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O/T rant about $$$$ oil change

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Nancy Howell

Well-known Member
Had the oil changed on my 97 Ford 7.3 diesel this weekend. Had been taking it to an oil change place, but wasn't happy with the service anymore and took it to a different place.

I bought the oil and fuel filters myself - $75.00+.

Turned out I needed an air filter - $31.97. They charged me $70 for 12 quarts of Delco oil and $30+ to install the oil & fuel filter I had bought and grease the chassis. Also took them 2 hours.

Total cost $209! I won't go back there again.
 
Delco or Delo oil?
Delco oil fill make your Ford seize up!!
(Yea, I know it was a typo)
 
As with a lot of businesses, I've noticed the oil change industry seems to advertise on a loss leader mentality. Then, those people who need 'add on's' like diesel trucks, extra oil, etc, is kind of like 'change orders'. Thats where they make their profits and you get hosed. I get my gasoline vehicles changed but change my diesels myself.
 
Just bought three gallon of Dello 15-40 for my cummins for 31.50 and that is tomuch to pay for it IMHO and 8 .56 for the oil filter and got hosed for 27 bucks for the air filter . The air filter came from the ZONE and was was 9 bucks less at Walley WORLD . Now as for the fuel filter i will have to go out of town to find it as nobody stocks one here , so i do not know what it is now . and as for the grease well i am still working on the last of my old stock that cost me 72 cents a tube or 7.20 a ten pack and i am down to the last two cases of that .
 
Nancy.I would say you got TOOK. When a woman goes in to an auto repair facility for anything from OIl changes to chasis lube, Most times the operators gouge the ladies cause they just don"t know how to do it themselves. Taught all my daughters how to change plugs,even clean em with a plug blaster ,gap em, chang oil, grease their trucks,change tires,but any thing else requiring fixing, my son does it for em.Sorry you got took. If I were you,I sure wouldn"t go back to that clip joint. Would ask around for a reputable service center.You will be surprised just how many wemon got took like you did, then again,some would know of a good service facility. Best of luck. LOU
 
We have now moved from a consumer society to a "hose yer neighbor" society.

Truly a disgraceful world anymore. :>(

Allan
 
Ya,these $500. oilchanges I can do with out. Last oil change I was told I needed new struts and some other stuff. This time I needed brake work and the cross motor mount replaced. Another thing is the cabin air filter. $500. may be a little high but it was well over the adv. oil change price. Oh well,

You folks keep your tractor seats dry and be careful.

steve
 
Oh and i would contact the Attorney general of your state and let them know about this rip off place . If you use Delo oil i would look up the local dist. and find out his price or buy it at the truck stops .
 
Nancy a pretty gal driving a dually pickup set up to pull a horse trailer spell "We got a sucker" to those boys. They been watching barrel racers to much. Dont you wear that fancy silver jewlery and a cowboy hat and long flowing hair?
gitrib
 
I do oil and filters myself on my 2006 350 6.0, and every time I tell myself never again. The filter kit is $75.00. I never open up the air filter housing unless the gauge tells me to. Caterpillar says unneeded air filter changes introduce microscopic dirt so don't do it. (I had a truck for two years). Even with special socket and special drain plug I still get fuel all over me when I change the primary fuel filter on the 6.0. It's probably only because I get 15-40 for $.50/quart that I keep doing it.
 
Nancy!
If you think about it, you might want to try a Speedco Truck Lube. They are fairly fast and reasonably priced. Plus..... the customer is right, and they always want to keep you as a repeat patron. They have a standard pricing of different engine filter and oil packages. (but don't let 'em scare you into buying tires, alignments or other services that you may not need!)

Gettin harder to find the old service mechanic that fixes what needs fixed, and doesn't charge you an arm and a leg!
 
googled Speedco and turns out there's one about 5 min. from our house. I'll give them a call and find out what they charge.
 
Nancy, I use an Oil chainging Place here @ Killeen Tx., For my 01 F350 W/ a 7.3 DSL, use Dello 400,,15-40, They charge me $55.00 Plus I get a free wash!!!....H3ll of a Deal, I supply nothing!!!!
Hollar @ me, And I will tell you where , If you want!
Later,
John A.
 
When contacting the state legal eagles just state the facts and the local better buz bureau a cc copy. Sort of knew that diesels were above average for up keep, but yours is way above. Short story is get them in and rip the plastic. Local garage owners is usually best to get your work done at the local established shop.

Like the referral about not getting kissed.
 
