Dealer screwing up oil change

Well I took my car to the dealer today, told the guy I wanted synthetic in it, he said "yes, I know". I told him that once before I had told them synthetic and they put regular in (I saw the bill was too cheap and they changed it immediatly). So he said "yeah, I'll put it into the system so that it always comes up as synthetic". I went to the counter, and they put regular in it again. I explained to the lady that I told them synthetic. She apologized and said they'd go back and change it. I was pissed though. I know it's bad to switch off between regular and synthetic, but how bad is it? My warranty is almost up. I don't want to get screwed over. Do you think these dealer screw ups are doing damage to the engine? I think this is the last time I take my car here for service.

 

CN: dealer put regular oil in when I told them synthetic. Changed immediately, but should I be worried?

I wouldn't worry about it. I wasn't aware that it was bad to switch between them...and as long as the oil meets the specs that Subaru requires, the extent to which it exceeds those specifications would be irrelevant for any warranty-related issues.

No need to worry at all. Out with the old and in with the new.

Changing between synthetics and dino oil will not harm anything, it's a urban myth.

Changing between synthetics and dino oil will not harm anything, it's a urban myth.

 

Exactly. That's why there are regular/synthetic blends available.

Oh good, because I was one of those that thought it was bad. I have a jug of M1 5w30 synthetic that will now go in my wife's car

Seconding everyone else's opinions on this, with one caveat:

 

if your car is older and you've always used dino oil in it, switching to mobil 1 might cause some oil leaks as mobil 1 has more detergents in it than most dino oil. I had this happen on my old car (140k) i switched to mobil 1 and it started leaking oil like a sieve. Turns out the dino oil had clogged some of these leaks over time and mobil 1 broke up the clogs. woops

lol funny cause I went to the stealer 2 days ago to have them change my oil. I went to autozone and picked up some Synthetic Pennzoil and told them to change it and put it in. (It was too cold and I was too lazy). I stood with the guy in the bay and watched the guy put my oil in it cause I don't trust them. I After he installed the oil filter I was good to go. On my way home I began smelling burnt oil. I figured it was probably a little spillage so I didn't worry about it. After driving more later that day I realized it was getting worse. So I took her back in yesterday and told them the issue. Turns out when the dumbass took out the old oil filter the rubber seal part of it stuck to the car. He then put the new one right over seal. It was leaking oil between the seals. In the one day I drove it, I had lost a quart and a half of oil. They offered me a free oil change next time but I think I may stick to doing it myself...

<snip> It was leaking oil between the seals. In the one day I drove it, I had lost a quart and a half of oil. They offered me a free oil change next time but I think I may stick to doing it myself...

 

You got very, very lucky my friend! The knucklehead must have really cranked the snot out of the new filter to keep the old gasket from being blown out. Had the old gasket blown out you would have drained your oil in the matter of seconds and toasted your motor.

 

I don't understand why some mechanics get so spooked when a customer is near. If they aren't doing anything wrong, why worry?? When I worked in HVAC some customers used to stand right behind me while I worked. If you couldn't get them to give you some elbow room by 'accidentally' letting something fling in their direction, best bet was to strike up a conversation to put their mind at ease that you had half a brain and knew what you were doing.

talk about screwups, when i bought my LGT, Irvine Subaru was last person to do an oil change on it and believe it or not, they stripped the drain plug so it was leaking oil pretty bad. luckily i noticed it before driving around 2 quarts low on oil

Trust none. Do it yourself, people. There's nothing easier you could possibly do other than putting air in your tires. The Legacy's actually the easiest car to change oil in I've ever owned....

 

You want it done right, do it yourself, because the only thing that shops care about are your $$$ and getting you out the door as fast as possible.

Trust none. Do it yourself, people. There's nothing easier you could possibly do other than putting air in your tires. The Legacy's actually the easiest car to change oil in I've ever owned....

 

You want it done right, do it yourself, because the only thing that shops care about are your $$$ and getting you out the door as fast as possible.

 

 

 

Yup, I had a couple years of free oil changes so I used those up, now I'm gonna start changing my own oil. I figured if they f-dup then I was still underwarranty since it was their fault

Ok cool, thanks for putting my mind at ease.

A person doing their own oil change could screw up just as bad as a dealer, a quick lube tech, or any other mechanic. Not all of them are idiots. You can trust the work of a lot of places out there.

 

The benefit of someone else screwing up your car is that they get to pay for the repairs.

