After a long road trip in my SS/SC, I am over 3000 miles now and figured I'd go ahead and get the first oil change. With my hours of work (self-employed), I have a difficult time getting in any where to have my vehicles worked on. So since I had to run up to the mall anyways, and because they're open till 9:00 pm, I figured I'd let Sears Autocenter change it out. I mean, it's an oil change, right? What could they screw up?

An hour after I left them the keys, I get a call from them on my cell phone saying they can't do the oil change because they can't find where the oil filter goes in the engine. Ok, fine, that's a good sign that I'd be better off taking it elsewhere.

The next day (today), I'm driving down the road and experience a massive backfire. I pull into a parking lot, and while not really knowing much about cars (other than basic maintenance), I pop the hood up to see if there was anything visibly wrong. There was. Sears never put my oil cap back on. I had driven probably 40 miles without it. The engine compartment is drenched in oil.

We'll see what Sears has to say me when I stop in after work tomorrow night...

 

Yeah I only go to the dealer.

Why did you do it at 3000 miles ? Was your oil life at 0%?

I am just about to turn 3000 and my oil life is 60%

 

wow....cant believe they can screw up something like that.....

 

Freaking idiots at SEARS! TRUST NO ONE! That's why I do simple oil changes myself. I'm a girl! If I can do them, you can too! Its easy! Really, have somone teach you.

 

Oil life is at 56%, but I figured I'd go ahead and change it anyways. This is the first car I've ever bought new, so I've been trying to baby the car somewhat (with a little aggressive driving here and there, though, of course).

A girl that can do oil changes, that's exactly what I'm looking for!

Actually, I rarely take a day off from work, and with all the hours I work, I really don't feel like crawling under the car when I get home. I did oil changes on my first car, as well as brakes and other basic stuff. I just don't feel like spending the time on it anymore.

 

Undertand, but you can learn to change it yourself. Every 3K is okay, get the Mobile 1 symthetic and filter. You can do it in 20 minutes.

 

haha....same here........except....this is my first car........its so hard to resist the gas pedal....

 

....you want to do early just because of any contaminents from the intial assembly. Talked to a GM tech and he said definetly early. I just did my first yesterday at 3500kms. After this one I will go buy the oil life #

 

the oil life does not just go by miles. It depends on how hard you drive the car.

 

Man I would be so pissed if that happened to me. That would suck bigtime.

 

i have the dealership do my oil changes cause if i let them do my oil changes and tire rotations. i get my pirelli tires replaced for free forever til i sell the car. HEHEHEHE

 

so where is the oil filter?



________

 

Here's a dumb question.. but where do you guys get rid of your oil? I used to change my own oil, then I filled up some containers and I need to get rid of it before I can do it again.

 

I got my oil changed for the first time at the dealer. they changed it for free on the first one. This was the first SS they serviced and they had a hard time because the filter is underneath the super charger? what a stupid place for it if that's where it is at. They said it's in it's own housing and it's a bitch to get to it.

I've got about 4,000 miles on my SS now.

 

Yea, be careful and DIY if you can.

During the winter months a change my oil at Quick Stop. They check all the fluids and the idiots unscrewed my coolant cap. My low coolant light came on two weeks later when it all leaked out!


But oil all over your new car is worst!

Let us know how it goes!

 

i would be wanting a refund. bare minimum! i would want a lot more but free service wouldnt sound right.

 

Local quick change oil stations take up to so much for free....

 

Go and get a price for an engine cleaning and an oil change and give sears the prices, tell them you want the cash they cant do ti becuase they already screwed up. If they dont agree tell them your lawyer will be in touch.

 

yah same thing happend to my friend on his car only it was the engine coolant cap...what do these companies look at when they hire people

 

I had a friend who got new tires and wheels from sears and had a wheel fall off as it wasn't torqued down correctly. Luckily he was going slow when it fell off.

When your taking your car to get serviced think to yourself, would I got to mcdonalds to have them make me a filet mingion? Chances are the good mechanics aren't working at the quick lube places.

I don't personally like to deal with oil changes since you have to deal with waste oil, but I do it on my own motorcycle (less waste oil and service at bike dealers can take forever). I let the dealer do it on my car. It helps create a relationship with them and when you have a real problem if you have always been dealer serviced there is little they can do in the way of blaming improper maintenance ect.

Also the way things look with a 6000+ mile oil change intervals it's not even that much more than having a vehicle with a 3000 mile interval I heard you get dings about $65 dollars for a Mobil 1 oil change from the dealer according to my buddy with a redline.

 

Yep exactly, goes but distance, drive habits, the heat of the engine. It's pretty freaking cool.

 

Any place that sells oil has to accept returns. They also might require your name address and phone number. Thats incase you are putting like weird stuff in your oil so they can track you back down. They might give you slack if you try to recycle like 20 gallons but they should take an oil change worth with no problem.

Interesting fact:

two gallons of used motor oil can generate enough electricity to:

* Power the average home for one day
* Cook 48 meals in a microwave oven
* Blow-dry a person’s hair at least 216 times
* Vacuum a house for 15 months
* Watch television for 7 ˝ days straight! (180 hours)

 

And thats why my car only sees the dealer. Its the same price as a quick lube place. And plus if they **** anything up they will replace it or else I know someone whose wheels has fallen off going down the road after he gotten it back from Sears. Doesnt surpise me.

 

I've got it going to a dealer tomorrow morning. They'll change the oil and check it out for any damage while they're at it. The filter cap is on the front-top of the engine, under the super charger. Or that's what it looks like to me.

Sears doesn't have the cap. They think they probably left it laying on top of the engine, and will obviously reimburse me for a new one from the dealer. I just made sure to get something in writing from them that says they admit they lost the cap so if there is any damage to the engine, I can go back to Sears to get it fixed (paid for by Sears, not repaired by Sears )

 

Good to hear make sure you dotn get screwed.

On the where to return oil ? , anywhere that sells it does have to take it back. So basically go to any shop that changes oil. Also you are allowed to leave it outside of a garage that sells oil in a sealed container marked used oil... or somethin like that... I just rbing it to the gas station in town that chanegs oil.