I would call around and get quotes from several other places, then I would call the company (if it's a franchise or dealer) and raise heck. Maybe they'll give you a refund. If it's a franchise they may be gouging unsuspecting customers for more than what the set price is supposed to be. Or could just be an employee adding on to the bill.
 
Nancy, I have a 2001 F-250 with the 7.3. For years, I took it and the wife's Altima to Jiffy-Lube, but found out they were taking too many short cuts. I have a Goodyear dealer a mile away that I trust and he has been getting most of my business. I had lube and oil filter change Monday for $90 plus tax. That's cheaper than almost anywhere else, and I have more faith in him than anywhere else. C.L.
 
A lot of the oil change shops charge way too much. I go to a small one bay place with my trucks that charges about $35 to $40 for everything and it's usually done right away. I went to one of the big name oil change places and they charged about $75 for the exact same thing. I had a coupon for a free oil change and filter at another big oil change franchise. They actually took my air intake hose off and tried to sell me a $75 intake cleaning. When they were finished with the oil change they tried to charge me for an extra half litre of oil and shop supplies. I asked them to show me where it said there were extra charges on the coupon and they to forget about (this time). That's false advertising. Coupons have to state any special conditions or charges as well as expiry dates or it is false advertising if they aren't honoured.
I was in a muffler shop that also does service work and there was a customer getting the oil changed on his diesel truck. They didn't have any diesel oil and the guy waited for 2 1/2 hours because they had to get the oil from their supplier, instead of driving 5 minutes to get some at Walmart up the street. What's really sad is the guy had an appointment for the oil change and they didn't offer a discount or even an apology. I would see if one of the local TV stations has a consumer trouble shooter that would air your story on the news for everyone to see. Reporting it to the BBB won't do much of anything. I know a guy who had a shop and was a member of the BBB for years. He got tired of paying dues because it wasn't of any real benefit to him. He says the BBB works on a complaint system but the only way people know a place has had problems is if they phone the BBB to find out. Most people don't bother to do that. Writing a letter to the editor of the local paper is another way to expose these rip off artists. Dave
 
If I was in their shoes and someone brought in their own filters and expected me to install them, I suspect I would have "discouraged" them from coming back, too.

For openers, they would have no idea where or how you acquired them, yet if there was a problem created it would fall back on them. I think they let you off easy.
 
Hello Nancy,

I enjoy all your posts, but haven"t been on in quite awhile. Gonna play devils advocate with you here though, so stay with me.

You bought your own oil and fuel filters $75.00

They charged you for an air filter $31.97 (not bad for a retail price)

Oil was $70.00 for 12 quarts-5.83 qt but... depending on the filter it should have been either 15 or 16 qts on a 7.3. That would put it at 4.38-4.67 qt.(high, but petro product are)

Now lets say their labor rate is $60.00/hr. They charged you 1/2 hr labor to change oil, fuel, and air filters and to grease everything.
That"s not real out of line, if they did a decent job of everything, especially the fuel filter and greasing the truck. If they took the time to clean the filter housing out, it does take alittle time.

So, I"m not gonna say that you got a smokin deal, but if they did a good job and went over everything well, it doesn"t seem too out of line to me.

If this is a shop not a quick lube place, they are gonna bill it differently. The quick lube places rely on speed, upselling, and volume to make money. A repair shop will bill it at whatever their parts markup is plus labor.

Like I said, Im playing devils advocate, and it all depends on the service. Front end parts on these trucks are expensive, so if they really did grease eveything and make sure everything took grease, that just saves you money over the guy that just hits the easy fittings and smears little grease over the rest.

Just my opinion BW
 
Good deal Nancy!
Just don't let them try to talk you into extra services!
Their usual deal would be
Oil and filter change
Fuel filter change
Check and document tire PSI + tread depth
Lube chassis
Air filters are usually a good buy for the price
....and they have instant ON SITE oil analysis !
Good luck!
Bruce
 
Typical Dodge dealer charge on my 2500 with Cummins diesel is $91 for engine oil change with filter, labor. I wouldn"t bring my own parts or oil and expect a dealer to do the work.
 
If I've learned one thing during 30+ years in the auto repair business, it's that whenever someone brings their own parts and expects you to install them, you can bet they're going to whine and cry no matter what you charge.

Once when I was a Ford Service Manager, a customer brought an F250 with the 7.3 diesel in with a bad alternator. Turned out his batteries were marginal too, so I priced him a pair of Ford OEM batteries. He went through the roof and said he could get them $30 each cheaper somewhere else. I told him, "Fine".

He came back with his own "el cheapo" batteries and we installed them for him. Two weeks later, we sold him a new $400 starter AND a pair of Ford OEM batteries.
 
