Faulty Oil Change?

[pricklypear]

I have a 07 civic and recently had my oil and filter changed at a local auto shop (not honda). After a few days I noticed oil leaks on the bottom of car so I took it to honda and the mechanic said that the after market filter they used wasn't compatible with the civic and was causing leaks. so I asked him what needs to be done and he just told me to get my filter changed. When i brought this up to the service adviser he said that I needed a full oil and filter change..not just the filter because 'when you take out the filter nothing is going to hold the oil in'. Anyways..not knowing much about cars I ok'd the oil and filter change with honda....my question is..is it possible to replace the filter only without replacing the oil as well? is it not possible to just store the oil and just change the filter?

[Menthol]

Depends the height on where the filters is. You can just changed the filter and add more oil that was loss during the filter change (if you recently changed oil)

If the filter is located near the oil pan most of it will drain out when you remove the filter, if it's a bit high you'll need to add back about 3/4 liter. Once the oil comes out you don' want to put it back.

It could have also been the copper/plastic washer they instal on the stop plug was worn or not tightened properly.

[sunnybono]

'when you take out the filter nothing is going to hold the oil in'.

This is news to me!!! I've changed my own oil in my car for many years and have seen it done by mechanics for many years and unless you start the vehicle without the filter, no oil is going to be pouring out of the engine!!! The only oil that comes out when removing the filter is the oil that is in the filter. I too thought that this was something new so I confirmed first hand with my mechanic who is a lic. Honda Tech who owns his own shop. He too can't beleive what some, not all, service advisors will do to fool the customer!!!

Irregardless, now you know that the Honda Service advisor took full advantage of your lack of knowledge and just imagine what he can try to pull on you next time!!!! Without giving the advisors name, do you want to share what dealership you went to??

sk

[sixer]

If you have the money to buy a new car why not take it to dealer for oil change?

If another shop uses improper fluids for anything you could lose warranty if something goes wrong.

It's like driving a luxury car and complaining that you have to pay for premium fuel.

[Pete_Coach]

This is news to me!!! I've changed my own oil in my car for many years and have seen it done by mechanics for many years and unless you start the vehicle without the filter, no oil is going to be pouring out of the engine!!! The only oil that comes out when removing the filter is the oil that is in the filter. I too thought that this was something new so I confirmed first hand with my mechanic who is a lic. Honda Tech who owns his own shop. He too can't beleive what some, not all, service advisors will do to fool the customer!!!

Irregardless, now you know that the Honda Service advisor took full advantage of your lack of knowledge and just imagine what he can try to pull on you next time!!!! Without giving the advisors name, do you want to share what dealership you went to??

sk
What is the matter with some of you people. The OP had a leak. He had to take it to a dealer to determine cause. The tech said the filter was improper. The filter holds some oil, that plus the oil that had leaked out may be a couple liters. The tech is only going to replace a filter and add two liters of oil? That is a full 2 liters short of a whole oil change?
C'mon, no one is trying to rip anyone off. In my opinion, the service adviser is going to do an oil change About $40) for the problem he could have easily charged half hour labour (about $50) to diagnose it, change the filter and put in two liters of oil and charged more than the price of an oil change.
Can you live with all that paranoia crawling around you? ;)

[cq358]

What is the matter with some of you people. The OP had a leak. He had to take it to a dealer to determine cause. The tech said the filter was improper. The filter holds some oil, that plus the oil that had leaked out may be a couple liters. The tech is only going to replace a filter and add two liters of oil? That is a full 2 liters short of a whole oil change?
C'mon, no one is trying to rip anyone off. In my opinion, the service adviser is going to do an oil change About $40) for the problem he could have easily charged half hour labour (about $50) to diagnose it, change the filter and put in two liters of oil and charged more than the price of an oil change.
Can you live with all that paranoia crawling around you? ;)

I think redo the oil change is the proper way to deal with this situation. (for the peace of mind)

It is hard for the service advisor to put this "customerized job" into the work order. Since, you only need 1.5 liters(or whatever)of oil, .3 hours of labour, and the price of an OEM filter. By the time he key in everything it will cost as much as you redo an oil change. :lol: Plus the oil dealer uses is always freash ( higher turn over rate of oil than a small guarage).

[AGR-1]

The dealer should have charged you half an hour of labor to check your car made a report, and then charge you for the oil change that they did on the car.

It should have been sign the work order here, its half an hour ($50) just to check the car. If not go back to whoever did the oil change.

[pricklypear]

Looks like there's no straight answer to this...I asked because the mechanic was recommending only a filter change and the service adviser was insisting on the whole deal.

Regardless of who's right and wrong I was a little uncomfortable with this service adviser because I figured the mechanic probably had more knowledge (he's actually seen the bottom of my car).

