Was my oil JUST changed?? I think NOT. (Need quick input please)

[ehsnils]

You would be amazed what a man can do to avoid real work.

[BoozeRS05]

That's why I hate stealers. And that's why they deserve that name.

 

Post the outcome and the stealer's name, regardless of the outcome.

 

I would insist that they at the very least give you 3 additional free oil changes. Considering the time you lost having to go back to them, the fact that they could have ruined your engine and the fact that the only thing they did do was defraud you..

 

I completely agree with these opinions.

 

What happened to you is inexcusable, and they deserve to be called on it.

[Gmoe]

I went back the next morning. The service Mgr. was waiting for me at the door and got my car in right away. He apologized like 900 times before ever looking at it and had no interest in looking at the pictures I took the night before. :\ They let me in the shop to watch them check it out. They opened the access panel to the oil filter and both techs. after looking at the filter were silent..looked at each other, then the service mgr. Service Mgr. says "change his oil" and walks away. I stay to watch the drain and it's clear the oil is BLACK as night as it drains.

 

The service mgr. was as cool about the situation as I could expect, gave me 2 additional free oil changes and assured me that it would never happen again. In the end they made good on the problem so I will give them at least the next 2 changes to prove to me they are paying attention. I will for certain do the sharpie trick or something similar so I know for sure if it's been changed the next times.

 

So, it really does SEEM like this was just a tech issue not the dealer as a whole. Only time will tell for sure.

 

Dealer was VanBortel Subaru in Victor, NY. Regardless of this, I would still recommend the place to friends/family as they really are as good as it gets in a dealership for both sales and service of Subarus.

[Molal24]

I went back the next morning. The service Mgr. was waiting for me at the door and got my car in right away. He apologized like 900 times before ever looking at it and had no interest in looking at the pictures I took the night before. : They let me in the shop to watch them check it out. They opened the access panel to the oil filter and both techs. after looking at the filter were silent..looked at each other, then the service mgr. Service Mgr. says "change his oil" and walks away. I stay to watch the drain and it's clear the oil is BLACK as night as it drains.

 

The service mgr. was as cool about the situation as I could expect, gave me 2 additional free oil changes and assured me that it would never happen again. In the end they made good on the problem so I will give them at least the next 2 changes to prove to me they are paying attention. I will for certain do the sharpie trick or something similar so I know for sure if it's been changed the next times.

 

So, it really does SEEM like this was just a tech issue not the dealer as a whole. Only time will tell for sure.

 

Dealer was VanBortel Subaru in Victor, NY. Regardless of this, I would still recommend the place to friends/family as they really are as good as it gets in a dealership for both sales and service of Subarus.

 

Glad to see that everything worked out. After those two free changes though, I would stick to going to autozone and buying my own oil. That is the main reason why I don't go to the stealers for an oil change. They simply take advantage of you thinking you're an idiot that won't know. This way after your engine blows from crap oil they charge you an arm and a leg for a new engine and other parts telling you that the warranty doesn't cover it because it was your problem for having bad oil.

[Backlash]

I went back the next morning. The service Mgr. was waiting for me at the door and got my car in right away. He apologized like 900 times before ever looking at it and had no interest in looking at the pictures I took the night before. : They let me in the shop to watch them check it out. They opened the access panel to the oil filter and both techs. after looking at the filter were silent..looked at each other, then the service mgr. Service Mgr. says "change his oil" and walks away. I stay to watch the drain and it's clear the oil is BLACK as night as it drains.

 

The service mgr. was as cool about the situation as I could expect, gave me 2 additional free oil changes and assured me that it would never happen again. In the end they made good on the problem so I will give them at least the next 2 changes to prove to me they are paying attention. I will for certain do the sharpie trick or something similar so I know for sure if it's been changed the next times.

 

So, it really does SEEM like this was just a tech issue not the dealer as a whole. Only time will tell for sure.

 

Dealer was VanBortel Subaru in Victor, NY. Regardless of this, I would still recommend the place to friends/family as they really are as good as it gets in a dealership for both sales and service of Subarus.

 

I personally wouldn't hold it against the dealer either.

Odds are, your car was misplaced or the paperwork got screwed up. every dealer will have a problem like this eventually, the service manager realized there was a problem, and cured it. he didn't even try to argue about it.

Whatever the reason was for not getting an oil change, it's fixed now.

[BoozeRS05]

I disagree..

 

I believe the majority of dealerships are devious & manipulating. I don't trust them, and it's proven that they take advantage of people's lack of even the most basic vehicle knowledge.

 

Learn to do the work yourself or take the preventative measures as mentioned to insure your car is properly serviced. Whenever I have any service done, I always watch from the window..

[bnguyenbb6]

Yeah my ex-gf got charged 10 bucks to replace a bulb...now before making judgement, they sorta did it without her telling them to but she just said "hell with it" and paid for it. The point is, they will try to backstab you.

[Guest]

i disagree..