Sorry Nancy but i ran a shop for 35 years . when some one wanted to bring there own parts in for me to install i said no but you tell me have you ever took your own bacon & egges in to your favoet rest. and asked them to cook for you dont do it at the shops as i will bet they make there makeup plus some Kent
 
Cheap oil changes are just that cheap ! You get what you pay for . I dont install customer supplied parts . Don't bring your eggs to McDonalds do you ? Shops make money off parts mark up ,or they are not around long . what happens when something fails? Who buys the motor ? You got a fuel filter changed too, folks bashing the shop seem to have over looked that, and an air filter . 30 bucks labor to do all that is not out of line at all . If folks want dirt cheap service I send them to a quick lube place . If they want quality service and attention their investment deserves then I welcome them as long time customers . Everything gets greased , all fluids checked topped off. Lights ,brakes ,belts etc . The car goes out knowing that it is safe or the owner knows of anything that needs attention . Some say Upselling ? I say covering your A$$. Todays sue happy population would love to find someone to blame for their lack of maintinance . Didn't mean to be hard on ya , but people need to see both sides .
 
AMEN ! I love the deer in headlights look they get when you tell them their elcheapo parts failed . Now they have to pay labor again to replace them as there is no warranty
 
Not really so bad-they charged you for 1/2 hour labor to drain and dispose of your oil, dispose of your old air, oil, and fuel filters in an EPA approved manner, change an air filter, oil filter, and a fuel filter, and supply labor and materials to grease what needed it. They also made 10 to 15 bucks profit on the air filter and the oil. I sure can't see how they could do much better and stay in business. The time it took could have been quicker, but at least they only charged actual labor time. Might want to rethink where you bought your filters.
 
I worked for a guy about 20 years ago that owned a garage, did repairs, sold tires and gas in a town of about 2500 people. He is still doing work in that same place and is very well respected, I buy tires from him to this day. However, when a customer brought in his or her own parts, he would gouge them on labor to the point that they were worse off than if they had bought the parts from him.
 
What I don't understand is, if you buy your own parts- filters- why not do it yourself? This reminds me of 40 years ago when I got a oil change and grease job at a service station- that also had gas pumps. Only one guy was on duty and he kept running out to pump gas (that was common back then). I did most of it myself but got charged for labor. Started doing my own routine maintenance. It's easy to put a sheet of cardboard down to slide under on, remove the drainplug (without using ramps). Have never had any problems from doing it myself, have/had some high mileage vehicles. When you do it yourself you know how careful you are, not trusting someone who may not care about dirt.
 
If they spent 2 hours on it... then it doesn't really seem bad to me. That's assuming they used a regular oil and marked up the price. If that's a synthetic oil that actually cost 6 bucks per quart then I think they work pretty cheap.
Sad to say, most of your cost was in the oil and filters, most of which you bought yourself... so you can't really fault the shop for that.
Diesel oil changes are expensive. Sucks, but is what it is.

Rod
 
Nancy I change my oil on my 97 f250 and even though it seems high you got by pretty good. I run the front wheels up on a couple of boards in the driveway so a five gallon bucket will slide under the oil pan. I get a 7/8 inch wrench and loosen the drain plug. It is hot and I slowly screw it out but as it comes out I drop it in the bucket and oil runs all over my arm. Let the oil drain while I try to find the filter wrench. Next I slide the bucket under the oil filter and begin to screw it off. Oil runs down the side of the filter and as it comes loose it slides out of my hand and falls into the bucket splashing oil all over me and my glasses. Now I have to find the drain plug that fell into the bucket earlier and get oil all over me again. I open a gallon of Rotella oil and fill the new filter up and install it almost dropping it. I tighten it up and drag the bucket from under the truck. The bucket catches on something and splashes out on me again. I put the oil plug in and tighten it up and crawl from under the truck with oil all over me and in my hair. Next I get a cinder block and place in front of the truck to stand on because I am too short to stand on the ground and pour the oil in. I start pouring the oil in out of a gallon jug being real careful not to let it spill on top of the engine. When I get to the last gallon I lean a little too hard on the cinder block and it turns over causing me to pour oil all over the engine. After all this I still have to change the fuel filter and air cleaner element. I have oil all over me, the truck, and driveway. I have spent over $105.00 and I am dirty and have to dispose of the oil and filters. DH
 
I dont know why everyone has a problem installing parts supplied by customer.Someone brings me parts, great I will install them. If there is a problem with the parts I will let it be known but the customer is always right and if they say install I install.
 
