# Never take your car to one of those oil/lube places! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 9, 2018, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-take-your-car-to-one-of-those-oil-lube-places/815778 "2018-06-09T19:46:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-take-your-car-to-one-of-those-oil-lube-places/815778/41 "2018-06-11T15:07:13Z")
I once was lazy with my old car and took it to Jiffy Lube for an oil change and a new fuel filter. They put the fuel filter on backwards. On every fuel filter I’ve ever seen there’s literally an arrow printed right on the thing to tell you which way it should go; just install it with the arrow going the same direction as the one you took off! How do you fuck that up?! ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-take-your-car-to-one-of-those-oil-lube-places/815778/42 "2018-06-11T15:15:39Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > My experience with dealerships has been mixed. The Ford we bought our truck from never tried to upsell us. The Toyota one, though… it wasn’t the mechanics, it was the _salesmen_ who’d try to corner you and talk you into trading in your car towards a new one. No, I _like_ my car very mu-- BUT YOU WANT A NEW ONE, RIGHT? No, I like not having a car paym–LOOK, IT’S GOT THESE OPTIONS! The mechanics would actually sometimes have a hard time getting a word in edgewise to talk to you about your car re-- HOW ABOUT PINK INTERIOR, YOU LIKE PINK, RIGHT? _::: vomits ::::_ My spouse would then mention my aversion to pink-washing and tell the salesman he pretty much just lost any possible sale. After which the salesman would start badgering him and five minutes later there’s be another one after me. It was like dogs following bitches in heat. Except we weren’t bitches and we kept trying to shake the “dogs” off our legs while they were trying to hump our shinbones. > > So, um, let’s just say mileage may vary here. Mrs. Cups has now refused to be the one to get her oil changed at the dealership precisely because of this. She has a Toyota too so maybe it’s a Toyota thing? Thank the Lord her car is a 15-year old nothingmobile, otherwise she’d be hounded even more. > [@TheMightyFro](#): > > 1000% agree. People tend to torque them so hard the gasket splits, or just can’t do its job effectively. > > However, there are filters built with a hex head specifically mean to be wrench tightened, but the picture OP supplied clearly isn’t one of them. Why someone would then use one anyways? A mystery for the ages… I think this is what happened to me. I took my car to a Jiffy Lube and they tightened…soemthing…so much that they cracked the oil pan and caused it to leak. The screw was so tight and thick that I had to replace the entire thing. I’ve never taken a car I own to one of those since. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2018, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-take-your-car-to-one-of-those-oil-lube-places/815778/43 "2018-06-12T02:13:14Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I had a car that welded oil filters to itself every time. Seriously. You could tighten it with 2 fingers dipped in oil and it still required a screw driver to be driven through it for leverage. And yes, I put oil on the gasket before installing it. and that’s why. the gasket is rubber, and oil makes rubber swell. so you oil the gasket, spin it on, then tighten it just snug. the oil you put on the gasket starts the swelling process, and normal exposure to oil during operation accelerates it. thus, the now-swollen gasket makes the filter harder to remove. > [@Balthisar](#): > > All Fords suck. My neighbor had a Ford, and it had transmission issues, therefore they all suck. My other neighbor has an Aston Martin. I never, ever hear people complain about Aston Martin. Those must be good cars! ok, let’s not pile on the DPS6. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2018, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-take-your-car-to-one-of-those-oil-lube-places/815778/44 "2018-06-12T12:38:36Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > ok, let’s not pile on the DPS6. That actually wasn’t my intention, but in retrospect, some Freudian slip. My point is, there are millions and millions of Ford cars (oil change places) out there. Even at six sigma defect levels, you’re going to hear about a bad transmission (bad oil change) once in a while. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2018, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-take-your-car-to-one-of-those-oil-lube-places/815778/45 "2018-06-12T14:12:36Z")
Interesting to think that in this thread outlining how badly one can screw up an oil change even when one has training, tools and time (as in, those who work at an instant oil change place), suggests that someone without any of those things is better off doing an oil change themselves. I’m gonna hedge my bets and keep going to the instant oil change. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2018, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-take-your-car-to-one-of-those-oil-lube-places/815778/46 "2018-06-12T14:30:30Z")
When it’s your own car and not your 17th procedure of the day you tend to pay more attention to what you’re doing. And be fair, the hammer/screwdriver was the last resort for the OP. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-take-your-car-to-one-of-those-oil-lube-places/815778/47 "2018-06-13T14:02:22Z")
My one and only personal experience with one of these places involved an attempt to get a vehicle inspected many, many years ago. They wanted me to leave the vehicle unattended with the key in the ignition in their parking area, which happened to be next to the very busy sidewalk and a major road. Nope. A cousin of mine went to an oil change place at a popular discount club that failed to put fresh oil in the car on two occasions. I have no idea why he kept going there. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-take-your-car-to-one-of-those-oil-lube-places/815778/48 "2018-06-13T14:09:25Z")
> [@WolfpackJeep](#): > > A cousin of mine went to an oil change place at a popular discount club that failed to put fresh oil in the car on two occasions. I have no idea why he kept going there. With the coupon it was just such a great deal!!😃 ---