 

I believe the majority of dealerships are devious & manipulating. I don't trust them, and it's proven that they take advantage of people's lack of even the most basic vehicle knowledge.

 

Learn to do the work yourself or take the preventative measures as mentioned to insure your car is properly serviced. Whenever i have any service done, i always watch from the window..

 

+1

[Molal24]

Like I stated before, the stealer will do anything it can to make an extra penny. In this case, charge you for an oil change that they didn't do. They saved a filter, 5 quarts of oil, and labor, yet made the 30-40 bucks off you. Unfortunatally for them, they got caught. I guess its a chance they are willing to take with the oil. If one out of every 5 people catches it, and they give out the 2 free oil changes, they are still making their money considered 5 people paid for 3 oil changes. It isn't free, they are just screwing over some other person.

[scottmcphee]

I think of getting a spray paint can of some clear UV sensitive marker paint... spray everything in the area to be repaired and let it dry a day. Then when you get the car back get a UV light on the "worked on area" and spot any "replaced" parts with UV paint still on them. Busted.

[Spec B]

Glad the OP got this resolved. I think it was an oversight, but dealers as a whole are shading IMO.

[rtbrjason]

I use this dealer as well and have been mostly happy service wise, and oddly very happy sales wise. I really want to be doing my own fluid changes at the very least, but then it becomes tough to prove it was done when it's time for a related warranty repair. I haven't decided if I'll start doing my own changes prior to the 36k mark yet. I have a bunch of mobil 1 5w30 and a couple filters in the garage, so it would be tough to prove I did an oil change at a specific date/mileage without buying new supplies.

[Backlash]

I use this dealer as well and have been mostly happy service wise, and oddly very happy sales wise. I really want to be doing my own fluid changes at the very least, but then it becomes tough to prove it was done when it's time for a related warranty repair. I haven't decided if I'll start doing my own changes prior to the 36k mark yet. I have a bunch of mobil 1 5w30 and a couple filters in the garage, so it would be tough to prove I did an oil change at a specific date/mileage without buying new supplies.

 

thats why i won't till after warranty runs out either.

 

And crap like this happens a LOT less than many people here think. stereotypical attacks. Turning a wrench at a typical dealer is not a high paying job... some mechanics will not take pride in what they do, these are the stories you hear about. Do little or no work, still get paid and odds are the customer and manager has no clue. I'm not blaming the mechanics, you can find the same crap in ANY profession. car dealers get blamed for it more than others. well, and the fast food places... but they deserve it most times.

[Mr. Sinister]

I use this dealer as well and have been mostly happy service wise, and oddly very happy sales wise. I really want to be doing my own fluid changes at the very least, but then it becomes tough to prove it was done when it's time for a related warranty repair. I haven't decided if I'll start doing my own changes prior to the 36k mark yet. I have a bunch of mobil 1 5w30 and a couple filters in the garage, so it would be tough to prove I did an oil change at a specific date/mileage without buying new supplies.

 

I save every single receipt when I buy stuff for my car. I also have an Excel spreadsheet that I use to keep track of when I do maintenance including gas purchases with the mileage on the car. It would be kind of hard for them to say that I wasn't maintaining the car when the see how anal I am.

[rtbrjason]

I save every single receipt when I buy stuff for my car. I also have an Excel spreadsheet that I use to keep track of when I do maintenance including gas purchases with the mileage on the car. It would be kind of hard for them to say that I wasn't maintaining the car when the see how anal I am.

 

I do the same thing. Right now its all in notepad on my blackberry. I record the mileage, how much gas I put in, and my fuel economy. I also record all service and even changes like tire psi. I need to get this all transferred to excel. Still its not quite the same as dealer records.

[outbacksam]

my oil is cleaner after 500 miles

[Gmoe]

I use this dealer as well and have been mostly happy service wise, and oddly very happy sales wise. I really want to be doing my own fluid changes at the very least, but then it becomes tough to prove it was done when it's time for a related warranty repair. I haven't decided if I'll start doing my own changes prior to the 36k mark yet. I have a bunch of mobil 1 5w30 and a couple filters in the garage, so it would be tough to prove I did an oil change at a specific date/mileage without buying new supplies.

 

I don't find it odd at all to have been very happy sales wise from them. It's only fair to VanBortel that I say I was also very happy sales wise AND service wise besides this issue. This is why I'm giving them another chance with the next 2 free changes for sure. They have been very good to me outside of this problem.

[Rizzo]

A couple years ago I had taken my subie into dealer for oil change. The next morning after pulling out of my garage, I noticed nice pool of oil from under the car. Took it to my friend's auto garage and he put it up on a lift and turned the drain plug.. 'with his fingers'. Told the subie service manager about it and he said it was a new tech that didn't go through their oil change check list, which includes.. 'check that drain plug tightened'. They sent a whole team out to scrub my garage floor, got a few free oil changes and they fired the tech. Mistakes happen.. we just hate when we're on the receiving end! At least they squared up.

