Now I'm completely unnerved. You would think - ok if I don't let 'em touch the car, and hold their hand through every step, and double check everything they do - that maybe, just maybe it's safe to take your car to a 10 minute oil change place, right? I mean, if you take into consideration that the guy that's going to do the change at your local Honda dealer is probably no more qualified than the kid that's changing your oil at a 10 minute place, then what's the benefit?

Welp, I'll tell you. You gotta figure Honda has the right oil filter. In stock. And they know that it will fit. And that they'll know what oil to put in the car. No guarantees with a 10 minute place, no sir.

So, these 10 minute places, they've gotta do hundreds of changes every week, right? I mean, ok, with only about 20,000 S2K's in the US, there's the chance that they're not going to know where the dip stick is, and I can accept that.

I make my living designing and streamlining business process and integrating technology systems to reduce cost and improve efficiency and quality. Big chains of these oil change places have definitely hired guys like me to come in and create the "procedure" to conduct an oil change.

Sidenote - I'm eating a McDonald's salad w/ a plastic fork as I'm writing this, and I just bit through the fork. Somebody pass the Zoloft.

Somewhere, there's a document within one of these companies with the procedure laid out with numbered steps. Within the first couple of steps there is a line item that states "Idenfity correct oil filter for vehicle" and shortly thereafter is a line item that states "Retrieve oil filter from inventory and place within reach of vehicle."

I can guarantee you, these two steps are a LONG ing way BEFORE the step that reads "Remove old oil filter and discard."

So, now that these fine, misguided, gentlemen have me stranded in their place of business, one of them walks out with what looks like an oil pitcher. So I ask 'em what's the story w/ the overhead oil - isn't it working? They respond that yes, the overhead is just fine, but that the computer says my car takes 5w20. Please note that on a MY04, it is clearly stated in the center of the oil fil cap 10w30.

Jeezus tapdancing christ!

It is at this point that I start getting ready to call a flatbed to haul my car over to the local Honda dealer.

I think i'm going to drive over to Honda and have 'em redo the oil change w/ the right OEM stuff, and buy an extra filter to keep with me in case I get stuck in a situation where I've got to have a 10 minute place do the change again.

 

Don't count on this either. There have been LOTS and LOTS of posts about the dealers screwing up oil changes (diff fluid changes, tranny fuild changes, etc, etc, etc.)

In fact there was a newspaper article about 3-4 mos back about the number of people having problems with their CRVs that turned out to be the dealers screwing up oil changes.

I pray I will never have to let a dealership near my S2000.

I have a Cold-air intake on my S, and a Fumoto oil valve. Between the two, I am able to change the oil on my car without jacking it up or even driving up on ramps.

 

And when all else fails:

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=235102

Call Pinyo!

 

If you care about your investment, you have to learn to take care of it youreself. These quick service places including dealer techs don't get paid more than 7$ an hour to change your oil and do other maint.

Do you blame them for not caring?

I don't, how can you. I had the wrong filter put one the S2000 from the dealer (Motorwerks) Oil pan stripped out on my Civic (Motorwerks) Oil pan stripped out on my other civic (Jiffy Lube Crystal Lake)

All you have is yourself to blame if you can't take care of the maintenance yourself. Save it for a weekend, get under that car and stock up on supplies.

If you need to take it somewhere, give them the OEM filter, your oil, crush washer, and plug if applicable, with a sheet to tell them how much tq. to put on the nut.

 

I haven't had any problems with my dealership. At 17.75 for an oil change I'm certainly not complaining. That said, I always check to ensure that the proper filter has been used and everything is buttoned up.

 

Having what I have there's no ing way anyone is working on my S but me.

 

Honestly....the S2000 is just a car. Albeit, it performs better than 90% of the other production vehicles on the road...it still is just a car.

It's built like any other Honda, in fact, there a plenty of "part-bin" parts on this Honda as well as on the Accord, the Civic, the Insight, etc.

The opinion about quick service techs, I don't know where to begin with that. I don't care how low-wage they are....you actually think that a service provider that cares for cars in upwards of $60k cars doesn't train their techs properly? Just letting one motor go to the 'junk-yard' heaven would eat up one location's profits for a significant period of time if they were made to pay for any major mistakes.

