The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: TAB on November 16, 2020, 07:55:48 PM
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People think i am crazy for doing my own oil changes and buying oem parts. This is why i do it.
In case any one was wonder8ng, it was a puroilator filter, put on by a rather large shop, about 50 miles before i bought the truck.
(https://ibb.co/zVszT5W)
(https://ibb.co/jWqwTFm)
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(https://i.ibb.co/B2L95PH/20201116-163317.jpg) (https://ibb.co/zVszT5W)
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(https://i.ibb.co/WP7z61Z/20201116-171041.jpg) (https://ibb.co/jWqwTFm)
In the ford filters box
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Surprised it didn’t dump oil as soon as it was started!
Some years back I found an article where a mechanic bought a bunch of filters and cut them up to measure filter pleats, assembly, check valves, etc...
Motorcraft were as well made as K&N which rated the highest on his non-scientific tests. Delco and Purolater were basic and Fram, even their “better” filters were absolutely junk!
I use OEM and K&N and full synthetic. I have done 99 percent myself but also have a garage that lets me buy the parts and they charge me 1/2 hour labor to do the oil change and tire rotation.
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I've been doing all my own oil and filter changes ever since I started driving back in 1968. One time back in the 80's, when I was living in Chicago, and I was driving a Volkswagen Diesel, it was January, and about 5 degrees out, and I didn't want to crawl under my car to change oil. So I took it to a Jiffy Lube near my house. Big mistake... Huge.
He managed to get the old oil and filter out, and the new in without screwing anything up. I paid him and drove home. The first thing I checked were my tires, because he did, and I didn't trust him. Sure enough, all 4 air caps were loose, and were only screwed on about 3 turns. I'm lucky I made it home without losing all of them. I then went to check the oil.... And the dipstick was missing! I found it in that nice little recess he laid it in on top of the radiator.
Then, I noticed the oil fill cap was missing from the valve cover. I looked everywhere before I found it wedged in between a little area in the back of the trans axle, where it must have fallen off the top of the engine where he laid it. Unbelievable. If I had not checked, or had driven any distance, I would have lost everything. That was the first and LAST time I ever let anyone change my oil. I do it out here in the Spring and Fall. The weather is nice and mild. Not too hot, or too cold.
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FL-1A is the same size my F-150 5.0 V-8 takes. If you ever get sick and tired of having hot oil get all over your hands, get yourself one of these. I put them in the same category as a microwave oven, and a TV remote control. Once you have one, you'll wonder how the hell you lived so long without it.
https://www.valvomax.com/
They're all Stainless Steel, and are very well made. Much better than a Fumoto Drain Valve, because they seal completely in 3 ways. 1.) The valve itself seals. 2.) The O-Ring seals against the lip of the cap. 3.) The rubber seal on the inside of the cap itself forms a third seal.
I have them on all 3 of my vehicles, and it makes oil changes so neat, clean, and easy, you'll never go back to a drain plug. To install the thing, you just remove the drain plug, drain your oil, screw in the Valvomax System, torque it down, and you're done. After that you just remove the cap which is finger tight and seals against an O-Ring, and screw in the drain fitting and hose. And out comes the oil. They don't protrude very far, and on my Toyota which rides really low, it easily clears the access panel I have to remove to get to the drain plug and oil filter. Fram made something similar to this some years back called the "Sure Drain". I had one for years, but they're no longer available. And this is a much nicer product.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlmXepiEMC8&feature=emb_logo
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Friend of mines wife got a new car from Jiffy Lube years ago. Forgot to put the drain plug back.
Engine was toast before she got out of the parking lot.
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Jiffy Lube nightmare here, too!
They also use garbage for filters and oil!
I had a DEALER screw up an oil change one winter! The put six quarts of earl into an engine that only needed 4.5 quarts! Real fun trying to remove 1-1/2 quarts! I just drained it and did it over! In the snow, about 10 degrees, with a real attitude!
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Jiffy Lube nightmare here, too!
They also use garbage for filters and oil!
I had a DEALER screw up an oil change one winter! The put six quarts of earl into an engine that only needed 4.5 quarts! Real fun trying to remove 1-1/2 quarts! I just drained it and did it over! In the snow, about 10 degrees, with a real attitude!
