Quick change oil service

JL Ray

Member
Last week I went to the quick change place to get my oil changed. I pulled in and first thing told the guy Just a oil change. A few minutes later he comes over holding a Hydrometer and tells me I need to flush my anti freeze as its rusty and all of the balls are floating which he said means my anti freeze is not good. At this point I told him just a oil change is all I need. My question is. Does some one make a hydrometer that tells you if all balls floating your antifreeze is no good. My own hydrometers (all three of them) read just the opposite. All balls floating put me at minus 40.
Some how I think the responses I get will make me change oil change guys.
 

The balls float the higher the concentration of glycol, so your tool is working. I wonder what tool the oil guy was using???

The business model for a quick change oil is a loss leader on the change and make serious money on all the 'upselling' of anything else they can get you to bite on.
 
Hello JL Ray,

You're good to go on the antifreeze. I would check ALL the fluids! I have seen engine antifreeze in the windshield washers. Look real close. Those jokers belong in jail!

Guido.
 
The more balls that float, the higher the glycol concentration. That means the freeze protection is there.

But, it will not tell the condition of the corrosion inhibitors. There are other tests for that. Or if it is rusty, or been 5 years or more with the green stuff, time to flush and change.
 
Thats why I dislike places like that. Took my Ford Windstar in for a recall. While there they did a "courtesy Check". he many things they said needed doing - Air filter needs replacing. I had just done that 30 days earlier
 
Well, my question has always been what do you get and what do you pay for and if they do a chassis lube too, I had a lot of GM cars with lots of
zerks and one in particular was hard to get to....on the steering idler arm (dead man). Wonder how many times that got missed on others
vehicles? I just do my own, make the mess and clean it up.
 
I think the one time I went to one of these, the "mechanic" WAY over tightened both my oil filter and drain plug. See ya, Uncle Ed!!
 
It's not just the quick oil change places.

My wife once took a Chrysler T&C to a local NAPA store that also has a repair shop. All she wanted was an oil change. While she was waiting, the manager came out and told her the outer tie rods were loose and needed to be replaced, also he told her the tires were down to the wear bars and he just happened to have a new set of Michelins. He gave her an estimate of some $1300. He almost had her wondering if the van was safe to drive home.

When she got home, I got out my tread depth gauge and checked the tires. Worst spot I could find was 55%. Jacked up the front end and checked the tie rods. They were as tight as the day they left the factory. The whole thing was an attempted scam.

Funny part was, I'd known the guy for years, he knew I'd once had my own body shop, and had also been Service Manager for a Ford dealer, and an Assistant Service Manager for a GM dealer. Most of the guys in his shop had either worked for me or with me at some time in the past. And he should have known my wife would never spend that kind of money on a vehicle without consulting me.

I never did figure it out.
 
The last time I went to one , and I do mean the LAST time, doofus didn't even grease the thing )78 chevy pickup)as I found out when I got home but did high pressure me for all the other useless crap they try to sell. They can go belly up for all I'm concerned. TDF
 
Often thought of taking my 48 Pontiac to one of those places. Tell them to count the zerk fittings as they grease them. If they come out with less than 42, they missed some :)
 
Some are good and some are bad had a
Walmart that I used to go to i could get
in and out early in the morning and the
guy on duty was a real decent older
person. Unfortunately he left and I had a
tire that was real low told them to fix
the flat one I was a little surprised when
they said it was ok yup they got the wrong
one. One other time I was in hurry for a
quick change next oil change the guy
showed me the plug from the previous oil
change they had apparently wrecked the
first one and put in a expand plug .
 
I never go to any of those places. The girl that lived across the street from us was an insurance investigator for a large company. Quick lube places were their worst accounts for claims.
 
As the saying goes: "We've come a Longggggggg way baby". I love it. I know you need to do it and it protects your valuable possessions, but it's a dirty messy job, I don't care how careful I am and I hate it. Now, on my 2011 Silverado I have 2, one on each end of the steering link. Why they didn't seal that joint like My past 3 Dodge trucks, I don't know.
 
If it was one of those little glass tube type testers he was holding it upside down! The suction hose needs to point UP to read it. That is why I use the plastic Presstone testers with that sideways pointer. Most all of them are idiots! Tighten to foot inches not foot TONS.
 
