Oil Changes

[azflycaster]

I have done some reading and decided to use Mobile 1 oil in my new Tundra. I have in the past used Jiffy Lube to change my oil, but have found some very disturbing news about the company. A news team in LA took cars to several locations and found that much of the service they had paid for was never done. Filters were not replaced as well as some fluids. In 5 out of 8 cases they paid for transmission fluid to be replaced and it was never done.

I also found a list of complaints against Jiffy Lune that would take days to read. Stripped drain plugs, oil filters not tightened and oil never added to the engine to name a few. Jiffy Lube in every case has done nothing to make right the damage they have done.

OK, here is the question:
Who changes your oil and what oil do you use in your TV?

[CaddyGrn]

Hello,

Hubby dear changes the oil in our little vintage tow vehicle... (1968 Ford 4 x 4... with a 5 liter engine...) he always uses Mobil 1.

We have a "local" wanna be Jiffy Lube type place here. They "seemed" to do fine for a while, then one time they told us our oil was too full in our car and we should take it back to the dealer as they had worked on it last. Long story of back and forth.... decided the Jiffy type guys weren't sure what they were doing. Went with the local dealer (Cadillac/Chevy) and they made everything right for us even though they didn't do the oil change. Since then we take it to them. When they asked us about the Jiffy type place we talked "price". They matched it. Win win for us we thought.

Mrs. NorCal Bambi (traveling in S Tardis ~ from the Great State of Jefferson)

[FlaAirstream]

Ever noticed how many of those places ALWAYS have Help Wanted signs up? To me, that's a danger beware sign. I used to change my own but now it hurts too bad getting up and down. Getting old is not for sissys. I go to a place here in the mountains that is owned and operated. A couple bucks more but well worth it. Not to sure about WalMart either. Ever used them?

[Road Ruler]

Good day Richard... I have always changed the fluids in all our vehicles. Synthetic front to rear. My theroy is.... if you want it done right, do it yourself!

From my experience synthetic has proven to last longer, burns less in engines, starts easier in the winter months and stays together without break down on hot summer days. Mobile 1 is a top rated product.

[RIstream'n]

You get what you pay for in those places. You pay for monkeys, you get monkeys. Then peolpe act surprised. You're dealing with an expensive piece of equipment. Even if an oil change is seemingly easy it's easily screwed up and the damage can be major. Take it to the experts, a dealer. If they don't use your brand of oil just request it or bring it. they'll do it. At our Subaru dealership an oil,filter and tire rotation is $24.95!! Why go elsewhere??

[RIstream'n]

And it's done by a tecnician that has taken 3 years of Subaru training to become certified. It's not done by a kid just hired last week. Hey I hear there's a new place to go to for your annual physical, it's called Jiffy Doc's, HaHaHa....

[Sky]

Since retiring, I decided to start changing my own oil when I bought the used truck last November. My first attempt ended up draining all the transmission fluid . Now that I know the correct plug to unscrew, it doesn't take me too long. Just turned 20,000 miles and decided to go with Mobile 1 synthetic this last change.

[azflycaster]

BTW, here is a link to the video that an LA news team made about JL.

YouTube - Jiffy Lube Scam Caught on Tape!

Looks like many of you doyour own oil changes, where do you take the old oil when you are done?

[RIstream'n]

Here's a funny Jiffy Lube story. On a Subaru the trans filter looks just like the oil filter. The only difference is the trans filter is slightly smaller and is easily exposed while the oil filter is under a hard plastic guard. If you don't know this and are rushing it is very easy to mistake the trans filter for the oil filter. Well I bet you can guess what happens next. They change the trans fitler and drain the fluid from the pan, the tranny pan. They drop the car and put the recommended 4.35 Qts of oil in. Yes they put the oil where it belongs. Then they start the car and can't figure out why the car will hardly move and it smokes like a steam engine!!The customer is watching all of this happening and can't believe it. They of course call us and we have the car towed in having a pretty good idea of what went wrong. Yes you're right the tranny pan was virtually empty and the oil was over filled by double. Luckily no damage was done because the car wasn't run long and we had it towed. The kicker is our "new" customer told us that our posted charges for an oil change, trans service etc. were less than JF's. Ouch.....

