enough, it can go in either way. Kind of like an a/c filter.

MoKelly

 

[stevewarner1957]

That's one of the things my dad taught me to do. He takes his vehicles in now since he's older, I will continue too until I can't. I agree with Steve too many horror stories, from quickie places to stealerships

Well I would take my chances with a “stealership” over quickie shops. If someone else does it no matter who, make sure you check the oil on their lot and check for leaks prior to leaving. Even when I do my own I’m paranoid about checking, double and triple checking things.

 

[fried1765]

Good advice. But, I guess daughters listen better than wives!

It’s hit or miss in my experience. I had my CRV oil changed and it really needed a new air filter. They charged $12.99.

At AZ they wanted $16.99 for the filter.

But on my wife’s car (Subaru Outback) they marked up the filter $10.00.

I’d change the oil if (1) I was 20 years younger (2) I had a way to do it w/o getting on my back and rolling under the car (3) I had an easy way to dispose of the oil and (4) the price was well higher than $49.99 including the oil and filter.

Plus, they refill the washer fluid, make sure tires are aired properly, wash the windshields and give free chocolate bars.

MoKelly

Even at 80 I don't go near those fast oil change places.
I do my own oil and filter changes.....on both cars and tractors!
Only takes once for the oil monkeys to not properly tighten the filter, or forget to fill, and it will become a disaster!

 

[newbury]

IF ANYONE DOES IT CHECK.
I learned that lesson when I was about 8 (about 1959).
Little sleepy town, Underhill Vt. We lived across from the gas station on the north of town. We were going to go to camp for 2 weeks (a 20 mile drive). My dad decided to pay the gas station to change the oil at the last minute. Small 2 person station, usually VERY RELIABLE and VERY TRUSTWORTHY and never busy (think Mayberry, RFD). They forgot to put oil in it. My father didn't check, we all just piled in, he drove it a VERY short distance and it delayed the vacation for a few hours.
TRUST BUT VERIFY.
Fast forward to 2010, my VW 2009 TDI Sportwagen needed first oil change. Due to VW's policy of if they do it they stand behind it I took it to the dealer, Stohlman Volkswagen.
Big well respected dealership, After they brought it out I checked. About 1/2 quart low. The "customer rep" gave me a long line of BS about how the temp was off, how when it warms up it will read correctly. I made them open another quart and pour it in till it read correctly.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Can you put an air filter in backwards?

Air flow direction determines which way the metal mesh faces..

 

[drssg]

Jiffy Lube convinced me to start doing my own basic fluids and filters maintenance quite a number of years ago.

The air filter on my previous car was a little touchy. You had to get everything lined up just right, or the cover wouldn't go back on. The "professional" apparently didn't want to bother with that, and he just forced the cover back on, damaging the filter in the process. It was quite a while before I noticed it, so I was essentially driving my car without an air filter for a good while.

I decided to change the oil in my truck shortly after that, and I was puzzled to find that the oil cap was missing. It was sitting on a plastic area above the radiator fan. The hood had held the cap in place for thousands of miles. So I had driven all that time without an oil cap.

 

[tibadoe]

I do my own oil changes on all my vehicles, tractors, and small engines. I enjoy doing it. Might be a little rougher on my back now days - but I know it's done right.

 

[MoKelly]

Jiffy Lube convinced me to start doing my own basic fluids and filters maintenance quite a number of years ago.

The air filter on my previous car was a little touchy. You had to get everything lined up just right, or the cover wouldn't go back on. The "professional" apparently didn't want to bother with that, and he just forced the cover back on, damaging the filter in the process. It was quite a while before I noticed it, so I was essentially driving my car without an air filter for a good while.

I decided to change the oil in my truck shortly after that, and I was puzzled to find that the oil cap was missing. It was sitting on a plastic area above the radiator fan. The hood had held the cap in place for thousands of miles. So I had driven all that time without an oil cap.

I check oil in the cars and truck at least weekly. Just like the tractor. I would have noticed no oil cap pretty fast - but I wouldn’t have been as lucky as you. It would have fallen off and been gone!

I change oil and filters in the tractor. It’s so much easier than a car. Lots more ground clearance and simple.

Plus - very few tractor oil quick change places in my area.

MoKelly

 

[nbking]

Had a buddy that would take it to the dealer for his maintenance. Then he would crawl all over it, making sure it was done right, put a mark on the oil filter, to see if they changed it etc, once he found the air filter was still dirty, had leaves and debris inside the canister went ballistic. I just think and believe it's better to do it myself. No headaches

 

[goeduck]

i just did not have have time to do my own oil changes pre-pandemic when the wife and I drove a lot. The local Walmart does synthetic oil chages or $49.88. Hard to beat that. The staff is mostly middle age or older guys, an occasional gal. They do a way better job than the quickie places IMHO. Maybe Walmart has better benefits?

Tractors and small equipment, I do the changes. Post retirement I may start doing the commuter vehicles again myself since I expect mileage to be way, way less.

 

[stephenh]

Friend has a Tacoma pickup with a skid plate, have to remove the plate to get the oil filter off. Not difficult to remove but takes a few minutes. He marked his oil filter with a marker pen, then next oil change took the truck to a quickie place. Back home, he pulled off the skid plate and the oil filter was the old, marked one. Had to take the truck back in and raise a bit of heck. I don't trust anyone working on my vehicles.

 

[hube2]

I used to change my own oil but now I do not because it is just easier to have someone else do it. Unlike my tractor, cars have become harder to do even simple things over the last 40 years.

Mechanics you can trust are as hard to come by as tractor dealers you can trust. Luckily I have a mechanic I trust. He maintains my car and I do not need to worry about him doing it right and he charges less for an oil change including filter than than any of the quick change places around here.

 

[check 6]

Another consideration, most oil pans on today’s cars are alum , and the drain plugs are still steel. Bottom line there is a torque value to prevent stripping the threads on the oil pan and it is not “good and tight”