Ford vs after market. Why i do my own oil changes

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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.

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In the ford filters box

[Timothy]

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.

[billt]

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.

[Sponsor]

[billt]

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

[tombogan03884]

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.

[Timothy]

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! 

[billt]

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.

[Timothy]

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!