[RIstream'n]

AZ, Go to the Toyota dealer. No hassle for you, it's done right with the oil of your choice, it's cheap, the rest of the truck gets a quick look and they probably throw in a tire rotation for the same price and best of all the oil disposal is no problem for you. It's a win-win-win-win!! At our dealership in New England we use the waste oil in special burners to heat our entire service dept all winter. So there's no disposal issues. Now that's a win-win

[Gene]

Richard,

I always change my oil and filter unless Im on a major road trip and have had a Toyota dealer do it. Last year I had a place in the Yukon do it and Mabil 1 plius filter cost me about $70 Canadian.

The new filter for the Tundra is not a screw on type. You replace the cartridge just like 40 or 50 years ago. I've been changing oil for 45 years and never had anything but screw on types. It doesn't look too difficult. You have to take off the front skid plate to get to the filter and the oil pan appears to be way back just ahead of the transmission housing. Most Toyota trucks have had that arrangement. I had to order 0W-20 oil from a local parts store—not on shelves at discount places yet. I got the cartridge at a Toyota dealer for $6.41. I'll change it around 2,500-3000 miles for the first time, then 5,000. I also grease it with each oil change. Not much else to do on Tundras (plugs at 120,000 miles and it has a timing chain, not a timing belt).

So far (1,500 miles) the Tundra performs well and I pick up our new Safari tomorrow. My concern is whether the OEM tires—Goodrich—are good enough. They are rated at 2,600 lbs.—couldn't find a letter rating—and max. air pressure is 44 lbs.

Richard, you have the 2WD if I recall right. Same tires?

I change the oil because it's cheaper, I get to look under my truck for problems and know it better. Not a lot of fun at 20˚, but you live in Arizona, so you'll be warm and dirty.

Gene

[SilverCottage]

I change the Mobil 1 in all 3 of our vehicles myself because I want it done right and don't want any mysterious "damage" when I pick up my car or truck.

A friend recently had a large GM dealer punch a 2" diameter hole in the rocker panel of her Corvette when it was in for an oil change. All the staff said they noticed it when it came in despite the fact her husband had detailed it the day before. Yes, there was a rolling floor jack right near the car but they still denied all responsibility.

[RBolton]

How many here are all to happy to return to dealer for relatively inexpensive oil changes and other routine maintenance but still go elsewhere for mechanical repairs? Usually citing their high labor rates but forgetting about the expertise and extensive training.

If the way I have worded the question makes it sound like I've a chip on my shoulder it's because I probably do. I am the dealer and at $24.95 (our price) for a routine oil change, we and every other dealer that charges this is in the hole. If you don't return to us for other work when you need it, we are just doing you a favor and you are taking advantage.

With each oil change we have the expense of the oil, the filter, misc fluids used to "top off," the technicians wage for about 1/2 hour, oil disposal fee, etc., etc. Plus the lost revenue from labor and parts sales that were missed while doing the oil change.

To all of you that use your dealer for services other than routine maintenance, I applaud you. To those of you that use us only for this type service, well I quess we can only hope that we eventually win your confidence to return to us for all your work.

Not wanting to steer this thread away from its original I will tell you that we recently had a 2004 Dodge Stratus towed to us that had recently had an SOB oil change. They did not have the proper filter so the went through the boxes until they found one that "looked" like the one they took off. The gasket sealing surface was not identical and all the engine oil eventually leaked out. The owner was 500 miles from home. The engine had to be replaced and when they picked up they car they did have a check from the place that did the oil change. We recommended that when thay got home that they had our work double check at their dealer and that from now on they should think twice about the JL type oil changes.

