CNY_Dave Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 and get boned. 1st oil change on my wifes used (from the dealer) '05 forester with 35Kmiles, we decide to have the dealer do it. About to go on a trip (300 miles) my wife says she smelled some oil burning. I figured there was njust some drippage, looked underneath a few days before, looked like no drips. Day before the trip, park it in the garage on a clean spot for awhile- oil drip. Oil drain plug was not even finger tight- I could actually tighten it further with my fingers. Dipstick still read 'full', plug tightened up normally. I figure that's worth a free oil change- if I decide I can trust them again. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olnick Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 If you haven't already, call them and get it on record. They owe you a big one! Good catch, Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB99W Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 In CNY? Cortland, 'Cuse, Ithaca? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 they might not have even changed the oil or the filter. could have just loosened the plug and thats it. how do you know. that would be3 a killer way to make money til they are caught. I bet the Dodge and Chevy dealers do that sort of thing, they don't even care. Wonder how many dealers charge for filter and oil and never even swap out the filter, just make that as profit. Most people would not even know how to check. only way to know is to do it yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNY_Dave Posted June 30, 2009 Author Share Posted June 30, 2009 Oil was clean, and it was a new crush washer (could tell by how it tightened). This was maguire in ithaca. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB99W Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Oil was clean, and it was a new crush washer (could tell by how it tightened). This was maguire in ithaca. Thanks. Please tell Tim Maguire what happened. While it was a Bill Cooke location, things were mostly done right (although as typical at dealerships, not inexpensively!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Loose drain plugs happen. It's good that you caught it, and make sure you let the dealership know, but it's best to not make too big a deal out of it. The word will get back to the tech, and they'll probably be backflagged the 0.3 hours that they got for the oilchange. You should get a complimentary oil change off of them "to restore your confidence". I always erred on the side of overtorque. My crushwashers were always well crushed, but I never had a comeback for leaking. Same thing with the filters, I tighten them as much as I can by hand. Always takes filter pliers to get them back off at the next change. More than once I would be taking a car through the carwash and get a paranoid feeling that I couldn't remember tightening the plug and pull the car back in to check. It was always tight, but still... a more rushed tech wouldn't bother. They don't call it flat-rate hack-rate for nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNY_Dave Posted June 30, 2009 Author Share Posted June 30, 2009 Loose drain plugs happen. It's good that you caught it, and make sure you let the dealership know, but it's best to not make too big a deal out of it. The word will get back to the tech, and they'll probably be backflagged the 0.3 hours that they got for the oilchange. You should get a complimentary oil change off of them "to restore your confidence". I always erred on the side of overtorque. My crushwashers were always well crushed, but I never had a comeback for leaking. Same thing with the filters, I tighten them as much as I can by hand. Always takes filter pliers to get them back off at the next change. More than once I would be taking a car through the carwash and get a paranoid feeling that I couldn't remember tightening the plug and pull the car back in to check. It was always tight, but still... a more rushed tech wouldn't bother. They don't call it flat-rate hack-rate for nothing. If it was just a skosh undertorqued that would be one thing. It had not been touched with a wrench, just spun in, and not even completely finger-tight. As long as they would have no problem installing a brand-new engine, after towing me back from my ruined trip and paying for a rental for a week, yeah, no big deal. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowmastered87GL Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 loose drain plugs happen, but they shouldnt. I check mine no less than 3 times. I double and triple check my lug nuts too after changing tires. the dealer once overfilled my moms 96 OBS back when it was new. I checked it before leaving fortunately and it was OVER the MAX OIL LEVEL tick mark. I made em drain the extra back out. They washed the car for the trouble Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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