[Mr. Sinister]

I do the same thing. Right now its all in notepad on my blackberry. I record the mileage, how much gas I put in, and my fuel economy. I also record all service and even changes like tire psi. I need to get this all transferred to excel. Still its not quite the same as dealer records.

 

No, it doesn't. If any company denies a warranty claim with that kind of record keeping though, then I can pretty much guarantee it'll be the last time I buy a car from that manufacturer.

[blackfang]

I am glad to see that the Service Writer took care of your concern as that is not the way to be doing business. I wonder if it got mixed up in the work or the paperwork got mixed up. Either way it should be done the first time.

 

I have seen SOA cover repairs as long as their is documentation that the proper services were done. What I recommend doing at a minimum is to do is photocopy the receipt of your parts you used, write the mileage and date on it, and staple it to an oil filter box. Now if their are major signs of a lack of maintenance, then you better have good documentation showing parts and the right dates/mileage. I have seen SOA declined coverage on engines mainly because the receipts were very vague(the same shop does the work, invoice numbers not in proper sequence as the dates and mileage on the car, no parts listed, just the word LOF) and inaccurate.

 

As for the views on Stealerships, I have a difference of opinion on that and not going to sway peoples views on here. I rather sway my customers who keep coming back to me.

[Opie]

Wow it's good to know that hardly anyone on this forum has ever made a mistake.

 

I seriously doubt this was done purposely...I would write up one of my techs in a heartbeat if something like this occurred. And if it hapened again, they'd be fired. Dealers as a rule are not "stealers", there are bad apples in every bunch but to label all of us, it's not right.

[blackfang]

Wow it's good to know that hardly anyone on this forum has ever made a mistake.

 

I seriously doubt this was done purposely...I would write up one of my techs in a heartbeat if something like this occurred. And if it hapened again, they'd be fired. Dealers as a rule are not "stealers", there are bad apples in every bunch but to label all of us, it's not right.

+1.

People make mistakes?

 

Yet those same people love the advice they are given on here though:lol:

[mikeislord]

I've dealt with 3 separate dealerships from 2 different manufacturers and all were devious.

 

One Subaru dealership quoted me above 650 dollars to do a 30K maintenance and insisted that 30K included spark plugs on an LGT which is 100% not true. Another Subaru dealership tip-toed around doing warranty work on my car and when I asked to speak with the Tech, I was told they couldn't "find" him. Aparently he got himself lost in a matter of 45 minutes during his shift. Damn techs always getting misplaced.

 

The other dealership (Pontiac) did insurance work on my girlfriend's car and ordered/replaced non-broken items to jack up the quote. Probably scored 1000 to 1500 bucks in free stuff on the Insurance company's dime.. which eventually becomes my GF's dime.

 

3 of 3 = FAIL.

 

To say people make mistakes is fine, but dealerships DO try to swindle as much money as they can get away with from customers.

[blackfang]

I've dealt with 3 separate dealerships from 2 different manufacturers and all were devious.

 

One Subaru dealership quoted me above 650 dollars to do a 30K maintenance and insisted that 30K included spark plugs on an LGT which is 100% not true. Another Subaru dealership tip-toed around doing warranty work on my car and when I asked to speak with the Tech, I was told they couldn't "find" him. Aparently he got himself lost in a matter of 45 minutes during his shift. Damn techs always getting misplaced.

 

The other dealership (Pontiac) did insurance work on my girlfriend's car and ordered/replaced non-broken items to jack up the quote. Probably scored 1000 to 1500 bucks in free stuff on the Insurance company's dime.. which eventually becomes my GF's dime.

 

3 of 3 = FAIL.

 

To say people make mistakes is fine, but dealerships DO try to swindle as much money as they can get away with from customers.

Not all dealers are like that. Yes i am sure you have heard that before but here you go. My 30k service for a LGT is about $250 cheaper than that dealers.

 

Warranty work doesn't bother me it is free work as long as it is legit. Infact doing some warranty work on a car that is out of warranty because i felt it should be covered and right outside of warranty. Spoke with SOA and got it covered.

 

I have been known by many to send work away from me because I felt they could get it done for a better price. Like tires, I know I can't compete, so I tell my customers where to get them. Yeah I could have taken their money, but didn't.

 

Again, some people will have bad experiences with dealerships, some will have good, but we don't hear about the good all the time, just the bad. I am not tooting my horn, but showing you it always isn't the case. There are a few advisors on here that do go out and help people on here, so that says something about them and their dealers. I do agree, there are some bad dealerships out there and bad shops.

[whitetiger]

i think the 3rd pic is the key. i hope the dealer is not going to charge you for the "2nd" oil change...

 

I think i'd start putting a mark of some kind on the oil filter before you get to the dealer, perm marker or something.

 

 

+1

 

Never trust a dealer to do anything. marking parts to be changed is the right idea.