Years ago, I took my pickup to a local tire store to have a flat repaired---a free service with all tires they sold (and, apparently, also usually free with other tires, too). This Western U.S. chain promotes customer service and family values---and generally delivers. When I picked up the truck, the service manager told me that their courtesy brake inspection had revealed that the rear brake shoes were worn down to almost nothing. This alarmed me because I had replaced them myself less than a month previously. I thought it was likely that I had done something wrong and really messed up the job. Nevertheless, I did what I'm sure he didn't want me to do which was to take the vehicle home and inspect it myself. The brakes showed no appreciable wear. I went back to the shop and asked the same person what was going on. His answer was, "Well, what can I say?" I can think of several ways it could have been an honest mistake, but that's not what I think it was.

Stan
 
Local parts house used to sell a antifreeze tester that had 6 different colored discs. If all 6 floated the tester deemed the mix not safe. I had one and it would float all 6 in pure antifreeze most of the time. An old mechanic friend once told me that pure antifreeze could freeze. I have never experienced that, but it may in colder regions.
 
I stopped at one once in my F150 with
manual transmission. Same thing told him
just an oil change. In a few minutes the
guy shows me an oil sample from my
transmission and said from the looks of
it my bands were slipping so I needed to
change the trans fluid and put an
additive in that would fix it. I said
since I had a manual transmission I
think I'll pass, just and oil change
please. I am sure some people fall for
that line.
 
As stated before there are good ones and bad ones. I should know I have been on both sides of the fence. Having worked in that environment certain places with do just about anything for an upsell. One of the worst for me was having someone come in asking for an alignement and being charged for one, when the problem was that they were driving around with 5-10 psi in the right front tire, which in turn caused the car to pull to the right. The business ideology was everyone had to meet quotas for the various upsells or risk losing your job. Hire youth that were yesmen versus independant thinkers. Speed was more important that quality. Finally the use of universal testers and guages that are anything but, (ie coolant testers and brake wear guages), both I have proven to be inaccurate to no avail. Needless To say I do not hold too much against the mechanic he is probably just doing what he is told but I will consider the business shady. Currently I use a quick lube place for my oil changes and I go there frequently enough that they know me by name and just do the oil change, they may mention something else but only as a reminder as I do all my own repairs and they know it.
 
I can't understand why anyone would go to a quick change oil place. Guys write on here about how they mark their old filters an find out that the filter was not changed and other fraudulent things being done. Why go into a place KNOWN to CHEAT/LIE/STEAL from it's customers????

I think if you can't do your own servicing then go to a LOCAL independent repair business. You may not get your oil changed for $18.99 or whatever CHEAP price your quoted but you will usually not get totally swindled by people with made up repairs.

The quick change places break even at the best just changing oil. They make there money with the additional repairs. These repairs are usually done by barely trained people not skilled mechanics. So your going to get substandard repairs/advice from a business that only makes money by not JUST doing their advertised service.

Just seems strange to me.
 
Funny thing about brakes. We have a 2012 Taurus and I've been taking it in for what Ford calls 'The Works'---oil change, tire rotation, fluid checks, etc. Two months ago I went in for the 'works' and the Service Manager said the tires are getting close (5200) miles but the brakes looked almost like new! For $29.95, how can you beat that? Semi-synthetic oil, too. Maybe that's why they're the 'go-to' Ford dealer in Iowa.
 
Regardless of the tool function, it is not a given that the hydrometer contained YOUR coolant. Did you see the guy open the reservoir and draw fluid from it? Or pop open a hot radiator cap? It's too easy for them to stash a bucket in a corner filled with whatever..
 
OK so here are my two quick lube stories. I usually change my own oil but sometimes it isnt handy.

Wife's Explorer needed an oil change and we were in one of those winter deep freezes so I told her to take it to town and have it changed but to refuse any other services no matter what they said. So she comes home and spent $16.95 just like I told her but she said the air filter needed changed. I said Ya right! but she said, they brought the old one in for her to see and it was filthy. OK so I go out to the shop and get one I had in stock and she says that isnt the right one for the Explorer! I said how the heck would you know? she says because the one they showed me is round and that one is flat. I had to show her it was the right one AND that the one that was in the Explorer wasnt even dirty.

We used to own an mid 90's Chevy Astro mid size van. I took it to quick lube (another cold snap) and told them oil change only nothing else. The guy says we do a XX point check with every oil change free of charge, uh,, OK check all you want but I aint buying anything. When it was done they produced a paper that said they had checked this and done that and one of the items was they had checked the air filter. Now I had changed the air filter before and it was close to an hour job so I knew that was BS so I called them out on it and said if you didnt do that how much of this other BS didnt you do? Did you change the oil??? After hem hawing around about it for a minute the manager gives me a stack of free oil change coupons and said will that make it right? I took them and handed them all out to the peole in teh waiting room.