There's another reason why I was uncomfortable with this adviser. I came in for tire rotation as well as having the leak checked. While making the estimate, he said "I recommend on getting your wheels aligned as well. Because you are getting you're getting your wheels balanced we can do this for $9 more and that would be $51 (for tire rotation and wheel alignment)" He made it sound like balancing and alignment are similar procedures and if I did them together I'd be getting a discount on the alignment. Or so I thought. When he showed me the printout of the estimate he was charging $98 (the full price) for the wheel alignment. Then when I asked him about it..he pointed the $98 on the services menu. I told him to take out alignment because now I felt like he was trying to pull something. So this is what led me to start this post..combining what happened earlier and the adviser making a recommendation that was different from the mechanic. I can't say if he was trying to rip me off or not..there might have been a miscommunication..and I dont see a point in discussing that..I just wanted to be more informed so if someone actually tries to rip me off..i can avoid them.

[cq358]

I know your pain. That exactly how Canadian Tire treated my friend few months ago.

For my best understanding- from a local Toyota dealer, you can do 2 wheels alignment with 50 bucks, instead of 4 wheels which cost 90 bucks. The 2 wheels alignment procedure is: they check the alignment for 4 wheels but only adjusting the front wheels only.

However, the general public doesn't know what is the book labour rate are. Let him give you and estimate and don't be shy for refuse any unnecessary work. You can bring it further by signing on the work order/pay up front stating there will be NO additional work should be done. (ie, pure diagnostic for oil leak ).

[urameatball]

I once went to a small shop offering very cheap oil changes. I found out the guy intentionally put a slight gap in the oil filter to make it look like there's an oil leak. So you'd go back and he can charge you more to fix it.

Luckily I got a second opinion regarding the 'leak' and never went back again.

As for replacing the filter by itself, depending on the car, I've seen cars where upto 1 litre gushes out when you remove the filter, and others where nothing comes out.

If your car is one of those where a load of oil comes out, the $$ difference between a full oil change vs. filter+top-up is a minimal. In which case, the advisor would probably recommend a full oil-change.

[bembol]

if you have the money to buy a new car why not take it to dealer for oil change?

If another shop uses improper fluids for anything you could lose warranty if something goes wrong.

It's like driving a luxury car and complaining that you have to pay for premium fuel.

wtf? Lol

[JAGpilot]

It wouldn't surprise me if it was Sisley. Those crooks wanted my mom to do $1500 worth of repairs on a 2000 accord with 65K. Timing belt included!

[pricklypear]

It wouldn't surprise me if it was Sisley. Those crooks wanted my mom to do $1500 worth of repairs on a 2000 accord with 65K. Timing belt included!

lol yes it was at sisley...although i'm sure these things happen in many places. i guess the best way to deal with it is to be informed as much as possible.

[allmotor]

What is the matter with some of you people. The OP had a leak. He had to take it to a dealer to determine cause. The tech said the filter was improper. The filter holds some oil, that plus the oil that had leaked out may be a couple liters. The tech is only going to replace a filter and add two liters of oil? That is a full 2 liters short of a whole oil change?
C'mon, no one is trying to rip anyone off. In my opinion, the service adviser is going to do an oil change About $40) for the problem he could have easily charged half hour labour (about $50) to diagnose it, change the filter and put in two liters of oil and charged more than the price of an oil change.
Can you live with all that paranoia crawling around you? ;)

Pete is right, a full oil change was the proper repair. How are you so sure the small garage didnt put the wrong grade oil in your engine? You should be glad they didnt charge you 0.3h to shampoo then diagnose the leak and then charge you another 0.3h to replace filter and top up oil.

[pricklypear]

Pete is right, a full oil change was the proper repair. How are you so sure the small garage didnt put the wrong grade oil in your engine? You should be glad they didnt charge you 0.3h to shampoo then diagnose the leak and then charge you another 0.3h to replace filter and top up oil.

like i said..the post was because of the difference between what the mechanic and the advisor were telling me. given that the mechanic has actually seen the bottom of my car...i'm thinking he had a better idea of what he was talking about. just slightly. what do u think.

[Pete_Coach]

like i said..the post was because of the difference between what the mechanic and the advisor were telling me. given that the mechanic has actually seen the bottom of my car...i'm thinking he had a better idea of what he was talking about. just slightly. what do u think.
The deal here is that the mechanic was right. He told you what needs to be fixed.
Now, the service adviser was also right, he told you what would be the most inexpensive thing to do.
An oil and filter change would be 40 some odd dollars. If you only insisted on doing what the mechanic said then the adviser would have no choice but to charge you for that diagnostics, about 1/2 hour, then the filter, about 10 dollars, then the flat rate installation charge, about 1/2 hour then, another charge to top up the oil. Figure it out. The shop rate is about $80 to 100 per hour.
You are not being taken advantage of at all, you are, in this case, being taken care of. You got your filter changed and oil changed too for just the price of the oil change. You got a good deal. By all means tell them you would rather pay the flat rate for a repair, the adviser will be glad to take your money.:)

[sunnybono]

