Why I Ceased Having My Engine Oil Changed by the Dealer

drmike · 04-30-2009, 06:22 PM

The one time I took a vehicle to a dealership, I regretted it. I took my wife's new Toyota pickup to a dealership in the Dallas area (Toyota of Richardson) for a recalled seatbelt mount, and they offered to do an oil change while I was there. Bad call on my part. When they changed the filter, they left the old gasket stuck to the block, and screwed on the new filter (with its gasket). The stacked gaskets sealed until I got on the highway. The engine spit all of the new oil on the ground and then started knocking. I pulled over and called the dealership, and they sent a tow truck.

The the dealership told me the engine would be fine, as they filled it back up with oil. Uh, no, guys, it has a bad rod knock. Oh no, they said, it will be fine. Well, the rod knock was so bad that they had to yell over the engine! At that point they realized that they couldn't weasel their way out of this one, and they sent me off for a compact rental car while they ordered up a replacement engine. I pointed out that I showed up in a truck, so I shouldn't be stuck in a Turdcel. In the end we compromised on a RAV4.

Three weeks later, I got the truck back. Happy ending, the new engine was better than the old one! Much more peppy. But certainly not worth the pain.

wstar · 04-30-2009, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drmike

When they changed the filter, they left the old gasket stuck to the block, and screwed on the new filter (with its gasket). The stacked gaskets sealed until I got on the highway. The engine spit all of the new oil on the ground and then started knocking. I pulled over and called the dealership, and they sent a tow truck.

And there are thousands of stories like this. Bottom line: nobody cares about your car more than you do, especially not someone who's changing your oil for money.

04-30-2009, 06:22 PM	#1 (permalink)
drmike Enthusiast Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Kern Co., California Age: 55 Posts: 356 Drives: '03 Mini S+'94 Miata Rep Power: 18	The one time I took a vehicle to a dealership, I regretted it. I took my wife's new Toyota pickup to a dealership in the Dallas area (Toyota of Richardson) for a recalled seatbelt mount, and they offered to do an oil change while I was there. Bad call on my part. When they changed the filter, they left the old gasket stuck to the block, and screwed on the new filter (with its gasket). The stacked gaskets sealed until I got on the highway. The engine spit all of the new oil on the ground and then started knocking. I pulled over and called the dealership, and they sent a tow truck. The the dealership told me the engine would be fine, as they filled it back up with oil. Uh, no, guys, it has a bad rod knock. Oh no, they said, it will be fine. Well, the rod knock was so bad that they had to yell over the engine! At that point they realized that they couldn't weasel their way out of this one, and they sent me off for a compact rental car while they ordered up a replacement engine. I pointed out that I showed up in a truck, so I shouldn't be stuck in a Turdcel. In the end we compromised on a RAV4. Three weeks later, I got the truck back. Happy ending, the new engine was better than the old one! Much more peppy. But certainly not worth the pain. __________________ txwerks.com (side biz) xcor.com (main biz)

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