**Author:** ![Daylate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9dc877/32.png) [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-take-your-car-to-one-of-those-oil-lube-places/815778/49 "2018-06-13T17:23:14Z")
I work as bookkeeper for an auto repair shop. We often get to fix disasters caused by the cheap lube people, from stripped threads on the drain plug up to a complete engine replacement (usually caused by a drain plug that had fallen out because of improper installation). Recently my son had his car at a rather respected business where they drained and replaced the oil. They severely overtightened the plug, which developed a persistent leak. Luckily he caught it before the oil drained out, and they fixed him up with a new oil pan. This was not a Jiffy Lube sort of place, either, but one we have all heard of. They did bend over backwards to make the necessary repairs, including furnishing him with a temporary car while his was being fixed. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-take-your-car-to-one-of-those-oil-lube-places/815778/50 "2018-06-13T18:19:05Z")
> [@Daylate](#): > > I work as bookkeeper for an auto repair shop. We often get to fix disasters caused by the cheap lube people, from stripped threads on the drain plug up to a complete engine replacement (usually caused by a drain plug that had fallen out because of improper installation). > > Recently my son had his car at a rather respected business where they drained and replaced the oil. They severely overtightened the plug, which developed a persistent leak. Luckily he caught it before the oil drained out, and they fixed him up with a new oil pan. This was not a Jiffy Lube sort of place, either, but one we have all heard of. They did bend over backwards to make the necessary repairs, including furnishing him with a temporary car while his was being fixed. Why,oh why, do even reputable shops not follow torque specifications? I do not know. Even with experience, the feel of “that’s about right” is very subjective. At least start with the torque specs and then adjust if you think it is needed. Even with My Car (caps needed) that has it’s own separate building stocked with tools, and 16 years experience working on the same car, I torque to specs. Oil drain plug is 15-20 Ft-lbs, which also feels about right. A DIYer should even have an inch/lbs torque wrench for the lighter stuff. Why did this gasket leak? Well, two nuts were 16 ft/lbs, three were 60 ft/lbs and you broke the bolt on at least one other at 120. Engineers are not just pulling these numbers out of their ass, they are important. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-take-your-car-to-one-of-those-oil-lube-places/815778/51 "2018-06-13T21:29:50Z")
> [@anomalous1](#): > > It’s just that it takes less time and you can be sure you’re getting the correct oil, a better filter and save money. I don’t have hate on those who go to the quick lube joints. It’s a matter of personal preference. Used to cost less, anyway. I changed my own oil for years to save money, but now there is a Pennzoil place nearby that does a basic oil change - just new oil and filter - for $19.00. No “50 point check”, no “check and fill all fluids”, just an oil change. I can’t buy 5 quarts of oil and a filter for that! They have a large window where I could, and did, watch closely to make sure it was done properly. I used past tense there because now they let me stand in the bay and shoot the breeze while they work (and I watch). ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2018, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-take-your-car-to-one-of-those-oil-lube-places/815778/52 "2018-06-14T00:21:00Z")
Several years ago, I bought a Mercury Lynx and made sure to buy a manufacturer’s warranty. After owning the car for about 5 years, I took it to a Jiffy Lube and had the oil changed. A couple of days later, my car stalled on a freeway and I had to have it towed to the nearest Lincoln-Mercury dealership to have the engine replaced. It turns out that the Jiffy Lubes in the area had a bad habit of not taking the plastic off of the filters before installing them. The dealership replaced the engine and PERSUADED Jiffy Lube to reimburse them. I got a free loaner car and and only suffered a couple of weeks of not having my car. I only had to pay $25.00 for a brand new engine, thanks to the warranty I purchased. I don’t go to the cheap lube places any more, just to my trusted mechanic shop of many years. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2018, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-take-your-car-to-one-of-those-oil-lube-places/815778/53 "2018-06-14T12:25:05Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > With the coupon it was just such a great deal!!😃 Honestly, that’s probably the answer. This cousin (and, to a greater extreme, his wife) would never pass up a sale or a coupon. When he passed away, she told us that she found more than 64 pairs of shoes in various closets that were still unworn and in their boxes. I forget how many items of clothing she found that still had their (sale!) tags on them. Her current shopping habits are identical, with the exception that she will return items to a store if they’re having a big sale so she can buy them back at a discount. I think the tags come off after that. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2018, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-take-your-car-to-one-of-those-oil-lube-places/815778/54 "2018-06-14T14:09:51Z")
Years ago one of these shops failed to put the cap on my oil fill hole. Got oil all over the engine. Took it back and they did re-change it and clean off the engine. I hate going to these places, they ALWAYS try to upsell you things that you can easily replace. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2018, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-take-your-car-to-one-of-those-oil-lube-places/815778/55 "2018-06-14T16:42:24Z")
