Dealer oil change, how to confirm actually done?

My uncle had a beautiful 1960 Chrysler New Yorker convertible that had some sort of chronic problem
(I don’t recall the nature of the problem, however.) When he went to the dealership to pick the car up after the second repair attempt, he thought it was very suspicious that the car was sitting in the exact same place where he had parked it earlier in the day.

When he brought the car back for the third repair attempt, he placed a pebble on top of one of the tires, and–sure enough–when he went back to pick the car up at the end of the day, that pebble was still there. He said that this dealership provided “curb service” because they left it sitting at the curb.

At that point, he began using a different dealership, which was able to resolve the problem on the first visit. Needless to say, he never returned to the first dealership, and he bought his next two cars (both were Imperials!) from the second dealership.

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Hello . . . ?!

The oil SHOULD be clean and at the full mark after getting the car back after an oil and filter change

Please tell us WHY you’re even wasting your time suspecting the shop of cheating you on an oil and filter service

That does NOT mean @JoeMario is the one that’s paranoid. It means he’s dealt with customers who are as paranoid as @Steve_K1

Which leads me to ask WHY @Steve_K1 is so distrustful. Is he distrustful of this particular shop . . . ?

or is he distrustful of everybody, 24/7 . . . I’ve known people like that, and they’re truly exhausting to be around

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Yes, we all know “the oil should be clean and at the full mark” after an oil change. But that’s the way it looks all the time, even a few thousand miles after the oil change. I’m trying to see if there’s an easy way to assure myself the oil was really changed.

No, I’m not distrustful of this shop. The question would occur to me whichever shop I took the car to for an oil change.

Why am I so “distrustful?” Ha, many examples in my life come to mind where I’ve been rather gullible. Long-distance psychology based on one post isn’t … nah, never mind.

Pour some UV leak detecting dye in the oil before the change. After the oil is changed, you should see only s trace of a glow under UV light.

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I’d never heard of this, but it looks like a perfect solution. https://www.amazon.com/ACDelco-10-5045-Multi-Purpose-Fluorescent-Detection/dp/B008I2VPC4/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=uv+leak+detection+dye&qid=1577326461&sr=8-2 shows it’s not too expensive, and worth trying.

Many thanks, mopar guy.

I think we can consider this question answered.

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It was my pleasure, please visit with us again.

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I would keep it simple a little dust on the oil filler cap, you should be able to see if it was touched, If they are not going to do the change no way they are going to touch the filler cap. a little scratch or mark on the filter if it is the replaceable type, my 2 cents.

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yep, tight. dealer by use had a low price special. for XX dollars. and a 5$ fee for oil disposal. sort of an ala carte pricing scheme?

In defense of @Steve_K1, I did catch a dealer that not only didn’t do the oil changes and other maintenance items they charged for, they actually sabotaged the engine in order to get additional work. This was on my Mother’s car. Every time she got it back, it ran worse than when it went in.

Usually they would just mess with the idle air fuel mix screw on the carburetor. One time they told her that she needed new spark plug wires (car was 2 years old with 20k miles on it). They were right because they removed a good wire and replaced it with a bad wire. They didn’t even color match the bad wire. The OEM wires had orange boots, the bad wire was all black.

This was many years ago, late 70’s. I don’t think they try this stuff anymore because when they get caught, it often costs them their business.

If there’s been 3000+ miles since the prior change, the oil color will definitely be less brown and more a clear-amber after the change. The difference in color and clarity will be obvious if the oil was actually changed. I can tell by the sound the engine makes at idle too, but that’s a little harder to discern if you don’t have experience listening for it.

You could top it up before you take the car in, and add one more quart. It will be one quart overfilled. You don’t want that over a long period of time, and you are not doing that.

When you get the car back, is it overfilled? If not, they probably drained and then refilled properly.

If it is overfilled, it’s the last time they touch your car. And you don’t trust them so you go elsewhere for an oil change, pretty soon.

I wouldn’t overfill by a full quart - I’d only pour a little extra just enough to bring it over the hash line on the dipstick. That would be easy enough to see if it was changed. I trust the shop I take my car to as they won’t do anything that’s not needed. I love them!

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George, that’s what I think, too, but am telling you, not in this amazing engine. A year after an oil change – but only 3000 miles – the oil still looks like new. I’ve changed the oil on my cars all my life. Would still do it if the cost at the dealer wasn’t so low (about $18 because of “next one free”).

I’m thinking the engine was 1) designed well and built carefully by Toyota, and 2) well maintained by the first owner (a woman, if it matters).

When I bought the car, it was four years old and had 75K miles (around San Antonio, ie, good roads and no salt in winter). Carfax showed the owner had taken the car to the dealer every 5K miles for an oil change. It’s what convinced me to buy the car, in fact.

Four years later, at 90K miles, the car runs great. Early on I had the coolant and brake fluids changed, just for peace of mind, at the dealer. I’d change the transmission fluid, too, except 1) Toyota doesn’t require it, and 2) a YouTube video https://youtu.be/cNcecuGzTDg convinced me not to even think about it.

An oil change is coming up, and I’d like some peace of mind there, too.

I’m liking this idea. Easy to do, not expensive. One extra quart, maybe a half quart, shouldn’t hurt the engine for a 10-minute drive.

I’ll keep it in mind.

Thanks.

I don’t agree with the notion of lifetime transmission fluid…I would have the mechanic change it.

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I think this is a very reasonable question and I also think that every vehicle owner has a role to play in a dealer or service center oil change. The most important is to verify oil was put back into the vehicle after it was removed. Here are my thoughts and suggestions to vehicle owners on oil changes and how to ensure they are actually done.

John, I’ve never checked the oil right at the dealership, as your article advises. Just got in and went home, where I’d check the next morning.

The hood of my car standing up would cause some curiosity at the dealer. Someone might make a note. “Next time SK, 2011 Venza, comes in, be sure to do really good work cuz he checks.”

Or the note might be “Next time SK, 2011 Venza, comes in, be sure to screw him over cuz he doesn’t trust us to do good work.”

A lousy oil change shouldn’t be so complicated.

No , an oil change is not normally complicated . But maybe your paranoia should be addressed.

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I really doubt that that would be the case…There’s nothing wrong with taking a look at the dipstick in the parking lot before you drive away.

You could be right.

I wish I could go through the rest of my life trusting my fellow man, but I’ve seen too many examples where that wasn’t a good idea.

And to emphasize something I said earlier, it isn’t the dealership I lack confidence in, it’s the low-skill, low-pay worker in the oil-change shop I’m worried about.

Volvo_V70, you might want to read “Rivethead: Tales from the Assembly Line,” by Ben Hamper. Then come back and tell me “your paranoia should be addressed.”