I know a lot of times technicians ignore company protocols in a standard oil change. Twice I had mechanics that forget about capping whatever they uncapped under the hood. One time I've driven the car for a day or two and had a cap still sitting under the hood! These mechanics love to overcharge but their work is pitiful. How do I double check their work to make sure they did everything?What do I have to visually inspect and do that is equivalent of an oil change at the autoshop?Check the tire pressure, and all fluids like power steering, transmission, brake, and clutch if you have a clutch.
By all means check the oil level. They are notorious for overfilling it. That it takes time for the oil to fully drain to the oil pan. Most just add oil until it says it is full without waiting.What do I have to visually inspect and do that is equivalent of an oil change at the autoshop?Um...what? It's an oil change...so there's maybe 1 cap involved. 2 if you have a drop in filter.
The only way to make sure they do %26quot;everything%26quot; is to 1)Know what everything is, and 2)Watch them while they're doing it.
My best advice to you is to change your own oil, otherwise you can't really complain about the work they do when essentially they make no money from a standard oil change (assuming 20-25 bucks). Unless you drive something special (i.e. something they don't see everyday/can't learn anything from) they aren't going to care how good their work is. And if you act like a D.B. they definitely will do a poor job.What do I have to visually inspect and do that is equivalent of an oil change at the autoshop?If you go to walmart tire lube express we check: tire pressure, wipers, oil and transmission fluid, power sterring fluid, test battery, wash windshield, vaccum interior, check air filter and do tread depts. This is called courtsey.
Then we do the lower bay procedure witch includes dropping the oil filter, dumping the oil and greasing up the fittings if there are some. We then torque the drain plug back to factory specs, apply torque seal and check for leaks when the vehicle is started. Also check transfercase and differencial fluid level.
The upperbay procedure is fill the oil, fill washer fluid, start vehicle and top off oil.
The oil changes there start off at $30 so if you can do it yourself you will save alot of money.