Jiffy Lube went out of business around here, but they were terrible about the upselling when they were here. I took my old truck there once. The guy told me I was due for an automatic transmission fluid change, and started extolling all the wonders of new transmission fluid. I interrupted him and said, “If you can find an automatic transmission in my truck, go right ahead.” He slunk out, and the rest of the waiting room got a snicker. Thing was, he was the guy who actually drove my truck into the bay. Did he not notice the standard transmission? Jeez. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2018, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-take-your-car-to-one-of-those-oil-lube-places/815778/56 "2018-06-14T16:47:46Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > Jiffy Lube went out of business around here, but they were terrible about the upselling when they were here. > > I took my old truck there once. The guy told me I was due for an automatic transmission fluid change, and started extolling all the wonders of new transmission fluid. I interrupted him and said, “If you can find an automatic transmission in my truck, go right ahead.” He slunk out, and the rest of the waiting room got a snicker. > > Thing was, he was the guy who actually drove my truck into the bay. Did he not notice the standard transmission? Jeez. That pedal controls the torque converter. ---
**Author:** ![betterlifethroughchemistry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/betterlifethroughchemistry/32/3094_2.png) [@betterlifethroughchemistry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betterlifethroughchemistry)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2018, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-take-your-car-to-one-of-those-oil-lube-places/815778/57 "2018-06-16T04:48:00Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I got sick and tired of all the upsell crap from these kinds of places, let alone the outright lying I’ve encountered. We use a local small shop exclusively now. It may cost $50 instead of $29.99, but they have never cheated me. I knew they were trustworthy when I took in a very old vehicle and asked them to look it over and tell me what it needed. They said everything was fine and they just did oil and lube. I’ve used them for a dozen years now. > > Granted, I’m not out of there in half an hour, but we have an extra vehicle and they’re close enough to home that it’s not a huge inconvenience for us to do drop-off/pick-up. A good independent mechanic is a great person to know…when we first moved up to upstate NY from Baltimore, we began attending a local church…the elders would stand by the doors and greet people on their way out…one Sunday, the elder shook my hand and said, “I don’t think I’ve seen you here”, I explained we just moved up, he said, “Do you have a mechanic?” I said, “No”, he pulled out his wallet, handed me a card, and said, “This guy is really good”. Several weeks later, I was picking up one of my sons from preschool, and I smelled gas as I good out of the car, looked underneath, and sure enough, a gas leak…so I got my son and we drove up the road to the garage, went in, showed the owner the card and explained that a gentleman at EGCC gave it to me…he chuckled and said, “Yeah, that’s my Dad.” He put the car up on a lift, and within minutes, was back with a small gas line saying, “Here’s the problem.” I said, “How much do I owe you?” He said, “If I have to charge you, I’d have to charge you for an hour of service, and I’m not going to do that for a $5 gas line”. Jack pot…that was 19 years ago, and he has since worked on every car we have and do own, if he tells me I need something, I believe him, but more often than not, he’ll tell me what I don’t need…with three small boys at the time, we were strapped for cash and he always worked with us… Last year, I took my car in for service, he called me at work and said, “You need a new resonator, but there’s a guy down on Broadway that does nothing but exhausts and he charges half of what I’d charge, so you might want to go there”, I said, “Mark, I’d rather pay you.” ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2018, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-take-your-car-to-one-of-those-oil-lube-places/815778/58 "2018-06-16T10:15:41Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I don’t trust those places from the stories I’ve heard. And the filter is actually the least of my concerns. Over-torquing the drain plug is my biggest concern. This. My Honda Civic had an aluminum pan which had to be replaced twice because the oil-monkey places wrenched it too tight. The second time I asked if a steel pan was available (nope) so I started taking it to the dealer. At $10 more per change, it was still cheaper than a $280 pan replacement, to say nothing of the lack of hassle. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2018, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-take-your-car-to-one-of-those-oil-lube-places/815778/59 "2018-06-16T12:58:18Z")
I ran truck repair shops for most of my life. The past 25 years i worked at a leasing company and we had a crew of 5 guys working the service pit for oil changes and lubes. They were all very experienced and knew not to over tighten filters. We would go through over 100 filters a day. Several times a day they would come across stuck filters that were not over tightened when they put them on but came off very hard. usually the same types of trucks and filters. This always baffled me how they could tighten up so much. I always assumed the rubber seals swelled but never really knew for sure. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2018, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-take-your-car-to-one-of-those-oil-lube-places/815778/60 "2018-06-16T17:57:07Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > Jiffy Lube went out of business around here, but they were terrible about the upselling when they were here. > > I took my old truck there once. The guy told me I was due for an automatic transmission fluid change, and started extolling all the wonders of new transmission fluid. I interrupted him and said, “If you can find an automatic transmission in my truck, go right ahead.” He slunk out, and the rest of the waiting room got a snicker. > > Thing was, he was the guy who actually drove my truck into the bay. Did he not notice the standard transmission? Jeez. I was wondering if anyone has ever been to one of these quick lube places where they couldn’t do the oil change because no one in the shop knew how to drive a manual? I could honestly see that happening particularly if they didn’t have any employees over 30 years old [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-take-your-car-to-one-of-those-oil-lube-places/815778.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-take-your-car-to-one-of-those-oil-lube-places/815778.md?page=4)