- Mar 27, 2006
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Where do you get your oil changed?
- Thread starter simply1
- Start date
Anyone know of a good mechanic then? My radiator is leaking or something and basically I want to know if I can drive it home without it freaking out on me. I'd much rather use my mechanic at my home town as I know them and they do great work.
first off, for someone who appears to consider themselves more intelligent then anyone else on this board (or the world for that matter), why can't you change your own oil??? then you could use only "correct/decent" tools on your vehicle and put your drain plug back on without using an impact wrench. or maybe that would interfere with your need to continually validate yourself on a message board? secondly, does your car know the quality of tools that are being used on it? last I checked it didnt take that many tools to change some oil? It sounds to me like you went to a poorly run jiffy lube/car-x and now asume that all chain quick lube joints are filled with careless morons that return your car to you worse off then when you brought it in. do you also think that all middle easterners are terrorists, or that every hispanic in america is here illegally?
Where the hell did this post come from? If you've ever worked on your own cars before, you know how important it is to use the correct tools.
Geez...calling out a guy because he likes having the correct tools used while his car is being worked on.
I had good luck with Mike's Body & Frame when I was in Ames (assuming that's where you are).
219 North Oak Avenue
Ames, IA 50010-3391
(515) 232-7050
They even let me bring in parts already purchased and they would put them in.
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That's funny...really...
Anyway, my garage is where it gets changed. Nothing like getting your hands dirty to feel some accomplishment in daily life. And then the oil gets dumped in the creek out back...
I've actually had great interaction with Hansen Sinclair on the NE corner of Lincoln Way/Duff. They've been extremely helpful the few times I've needed it.
I'd recommend my cousin...just google Wheelock's Service for the phone number. On Lincoln Way east of duff about 3/4 of a mile.
I love multi-quote.
Ummm, I don't suppose you've read enough of my posts to figure out that I live with and love several middle eastern/central asian people like my brothers and sisters, right? As in, I would gladly die for them?
Yeah, we're talking adjustable wrenches to remove plugs and slip joint pliers to install filters. As far as I know, those "technicians" must provide their own tools. When I was wrenching on airplanes, I knew I had to.
I think they might have. BTW, when no-one was watching, I changed theaters. I'm currently in Iraq. It's a long and painful story that involves feeding my family.
I think it had more to do with something else. Some people don't enjoy contentious discussions, and this prolly bled off from that.
first off, for someone who appears to consider themselves more intelligent then anyone else on this board (or the world for that matter), why can't you change your own oil??? then you could use only "correct/decent" tools on your vehicle and put your drain plug back on without using an impact wrench. or maybe that would interfere with your need to continually validate yourself on a message board? secondly, does your car know the quality of tools that are being used on it? last I checked it didnt take that many tools to change some oil
Ummm, I don't suppose you've read enough of my posts to figure out that I live with and love several middle eastern/central asian people like my brothers and sisters, right? As in, I would gladly die for them?
Yeah, we're talking adjustable wrenches to remove plugs and slip joint pliers to install filters. As far as I know, those "technicians" must provide their own tools. When I was wrenching on airplanes, I knew I had to.
I'm no brain surgeon, but I imagine that it's pretty tough to change the oil in you cars when you are in Afghanistan.
The fact of the matter is that finding competent oil changers is not as easy as it appears. I ALWAYS check everything when I have one done because I've experience and witnessed about every bad thing that can happen. For myself, the most common occurance is that they forget to reinsert the dipstick or put on the fill cap. At a franchised dealership where I used to work, I saw cars where they forgot to tighten drain plugs, put the oil back in, and even a guy with a cabinet full of filters because he forgot to change them. I will have to say I never saw a drain plug installed with an impact.
The problem lies in that oil changes are loss leaders for most places, thus they have the entry level $8.00/hr guy doing the work, rather than the techs with all the experience. This isn't to say there aren't competent oil changers, but that there are many who are not, and that there is a ton of turnover at the position.
I refuse to change my own oil because in reality I can't afford to. For the time it takes to screw with it, I can make a lot more money. I trust others to do so - but always verify their work.
I really don't know why you went off on him. Did his comments strike a little too close to home?
I think they might have. BTW, when no-one was watching, I changed theaters. I'm currently in Iraq. It's a long and painful story that involves feeding my family.
