My Walmart Oil Change From Hell

[Don]

I just went through the oil change from hell. I figured Walmart could
at least change the oil and filter on my S80. WRONG!

After waiting for an hour and twenty minutes they inform me they don't
have the Fram filter but said if I go buy it they would deduct what I
paid from their total bill. Like and idiot I went and bought it. Came
back to Walmart and began the wait process again.

After 30 minutes and draining out all the oil they tell me they don't
have the correct tool needed to remove my filter. So they put in
Mobile One Synthetic which is what I wanted and left the old filter in
place. It gets worse.

The guy checking my oil level then proceeded to snap the dip stick at
the top so he couldn't check the oil level. We put just the top of the
dip stick back in place. It gets worse.

After visiting 3 auto parts stores I realized I would have to go to
Volvo for a dip stick. It gets worse. Volvo then proceeds to tell me I
can't get that dip stick anymore because they redesigned the tubing it
goes into. So they give me a quote for $129.31 for parts and labor.

I took the quote to the manager of Walmart and he verified everything
I just said above and gave me $129.31 in cash.

They asked me what other cars I own and I said a Mercedes 500SL and a
Saab. He assured me I can bring those cars in. I guess stupid really
is embedded on my forehead now. What the hell was I thinking?

Question: So here I sit with clean Mobile One Synthetic (free of
charge of course) and an old dirty filter. Volvo said they will not
have to remove the oil to do the fix. Should I purge all this new oil
and start over with someone who actually knows how to change the oil
on an S80? Can I have the filter switched out quickly and save all
that oil?

Don

 

[Clay]

I just went through the oil change from hell. I figured Walmart could
at least change the oil and filter on my S80. WRONG!

After waiting for an hour and twenty minutes they inform me they don't
have the Fram filter but said if I go buy it they would deduct what I
paid from their total bill. Like and idiot I went and bought it. Came
back to Walmart and began the wait process again.

After 30 minutes and draining out all the oil they tell me they don't
have the correct tool needed to remove my filter. So they put in
Mobile One Synthetic which is what I wanted and left the old filter in
place. It gets worse.

The guy checking my oil level then proceeded to snap the dip stick at
the top so he couldn't check the oil level. We put just the top of the
dip stick back in place. It gets worse.

After visiting 3 auto parts stores I realized I would have to go to
Volvo for a dip stick. It gets worse. Volvo then proceeds to tell me I
can't get that dip stick anymore because they redesigned the tubing it
goes into. So they give me a quote for $129.31 for parts and labor.

I took the quote to the manager of Walmart and he verified everything
I just said above and gave me $129.31 in cash.

They asked me what other cars I own and I said a Mercedes 500SL and a
Saab. He assured me I can bring those cars in. I guess stupid really
is embedded on my forehead now. What the hell was I thinking?

Question: So here I sit with clean Mobile One Synthetic (free of
charge of course) and an old dirty filter. Volvo said they will not
have to remove the oil to do the fix. Should I purge all this new oil
and start over with someone who actually knows how to change the oil
on an S80? Can I have the filter switched out quickly and save all
that oil?

Don

You can swap the filter and replace what spills. But there is the matter
of the litre or so of dinosaur oil that was left in the filter.

Have the dealer change it, put the sticker back on your forehead (*g*),
and take the bill to Walmart so they can reimburse you for the proper
oil change.

(Not sure if I got this from a post here so apologies if it has already
been posted)
http://www.nbc4.tv/video/9152183/detail.html
or
http://mfile.akamai.com/12924/wmv/vod.ibsys.com/2006/0503/9152183.200k.asx

 

[John Horner]

They asked me what other cars I own and I said a Mercedes 500SL and a
Saab. He assured me I can bring those cars in. I guess stupid really
is embedded on my forehead now. What the hell was I thinking?

You have an S80, a 500SL and a Saab and you go to WalMart for service

???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

In life there are lessons, those lessons will repeat until we pass the
test. This lesson is simple. Either do the work yourself or find a
trustworthy dealer or independent mechanic to look after your cars for
you. Period. No chains. No coupon specials. No Sears. No WalMart.

