Humor me while I vent.

The problem is that I do not have a good place to perform this work. My driveway sucks and I do not have a garage. I am not going to someones house to change my oil. The hassle of getting rid of used oil is more of a pain for me than to take my truck to the dealer. Granted, this is NOT to say that I shouldn't or couldn't find a way to change my oil myself, but I always do a post oil change inspection and make sure things were taken care of.

I guess its a "to each their own" kinda thing.

And one other benefit of having the dealer do it - god forbid they cross thread a plug or forget to do something (like fill the oil), all repairs are on them now. If I pull a bonehead move in my driveway and cross thread my plug, I am on the hook now (I would like to think I am above that stupid level of a mistake, but it is called a mistake for a reason).

 

Not to suggest you are wrong or anything, but an idea that might help:

Back when my marriage ended and I took off to boondock for a while I bought an oil pan that's kind of like a suitcase. Like this, but mine's not as nice.



I would change my oil wherever I happened to be at the time. Out in the desert in AZ, a Walmart parking lot, wherever. It consumes a rag because you need to wipe down that tray part before you can pick it up and carry it. But getting rid of the oil is easy then. You're just carrying a jug into an Autozone or Pep Boys or whatever. Three minutes. Throw away the nasty rag and oil filter and you're GTG.

Now that I have a house and garage I'm going to get a conventional oil pan, only because when I drop the oil from my Suzuki DRZ400 it comes out fast and furious. But then I'll probably pour it from the pan to this thing to take it to disposal.

Just a thought.

 

I took my truck in to get the state inspection done right when I bought it. Went ahead and had them do an oil change/check fluids while I was there. To my knowledge they did it all (I was too new to the dealership to know to check). My main issue was the appointment system. Set the appointment days in advance for 11:30 am and didn't get my truck back til 2. I complained that appointments are useless if it takes that long. No apology from the guy. Told them I'll never be back and I wont unless its for a recall. Is this typical for you guys?

 

I have looked into those and am still on the fence about it. Maybe I just need to get off my as and start doing it - get in the routine.

Funny enough, I had a DR650 and know exactly what you mean. I would use a disposable turkey cooking tin and drain into that, then with the use of a funnel, pour it back into the now empty bottles of oil I picked up. With a truck it would be way more of a bitch without a pan like you mentioned.

 

Yup.... took em 3 hrs to flash the ecu on my truck with an update.... literally a 3 minute process.

 

The service tech didnt do the oil change so why would he do the grease zerks? He needs to get fired...period. Unless thats how that dealership does business then you need to go somewhere else...

 

Good honest mechanics exist but there are many (dealers included) that are just in it for the buck. I have a Big O store by my house that I've used on all my vehicles for 20+ years when there's something I can't or don't want to do. I'm savvy enough to recognize when something was/wasn't done. I've never had an issue. On the other hand, I know of another Big O shop that has ruined a friends power steering and didn't change the transmission fluid when he paid for it. They have many complaints from the BBB. Each Big O shop is independently owned and it's the owner/manager's integrity that determines what reputation the store has. I love how my Big O shop has had an honest discussion with me about my son's Acura and that they could fix it but suggested it was time to junk it and get a new vehicle. No charge for the diagnostic and consulting and that was after removing some parts already.

You asked and paid for the zerks to be lubed. If they didn't do it, I would ask for a refund and find a new shop. Really, the dealer doesn't necessarily do a better job than independent shops and are near 1/2 the cost. Hell, some of my tools were "gifts" from a dealer leaving them in an engine bay. You can request from the independent shop to pay for OEM parts and they will do it and just pass the additional cost on to you. There are just a few things I use a dealer on when out of warranty. One is a transmission oil change because it's not a standard drain and fill it up to the overflow holes. Sometimes dealers have specific diagnostic tools and computers that independent shops don't have but that's rare. Also I don't get up-sold on worthless services (500 point inspection BS).

Good luck.

 

You can change your own oil. Auto parts stores and Walmart will take your old oil.

My 16 YO son performing his first oil change on the 1993 Pontiac Bonneville that I bought for him.

 

using these ramps can be dangerous.

you should still use a set of these under the car too.


i only say this because a friend of mine died from a set of ramps collapsing and car fell on him.

 

this is sad, that you have had to endure this.
as a flat rate tech myself, i can say i have witnessed plenty of techs cutting corners on jobs over the years..

i would venture to say it's due to the pay of the job from the dealer to the tech.
our company pays 15 minutes for an oil change and inspection which will take 30 minutes.
pay is 10 minutes for rotation.
i have seen techs take advantage of customers to make better "money/time on tickets!"
i have explained to my trainee's over the years, that you will lose money on certain jobs but gain on bigger jobs, so it will even out by weeks end.
still some will cheat the system and pay the price, due to impatience or laziness. some just for greed.
this is a fire-able offense at our company. same as stealing in my eyes.

that said there are good reputable techs out there. hope they work it out with you.

 

eh car in park with some wheel chocks on the rear tires and you are good with those ramps.

 

Thanks to this forum I no longer let anyone change my oil besides me. I've got it down to a science, done in 15 minutes....I bought a Fumoto valve, I use Mobil 1 Synthetic from Walmart and an OEM filter, total cost is around $32 and I change it every 8500 miles...piece of cake.

 

I found a 1/4 full bottle of oil riding in the engine bay up against the serpentine belt at my 5k change, roughly 2k miles later. Pretty sure they haven't been rotating my tires either, because they are starting to look slightly cupped.......I'll mark them at my 19k and see.......

 

I worked for a Big O Tires looong ago... A coworker would always say "Just remember, if you fuck something up... Don't worry, it is not your car". The guy actually did an excellent job on everything he worked on, but if the best of the workers even have this thought in their heads, imagine what the real bad employees think. I do all my own work for this reason.

 

there's a difference between good techs and techs with integrity!

 

My local Toyota service department left a Mt Dew bottle in the engine when I took it in for service. A friend of mine who also has a Tacoma had the same thing happen to him a week later. We both call and spoke to the service manager who was nice but I'll never be taking my truck there again. I've just decided to do all maintenance myself.

 

That's crummy service, hopefully that tech gets his head in the game. The Toyota and Nissan shops local to me have been great and reasonable.

Two tire shops are on my blacklist for poor service and marring up my lug nuts using an SAE socket.

 

umm...

 

did the ramps just fold flat or what? i have seen cars fall off jack stands just as easy if not easier than those ramps.

 

he was on a creeper under the car and one ramp just caved in. the other kicked out to the side.
i agree jack stands can fail also.