I think it had more to do with something else. Some people don't enjoy contentious discussions, and this prolly bled off from that.
Big O. As for taking it somewhere. I do my own oil changes and always have until we got the car my wife now drives. I cannot get to the oil fliter. I changed it once and since then have taken it to the local station. I am all most ready to take my pickup to the station as well, the filter is hard to get to on it also.
With the advent of transverse mounted large V6 engines in relatively small cars, maintenance is getting harder to do. There are two sparkplugs on the rear bank of my wife's minivan that are mythical in nature. I don't think noone knows if they really exist, because you sure as heck cannot see them or touch them.
People complain about places that don't do a quality job, or over charge. If you want it done right do it yourself. Changing your own oil saves you a lot of money in the long run and is a skill most everyone should learn. I change my own with the exception when is it way to cold out and there is a crap load of snow on the ground.
Someone else mentioned Hansen Sinclair in Ames. I would also recommend them They have treated everyone I know right. My wife and mother in law both feel comfortable taking their cars there.
People complain about places all the time, so it's nice when you can give props to a place.
People complain about places all the time, so it's nice when you can give props to a place.
Man are you preaching to the choir on that one. I've got a 2004 Pontiac Grand Am with a V6 and any routine maintenance is a pain in the ***. The oil filter is mounted on the front on the engine where there is about a two to three inch gap for your arms to try and get down to take the damn thing out. I have smaller hands and I still have a big problem with it, and if I had been running my engine prior like I'm supposed to, I burn the crap out of my arms. On the other hand I have a big boat of a 1998 Chevy Lumina (the most popular car in Iowa) that goes out of its way to make oil changes a breeze. It even has an oil catch chute underneath the filter so that it doesn't drip straight down, it funnels down in a controlled manner.
I like changing my own because it's fun to get dirty once in a while and that way I know it's actually getting done, as opposed to them just popping a new filter on and topping off the oil.
Just wanted to throw this out there...once a year I send a sample to Black Stone Labs. For about $30 they will analyze your oil for minerals/deposits and tell you if you are having any major engine wear problems. They also analyze TBN and tell you if you can go longer on your oil change intervals. I sent in a sample after 6,000 miles on my wife's minivan and they said the oil was still in good shape and I could easily go 7,500 miles between changes (this was on Val full synthetic).
Here's the website: Blackstone Labs
Might save you some money and some cold afternoons in the garage!
Just wanted to throw this out there...once a year I send a sample to Black Stone Labs. For about $30 they will analyze your oil for minerals/deposits and tell you if you are having any major engine wear problems. They also analyze TBN and tell you if you can go longer on your oil change intervals. I sent in a sample after 6,000 miles on my wife's minivan and they said the oil was still in good shape and I could easily go 7,500 miles between changes (this was on Val full synthetic).
Here's the website: Blackstone Labs
Might save you some money and some cold afternoons in the garage!
I've had no problems with a nearby dealership using my oil and filter and their labor to complete an oil change on my vehicle and I only get charged labor. Of course I pay a higher labor rate at this dealership than I would at others, but I also know it will be done right and if they screw anything up they will take care of it.
It totally rubs me raw having to pay someone to change my oil. Now that I have a garage, I need to go out and buy some small ramps to drive up on.
I generally just change my oil whenever I go to my hometown, because we have a pit in our farm shop. When I've gotten done around here, I've tried Wal-Marts, Jiffy Lubes and some place on Merle Hay. I've never had a problem with them, but I hate how they're always trying to jab with some bull **** service you don't need.
I generally just change my oil whenever I go to my hometown, because we have a pit in our farm shop. When I've gotten done around here, I've tried Wal-Marts, Jiffy Lubes and some place on Merle Hay. I've never had a problem with them, but I hate how they're always trying to jab with some bull **** service you don't need.
When we lived out west, we went to a place to change the oil, for I had no tools yet. They proceeded to bring out a horrible fan belt and claimed to take it off my car. Thing was, I just had the fan belt replaced 1 month prior. I asked to see my vehicle, and they started freaking out. In order for me not to turn this into a legal matter, we got our oil changed for free everytime we went in. We would get our oil changed every 3 weeks just because it was a deserved punishment.
Now I do it myself.
Now I do it myself.