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Worst oil change ever!

4K views 11 replies 10 participants last post by  Nuke 
#1 ·
Hey guys new guy here. I wanted to post my most recent experience changing the oil on my 2015 challenger sxt plus. I’m not sure if anyone has heard of cougar auto in JARRELL Texas, but I wouldn’t recommend them to my worst enemy. I got my oil change done by them back in September last year, and I went to do my own oil change last Sunday. Brief point, it took me 6 full days to get it done, and a couple hundred dollars. So I went to look at it and they had stripped the bolt out and rounded it completely, so I had to drill into the oil pan to get the old oil out, then use goo gone, a breaker bar, and a hammer to remove the messed up oil pan. Just replacing that alone took me 4 days. They very obviously uses an impact gun on that bolt. Oh, but it gets better, I went to change the oil filter, and the cap doesn’t budge at all. They used an impact on that as well. So I had to have my father in law dremmel that cap off carefully, to which we were able to safely unscrew it after we pretty much cut it completely up. Needless to say, a simple oil change turned into a nightmare of me having to learn and replace my entire oil drain pan (which I haven’t seen any forums on how to do, so if your ever in need I got you) and replace the oil cap after cleaning the filter housing thoroughly. I have receipts proving they did the last job, but when I went to them to show them what they did, they made it a point to show they don’t warranty their work. No one touches my challenger anymore. If you want pics of the damage done just let me know.
 
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#4 ·
My dealer did the first two oil changes for free. When I did the 3rd oil change myself I had similar problems getting the plug out, but was eventually successful. I was glad I'd already purchased the "ValvoMax Oil Drain Valve" so I won't have to worry about that again. Like you said, no one touches my challenger anymore.
 
#5 ·
And where did you purchase ValvoMax Oil Drain Valve,, thanks
 
#9 ·
I have experienced some horror stories, too, although not quite as bad as that. Once, I got home and later found a puddle of oil under the car: they forgot to tighten the drain plug. Another time I starting driving and was smoked out - they had spilled oil all over the engine - lucky nothing caught fire. Hopefully the moderators will be okay with the following as it not exactly Mopar related, but some is still applicable...

My 2016 Scat Pack is only the second coolest thing I own (sacrilege, I know). This is the first:

986441


What? A cool car and a cool chopper? Yes, friends and neighbors! You, too, can have cool stuff if you stay single and don't have kids...
Anyway, consider the following article I wrote for a biker website years ago and take heart - it could always be worse.
 
#10 ·
When you found the plug stripped and hard to remove you should have gone back to the shop and asked them to replace the oil. If they would give you guff about the plug (and if you still had the receipt from the old oil change) you could have said, oh really you were the guys that did the last oil change.

This is one of the reasons I prefer to do my own oil changes. Also give me a chance to crack open the filter to see if any metal flakes are present.

On a side note, a coworker told me a story of how she went to NTB to get her oil changed and tires rotated. The shop told her that the oil tube filler was cracked because whoever did her last oil change put it on way too tight. She said they were the ones that did the last oil change but they could not find the service record in their system. Fortunately she had the reciept in her glove box...long story short NTB replaced the filler tube.
 
#11 ·
Sounds like one of many of my experiences. Worst ever? Friend had a oil change and the engine seized within fifty miles. We pulled the engine and found that it had spun bearings and a host of other issues due to the lack of oil circulation. Fresh oil in the pan and the oil pump was still in working order. At that point the only thing left that could have cause this was the filter itself, and that is where the issue was. Approx half inch down the tube in the middle of the filter was pinched closed. At that point we were wondering how did the truck ever manager to go fifty miles with that going on. Every filter is now checked before it is installed....





HOT ROD ON
 
#12 ·
There was a brief period in my early 30s where I stopped changing my own oil and started taking it to some one to do for me (quick lube joints mostly). Then a coworker had the unfortunate luck to have her car stolen by the lube jockey that changed the oil, who then went on to use it during a crime spree that same day that ended with a high speed chase and eventual total-out after it was wrecked by the cops to stop the crook from running.

I had frequented the same oil change place, but not after that. In fact no one except me has changed the oil in any vehicle I’ve owned since...
 
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