Have a look at NBC LA's recent series on Jiffy Lube:

http://www.nbc4.tv/mechanicinvestigation/index.html

John

 

[~^ beancounter ~^]

"You have an S80, a 500SL and a Saab and you go to WalMart for service

??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? "

thats the "mode of thinking" that draggs the us economy down...use the
cheapest place around for anything.....be it wal mart, or job out
sourcing...then scratch our heads when things go wrong.....i wonder if
the volvo dealers are worried wal mart may put their service bays out
of business..??.....

 

[Jamie]

One the other hand, going to Wal-Mart and saving money is what creates
enough wealth to buy a Mercedes, SAAB and a Volvo.

..02 cents.

 

[Don]

"You have an S80, a 500SL and a Saab and you go to WalMart for service

??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? "

thats the "mode of thinking" that draggs the us economy down...use the
cheapest place around for anything.....be it wal mart, or job out
sourcing...then scratch our heads when things go wrong.....i wonder if
the volvo dealers are worried wal mart may put their service bays out
of business..??.....

Sorry but this one got me laughing. We're talking about an oil change
not a new turbo charger. I never take these cars to dealers for oil
changes. Mercedes wants almost $200 for an oil change. Volvo is
totally incompetent of providing decent service and Saab service has
also plummeted since GM took over.

After watching the video on Jiffy Lube I realized how honest Walmart
actually was with me. They could have tossed the oil filter insert I
bought away and said have a nice day. They didn't. They were honest
about it. They are also paying every penny of the new dip stick and
tubing and labor. They could have just insisted they buy only the dip
stick which is $22.00 and told me the fact that Volvo has redesigned
the tubing isn't their issue. But they insisted I get a Volvo quote
for everything and then proceeded to pay for it.

Lastly, your comment about my mode of thinking drags down the US
economy was honestly the funniest. I own a fairly large corporation
and I didn't get there by tossing money away. Even after my oil change
from hell I have nothing but respect for Walmart who has implemented
one of the best business models on the planet. You can scream bloody
murder about them but that would be like me telling Bill Gates where
he went wrong.

I'm really glad I posted this and very glad I saw the video on Jiffy
Lube. It makes me realize that a Walmart oil change probably wasn't
quite as stupid as I first thought. Thanks for opening my eyes.

 

[~^ beancounter ~^]

"One the other hand, going to Wal-Mart and saving
money is what creates enough wealth to buy a
Mercedes, SAAB and a Volvo."


yea, you might be right...i would say making a lot
of disposable $$ will put one into a nice volvo...i
would never take my volvo to a jiffy lube or wal mart...
i only want folks that know volvos working on my volvos..
and, i know i will pay a bit for it.....same with my plane...
"qualified mechanics only", please....i don't want some
person that was flipping burgers and checking to see if
the customer wants a girl or boy toy next working on
my "stuff"...........

 

[Tim McNamara]

One the other hand, going to Wal-Mart and saving money is what
creates enough wealth to buy a Mercedes, SAAB and a Volvo.

.02 cents.

You don't appear to understand the concept of "wealth creation."

 

[zencraps]

~.i

would never take my volvo to a jiffy lube or wal mart...
i only want folks that know volvos working on my volvos..
and, i know i will pay a bit for it.....

Excuse me, but getting an oil and filter change is not rocket science,
any moron can do it, and do it right.

Were I not a shade tree mechanic, I would seek out the cheapest price
for that service.

 

[Michael Pardee]

~.i

Excuse me, but getting an oil and filter change is not rocket science,
any moron can do it, and do it right.

Were I not a shade tree mechanic, I would seek out the cheapest price
for that service.

You are right that any moron could do it, but the morons regularly screw it
up in expensive ways. Cross-threaded drain plugs, improper fluids,
underfilling or overfilling, broken dipsticks and dipstick tubes and similar
fubars are legion. I've seen complaints about oil being drained and left
out, several about ATF instead of oil, but at least I haven't seen any tales
of coolant instead of oil in the crankcase. I must not get around much. I
have personally seen gear lube in a crankcase after a Jiffy Lube got ahold
of it.

For non-DIYers I recommend taking it to your regular mechanic. The patronage
of an honest mechanic will repay itself many times over in goodwill
writeoffs and catching problems early. If you don't have a good mechanic,
find a good one.

