A case for checking your truck after repairs

jmgratz

Original Owners Club Member
I had the oil changed in the DW car on Monday. Been smelling oil burning ever since and I just presumed that a little oil must have spilled while filling it. I checked it today (Thursday) and found the idiot (At the Ford dealer) forgot to put the oil filler cap back on and oil and been splashing out of the filler hole on to the engine. It still has plenty of oil on it but the nice clean engine now has oil all over it. I called the Ford dealer that did it and am supposed to bring it in tomorrow for them to check it out and clean up the mess. Up till now this dealer has done great work. I just hope they either fire or severely discipline the 'technician' that did the job. Moral ... check the work after it is done to see it was done right. I just hate incompetence.
 

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TXTiger

Well-known member
Re: You better check it out

At a minimum they owe you a steam cleaning of the engine and your next oil change free.
 

GOTTOYS

Well-known member
Re: You better check it out

I always open the hood and check mine before I leave. Then I go back in and have them send someone out to clean off the spilled oil, or greasy hand prints on the hood or dirt on the seat...I'd change my own but I hate the mess and crawling underneath it just isn't my thing. I've tried several dealers and the same thing happens at all of them. Besides it's more fun to ***** at some underpaid, unmotivated kid that's just trying to get by....
 

TedS

Well-known member
Re: You better check it out

I always check under the hood after service. Experience says to because of caps, coolant and oil fill, left off by both oil change specialty shops and dealer shops.
 

jmgratz

Original Owners Club Member
Re: You better check it out

The strange thing is I have always had great and dependable service from this dealer. Guess they must have hired a new 'technician' who is supposed to know what he is doing. Live and learn.
 

TXBobcat

Fulltime
Re: You better check it out

Sorry about the problem. Unfortunately things are done by humans and they do make mistakes. That is why I change my own oil. I go to walmart, purchase the oil, and drain pan everytime I need an oil change. I find an old dirt road some where to change my oil. I then take the oil back to walmart and just leave the oil pan to be drained.

I find my truck is far enough off the ground that I can slide under it easily and if I can find a little depression where I can get a bit more room. 15 quarts and a filter under the hood is not difficult. I keep the tools in the box in the truck so that is all I need. If I make a mistake then it is on my shoulders not someone else, and it is a bit cheaper to do it.

I wish a campground had a dirt area where you could change your oil, but not everyone would keep the place clean. I do take my truck to a dealer to change the gas filter and transmission filter.

Hope things go well for you.

BC
 

traveler44

Well-known member
Re: You better check it out

One time we stopped at a quick oil change place to JUST have the oil changed. They wanted to do everything except what I told them I wanted done--change trans fluid etc.. After leaving there and while waiting for the wife at the eye doctors, I raised the hood and found the oil cap laying up on the firewall. I wasn't happy to say the least and it encouraged me to change my oil MYSELF nearly all the time. I always check the oil level right away if anybody else changes it and take a good look. I have had to argue about the amount of oil used for an oil change in the truck. I guess their computer suggests a quart more than what the dip stick reads as normal. Tom
 

RollingHome

Well-known member
Re: You better check it out

Jim, Jim, Jim come on you're way too decent of a guy to want some young guy with a wife and 2 kids to want him fired ! You sound like me when I'm pisxxx off. You're just PO'd and you have a right to be... so would I be. Just so the dealer makes it right and you get even a little more then what you paid for as an aggravation fee. The young guy who was me, who was you will do better next time. If not, 3 strikes and you're out. Like TXBOB, I too do my own oil changes and avoid these type scenarios. Thanks for warning us, because we too have "other" stuff done that may need to be double checked !
 

caissiel

Senior Member
Re: You better check it out

I had an oil change done one time on my VW and they opened every fluid cap and never put them back. When i smelled antifreeze opened the hood. To late antifreeze leaked in the brake fluid and ruined the master cylinder and cost me $300. But that was one time because I usualy do all my own maintenance.
Just a few months ago DW had oil changed on Toyota and drain plug was hand tight.

Sent from my GT-S5660M using Tapatalk 2
 

ihsolutions

Well-known member
Re: You better check it out

It's not that these technicians are dumb or incompetent. They're just lazy. And it's not just dealer technicians. It's people from all walks of life, and frankly, it's quite disturbing. Worse, when you call someone out on it, YOU'RE the bad guy (for expecting good service). Too many video games and parents making excuses for, and coddling, their children these days. But that's a debate for another thread, I suppose.
 

wdk450

Well-known member
Re: You better check it out

I found a couple of nice SnapOn wrenches lying on my engine after I got it home from servicing. I returned them, not so much out of honesty as much as to encourage the mechanics to check the engine area before they finally close the hood.
 

jmgratz

Original Owners Club Member
Re: You better check it out

Well I took the car back to the dealer today. There were very very apologetic and cleaned the engine, engine compartment, under the car, and detailed the inside and outside of the car. Then they changed the oil and filter again just in case any debris got in there. We are happy now and the car looks like new inside and out. BTW - the reason I get the oil changed at the dealer there is they give me free oil changes since I have bought two vehicles from them in the last 2 years, plus they have always done great jobs until this foul up. But they did make it right. Thanks for all the positive comments too...
 

RollingHome

Well-known member
Re: You better check it out

Way to go Jim... I'm glad you got ALL this - you deserved it ! Just the same.... ugh, why does this kinda stuff keep happing to all of us. Honestly, I think Jeff hit the nail square on the head or "Are we all turning into grumpy old men" I loved that movie, it's so me _ I'm Oscar not Felix :)
 

AnnR

Active Member
Re: You better check it out

My DH and I learned our lesson on this one last summer. We normally go to our trusted mechanic Pete but were short on time before leaving for our trailer so he took his truck to a "Jiffy Lube" type place for an oil change and tire rotation. About an hour and a half into our trip the next day the truck began making odd noises - like a flat tire. Pulled over, checked everything, no problems found. We debated calling AAA, but were out in the middle of nowhere and had our 2 dogs with us, so we limped along slowly to our trailer, unloaded the dogs and the DH took the truck to town. The mechanic there informed him that the "mechanic" the day before over torqued the wheel so badly that he had stripped the lugs on the right front wheel. The lug nuts were still in place, so everything looked normal, but they could be spun by hand. There was only one lug nut holding the wheel on the truck. I know anyone can make a mistake, but now nobody but Pete touches our vehicles. Might take a lot longer and cost a little more, but hopefully he won't kill us. And he serves awesome cookies while we wait!
 

Westwind

Well-known member
Re: You better check it out

It's scary out there, a few years ago I was in Sam's Club having new tire's mounted on our Trailer wheels and the shop manager was berating two employees to the point it was embarassing. But thinking back he had them hand torquing the wheels on the cars and found tow lug nuts that weren't torqued. I suppose he could have done it differently but who knows how many times he had told them that day.
It's 5 years later he is still there seems to have mellowed a little but still tough, I notice two of the empoyee's that were there 5 years ago are still working with him so maybe it's just show. They remodeled the place so you can't see what's going on anymore.
 
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