Lube of Jif strikes again.

[protege]

And people wonder why I spend the few extra bucks to take my cars to a dealership...

Well, my one car... I *can't* take to a dealership. There haven't been any BL/MG/Rover dealers in the US since 1980. I'm on my own with that car. But, at least I can get the Toyota done at the dealer.

[Sapphire Silk]

Well, my one car... I *can't* take to a dealership. There haven't been any BL/MG/Rover dealers in the US since 1980. I'm on my own with that car. But, at least I can get the Toyota done at the dealer.

I take my Jeep to the local Dodge dealer. They do a great job. The local Jeep dealer is horrible.

[Pagan]

I've come to trust the Pep Boys near me. Every time I've gone there, they've always been honest with me. Haven't ever tried to get anything over on me because I'm a "girl". They were the ones that fixed my engine right after Galles Saturn almost destroyed it the 2nd time. (The comment when I took it to Pep Boys, "What have they done now?)

And people wonder why I spend the few extra bucks to take my cars to a dealership...

Oh, you mean the dealership that refused to replace an obviously stuck front brake caliper because "the brakes are wear parts and the entire system isn't covered"...or the dealership that finger tightened the lugnuts to the tires that my parents, my brother and I drove 20 miles home on?

Or the one that almost wrecked my engine....twice? Of course, that wasn't so much Saturn, as much as Galles sucks.

[Melxb]

And people wonder why I spend the few extra bucks to take my cars to a dealership...

Oh hey, I'm with you there. I take my Scion to the Toyota dealership and I'm really impressed by their service. This is the first time I've taken a car exclusively to the dealership and I'm ok with it. They have a deal where if you can buy 4 of their service packages for $100, which is the 5K mile service. It's a steal! Included in that prices is the oil change, tire rotation, and air & cabin filter change out if needed. AND they will pop the hood after the whole thing is done and show me the new filters, etc. Love it!

[protege]

I've come to trust the Pep Boys near me. Every time I've gone there, they've always been honest with me.

Pep Boys is the only shop that I let work on the MG. One of the guys is heavily into old cars, and really knows his stuff. He was the guy who found out why the car was such a bitch to start sometimes, and why it sometimes stalled at stop signs. Seems that the rubber fuel line was a cheap one...and as soon as gasoline touched it, the damn thing was degrading He replaced all of that, and even got the carbs balanced correctly. How he set up a pair of S.U. HS4s without the factory tools...I'll never know!

[HYHYBT]

Why would you have to take the engine out to replace the oil pan?

I've heard of rubber, snap-in drain plugs.

[Frantic Freddie]

Galles sucks.

You're not the only person I've heard that from.

[Shalom]

Why would you have to take the engine out to replace the oil pan?

It's generally above the front crossmember. You don't really have to take the engine all the way out, just lift it up a few inches, but it's every bit as much of a pain in the neck.

[dendawg]

I've heard of rubber, snap-in drain plugs.

I have a hard time imagining they'd be anything but a temporary replacement.

[HYHYBT]

I have a hard time imagining they'd be anything but a temporary replacement.

If I remember rightly, that's the idea. You put a new one in every time you drain the oil, but it means not having to replace the oil pan.

Not tearing it up in the first place is still the best idea

[sld72382]

My father is a manager of a quick lube place and he would have never let a car leave his shop like what was described in the OP.

He has heard many horror stories of the place that was described.

[Midorikawa]

Why would you have to take the engine out to replace the oil pan?

I've heard of rubber, snap-in drain plugs.

This car is a transverse engine, and has a really weird mounting system, plus there's no way to get the old pan out without lifting the engine almost totally out of the compartment due to the limited space inside the compartment. You have to remove the passenger tire to get at the belts, even.

As for using a rubber drain plug, why would I do that? and add extra expense to my oil changes when it should have been done right the first time? :-P

It was an oil change, not exactly brain surgery. :-/

[pitmonkey]

You will always find a bad egg at any service place, dealership or otherwise. It is when speed is more important than doing it right. You get over tightened filters and plugs that damage threads, plugs not tightened at all, or double gasket on the filter.