Mike

 

[Jamie]

Thanks Tim,
I guess I was leaning more towards being frugal - a penny saved is a
penny earned. Of course there is also - you get what you pay for.

;-)

 

[~^ beancounter ~^]

you get what you pay for @ wal mart or
juffy lube....

 

[Alex Zepeda]

Sorry but this one got me laughing. We're talking about an oil change not
a new turbo charger. I never take these cars to dealers for oil changes.
Mercedes wants almost $200 for an oil change. Volvo is totally incompetent
of providing decent service and Saab service has also plummeted since GM
took over.

Well considering that your oil change cost about $200 (which WM paid.. but
regardless), paying $200 up front seems like a lot less of a hassle. Then
again, I don't think that anyone suggested you go exclusively to the
dealer for oil changes. Simply go to a competent mechanic (if they're
competent, they're not working at WalMart).

Lastly, your comment about my mode of thinking drags down the US economy
was honestly the funniest. I own a fairly large corporation and I didn't
get there by tossing money away. Even after my oil change from hell I have
nothing but respect for Walmart who has implemented one of the best
business models on the planet. You can scream bloody murder about them but
that would be like me telling Bill Gates where he went wrong.

WalMart does have a brilliant business model. Make the government give
you sweet subsidies, and then stick them with the cost for all sorts of
other things. It sucks for pretty much everyone else however.

Then again, you assume that by paying less up front you're saving money
overall. Consider the quality of most of the stuff WM hawks, consider the
cost to the local economy (yay for minimum wage jobs with no benefits)...
yeah. Sounds like a great savings. Is WM paying for the time it'll take
you to get your car to the dealer to replace the dipstick? Are they
paying for the labour to change the oil filter? How about for the gas to
and from the various shops, and your time spent tracking down all the
quotes and such?

Microsoft has gone wrong in plenty of areas, consider for a moment all of
the failed products they've released. Remember Microsoft Bob? Microsoft
Sound System? Eh.... not to mention all of the exploits that have been
released into the wild for MS Office this month.

 

[Don]

Well considering that your oil change cost about $200 (which WM paid.. but
regardless), paying $200 up front seems like a lot less of a hassle. Then
again, I don't think that anyone suggested you go exclusively to the
dealer for oil changes. Simply go to a competent mechanic (if they're
competent, they're not working at WalMart).

WalMart does have a brilliant business model. Make the government give
you sweet subsidies, and then stick them with the cost for all sorts of
other things. It sucks for pretty much everyone else however.

Then again, you assume that by paying less up front you're saving money
overall. Consider the quality of most of the stuff WM hawks, consider the
cost to the local economy (yay for minimum wage jobs with no benefits)...
yeah. Sounds like a great savings. Is WM paying for the time it'll take
you to get your car to the dealer to replace the dipstick? Are they
paying for the labour to change the oil filter? How about for the gas to
and from the various shops, and your time spent tracking down all the
quotes and such?

Microsoft has gone wrong in plenty of areas, consider for a moment all of
the failed products they've released. Remember Microsoft Bob? Microsoft
Sound System? Eh.... not to mention all of the exploits that have been
released into the wild for MS Office this month.

After reading this post I'm willing to bet you're either from Canada
or Europe. You probably belong to a union. Speaking of unions that is
the number one reason Mercedes Benz is now ranked lower than one
American car company in quality and customer satisfaction. Perhaps you
should email Bill Gates and tell him where he screwed up. Also please
show us where Walmart gives its employees no benefits. That simply is
not the case. Are they equal to your union benefits? No I'm sure they
aren't. But don't say they give no benefits. It blows any credibility
you may have had.

 

[~^ beancounter ~^]

cost is only one of many components to customer
satasification...all components must be satasified
to have a excellent "expierence"....my volvo mechanic
does my s80t6 oil change for $40, while i wait, in
aprox 15 min....

 

[traderfjp]

It's very hard to break a dip stick. I'm wondering how this could have
happened. Also, you're right about how well Walmart is handeling your
problem. Using the dealer is a hassle and constly. Try Firestone or
another reputable company and submit the bill to Walmart. I doubt they
will deny you. Good luck

 

[Roger Hunt]

cost is only one of many components to customer
satasification...all components must be satasified
to have a excellent "expierence"....my volvo mechanic
does my s80t6 oil change for $40, while i wait, in
aprox 15 min....