Hello Nancy Howell,
The little one can water your garden for now. May be later on, he can do your oil changes for you.
Hope this cheers you up.
Guido.
a17302.jpg
 
I tallied the job up if done in my shop and I came up with $194.05 not including tax.Book time on all labor.

$32.05 Motorcraft air filter

$60.00 12qt Delo 15w-40

$72.00 Labor fuel,air filters

$30.00 Change oil/filter,lube chassis,check/fill all fluids,tires,light,belts,hoses,suspension,etc.

They're right in line in my opinion.
 
I service my Ford diesel myself and to change the oil,oil filter,air filter,fuel filter and grease the entire truck I doubt I'd do it all for under $200 for anyone else.Driving a diesel is just going to cost more at service time than a gasser.You didn't get a bargain basement price but it wasn't all that bad.You do the entire service one time I'll bet you look at it differently.
 
If you can afford the truck I wouldn't complain about the oil changes. Taking in your own filters, your lucky they did it at all!!!!
 
I am confused.

You went to a place that as a business model designed to take your money, yet you complain? You come to a forum where people restore tractors and complain about the fact that you cannot change your own oil at a reasonable cost.

I find it ironic that you come to a forum related to restoring tractors complaining about getting robbed over an oil change. In my eyes the smarter person won (the oil change establishment). Do you enjoy bragging about you inability to properly function in life and your husbands inability to perform what most of us here consider normal manly functions?

I would feel like a idiot to post such as you have.
 
I see that when its a "mechanic"answering,charging a lady 200 dollars for an oil change is just fine.Everybody else thinks its robbery.Also they gouge you when you bring your own filters,fine with a "mechanic",everybody else hates being gouged.

I hate to say this but a lot of mechanics who are still in business are thieves.I was driving a dump truck a while back and the power steering pump broke inside.I was about a mile from a truck shop so the owner said take it there.We discussed it for a while.I told him I thought the pump broke.So since he was real busy he told them to fix it and I drove a rental truck.First they claimed they couldnt get a pump until Friday,anyway it rained so it didnt matter.By Monday they had the pump on.It has 2 3/8 bolts that hold it on and 2 lines.They replaced 1 line and the pump and told the owner that they thought the steering box was bad.We went and got the truck because I told him a steering box out and I would have not been able to drive it to the shop.Trucks been running for 3 weeks not a problem.

It costs a lot of money to keep the lights on at a business.The City rapes them on electricity and everything else.Parts are higher than they were, and they want to sell parts so they can double the price.Some truck shops charge 90 dollars an hour or more.Plus they are not very fast.

If it cost 100 dollars to change the oil and buy the filters,they charged you 100 dollars more.So they probably got the filters and oil for 1/2 what they charged you,especially the air filter,they did not give close to 31 dollars for it,and so they made over 100 dollars off of that oil change.

When I ran my own shop I didnt care if they brought in their own parts.If I had to get parts for them I charged for that,but I would just charge labor if they brought their own parts.Most people dont bring their own parts,and expect you to snap your fingers and make them materialize,especially on some oddball car that will have a parts man scratching his head.

Also if somebody does bring in their own parts,every mechanic will say no guarantee.Well thats if the parts fail.If his workmanship fails then he is responsible.Example- if a mechanic puts your head gasket on,but doesnt torque the bolts,and it blows out again,its his fault,not the gaskets.From being a mechanic I know better than what most of them say.Getting stuff fixed back in the early 1990s was so bad that truck stop repairs were considered temporary.The mechanics who work in a place like that run up a big bill,but dont do good work a lot of times,especially if the driver doesnt have a clue.I will stand there and watch them.I have only been told a couple of times I couldnt,and then still watched them.They will not only charge 90 dollars an hour,but they will for sure take every shortcut they can.So when the truck would get home,the whole job was suspect,and was done over a lot of times.Ive taken calls from a "mechanic"who would call and ask how to fix something.Even though he didnt know what he was doing,and working on a truck,the bill was just like he was a pro.

Sometimes cheaper is not better.Cheap batteries,gaskets and belts usually get replaced a lot sooner than good stuff.

I hate to say it,but there are a lot of "mechanics"who you cant trust.There are also good mechanics.But usually they are so busy you cant hardly talk to them.High priced mechanics can be found every where.Its easy to get in their shop.They already know you wont be back so they run up the bill.Especially on a woman.Mechanics have a fairly hard life,and dont have any sympathy for you,at all.If somebody brings their vehicle to get the oil changed,they figure you dont know anything and they will just run up the bill,especially a woman.

Its wrong,but thats how it is.
 