What is the matter with some of you people. The OP had a leak. He had to take it to a dealer to determine cause. The tech said the filter was improper. The filter holds some oil, that plus the oil that had leaked out may be a couple liters. The tech is only going to replace a filter and add two liters of oil? That is a full 2 liters short of a whole oil change?
C'mon, no one is trying to rip anyone off. In my opinion, the service adviser is going to do an oil change About $40) for the problem he could have easily charged half hour labour (about $50) to diagnose it, change the filter and put in two liters of oil and charged more than the price of an oil change.
Can you live with all that paranoia crawling around you? ;)

I'm not disputing that they didn't do the right thing, it was the comment that the service advisor supposedly made to the OP: 'when you take out the filter nothing is going to hold the oil in'

[Pete_Coach]

I'm not disputing that they didn't do the right thing, it was the comment that the service advisor supposedly made to the OP: 'when you take out the filter nothing is going to hold the oil in'
Oh, sorry.
I was then only making comment on the part where you said
"He too can't beleive what some, not all, service advisors will do to fool the customer!!!
Irregardless, now you know that the Honda Service advisor took full advantage of your lack of knowledge and just imagine what he can try to pull on you next time!!!!"
I didn't feel he was being fooled or taken advantage of.

[allmotor]

I'm not disputing that they didn't do the right thing, it was the comment that the service advisor supposedly made to the OP: 'when you take out the filter nothing is going to hold the oil in'

The only way for that to be true is if the oil filter is located on the bottom of
the oil pan or in a location below the oil pan. Im sure thats not the case, so yeah the advisor was bsing you abit.. Advisors are just salesman, some are more knowledgeable than others. They learn from the tech's, by upselling the same crap day in day out. Just shoot me a message next time you go in for service, i'll prep you :lol:

[BartBandy]

like i said..the post was because of the difference between what the mechanic and the advisor were telling me. given that the mechanic has actually seen the bottom of my car...i'm thinking he had a better idea of what he was talking about. just slightly. what do u think.

Simple - Pete is right. The most economical solution is to redo the oil change. Besides, replacing the filter will cause oil to spill in most cars. Maybe not all of it, but enough.

The only thing I agree with you on is RFD is a crapshoot when it comes to car advice. So much of it is bad here.

[najibs]

IMO, there's only 2 options if you want an oil change done right.

1. Take it to the appropriate dealer. If you have a Honda, take it to the Honda dealer. A Toyota, to a Toyota dealer.They know your car best, and chances are that the person doing it is not the same as the 16 year old that's working at Jiffy Lube. My family has always taken our cars to the appropriate dealers for oil changes, and we've never had a problem. The dealer will not do anything to your car to make themselves liable for any warranty issues, whereas an independent shop won't care about your warranty. They just want you coming back to milk more money out of you. Dealer might be pricier, but IMO, it's well worth the peace of mind. Usually, they'll also inspect the car,top up fluids, and also wash the car, all at no extra cost.

2. Learn to do it yourself. That way each and every time you've taken the time and care to do it properly, since it's in your best interest. Make sure you use the oil listed in the owner's manual, and ideally buy the oil filter directly from the car dealership, that way you use the same thing they do.

[andrei14]

This is news to me!!! I've changed my own oil in my car for many years and have seen it done by mechanics for many years and unless you start the vehicle without the filter, no oil is going to be pouring out of the engine!!! The only oil that comes out when removing the filter is the oil that is in the filter. I too thought that this was something new so I confirmed first hand with my mechanic who is a lic. Honda Tech who owns his own shop. He too can't beleive what some, not all, service advisors will do to fool the customer!!!

Irregardless, now you know that the Honda Service advisor took full advantage of your lack of knowledge and just imagine what he can try to pull on you next time!!!! Without giving the advisors name, do you want to share what dealership you went to??

sk

true. all you need is to top off what you lost in the filter.
then again, an oil change shouldn't bother you that much. go back to the shop that put the wrong filter on your car and have them deal with your problem.

[kmltick]

IMO, there's only 2 options if you want an oil change done right.

1. Take it to the appropriate dealer. If you have a Honda, take it to the Honda dealer. A Toyota, to a Toyota dealer.They know your car best, and chances are that the person doing it is not the same as the 16 year old that's working at Jiffy Lube. My family has always taken our cars to the appropriate dealers for oil changes, and we've never had a problem. The dealer will not do anything to your car to make themselves liable for any warranty issues, whereas an independent shop won't care about your warranty. They just want you coming back to milk more money out of you. Dealer might be pricier, but IMO, it's well worth the peace of mind. Usually, they'll also inspect the car,top up fluids, and also wash the car, all at no extra cost.

2. Learn to do it yourself. That way each and every time you've taken the time and care to do it properly, since it's in your best interest. Make sure you use the oil listed in the owner's manual, and ideally buy the oil filter directly from the car dealership, that way you use the same thing they do.

Even dealers aren't immune to it... my brother did his oil changes through the dealer, and one time they didn't tighten the drainplug. A few 100kms later we got a nice surprise. A co-worker recently brought his Mazda to the dealership and they managed to screw up his oil change by forgetting to put the oil cap back on.

So my vote would be for #2.