Wonder why they did it like that?

I did a front brake job on Dad's 2001 Tacoma. New pads and rotors. To remove the rotors, you have to remove the hubs and then they're held on w/ 5 bolts between the other bolts that hold the wheels on, and then they come off the back. A little rust so they needed a little convincing. Nothing terrible, just wasn't prepared for the extra little bit required.

I also did an oil change. Of course the shop tightened the oil filter so hard that it was a major PITA to get it off. Barely had enough room to get in there w/ my filter socket and ratchet(only time I have to use it on anything is an oil change after a shop did it). When I told Dad I did the oil too he told me the guys at Car-X just never changed the sticker. He had it done about 1 1/2 months ago and it only had about 1000 miles on it. Here I thought he was about 1000 miles over....

They also checked his brakes then and said he could make it through the winter yet.... When I did them today the passenger side was metal on metal and the driver side wasn't too far away either. Thanks to them I got to experience the full effect of replacing the rotors too.... Otherwise I could have just resurfaced them on the blanchard grinder at work and been done.

Donovan from Wisconsin

YES YOU see those HIGHLY qualified Car-X and Midus guys at all the major race tracks giving out repair advice. LOL

I have never taken a vehicle to a quick change place yet and do not plan too either. You are getting the guys that do not make the cut to work at a better place. Usually just some high school kid on his first or second job.

I would rather have the vehicle ran too long with old oil as have them monkey on my stuff.

The only time I've EVER had a shop do my oil is when it was just too dam cold to do it myself. Of course they always come out with a peice of paper with some oil spots on it "This is what your trans.... diff.... whatever oil looks like, and this is what the new clean stuff looks like. For only $$$$$$$$ we'll be glad to do that too...." oh, and how about "Your air filter looks dirty (the one I changed 1000 miles ago) and we'll change that out for only another $20..."

Everytime I changed the next time I've regretted it, just simply when I went to remove that oil filter. I'm gonna get on Dad to just have me do it when he needs it done instead of having those clowns do it. I need to check his rear brakes yet, but for now he's got his truck back and he's happy. It was a Christmas gift to him so it didn't cost him anything either.

Now that we picked up a new(er) van, just to keep the warrantee current I'll probably just bring it in, atleast for a little while. They gave us 4 free ones so that'll last us a little while anyway.

I think the worst part overall today was trying to get the torpedo heater fired up. I had to open it up and put my heat gun on the atomizer deal for a while to help warm the K1 up so it'd ignite. Otherwise it just blew raw K1 and then shut down. Took a few tries but it finally lit up on it's own and helped keep me a little warmer out in the garage.

Donovan from Wisconsin

IF you ever do, be sure to MARK the old filter, so you will know it was really changed..

Many times they will only wipe the filter off.

I always apply a light coat of clean grease to the oil filter gasket and it never sticks.

Ron.

I will never understand just why some companies build stuff the way they do, especially when there are hundreds of an item already being made that are easier and faster to replace or repair. My 86 F-150 has a full front hub and rotor combo, the rotor is not a separate piece but cast with the hub, and is expensive. The only time that I have ever let anyone change oil in my vehicles was when I worked at the local Ford dealership. As a perk, employees were allowed free oil changes on the vehicle they drove to work. (Some employees managed to drive three vehicles to work? Now THAT requires skill!) And I trusted the man who did the oil changes.

Used to be a assistant manager at a quick change place long ago. Was also the trainer as well as the trouble shooter. Everyone was taught to oil gasket on filters then install snug then 1/8-1/4 turn by 'hand'. Some of the hardest to remove filters were installed at the dealer.
Not too many people were able to open a hood on a Corvette once the inside latch cable broke.
The manager, also the vice-president as well as MS USAF RET., didn't believe in trying to sell stuff not needed so we didn't. Many a time a customer asked for a trans fluid change and we refused but did refer them to a tansmission shop as would be the next stop if we did it any ways.
A few of the older customers were informed they didn't need a oil change since they only drove about 3000 miles a year. "Please come see us in the spring", and they did, year after year.
To this day I don't dry start a engine but fill the filter as full as I can first.
Did we make mistakes? Of course we did. We are only human.
Several of us had families depending on us.
Were we young? At my age anyone in thier 20s is young but at that age we didn't feel that we were.
Yes there were a couple high school kids that worked Saturdays and did the little things like wash windows and vacuum interiors.