Dealers are no better. They just charge you more. People go to them because they think they'll have more competent people working on their cars. That couldn't be further from the truth. Mechanics at dealerships don't do oil changes. They hire the same kids Jiffy Lube does. If you have a local mechanic you know and trust, that's a different story. It's worth it to pay him his hourly rate for an oil change. Rather than end up with a stripped drain plug, an overfilled crankcase, or a double gasketed oil filter.
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Jiffy boobs broke my oil pressure sending unit located near the filter. They must’ve hit it with a filter wrench which I don’t even own!
A few hundred on my own cars and probably 1000 I’ve done while I worked in a garage and I’ve never needed a wrench!
Again, under the car, in the snow in February in New England with a bad attitude!
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Background: I have worked as a parts manager and service writer for a GM dealership, a mechanic at a Ford dealership, and managed an auto parts store (Parts Pro).
I am not against purchasing parts from a parts store, BUT make sure you get OEM or higher grade. Watch closely that you don't get counterfeit knockoffs. This is easy to verify if you have a relationship with the store owner/manager, but difficult in many larger communities with large chain stores. When in doubt, go to the dealership, and pay the price for quality.
Always keep in mind that when you purchase verified OEM you are purchasing the product that these manufacturers rely on to protect them against high warranty claims and law suits.
TAB, what you experienced with your oil filters is a common cross reference situation. The best way for me to explain is the old GM PF-25 and PF-35 (small block GM). The filter base and check valves are the same, but the PF-35 is the truck version and 50% larger. In severe duty, try to use the larger, BUT watch clearance with your exhaust. Not just that it doesn't touch, but that it is far enough away to not overheat it and cook the oil. Cooked oil is worse than non-filtered oil.
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The funny thing is the filter was a hair over $6 dollars at the ford dealer. I did buy it in the 6 pack. It was cheaper than buying the middle grade filter at the parts store.
Ford filters are built by either mann or wixx. Both of which are excellent filters.
I am very anal about mainatance, I do way more than even the manufactors recommend. Its also why i take trucks in to the 3s, 4 and even 500s. take coolant for example. Its swapped every 30k miles, every other flush, i replace the thermostat, cap and hoses. I normally drive 60k year. So i go thru lpts of parts. If the truck was worth more, i wouod actually send of a sample of oil to the lab. Its not, so i am not doing that, but i am keeping my normal maintance.
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Maintenance is the key to longevity. However, it is not necessary to vary far from the manufacturers recommendations. The manufacturers have worked to determine what is the best for their vehicles, and if you follow their FULL maintenance guide you will have a vehicle that will last past the 500k mark.
The number one waste of money and resources is premature changing of oil. If you have an old vehicle, match your use with the manual, and utilize annual lab work. If you have a modern vehicle with the maintenance reminder, follow it. Remember, maintenance is more than oil changes. It includes needed lubrication, ALL filters, belts, all fluids (more engine damage is done by out of date coolant than poor oil changes), and timely adjustments. People will still change their oil and filter every 2,500 - 3,000 miles, but they won't adjust or replace belts, and they ignore their coolant and timing belts.
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I did all my own oil changes up until we got the Pathfinder. It require dropping a dust/dirt shield under the engine and pretty much takes a lift to accomplish. Sadly, I did changes more frequently when I did them myself, than when I have to take them in.
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Friend of mines wife got a new car from Jiffy Lube years ago. Forgot to put the drain plug back.
Engine was toast before she got out of the parking lot.
I got a new transfer case in 05 Silverado about eight years ago, because they signed off that all fluids were topped off and good. Fifty miles later the case puked. It was one with the pinhole leaks and had been near dry for a while. I didn't go for the transfer case. I went for the tow, because it left me stranded when they should have warned me. However, in arbitration (they said it was a known defect and not their issue) the judge made them cover the tow, a used, inspected and warranted transfer case, and labor.
Fast forward to 2020. Early in the pandemic I needed an oil change on my old Impala. The only shop I'm building a relationship was so over booked I couldn't get in. Without thinking I swung into Jiffy. First they hit me for top of the (price) range synthetic. Next, they claimed everything was inspected and good to go. Later that day I put a gallon of washer fluid in, I topped my coolant tank, I replaced my air filter, and I crawled under the car and wiped the pool of oil off the crossmember.
I complained on line to Jiffy about a hundred dollar basic oil change, and I received 100% refund. Maybe I will remember this and do what I said eight years ago: "Never ever Jiffy again!"
