Grease Monkey Report...

[Cyrk]

http://www.nbc4.tv/video/9152183/detail.html
More reasons not to do business with these Jiffy Lube crooks.

[nfpgasmask]

http://www.nbc4.tv/video/9152183/detail.html
More reasons not to do business with these Jiffy Lube crooks.

NICE! This makes me feel awesomely stupid!

Sooooo, I guess it would be very beneficial for me to learn how to do this myself.

I will say this however, I did not passively sit in the waiting room. I watched them as closely as I could.

Bart

[Joe_Black]

1) Asking a JiffyLube employee automotive advice is roughly equivalent to asking an armadillo the nature of nuclear fission.

2) Allowing JiffyLube to service your vehicle will put the contents of your wallet dangerously close to a mass extinction event.

That being said, for a small investment in a Fumoto Engine Oil Drain Valve and an inexpensive drain pan will allow you to change your own oil and filter in less than 20 minutes without the use of any tools. Between Wal-Mart and AutoZone.com you can get the consumables and if you're still not comfortable with the process I'd personally be more than happy to call and walk you through changing your own oil. It's amazingly easy.

The comment about larger tires causing more oil consumption is bunk. Fuel consumption yes, anything else no.

[mjd709]

Changing the oil yourself is literally a 10-15 min job. It's nice to have a vehicle with some ground clearance!

[Ldub]

Changing your own oil is the ONLY way to know it's done right. That being said, there is also a feeling of satisfaction from any job done well.
If there is ANY way possible, no one but me will ever turn a wrench on my baby...I know not everyone likes to get dirty, & thats ok...but at least check your oil at EVERY fill up. All right...rant over.
I'm going out & under to change my oil now.

[kpaske]

I wasn't much of a mechanic before I purchased my VX about 7 years ago, but thanks to a willingness to experiment and this forum, I can say that nearly all of the work that has ever been done on my VX was (ultimately) done correctly and completely by myself. My timing belt turned out to be the most difficult job I've done, but only because there was incorrect information in the shop manual. Others fortunately have the benefit of learning from my mistakes, as I documented everything here. Nearly every problem you will ever run into can be solved here with some patience and perseverence. So if you are considering learning to work on your VX, I can say that my experience with this forum has made all the difference in the world.

Learning to do basic maintenance like changing your oil requires very minimal tools and will save you some money, but more importantly it will save you from a great deal of frustration dealing with the Jiffy Lube monkies. You'll know that your vehicle is being serviced properly and you'll gain the confidence to do increasingly complex mechanical work. In my opinion, the VX is actually fairly easy to work on, and sometimes it's even fun!

I recently put a down payment on a new vehicle (an 06 VW Jetta TDI) and I fully intend to do all my own work on that vehicle now also. I've found an enthusiast's forum similar to this one where I'm sure I will find solutions to any common problem I may run into (and probably the uncommon ones too).

The diesel community seems to be fond of oil extractors, which allow you to pump the oil out of the motor (usually through the dipstick hole or oil fill hole). Many claim that they get a lot more oil out that way. The process is very simple. One company that sells these is Pela. I think the Pela 6000 is about $60.

The only issue I have with the Fumoto valve is that since it protrudes from the oil pan a lot more than the OEM drain plug, there is more potential for it to be damaged. If you regularly take your VX offroad I personally would NOT recommend this valve, as knocking a hole in your oil pan leaving all your oil on a boulder somewhere would not be a pretty sight. On the other hand, if you never leave the hardball these things are great and the Fumoto appears to be much better made than any that I've seen at the auto parts stores.

[mbeach]

... if you never leave the hardball ...

LOL, you said hardball...

I love the idea of the tool-less oil change, but I've shunned the Fumoto valve for the same reason. Face it, you're going to need a wrench to remove the oil filter -might as well toss a 17mm (or is it 19mm) wrench in the kit as well.

Way back when I started changing my own fluids, I would stick my head under the car/truck/bike 3 or 4 times a day for 2 weeks -just in case I caused a leak. After a while it goes away, and you'll learn to develop confidence in your own work. I wish that I could say that about my home plumbing -I look under the sink every night before bed...

[Joe_Black]

Just a minor comment about the Fumoto: Since our oilpan drain is on the corner the installed Fumoto sticks out at a 45 degree angle about 1 inch further than the stock drain plug. It's only about 3/8" lower than the bottom of the pan, so if you hit something nasty enough to knock the valve out you'd be holing your pan anyway. In other words this is a moot point.

Also, for those worried about accidental or malicious opening of the valve there are a couple simple solutions. The industrial Fumoto advertises using a common spring clamp to place on top of the valve which locks it in the closed position. This works on the vehicular Fumoto as well, and is removed for service with common hand pliers. For the more paranoid the valve can be more securely kept close with the simple application of safety wire. Safetly wire pliers and wire can be had from most hardware outlets and even Harbor Freight has a decent set for less than $20 including a spool of wire. Simply snip off when ready to drain and spin on some new when done.

Now Kyle I hope you don't think I've picking on you but I wouldn't recommend using an oil extractor. They're more ideally intended for withdrawing fluids that aren't easily accessed of serviced in a normal fashion, such as in a marine or industrial environment. Of course there's a contingent of folk who just don't like getting dirty or crawling under machinery who realized they can use this equipment to meet their "needs". When you gravity-drain fluid though a great thing happens: Particulates come out with the flow. When your suctioning it out these particulates usually stay where they are in the bottom of the pan and various galleries. Plus it's almost impossible to get the flexible pickup hose, usually just cheap vinyl or Tygon, fully on the bottom of the pan leaving a good deal of contaminant-laden oil still in the engine. Gravity flow is nice, simple, thorough and best of all it's free.

Oh, if you need a wrench to get your oil filter off that's a built-in clue that you're putting it on too tight.