rant on Oil changers

[5030]

I don't think most of them pull the drain plug.

Right about that and most of them don't even have the tools in the first place. Had that issue (low air dam) with my Focus RS Turbo.

Had to modify my drive on ramps. Dang car sits so low, sometimes I feel like my butt will hit the pavement. It is fun though with 320 horses on tap in a roller skate. Only car I ever owned that can turn the tires in the first 4 gears, but still gets 40 mpg with the AC on so long as I drive it like the old man I am. Unlike most front wheel drive cars, Fords addressed the inherent torque steer under hard acceleration as well. It goes into traction control when you firewall the pedal.

On an average e-way on ramp starting at the top at zero, I can hit over 120 when I get to the bottom. Had it to a buck and a half one time which is the end of the speedo. I suspect it can go even faster but I ran out of guts.

Best thing is the insurance. My insurer treats it as an economy hatchback so insurance is dirt cheap. Too bad Fords decided to quit making them. Will be my last car I suspect. It is a GDI engine so it gets the Seafoam treatment in the intake every oil change and the oil gets changed every 3 thousand miles, Rotella T6 5-40 as usual and the oil filter too, probably should install a catch can on it someday... the RS Turbo engine and transmission is (was) built in Germany and the car was assembled in Wayne, Michigan, north of me.

Couple weeks ago I smoked a Mustang GT on a 2 lane with it. About sucked the paint right off it. The driver could not believe he got smoked by a Ford Focus of all things. Dropped 2 cogs and took it right to the 7500 rpm redline and power shifted it. I about crapped my pants too. it's a sleeper. Only give away is the 4 exhaust pipes under the center of the back pan. Took off all the badges but the Focus emblems.

Fun car for an old man.

 

[WinterDeere]

I always change the fluids on my own until wife bought a 2019 Charger RT. Can't get it on ramps without smashing bumper/air dam.

Race Ramps. I use them with my SRT, which has a longer chin spoiler than the RT, and I think might even sit a bit lower. No issues with the 72” variety, and it’s nice that you can pull away the lower ramp while the car is up in the air. I use mine with everything but my pickup truck and tractor, which are both high enough to not bother with ramps at all.

They’re 14” wide, which makes for perfect stowage between floor joists at 16”OC. A pair of firing strips across the bottom of a few joists, and up in the ceiling they go!

 

[5030]

Made my own ramps from .40 retention planks and 2x 10's I know they are stout as I use them to change the pto shaft on the dual speed M9 Kubota and I back it up on the ramps so I don't loose any gearbox oil. I'm inherently cheap.

 

[WinterDeere]

Yeah, I did the same, a pair of 2x8’s with 2x4 ribs bolted to the back, attached to my dad’s old 1950’s steel ramps. But they were heavy as all hell, and not convenient for accessing under the zero turn, when I used them for blade changes and deck cleaning. The main selling point for me with the Race Ramps, since they’re not cheap, was the way you can remove the ramp from the standing part of the block. It gives me easy access to my mower deck for blade changes and cleaning, when I use them with the zero turn, as well as anything behind the front tires on the cars.

I’ve been meaning to sell the old steel ramps for some time now, I haven’t used them in years!

 

[RidgeTopWVA]

I do all my own fluid changes, on our vehicles, tractors, and mower. Honestly, why are you taking any vehicle to a garage for something as simple as a fluid change? Pull a plug (or a pan, or a diff cover), let it drain out. Change filter if applicable, fill it back up. I go through more effort than that in making my coffee.

Esp. with synthetics, two of our three vehicles are down to every 12 months. Hardly an enormous hurdle for anyone handy enough to be spending their time on a tractor forum, of all things!

I change my own oil etc , but not everyone has the means to change there own oil, depending on age physical condition etc maybe other people just read out of interest etc.
Changing oil being is easier than changing coffee is a stretch.
You do not have to be a back yard mechanic or handy enought to come to tractorbynet and enjoy reading the post's and to participate. One size doe's not fit all.

I change my oil laying on the ground using a set of plastic car ramps , it sometime makes it tough to use a grease gun but I get it done.

 

[notaz3]

Cars came with two years of included oil changes from the dealer. As soon as the two years was up I went back to using the Quick Lube three miles from the house. Service there is quicker than the dealer and I've never had any problems.

Drive over the pit. The guy underneath pulls the plug and filter (on the two with filters underneath). Guy up top waits for the go-ahead (or removes the filter on the other two) before he pumps in the new oil. Let's it sit for about a bit and has me start the car and run for about 30 seconds. He comes back a minute or so later and checks the level.

I never get out of the car, and always under 30 minuets. Best part is, they take care of disposal of used oil and filter.

 

[two_bit_score]

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[Midniteoyl]

Thanks for the mention of Jiffy Lube. I briefly thought of taking it to them for another oil change. I'm due to go on an emergency trip to Mississippi Monday. 900 mile drive one way. Don't need any problems.
With the quality of service in "repair shops" I'm becoming a firm believer in sealed bearings etc.

I had an oil change by Jiffy Lube due to an 'emergency trip' (trips, actually) as well.. 3x 1200 miles round trips in as many weeks. A couple months later I'm leaving a trail of oil. While searching for it, I found the oil filter seal leaking, then notice its the same filter that was replaced at the oil change prior to Jiffy Lube, written date and all. Jiffy never changed it.. maybe loosened it then forgot?

 

[5030]

it all comes down to the person doing it.
A young friend just lost an engine due to low oil not long after an oil change, we can only speculate what happened.

In reality, the onus is on your young friend because he didn't check the oil level after the quickie oil change

 

[5030]

The Western Star dealership I retired from had to eat a Cat 3406 that one of the mechanics forgot to tighten the drain plug after an oil change. Class 8 diesels don't last very long with no oil in the pan and no oil pressure. Driver was going down the Interstate when the plug came out and by the time he got it stopped, the engine was junk. Quick 20 grand as well as a huge tow bill plus paid downtime. Least it wasn't an NZ engine or it would have been 30 grand.