I am by no means a mechanic but I know how to handle a wrench. I just have not experianced all that most on these boards have and that is why I come here to learn.

After a days work changing oil I went to a automotive machine shop and performed cylinder head refurbishing. Angle cutting heads to up compression or decking a block to square it up... While 5 angle valve jobs weren't the norm they weren't unheard of (3 angle seat and 2 angle valves were tho). After all mid 9s @ 143-145MPH in the 1/4 mile with a SBC takes more than a stock engine.
Ever put Chevy valves in a Ford Pinto head?
My boss/freind was a licenced Mr Goodwrench as well as a Honda licenced repairman.

Howdy1960, This turned out all wrong. I haven't changed my own oil except for the farm stuff for 10 years. We have a local place that does a good job and checks everything. I have a neighbor that does his own but he is always overdue or sometimes just never gets around to it. I have never had a problem with the oil change place.

Had my Burb in for an inspection at my garage,t hey said everything was fine. A week later I got metal on metal from a front brake. Near as I can figure the pad froze to the rotor and tore the pad off the backer plate, I remember the morning it was so cold and the brake made a funny sound. It's not always the shop screwing up on stuff like that, sometimes stuff happens.

My nephew told me yesterday that the local JD dealer has started doing oil changes in tractors and other equipment. Most of the customers are BTO's who don't have any employees capable of doing an oil change without messing it up.

I'm familiar with the Ford hub/rotors, as my last 2 trucks have been 2wd Ford trucks. I'll say the Toyota design is 1 step above that since they're a little bit cheaper to replace the rotor.

I've never had a dealership do an oil change yet so maybe they're mechanics are a little better. The shop in town by me does good work, but it's a hassle to drop it off just for an oil change. I've gotta do my truck this weekend when it warms up a bit.It's not my daily driver so while it's needed an oil change for a couple weeks,I haven't really driven it anywhere either.

Gonna change it back to 10w-30 while I'm at it. It's still got 15w-40 in it from this summer.

Donovan from Wisconsin

Must be a 2wd, the 4wd's and the pre-runner lifted 2wd's just slip
over the studs. I'm not even sure they sell the 2wd 5 bolt version
up here, I've only seen them when imported from the US.

Actually I have been very happy with our local Midas shop. Their work has been head and shoulders above the local Ford and Chevy dealers - if only they would quit filling the washer tank with "summer mix" (guessing its water) because it ends up freezing when it gets cold.

But in terms of getting small items fixed (sensors, wheel bearings, etc...) we've never had a return. I let Ford change the transmission fluid in two of my cars - both times it took 3 or more trips to complete the job - one ended up at another shop to finish the job.

Ditto. Old oil is less damaging than no oil, cuz the plug came out or filter came off.

(quoted from post at 05:59:39 01/02/14) Had my Burb in for an inspection at my garage,t hey said everything was fine. A week later I got metal on metal from a front brake. Near as I can figure the pad froze to the rotor and tore the pad off the backer plate, I remember the morning it was so cold and the brake made a funny sound. It's not always the shop screwing up on stuff like that, sometimes stuff happens.

Click to expand...

You should have experienced a brake pedal near to the floor for a pump or two in that case which should have told you something was wrong before you heard metal on metal.

I fully agree with marking your old filter as I too have heard horror stories. I can tell you that IF any of the ppl got caught doing that I WOULD have fired them on the spot.

Want to laugh, just like a mechanics car is the worse maintained machine on the lot, mine had the dirtiest oil there. Often was a qt low as well.

I admit that for every one good place there are many, many more places I wouldn't want touching my or any one elses vehicle.