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I worked for a Valvolene instant oil change before becoming disabled. My shop had the lowest rate of customer issues(Damage, complaints etc) in the entire company. I insisted that my guys only recommend what was needed per the manufacturers recommended maintenance schedule and to explain to the customer why it should be done for longevity of vehicle life. When I left ,the shop went from doing 80 to 100 + cars a day down to about half of that.We also used the buddy system to check each others work to make sure nothing was forgotten.Unfortunately as younger employees came in they're work ethic wasn't what I was demanding when I was there and the shop suffered.I firmly believe that is why the oil change industry has such a bad reputation.
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That's a great idea having people check each others work. One person can accidentally miss something, or fake it, but a second pair of eyes can verify if it was done.
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The parents of one of my older brother's friends had a Lincoln IIRC, and I can't remember what the smaller car was, a Mustang or a Pinto I think. I would have to ask my brother and see if he remembers but it was the mid-late '70s and he may not. I only know they were both Ford products, and can only remember seeing both cars in the driveway at the same time once in several years. At least one of them was in the shop getting something fixed on any given day. They were on the lift so much they had more miles vertically than horizontally. That part may be an exaggeration but not the rest of it. This meme reminds me of that couple and their F.O.R.D. cars.
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I worked for a Valvolene instant oil change<snip>.
Interesting. I have a great location with a very high traffic level that I was thinking about opening up as an oil change business up. Obviously the worst part of the business is on the personnel side.
What kind of profit margins did you guys make?
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I'm wondering how these oil change places are doing these days? I say that because many new cars come with as much as 3 years of maintenance "free". This includes oil and filter changes. Of course it's not "free". They're sticking it to you on the price of the vehicle, one way or another. But more and more dealers are doing it, and in the process robbing quick lube places of the business.
Then you have the lease / "rental" market. Most all car leases come with the same "free" maintenance deal. So that's more business lost to the oil change joints. Also, the do it yourself oil change guys like me are increasing. Simply because they don't trust these clowns, because they've all heard or experienced one horror story after another. There are also a lot of tire and tune up places like Big-O, Goodyear and Firestone Automotive Centers, as well as places like Wal-Mart, Costco, and Pep Boy's that feature things like free oil changes with a tire purchase. Add it all up, and it has to be hurting them.
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I worked for the largest Valvoline franchise in the northeast, The profit margins were way above my pay grade. But the owners drove a Lamborghini and a Ferrari,so I'm guessing they were pretty good.
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My wife's new truck has a deal with free oil changes. Problem is that the dealer is an hour away. I suspect soccer moms will go with what is convenient for them.
A buddy has a shop and sells tires. He's still doing well with oil changes.
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Background: I have worked as a parts manager and service writer for a GM dealership, a mechanic at a Ford dealership, and managed an auto parts store (Parts Pro).
I am not against purchasing parts from a parts store, BUT make sure you get OEM or higher grade. Watch closely that you don't get counterfeit knockoffs. This is easy to verify if you have a relationship with the store owner/manager, but difficult in many larger communities with large chain stores. When in doubt, go to the dealership, and pay the price for quality.
<snip>
I don't want to mention several well known auto parts stores and get sued. I will say that I pay extra and only buy from NAPA because all the parts I've bought were the right ones and I didn't need to bring any of them back because they failed prematurely.
Other places will hawk a part and it will be wrong and then you're hooked...waiting on the right part. Put the right part on and it doesn't work right or fails quickly far too often...
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That's a great idea having people check each others work. One person can accidentally miss something, or fake it, but a second pair of eyes can verify if it was done.
We did that in manufacturing. You checked the last guys work so you didn't waste time on junk, and because you were in the most convenient position to follow their progress.
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We did that in manufacturing. You checked the last guys work so you didn't waste time on junk, and because you were in the most convenient position to follow their progress.
This has always been my sop. Not sure why people don't do that
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This has always been my sop. Not sure why people don't do that
The cost of measuring equipment has fallen during the 80's and 90's.
In the 80's a decent set of calipers would run around $40ish 1980 Dollars, Pretty expensive to put on every station.
By the 90's GOOD calipers were around $60 but you could buy good enough calipers, even digital, for under $25Then it got cheap enough.
Calipers is just 1 example, the same factors effected all measuring stuff so it economical to have a higher level of inspection at a lower level of the chain.