I will run my oil change over for a long time until good weather or until I have time to mess with it before anything I ownn goes to a quicky oil change place.
 
(quoted from post at 19:30:18 08/22/16) Local parts house used to sell a antifreeze tester that had 6 different colored discs. If all 6 floated the tester deemed the mix not safe. I had one and it would float all 6 in pure antifreeze most of the time. An old mechanic friend once told me that pure antifreeze could freeze. I have never experienced that, but it may in colder regions.
It's true pure antifreeze will become slushy but maybe not freeze solid. There has to be water in the mix to have good protection.
 
(quoted from post at 14:51:36 08/23/16)
(quoted from post at 19:30:18 08/22/16) Local parts house used to sell a antifreeze tester that had 6 different colored discs. If all 6 floated the tester deemed the mix not safe. I had one and it would float all 6 in pure antifreeze most of the time. An old mechanic friend once told me that pure antifreeze could freeze. I have never experienced that, but it may in colder regions.
It's true pure antifreeze will become slushy but maybe not freeze solid. There has to be water in the mix to have good protection.
Are you saying then, that adding water to anti-freeze lowers the freezing point? I would need to see that.
 
A good quick lube story:

I use a small VW Golf as a commuter car (80 miles round trip to work), its too small and low to the ground for me to change easily. The quick lube place near my office will change it for $19.99 while i'm on lunch. This saves me a lot of hassle, and I dont think I can buy oil and a filter for $19.99. They tried to sell me a filter once, showed me my old one and said you should be ok, but we can change if if you would like. No pressure just an honest statement. They also told me both my brake lights were out, they indeed were, so they changed both bulbs at $7.50 a bulb. I know the bulbs come in a 2 pack for $3, but again it saved me a trip to the store, time at home, and a potential traffic violation before I could get them replaced. I'm very happy with the local quick lube, I give them my business every time I need a change on that car.
 
I try to avoid the oil change places with the cheapest advertised price because they have to upsell additional repairs to make any profit. When I change oil myself it takes five quarts of oil at $4 per quart and a $4 oil filter for about $24 total just for the supplies. When I can't change oil myself, I don't mind paying $30-$35 for an oil change that is done right without a hard sell the buy repairs that I don't need.
 

First pure anti freeze has a lower density than water, so the more balls floating the more antifreeze in the solution the better protection against freezing, it has nothing to do with needing a flush. Yes if it gets cold enough pure anti freeze will slush up but adding water to the mix does not lower the freezing point. Pure antifreeze has a low boiling point by adding water you raise the boiling point. Other wise the car would run hot in the summer.
 
Every time I go in they try to sell me something extra. I was quite young when I learned to say no without feeling put upon and a need for an excuse. When more questions are ask, (It is a one syllable word, what part do you not understand.) seems to end more conversation. Some of the big ones are the air filter with two bugs in it or wind shield wipers.
 
> You're good to go on the antifreeze. I would check ALL the fluids! I have seen engine antifreeze in the windshield washers. Look real close. Those jokers belong in jail!

The coolant and washer fluid companies aren't helping here as they are constantly changing the colors. It used to be coolant was bright green and washer fluid was blue. Not anymore. I made the mistake of getting some "bug remover" washer fluid and it was pink. I quickly got tired of hearing "Sir, you have coolant in your washer tank" every time I went in for service.

I have a John Deere tractor and from the factory the coolant was bright green but the replacement stuff is pale yellow. It used to be nice to be able to identify a fluid from a single drop on the garage floor. No more.
 
(quoted from post at 23:27:22 08/22/16) I can't understand why anyone would go to a quick change oil place. Guys write on here about how they mark their old filters an find out that the filter was not changed and other fraudulent things being done. Why go into a place KNOWN to CHEAT/LIE/STEAL from it's customers????

You don't go into a place that's known to lie/cheat/steal from it's customers. If you do, whatever happens is entirely on you.

They aren't all like that, though. All you have to do is watch them like a hawk, and stand firm when they try to pressure you into something.