 

The benefit of you screwing up your car is that you get to pay for the repairs.

Trust none. Do it yourself, people. There's nothing easier you could possibly do other than putting air in your tires. The Legacy's actually the easiest car to change oil in I've ever owned....

 

You want it done right, do it yourself, because the only thing that shops care about are your $$$ and getting you out the door as fast as possible.

 

Don't even trust yourself!

 

The only thing that buggers me about oil changes on the Subarus is that the oil comes out in a sideways arc which invariably causes some oil spill. But that's a minor problem and it's a sport to get the bucket in the right position when the car is on the lift in the DIY hall.

To those talking about the screwups and that the dealership guys are idiots. People make mistakes and nobody is perfect. The funny part is all of these simple mistakes, have also been done by owners as well. Yup, I have seen them install the wrong filters, drain the transmission fluid and add engine oil(I see that alot by owners), having a double gasket on the oil filter. I guess it really must suck when others aren't as perfect as you.

 

I was pissed though. I know it's bad to switch off between regular and synthetic, but how bad is it?

 

CN: dealer put regular oil in when I told them synthetic. Changed immediately, but should I be worried?

 

None at all. There is no harm in changing the different type of oils.

 

The benefit of someone else screwing up your car is that they get to pay for the repairs.

 

The benefit of you screwing up your car is that you get to pay for the repairs.

 

Exactly.

A person doing their own oil change could screw up just as bad as a dealer, a quick lube tech, or any other mechanic. Not all of them are idiots. You can trust the work of a lot of places out there.

 

The benefit of someone else screwing up your car is that they get to pay for the repairs.

 

The benefit of you screwing up your car is that you get to pay for the repairs.

 

I would LOVE to find one someday. A shop where I can trust the people there. Where is this place where mechanics, counter clerks and service advisors take pride in their jobs and actually CARE what customers want for their cars?

 

Been changing my oil myself for some time now for this reason. EVERYTIME I take a vehicle to ANY repair shop or dealership, I get the same type of treatment as what happened to this guy.

 

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No worries. To be honest if you change every 3-4k miles conventional oil(Subaru now recommends every 3750 miles no matter what type including our cars) would more than likely be fine. Your car only requires conventional anyway.

Don't even trust yourself!

 

The only thing that buggers me about oil changes on the Subarus is that the oil comes out in a sideways arc which invariably causes some oil spill. But that's a minor problem and it's a sport to get the bucket in the right position when the car is on the lift in the DIY hall.

At least the filter is vertical (on the 4 cylinders) which allows you to fill it before installing it. I haven't changed the oil on my 6 cylinder yet.....is it also vertical?

Seconding everyone else's opinions on this, with one caveat:

 

if your car is older and you've always used dino oil in it, switching to mobil 1 might cause some oil leaks as mobil 1 has more detergents in it than most dino oil. I had this happen on my old car (140k) i switched to mobil 1 and it started leaking oil like a sieve. Turns out the dino oil had clogged some of these leaks over time and mobil 1 broke up the clogs. woops

 

Same here. I had a Volvo 850 Turbo wagon that was 10 yrs old but only 60k miles on it. Had it for a month before I put Mobil 1 in it. No leaks at all. After putting in Mobil 1, I found a small patch of oil in the driveway under the Volvo the next morning. A year later, it was losing oil via leaks at the rate of a quart every 250 miles. The only good news is that the demise of the Volvo led to my purchase of the LGT wagon!

Yes ^

I would LOVE to find one someday. A shop where I can trust the people there. Where is this place where mechanics, counter clerks and service advisors take pride in their jobs and actually CARE what customers want for their cars?

 

Been changing my oil myself for some time now for this reason. EVERYTIME I take a vehicle to ANY repair shop or dealership, I get the same type of treatment as what happened to this guy.

 

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Annapolis Subaru. I've always had top notch service from them with 0 issues. But, I also do most of my own work so I've only taken my car in a handful of times especially when it's too cold to do my own work. Never have I left with a crappy oil change or fubard work.

 

I've taken my car to one Jiffy Lube and I left without an oil cap. They drove out to my house and hand delivered one to me after I called them about it. They also offered to pay for an inspection of my motor.

Hey Matt, don't tell me it was #1 Cochran..?

I think Matt got it at Day Apollo

I hope so..

 

I've been to three different dealerships around here, and #1 Cochran is the only one I'll go to for service anymore even tho the other two are 20 & 40 minutes closer to me..