Messy oil change at ford dealership!!!

[hexum311]

I just wanted to know if everyone on here changes their own oil or not. After the experience that I had yesterday at the Ford dealership, I definatley am from now on. I have always changed my own, but figured that since I had a new car I would just let them do it. The problem is you never know when you are going to get some incompentent new guy working on your car. That is just what happend to me yesterday. First when they gave me the invoice it had grease/oil fingerprints all over it. Ok I could live with that, but when I got back to my car this is what I found, grease/oil was:

outside of car around hood, roof panels and door hinges and handles

inside of car around window switches, on steering wheel, on center console, on emergency brake handle, on shifter

inside center console on wheel lock bag, there were also various little oil fingerprints elsewhere.

I also had tires rotated, so I went back and checked oil and tires when home to make sure that tires were secure and oil was filled up, guess what, I had to tighten front passenger side wheel because it was not tightened all the way! It also looked like he didn't know how to put the dipstick back in and had bent it up a little.

The service advisor apolgized while I was there and said he would talk to the guy about it because he was new and had only been there a couple of weeks. Needless to say I am going to call the service manager this morning when they open!

Just thought I would share my horror story with everyone.


Oh I forgot to ask. Where is the best place under the car to jack up one side the next time I need to rotate my tires?

 

[dmarco_4u]

man i would had prayed for tire tire to fly off while driving.
Come to papa brand new Ford GT!

 

[GDawg]

I wouldn't have left the shop with the car until I knew the butthole that did that was fired.

 

[MusPuppis]

I wouldnt care of he was new or not. Theres no excuse for that crap. I say you beat him with a stick.

 

[BlackenedSVT]

Wow, that is what i would call "unsat". Yeah i'd want to talk to the guy that did that and ask him if he was kididng me...

I would of COURSE also demand a high detail cleaning in and out from Ford and a free oil change next time. As well as complaign to the dealership about the new guy.

 

[hexum311]

I have tried to call the service manager a couple of times this morning and he hasn't answered. I am going to try again after lunch. I just want to make sure that he knows what happened and that I will be changing my own oil from now on. Overall the dealership has been really good, but getting back in your car to find oil everywhere is unacceptable. This guy wasn't even wearing a ford shirt like the rest of the crew. He was in an army tshirt and jeans and covered from head to toe in oil. The service writer was the one who drove my car into the shop, but when I saw this guy driving it out I thought, oh crap! Thank god that they at least put plastic seat covers on and a paper floormat. I would have had grease all over my leather seats! I just hate to have to deal with this crap, but everywhere you go there are idiots I guess. You would think that if he had been there a couple of weeks he would have had a ford shirt already and proper training.

 

[sabrooks]

I would take the car back and demand that they clean it. This is why I do my own oil changes why pay for this type of service when you can do it yourself for a cheaper price

 

[JonJon]

yeah i'm surprised they didn't offer to detail it

 

[hexum311]

sabrooks, what kind of oil and filter do you use? Do you still use motorcraft?

 

[Spreadman]

I started changing my own after I switched to Amsoil. And after I started doing it myself, I noticed that the drain plug was stripped and leaking. So I had to buy another one. Plus most of the time, they don't tighten the drain plug enough so you always have a slow leak. I noticed it on a couple of my friend's cars.

 

[jmk97GT]

No way I'd trust those jackasses

 

[n0v8or]

Some advantages of doing your own oil/filter changes:

You can drain the old oil while the engine is hot, so sludge (if any) doesn't remain in the sump. Dealers often let the car sit outside for several hours, then only run it 30 seconds to move it from the lot to the service bay.

You know it was actually changed. Stories abound about Dealer techs who forgot to drain the old oil after being distracted by the catering truck. I once had a co-worker who picked up his Toyota after a dealer oil change and found 10 qts in the engine instead of 5.

You can take your time and allow all the old oil to drain out. Dealer techs are sometimes paid by the number of changes they can do within a given time.

You can be sure the filter was actually changed. My local dealer charges $3 extra if you request the old filter be returned to you. This alone makes me suspicious.

You can use aluminum shields to prevent oil spills on the components directly under the drain plug and filter. Dealers don't usually bother.

If you buy the factory-recommended Motorcraft oil and filter at Wal-Mart, you'll save at least $50 by doing it yourself.

 

[jmk97GT]

Yup - oil changes are simple enough that you shouldnt need a dealer to do it.

 

[hexum311]

Some advantages of doing your own oil/filter changes:
You can drain the old oil while the engine is hot, so sludge (if any) doesn't remain in the sump. Dealers often let the car sit outside for several hours, then only run it 30 seconds to move it from the lot to the service bay.

I always wait at the dealer I go to and it only takes about 30 min. But then again they are not that busy of a dealership.

If you buy the factory-recommended Motorcraft oil and filter at Wal-Mart, you'll save at least $50 by doing it yourself.

Save $50? Do you mean per year? LOL the dealer only charges like $20 for an oil change. I know what you mean though, there is no telling what they are doing to your car back there.

I finally got a hold of the service manager and it seemed like he was already aware of the situation. He apologized and asked what he could do to make it up to me. I really wasn't after anything I just wanted him to know what type of person that he just hired and to make sure that no one else had to deal with that "greaser", LOL! Other than that incident the dealer has been great to me. I just wonder why this guys wasn't trained properly. I told him that I was probably just going to start changing my own oil anyway, and he said that he would like me to give them another chance and that he would definatley give me a free oil change the next time I came in. I think that I might go and get the free one and then start doing it myself. I am like most of you, I really don't want anyone else touching my car unless it is absolutely necessary.

 

[SilverBullet00]

This is a good example of why I do everything on my own and with good friends of mine. My stomach was in KNOTS when I took the car to the shop to get an alignment after the longtube install. I watched out the shop window at the guy doing the alignment the whole time, and afterwords I went out and inspected the car before I even paid, they though I was dumb, but I dont care!!

 

['03GTinFLA]

I took my car in for an oilchange and they rotated the tires. I went about a mile down the road thinking there was something wrong with my tires, treadwear or something, and then some guy pulled up and yelled, as i'm doing 70mph down the highway, that my rear wheel looked like it was gonna fall off. ***hole at ford had the lug nuts fingertight on the back rear wheel. They offered me a free car wash. I said you will never see me again and I will complain to Ford higher-ups. Took it to a different Ford dealer for next oil change, as I was handing my keys to the guy I explained the story and the guy said "yeah that happens." I said can I get my keys back and left without another word. Never ever will I take my car to a dealer again. Just my 2c rant.

 

[Bolt on 5.0]

Are you seriously telling me that you never make mistakes. Holy crap people I'd be pissed too if my wheel was loose but so you went to a mechanic shop to get your oil changed, your going to get some greese on your car. These guys get paid maybe 6 tenths of a hour to change oil and rotate. Thats 36 min so dont expect to have your car cleaned after a service. Thats just how it is.

 

[r281]

I do my own oil change.

 

[Darkhorse845]

Oil changes are so,easy and simple why not do it yourself and save
the pain! I have been doing oil changes for the past five years on my
stang.I use six quarts of 10W30 Mobil 1 and a K/N or Mobil oil filter
and never had a issue! I would never trust the a dealership to work on
my stang again after some of the horrible stories I have heard!
Just make it easier on yourself and change your own oil!

 

[ACSPONY]

It's horror stories like these that keep me from the dealership... In fact, I'm changin my oil this weekend-Merry Xmas to my stang