Roger

[moosetags]

Our primary tow vehicle is Olivia. She is a 2005 GMC Yukon XL 2500 4x4x4. She now has 56,000 miles on her, most of it pulling Lucy ('05 Safari 25FB).

From new I have mostly changed the engine oil myself using 5w30 Wal-Mart store brand full synthetic motor oil and a Fram oil filter. The store brand full synthetic costs about $1.50 less a quart than the name brands. When we are on the road and an oil change is needed, I usually go to Wal-Mart or a GMC/Chevrolet dealer.

[nickcrowhurst]

Originally Posted by azflycaster

Looks like many of you doyour own oil changes, where do you take the old oil when you are done?

Each Wal-Mart Super-Store in FL and MN that I've asked has got me to sign a register and then pointed me towards a bulk container to dump the old oil. There's a per person limit per day on the quantity.
I've given up paying someone else to do the oil change, however cheap. There have been overfills, underfills, over-tightening, under-tightening, damage to a sump plug, wrecking the new sump plug in one visit by using the wrong size wrench, three hour waits, and stupid pressure to carry out unnecessary work.
Ideally, of course, one finds a local skilled and trusted mechanic, and pays the proper rate for that. However, that's particularly difficult when travelling.
Nick.

[Pick]

When I first came down to Florida, I stopped at a JL to have my truck suspension greased and tires rotated. After they were done I asked the "technician" who did the work how many grease fittings he hit. He said "8". I told him there were 11. He said he could not "get to the last 3". I explained to him that all he had to do to access them was unscrew the 2 bolts that hold the front splash panel and lower it. He said they were not allowed to do that. So, after I drove it back I home I removed the splash pan and hit those remaining grease zerks. Now, I just do it all myself, including tire rotation.

[Gene]

I take my old oil to the County dump where they are glad to get it and don't charge me. I don't know if other dumps, especially private ones, do that. I think if a place sells oil they have to take old oil, but most of them would rather not let you know that.

I forgot to add that I don't trust quickie oil change places. Like other quickies, it may do the job, but not very satisfying and sometimes damaging. I don't know how Toyota dealers make a lot of money on repair work because there's so little of it and routine maintenance is easy enough for a shade trade mechanic. I do trust my nearest dealer, but don't see him very often. I won't claim all Toyota dealers are good, but in a rural area they do have a reputation to uphold unlike the large urban areas. He also sells Chrysler products, so I guess he has lots of repair work…

Gene

[vswingfield]

When I bought my 2000 F150 new in 2001, I took it to the dealer for the first 2 oil changes. The first time I got it back with oily handprints on the hood and fender. The second time I had oily handprints on the door. When I got in there were some on the steering wheel and the carpet. When I complained to the service manager, he sent the kid (it was his first day) over to clean up. He then put his hand on the seat, without washing it, to reach the carpet!

They did get it cleaned up eventually. My F150 has only been back there once, to get the cruse control repair.

I go to a locally owned oil change place near where I work. They do a great job and even vacuum out the front. Plus, the whole thing takes less time than just standing in line to pay at the Ford dealership.

[Royce]

Either change it yourself or find someone that does good work and stick with them. I change the oil in the Jeep myself because none of the local dealers seem to know what a double Carden is or how to grease it. That only cost me $60 to repair but could have been much worse. The Venture goes to the dealer, they do a good job on it and as has been pointed out they are a very good value. One of the local quick lube type places is staffed by 4x4 enthusiasts and they will also do a good job. Good quality work is available, you just have to find them and it can be expensive in repairs while you are looking.

I have used Mobil One or Convoy or TKO with Valvoline, hydrocarbon not ester based for several years. The Jeep gets a new filter and one quart every 2K and fresh oil every 6K. Filters plug much faster than oil additives break down. BTW the Jeep has 160K+, doesn't burn oil and the oil on the dipstick, still looks quite clean at 6K when I change it.

[Ahab]

I take my Ridgeline to the local Ford dealer. I use their syn blend brand. They advertise to service all brands.