You get out of the truck and stand where you know they can see you and you can see them. Stand in the waiting room door or outside the open bay door in the summer, where you can watch the guy in the pit. They know you're watching and won't try to short-change you. They generally won't try to upsell you either.
 
I avoid them. With the exception of my wife truck, I do my own. Her truck has a lifetime powertrain warranty, so it gets service there at dealer. My daily driver is an
old Camry that takes 4 quarts. I buy oil in 5 gallons at TSC and can sometimes use a coupon and pay $40 for the 5 gallon container, and with farm tax exempt, no taxes.
This makes the oil about $2 each (a little more if no coupon). Filter is less that $3 for a Super Tech at Walmart (now made by Wix), so total bill is around $11 for a
change. But, at least I know the plug is not stripped, filter was not installed by a gorilla, is arguably a better filter, I do not have to wait (spent 3 hours one time
and had to decline a free wash or it would have taken 4), and no trying to sell me things I either already know I need, or do not need at all, and they may or may not
actually do. Can you tell I have a pretty low opinion of all service places in general? No, I know they are not all out to make a killing, but I seem to always find
them. End of rant for now.
 
I took my service truck in for the state inspection. Guy came into the waiting room. To tell me my truck wouldn't pass. Because the spark plugs were bad. I asked the kid where he found those plugs on a Cummins diesel. Then I tore into the manager. Asked him do I look stupid. I am a field service mechanic. I work on engines.Five of the people in the room got up and left.Company canceled our contract with the place.
 
Sorry i don't have any quik lube change stories. Have owned cars/trucks for 59 years and have never been to one; in fact only once in my life when on a trip did someone else change my oil.
 
Wow. Talk about misinformation.
First, about antifreeze. Antifreeze (Ethylene Glycol) in its pure state WILL freeze. It is the SOLUTION of antifreeze and water that LOWERS the freezing point. So, since pure water freezes at 32 degrees F., and antifreeze freezes around 5 to 10 degrees F., mixing the two lowers (NOT RAISES) the freezing point to as low as -75 degrees Fahrenheit. PERIOD!!
Second. About these "quickie" oil change places. Would you REALLY trust a minimum wage worker with your $35,000 car or pickup? Sure, a trained monkey can probably change your oil. BUT, can a trained monkey do it RIGHT?? Using the correct oil? Proper tightness on both the filter and the oil drain plug? Maybe, maybe not. BUT, I submit that they are using low grade filters and bulk "one size fits all" oil from a single drum.
Third, a few things about these "flushing" machines. A good bit of it is "smoke and mirrors" so to speak. Consider that there are currently several types of antifreeze out there. Does the shop have a separate machine for EACH TYPE?? Probably not. So, you wind up getting cross contamination from different types of antifreeze. Same goes for these transmission flushes. There are no less than EIGHT different types of ATF currently in use. THEY ARE NOT COMPATIBLE OR INTERCHANGEABLE. PERIOD. Good way to ruin a transmission.

So, having said all of this, I submit that there is a whole world of misinformation floating around out there, and a good bit of it just showed up in this thread. Best advice I have is to know what you are putting into your car's engine, cooling system, or transmission lest you ruin an expensive piece of equipment. It has been said that automobiles are the second biggest expense that you will have in your entire life with real estate being the largest.
 
I had my '93 Dodge at a dealer for some warranty work; and
also for State inspection. They told me it wouldn't pass. The
serpentine belt was 'bad'.

I asked what about the belt made it so important that it was a
safety issue? He said 'because if it fails, the power steering
goes out'.

I took him outside and pointed out that the power steering
pump was driven off the timing gears. I was really P'O'd.
 
been on both sides of this story. Friend of mine was an insurance agent and their company dropped Jiffy Lube after having to buy several engines because the service guys either failed to add oil or to tighten the drain plug.
Spent 18 years in dealership service departments and had to deal with mechanics working flat rate trying to sell all kinds of work that was not needed. Not fun when they lie to you and you try to sell the work. Never had one sell work and not do it, just they sold work that didn't need to be done.
I fix and service all my own vehicles, but had a car that needed struts and I didn't have the tools or the time so I took it to a local Goodyear dealer and had them do the work.
The sales person calls me and says the CV Shaft is bad and needs replacing as well. I asked why, they said it is worn out. I went down and asked to see it, (I had just replaced it 6 months ago) they show me a shaft with a boot that is ripped apart. If I was not a mechanic I would have said OK, but I knew what happened, the kid working on the car didn't knock out the drift pins and tried to pull the wheel out. I didn't pay for that part and never went back there for anything.
 