Bryan,wished I woulda bought more 134 early in spring,don't know if I'll make it to fall.Price is gettin' away ain't it?
 
I think that anything can always be found cheaper if you look . If you spend 30 minutes on the phone price shopping to save the customer $5 -10 ,,who loses out ? If a customer asks for specific parts or fluids ,I will make every effort to get it for them . IF my reg suppliers carry it . If I know in advance ,I will order it for them . It will get marked up I will make money on it . I'm not a bank or a money store . I sell parts and labor. Both are set according to cost of doing business. Parts profit is part of the real business world . Shops that don't mark up , are not around long these days . I used to think like alot on here . I was a great tech , fixed cars like no tommorrow . Opened my own shop . Had the big dream . After years I wised up . started taking some business managment classes . Shoulda done that before thing about starting up a shop . My 2 cents x 33%
 
(quoted from post at 13:51:45 06/16/10) Had the oil changed on my 97 Ford 7.3 diesel this weekend. Had been taking it to an oil change place, but wasn't happy with the service anymore and took it to a different place.

I bought the oil and fuel filters myself - $75.00+.

Turned out I needed an air filter - $31.97. They charged me $70 for 12 quarts of Delco oil and $30+ to install the oil & fuel filter I had bought and grease the chassis. Also took them 2 hours.

Total cost $209! I won't go back there again.
Click to expand...

I highly recommend you find a lube shop you can trust to do all the other repairs needed on yer truck,,, look for one that employs workers that can not get a job any were else,,, the younger the better,,, they work cheaper,,, then when you need a skilled wranch go back to the shop that charged you a fair amount to service your truck but first remind them they ripped ya off for service (maintenance) in the past,,, I can not believe folks can not find a mechanic they can trust,,,, trust and hearing thing you don't wanna hear Carrie a price,,, building a relationship with someone you can trust is priceless,,, they are out their get off yer cheap arse and look....

Owner operator since 1978,,, starved to death but made it work,,, my return costumes made it work,,, they trust me,,, if they did not they need to look elsewhere....

All my customers know I hate a diesel,,, they do not mix with nicer vehicles....
 
Women these days are more car savy than you think . They are the ones taking care of things more and more . If a gal brings a car in ,she is the one who gets called with the estimate unless she states otherwise .
 
Yes ! Building a relationship with a shop ! I have 30 years customers and now working on their kids cars . Watched kids grow up , went through divorces and deaths with them . Their cars are treated like my own . They make the calls as to what they want done. But if it needs it , they usually tell me to fix it . I always tell folks to go visit some shops before they need repairs. Frantiic phone calls to strange repair shops only add to the stress of vehicle repairs .
 
Sure IS ! I missed the boat early on . Caught some last month before it jumped again . Sold more a/c this month than all of last year so far . Get 3-4 hot days in a row and drive is packed !
 
This is perfect example of what has destroyed this forum. Here we have a wanna be farmer woman complaining about the failure of her husband's inability to perform a simple oil change and her being charged a market price to have the work done.

Is this what Yesterday's Tractor has become? A sounding board for inept wanna be farmer wife's? Shameful!
 
I get my oil changed in a 7.3 at Walmart ya I know they suck. but it is cheaper for me to let them change the oil than for me to buy filter and the oil. last change I got tires rotated cost $69 plus tax can't beat that and I didn't have to get dirty.
 
I usually don't install customer carried in parts but I look at it on a case by case basis. I have one customer that uses all Fleetguard filters. The suppliers that I usually deal with don't have them in stock, have to order them. So he stocks up on his filters and brings them with him.
Now I would be VERY CAREFUL putting cheap air and oil filters on a diesel. I ran into a batch of FRAM air filters several years ago that where too fine. They would plug very fast. Cost two different customers turbocharges on their tractors, where older without a restriction warning light.
Nancy you got charged on the high side for a repair shop. Like it was suggested take it to Speed Co or some other quick change shop and it will be cheaper. Now you more than likely will only get the oil changed and a poor lube job.
 
I"m a mechanic my self and I can"t see any dealer making money on oil changes. For my f350 6.0 oil is 52.50 for 15 quarts, oil filter is 20.00 fuel filter 55.00 and air filter 75.00 all motorcraft also. No labor adds up to 202.50. take off the air filter is 127.50 without tax. I take it to Ford dealership and have it done for roughly 125. They more less give away labor for oil change to try to sell you shocks and others you don"t need!!
 
never had a problem with a customer bring in own parts,just cahrge a little more labor.In my mind,labor is kinda figured with a parts profit as a consideration.
 
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