If You Want It Done Right…
I took my wife’s car in for an oil change on Saturday. Truth be told, I almost changed it myself. But it was raining out, the car was going to be soaking wet and the muddy chassis would be dripping all over me. I really didn’t want to deal with that. So I dropped by a local shop, which I have been to before for such things, to get the oil changed.
I guess my first cause for alarm should have been the fact that I waited for an hour without hearing a word, then I came to discover that the car had been done for 30 minutes and the mechanic who performed the work never bothered to tell anyone that he was finished! Once we got that straight, I got in the car and prepared to leave. Truth be told, I almost got out of the car, looked under the hood and checked the dipstick. But I didn’t.
Fortunately the dipstick wouldn’t have told me anything—there was fresh oil in the engine—but the damn fool who changed it forgot to put the cap back on the valve cover.
Today my wife shows up to my office to take me out to lunch. As I get into the car, I smell something funny. Like something burning. I start the car and sit there listening to it a little bit. Sounds all right. Then I notice, just barely, a little whiff of smoke coming up from the cowl. What the hell? I get out and open the hood. Immediately I see the problem. The damn cap is missing, and there’s oil blow-by all over the engine bay, the cowl and the underside of the hood. It’s dripping everywhere, puddling on the ground under the car.
To make a long story short, I called up the shop that did the work and told them they fucked up royally. They sent a tow truck out to pick the car up and tow it back to the shop, whereupon a new oil cap would be provided. I told them I wanted the damn oil changed again while it was there, and at least they agreed. I have to admit, the woman I talked to on the phone was really very nice about the whole thing, and they didn’t try to weasel out of it.
By this time it was 3:00 and neither one of us had eaten anything all day, so I took the rest of the afternoon off and we went to Arby’s. The shop called and said it was going to be an incredible full day before they could get a replacement oil cap from Pontiac (that fucking dealer has to special order every goddamn part you ask for, I swear to Christ) and we’d have to pick the car up tomorrow. “So what is my wife supposed to do in terms of getting to work tomorrow?” I demanded. After some off-set mumbling, the woman agreed that they could get us back on the road “this afternoon” while they waited for the oil cap to come in. Their solution was to put an expansion valve in the opening on the valve cover to temporarily close it off. I’ve never seen an expansion valve before, so I guess I’ll get a look at it tonight. Weird as all hell. Anyway, tomorrow I’ll probably swing by the shop and pick up the real oil cap, then install it tomorrow night.
What a pain in the ass. I guess this is the part where you all tell me to ALWAYS thoroughly examine the car after an oil change, but you can save your breath—I’m going to be changing the oil personally in the Vibe from now on. I’m already doing that for two of our three cars; might as well make it a complete set.
Categorized as Rants