I'm lucky enough to have found an ex-Volvo-gone-solo mechanic whose
rates are equally as reasonable, by the sound of it.
(Thank goodness)

 

[Steve]

After reading this post I'm willing to bet you're either from Canada
or Europe.

Although humans are valued in Canada and 'Europe' (think you could narrow
that one down next time?) they are also respected in the United States as
well.

You probably belong to a union.

Yes, clearly the only people who care about the workers and their
contributation to the economy are union workers. Very good call!

Speaking of unions

(after all, you did bring them up)

that is
the number one reason Mercedes Benz is now ranked lower than one
American car company in quality and customer satisfaction.

Hummm Quality is how well the vehicles are screwed together. Humm whets
the worst vehicle Mercedes builds? Could it be...yes, I believe it is the
ML class built by good old NASCAR watching, church going, 'mericans workers
in a union free right to work red state. Customer satisfaction...I do
believe that has quite a bit to do with how the customer is treated when
something goes wrong with the poorly engineered car that the workers, union
or not tend to screw together exactly as management wants them to. Are you
saying, my good man, that damnable unions have infiltrated every Mercedes
Benz dealer in the United States? Hark! We should have our man Bush do a
signing statement about that!

Perhaps you

should email Bill Gates and tell him where he screwed up.

So now you request a high level critique of the business practices of an
established technology firm as well as impose a anti union rant upon us?

Also please

show us where Walmart gives its employees no benefits.

Wal Mart gives almost no benefits, and they cost more then most part time
employees can afford.

Wal Mart has taken many people off welfare, as the programs designed by
President Clinton and the congress working together devised. The programs
envisioned moms working and gaining skills, while the gov't would provide
health care, and perhaps in some cases income as well.

The issue is that the people so employed have not due to whatever reason
developed sufficient skills to get better jobs, and the country is still
subsidizing Wal Mart.

That simply is

not the case.

If a worker has the years and is given the hours they are permitted to buy
benefits at a higher cost then many can afford, that correct.

Gee, Don are the benefits at wal mart equal to the benefits congressmen
enjoy? Federal workers? Members of the armed services? Your benefits?

No I'm sure they

aren't. But don't say they give no benefits. It blows any credibility
you may have had.

Thanks for your reasoned analysis.

No, I belong to no unions.

 

[Steve]

You don't appear to understand the concept of "wealth creation."

LMAO!!!
My dear boy, it's clear that the issue is a question of macro V. micro!

Explaining how having a middle class with money to spend on more then food
and housing with medical coverage is what makes the economy grow is not what
they hear on talk radio. You must be an evil liberal! If not for the evil
liberal media I bet we woulda been done in Iraq already!

OTOH saving a few bucks is never a bad idea as long as one is not penny wise
and pound foolish.
When I first graduated from college I had an interview to manage a Jiffy
Lube.

They have impressive quality control systems and severe repercussions for
failures leading to engine loss.

Quite frankly the Volvo is an unusual car, but the second time Wal Mart,
Jiffy Lube or where ever will do it right, will be 200% careful and will be
sure it does not happen again. Would I bring the car to such a place for an
oil change? Perhaps. Wal Mart if it was on my way. I am sure Jiffy Lube
has tech info out so the problems that happened at Wal Mart will not happen
there.

I tend to think the dip stick was either an accident that could happen
anywhere or a defect.

I will not pay the 40 bucks the dealer wants for an oil change, but I will,
and do pay 25 for my garage to do the oil change, rather then 15 at the
chain stores.

 

[Steve]

cost is only one of many components to customer
satasification...all components must be satasified
to have a excellent "expierence"....my volvo mechanic
does my s80t6 oil change for $40, while i wait, in
aprox 15 min....

And I bet they spot things and tell you about them, either catching issues

early or getting you ready for expenses you will soon face.

Guess what? Mechanics hate oil changes. They are hot, dirty, and they do
not pay well.

When I use a place I do not know well for an oil change I watch them
closely. I have caught a few minor errors, I suggest that any owner watch
the oil changers if they are not 100% comfortable.