oil change problems
 

okay, so i took my car to sears for an oil change, and i am scared that they messed it up.

first, if you dont know already, i work at sears (Tool section)
anyway, i was already at work, so i figured i would take it to get the oil change, since with school and work, i have no free time.

when i got it back, i started it up, and the who car was shaking funny. even the shifter was shaking like crazy. i was like, ehh, well, its okay, let me drive it around alittle, and it will fix itself, probally because i just started it.

okay, so i drove it down the street, and it seemed okay, but when i came to a stop, it almost stalled, the RPMS dropped to like .4ish and i had to step on the gas.

now i was worried. i pulled over and poped the hood to find the gas cap was not screawed on, and the dip stick not put back all the way in.

i was pissed, but i tightened the gas cap and checked the oil.

of course, the oil level was WAY over the FULL level on the dip stick. (this is only after maybe 1 mile of driving it, so i dont know it was was long enough for it to make a differnece)

anyway, the car was pretty hot now, like it got hot fast. but whatever.. i drove it home all pissed off and the next day i said something at work to my friend.

he told me that to much oil can wreck the seals in your motor. so, pissed off that i was, i stormed down to the auto center and told them to remove some oil. the guy at the counter did not have a problem with it, and i kept it G rated since it might have been a simple mistake, and it wasnt his fault.

then a mechanic came out from the back and heard my entire problem, and when the store sales-man told him he had to check it and fix it, the guy looked at him and said " so am i doing an entire oil change again?" .. both of us dropped our jaws and were like.. umm.. no..

anyway, while they were working on it, i was talking to my manager. i told her the entire story and she told my store manager (i also added how they added power steering fluild to my power steering system, and how it should have cost me $130+ to fix the min. and to flush it, but i did not have the money to fix it) the store manager, who normally doesnt care, told me that if i had problems, to tell him again, and he will fix it.

anyway, 3 days passed ( i did not use my car inbetween then and today)
after all that, i checked my oil level when i Got to work today, (so 25 minutes of driving, 1 hour of a cool down period in 55 Degree weather, then 2 miles of driving again) the oil level was STILL WAY OVER THE FULL LINE on the dip stick. and the motor should not have been super hot since there was a 1 hour cooling time, with maybe 2 miles of drive time. i was pissed, but i figured i would check it after i was down working. after work, i checked it, and it was like right on the full line, or alittle under..

is that okay now.. or is there something i need to worrie about? i will take it back again if the lvl is to high, but i am unsure if i should be worried if the oil lvl is really high when the motor is alittle warm or not.

also, when i told the manager at the auto center this story, the guy looked at me and was like, " so do u think the trained mechanics cant even do a simple oil change?? it is probally a mistake when they added oil, they might have just added the full 5 quaters, check it, and never started it up to make sure it was okay.. or you probally dont have the OEM dip stick" i was just like.. ummm.. well.. and left it at that.. (i have the OEM dip stick, and he mentioned nothing about the oil cap not bing on, and the dip stick not put back)

shoudl i complain to the store manager again? i mean, i need alot of proof or something to complain about if i talk to him, if not, he will see me as just annoying.. but if i have a real problem that needs to be taken care of, he will probally go down there with me and kick there asses.. haha.. or atleast report them .. is there anything that might wreck my car? what about the power steering problem, since i have no proof they did anything. they did it off the clock, but in there shop, and by them. i have the estimate after 2 months of driving it to fix the damage.

If you loosen the oil fill cap on these cars they run very rough or die.

I think that is the only reason why your car was running poorly.

I do not think there is anything wrong with your car.

It is true that a crankcase with no airspace at all is bad, but I think your crankcase probably still had plenty of airspace in it and no engine damage has occurred.

How is it running now?

it seems okay now. maybe alittle rough, its hard to tell.. but its not giving stalling problems anymore. i think it is fixed, but i was not sure about the oil level. i guess it is okay, but on the high side, i was just scared because it was really high when i checked it when it was running for a few minutes. but if it is dead cold, the oil level is inbetween the low/high spot.

sorry about the book i wrote above. :blahblah:

aaaaand, that's why you don't have a chain work on your car :biggrin:

This happened to my moms mercedes. It happened a long while back. Though I do remember that she had a lot of problems with it afterwards. And it cost her nearly $5k in repairs. Luckily it was all free since it was a mistake on their behalf.

Document everything and have your store manager and the service department both sign on it. In case you have problems down the line, make them responsible and have the paperwork to back it up.

Also, have them do a full oil change again. All that extra oil will pick up sludge and debris that builds up above the normal oil level and starts circulating in your engine. Your filter is probably already full of junk.

Don't worry about the "book", it's good information and venting is theraputic!

so, should i be worried if my oil level is way above the high level after my motor has been running for alittle? or does it only matter what it reads when the motor is cold?

Cold it reads Full, like right around the line..
Hot, it reads about 1/2 inch above the full line.

:no:

...haha.. it never did fix itself you know.. :shrug_no:

i ment that i thought maybe it was just in my head, and it was because i just started it up.. but once i stopped at the interestion, and it almost stalled, then i knew there was a problem

This is why I change my own oil. Something simple that can wrong. If this had happened to me I would have went home and just fixed it myself. I hope your car is ok but if it was me I would go to a parts store (not Sear's) and get a 5 quart bottle and another one quart bottle of oil. Get a new oil filter and change that oil yourself. I know for mine I drain the oil, take out the filter (with the oil plug still out) replace the filter, tighten the oil filter housing back down. Remember to replace the o-rings on the cap, then put the oil plug back in. Put in 5 quarts of oil. Turn your car on for like 30 seconds to let the oil circulate, and then check your level. See if you need to add more. Add more till you get around the fill level. I would keep it just a little below the full line since having too much may not be a good thing. I mean there is a line for a reason. I am sure your car is fine. But I know I wouldn't want to drive around with too much. I will see where my level is cold and where it is warm. I think it should be about the same. I will see and get back to you.

The cold engine oil level check is the only one that is accurate.

thanks b.u.ti-ful, thats what i needed to know. i shoudl be okay now, but its like right on the full line when the motor is cold. so it should be okay, but i will still request anougher oil change, just to see what they say.

Will'sBimmer. thanks, i might just do it myself from now on, it wil save me $50, and it doesnt take a whole lot of time.. if not, it wont get done by them again. there is a BMW shop close by that will do it for the same price, or the dealer isnt to far away.. atleast i know my motor wont be wreck 100 miles down the road.

Why was your gas cap off? I would think that any mechanic would know how to change oil. Try to change it yourself next time, you'll feel better if you do it yourself....trust me

gas cap as in oil cap.

ehh.. how could anyone screaw up an oil change? what if they did something harder.. haha.. how bad would my car be then..

At least they didn't strip the oil drain plug. :tongue: