Quicky Lube strikes again

The former Mrs Former520 brought her car by for an oil change today.   Last change was by a tire/oil/brake/shock type place.  When I put it up in the air, the oil plug had a hard orange goo coming from around the oil plug.  Looks like they stripped or cross threaded it and epoxied or thread locked the plug in place.  Sent her back to have them repair it, I don't want to be on the hook for an oil pan.  Car in question is 11 Mazda3 Hatch with 2.5.

I wonder how many they get away with and if the next shop would have just done the same?

Last time I took my subaru for recall work at a nearby dealer some knuckle-dragger put my oil drain bolt on with an impact and twisted the metal. A different shop had to replace the entire pan at a cost of nearly $300. I do most of my own work now. 

Another time family of mine took their car for an oil change and had a constant rattle under the hood afterwards. I popped the hood and got a new box-end wrench that had been left on the intake manifold.

Co-worker took his Crosstour in to the local Honda dealer recently for an oil change, with specific instructions to do nothing else.  Not only did they leave the drain plug loose ( luckily he caught that based on observing oil drips on the garage floor), but they also broke the airbox lid checking the air filter element that they were supposed to leave alone.  Fessed up to neither mistake.  At the Honda dealer.  Incredible.

I took my company car to the family owned quick lube for oil changes.  All the guys are 18-21 years old and are car geeks with cooler rides out front - how do you strip a plug?  

Was it epoxy or was it thick brittle paint as proof that the drain plug was tightened?

I see that a lot from the KwikLoob type of places, that and the graffiti tag markings on the oil filter.

So, they allegedly 'fixed' it and comped the oil change because they had to drain it to fix it.  Also comping her next change for the inconvenience.  I will keep an eye on it for leaks in between.  

I had a quicky place tear the corner of an air filter (after I told them not to touch anything) and want to charge me for a new one as the old one was broken.  Could not answer why the break was perfectly clean and not dirty like the rest of the filter, or how something that is clamped in place tears.  It was a B5 A4 2.8.  The air filter was a beast to get in and out, but still didn't need to come out in pieces. 

Knurled. said:

Was it epoxy or was it thick brittle paint as proof that the drain plug was tightened?

 

I see that a lot from the KwikLoob type of places, that and the graffiti tag markings on the oil filter.

It was gooping out like an RTV would, but dried had like an epoxy.  Definatley in the threads and not a paint mark over the top.

einy said:

Co-worker took his Crosstour in to the local Honda dealer recently for an oil change, with specific instructions to do nothing else.  Not only did they leave the drain plug loose ( luckily he caught that based on observing oil drips on the garage floor), but they also broke the airbox lid checking the air filter element that they were supposed to leave alone.  Fessed up to neither mistake.  At the Honda dealer.  Incredible.

Was it Henessy Honda of Woodstock by any chance?

In reply to GameboyRMH :

Nope ... Performance Honda north of Cincinnati.   Maybe Henessy is where their service trainer came from though !!

Datsun310Guy said:

I took my company car to the family owned quick lube for oil changes.  All the guys are 18-21 years old and are car geeks with cooler rides out front - how do you strip a plug?  

Unfortunately many quick lube places aren’t like this.

I never had an issue using the quickie places growing up with my cheap cars, but now I either take it to the dealer or a trusted Indy shop.