I'd argue that the techs are so well trained, that they are trained monkeys that know how to follow an optimized process and not to waiver out of it. Let's take IBM"s situation.
-He pulls in with S2000.
-Techs do the customary gawk and aww of the car.
-One lucky tech gets to pull it into 'his' bay
-Like a good trained tech, he takes off the oil cap, while his lackey underneath the car begins to drain the oil pan.
-As the oil drains, he goes over to the franchise's computer to pull up specs on the S2000. The specs aren't updated for the '04's, but reads and follows them anyway.

If the techs are really careless, do I blame them? Hell YES!!! They are techs and they get paid for a job....regardless of what they do and don't get paid, they are expected to do quality service.

So Dezoris, by your logic, if you got paid half as much as you do for your current job, you'd do half as well at it? C'mon now. That's wrong. I'd bet that you'd strive to do as close to your best as you were motivated at the time you were doing your work....AND $$$ is NOT a motivator. (It's an initiator, but does not motivate).

As for the wrong filter put on your S2000 by the dealer.....hell, all MY20000 S2000's came from the assembly plant with the wrong filter. You make that sound like it was a major issue or something.

Your oil pan plug stripped....another non-major issue. Re-tap the pan, simple.


IBMPCa, I too am a process guy in my project manager role. What the tech could have added to you car wouldn't have been detrimental to your motor. A simple oil flush at the next oil change would have taken care of the honestly-made boo-boo.

Next time, if you want, bring the car over with some beer. I'll have your car with new oil in the pan in no time.

 

Luder, you make a good point, but I want to make a couple of counter-points.

It may be just a car to you, but it's clearly not "just a car to some." Either way, it's worth over $20k and if someone's mistake destroys the engine it makes the car far less valuable. Sure, replacing the motor restores the value, but it may be VERY difficult to prove that their mistake cause the failure. Lets assume that someone takes their car to a quick change oil place 3 out of 5 time and the dealer the other 2. Let's say the quick change place uses the wrong weight oil resluting in extra wear and higher heat. Also assume that this is unknown to you. What if that engine lets go at 37,000mi. What do you do?

I have seen more than a few reports just on S2ki about people driving away from quick change places leaving a trail of oil behind them because the filter, plug, or cap were not reinstalled properly. (I have seen a few reports of similar mistakes made at a dealership too.)

I agree with you about doing a good job, no matter what you get paid. However, I think that applies to ambitious people. Most of the people I know (and probably that you know too) are ambitious and would likely take great care in their work. Then there are the "less than ambitious" people out there. They work at a slightly better than minimum wage job, and don't care. I suspect there are less non-ambitious people at an oil change shop than at your average fast food restraunt, but there are still going to be those that just don't care about doing a good job.

At any rate, I realized that I didn't offer my sympathies to IBMcpa on his situation. That was an oversight. I am sorry about your frustation, and I hope it was resolved to your satisfaction.

 

Ahhh....Pete, as far as considering the "less ambitious" people, they are the same people that will be just a lazy (or incomplete) in performing their duties regardless if they were paid $7/hr, or they were paid $14/hr.

As for what I meant about the "it's just a car" comment is that the car doesn't mechanically work any different than any other Honda. It's has higher operating limits, but doesn't work differently.

It is a special car to me considering the overall package (hence the reason I still own the car). However, the point you make about incompetencies of those quick service places vs. the abilities of dealership mechanics is null. The point about having incorrect weighted oil in your motor can happen at both those quick lube places as well as the Honda dealer.

I'm sure their are Honda techs that don't realize the '04's have new oil requirements and since they potentially have done numerous changes on '00-'03's, they assume to follow the procedure they know for the '04.

Same consequences, the owner just paid more and waited longer for a dealership. In anycase, I don't see any debates that we aren't needing to convince each other of anything.

IBMcpa, if you're interested, come by anytime. Get an oil change done at Urmil's Garage...we can talk "process consulting" shop over some beers. (BTW, I'll be looking for a new job soon' I'll be finishing my MBA in December and will be looking to possibly leave Allstate).

 

True, but the less ambitious person is more likely to be found making $7/hr than $14/hr.

[QUOTE=Luder94,Oct 21 2004, 01:32 PM]
As for what I meant about the "it's just a car" comment is that the car doesn't mechanically work any different than any other Honda.