(quoted from post at 23:49:29 08/24/16) I had my '93 Dodge at a dealer for some warranty work; and
also for State inspection. They told me it wouldn't pass. The
serpentine belt was 'bad'.

I asked what about the belt made it so important that it was a
safety issue? He said 'because if it fails, the power steering
goes out'.

I took him outside and pointed out that the power steering
pump was driven off the timing gears. I was really P'O'd.

Diesel huh? but, but....you'd lose power brakes!
 
There was a "Quick Change" company operating in Ontario that would change the filter,top up the oil and charge for oil change and filter.
They were eventually busted and out of business. It was a national chain that operated in other states and provinces as well. I like the
response below"Why would you take your $35,000 vehicle to one of those clip joints? My GM dealer charges $34 for oil and filter,lube and
check of other fluids, if I do it myself the costs of a jug of oil and filter is about $24. I don't save a whole lot and I would rather the
reputable dealer did it so they have records for any future warranty. I do my truck and my hobby car at home because it is at my
convenience,no making an appointment, no lost time waiting for the vehicle. I would never take a vehicle to one of those places. Their
favourites are"your brake fluid needs to be flushed and changed" "your transmission fluid is off colour and needs changing" "your
differential oil is very black and should be changed" I have had people tell me that they got hooked for several fluid changes when they
just went in for an oil change.Another good point was the fact that many of the employees of these places have little or no mechanical
ability,don't understand the fluids,their lifespan or how to recognize their condition. Using one coolant in all vehicles can ruin cooling
systems. AS pointed out there are many coolants applicable to only its vehicle manufacturer, the same with transmission fluid and brake
fluid..big difference between Dot3 and Dot 6.....simple advice..Don't ever go there!
 
I get what you are saying, but , if you have to watch them like a hawk , that says it all..you can't trust them to do the job and do it
correctly! Simple as that!
 
Hello jimg.allentown,

WOW!!! You are right about all the misinformation and all those wives tales. It would take a large correctness police to do it all! I get a chuckle at some of the responses. Adding water to Etheline does rais something, that is the boiling point of the solution. Now add pressure to the mix, and again raise the boiling point. Glade you took the time to explain, sometimes it falls on deft ears. It is to vent with the right info anyway......


Guido.
 
I use to change oil. Then the quick lube places and Wal-Mart were
so much cheaper I had to quit. One of my customers wanted his oil
changed after going to a quick lube. I broke four S-K sockets
trying to remove his drain plug. He went back to quick lube. Next
time I broke my S-K ratchet and six or seven sockets.
They had to be using an impact on the drain plugs.

I knew a guy in town that had a Honda. Quick lube bought him a new
engine after they drained his oil and didn't refill it!
 
I take all of mine to the local Wal Mart. They have a husband and wife there that are honest. I don't think I would trust them to rebuild a turbo or injector, but they are certainly smart enough to change the oil.
I also get from Wal Mart irrefutable evidence that the oil and filter were changed with the proper items. Even if they do screw up Wal Mart is on the hook!
 
My MILaw had a slightly used '55 Chevy 4 door with a V8. Local filling station stripped the threads on the pan bolt and she had to have a new oil pan installed. Don't know who paid for what but she was not nimble so I guess the gas station paid for it. Course that was back when the threads were a tapped flared part of the pan sheet metal. Easy to do.
 
I had just bought a me Subarpu and had been taking it to a quickly place we had used many times before. After the second change on the Subi, about a thousand mile post change I noticed oil on the floor of the parking garage at work. I could not see any drips so I drove home, but on the way the rear window was getting covered with oil. We thought our new car had serious oil leak. Got it into the dealer and the mechanic comes over carrying the oil filter showed me where they had used pliers on it and had cracked the case. It only leaked under pressure. Stopped using them and do it myself again. Only takes less than 20 minutes.
 
I had just bought a me Subarpu and had been taking it to a quickly place we had used many times before. After the second change on the Subi, about a thousand mile post change I noticed oil on the floor of the parking garage at work. I could not see any drips so I drove home, but on the way the rear window was getting covered with oil. We thought our new car had serious oil leak. Got it into the dealer and the mechanic comes over carrying the oil filter showed me where they had used pliers on it and had cracked the case. It only leaked under pressure. Stopped using them and do it myself again. Only takes less than 20 minutes.
 

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