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Valvoline Instand Oil Change Warning

R

raidoman

Guest
Took my 87 C4 to Valvoline for auto trans fluid/filter change (66k miles). $100 later I asked to see the old filter. Was told filters were not changed. i asked why and the attendant said "these cars get used to their filter and it can be bad to change them." I emailed VIOC corporate and local rep contacted me and said policy is that they now only flush and refill, not change filters. If you want the filter changed (as it should be) you must go somewhere else or do it yourself.
 
What a load of crap. It sounds like a cheaper way for them to get you out of there. I would like to know just how they flush the oil filter, without removing it, and the oil system. I change all the fluids and do all the servicing on all three of my vehicles. I don't even trust dealerships. They usually have the least experienced people doing these jobs.
 
raidoman said:
Took my 87 C4 to Valvoline for auto trans fluid/filter change (66k miles). $100 later I asked to see the old filter. Was told filters were not changed. i asked why and the attendant said "these cars get used to their filter and it can be bad to change them." I emailed VIOC corporate and local rep contacted me and said policy is that they now only flush and refill, not change filters. If you want the filter changed (as it should be) you must go somewhere else or do it yourself.

Hi raidoman -

I am not defending the service place here, just giving a little 411.

Flushing the trans with the flushing machine will clean the filter (according to GM anyway - call em and ask).

That and the fact that you get all of the fluid out instead of just MOST of it with a drain an refill.

The explanation given you was goofy - but as long as they hooked up the machine and flushd your trans, you are good to go.

best regards -

mqqn
 
I have a 1999 GMC pickup truck. And as you had my transmission fluid (cleaned). The problem was they cut the cooling lines to the radiator to perform this service and replaced with rubber fuel hoses and clamps.
One month later the lines blew off and all trans fluid was on the highway. Between the tow job and dealer replacement of cooling lines $400.00 the truck is back on the road. This service was also at Valvoline
 
I learned as well that with a proper transmission purge they do not change the filter as it is cleaned with the purge. It seems to me the person that you talked to tried to explain it as best as he could. I too was puzzled by the response until I spoke to a transmission guy and he confirmed. Damn, whats next, a man on the moon. Regarding cutting the transmission cooling lines, thats a different story. That sucks.
 
I always get mine flushed at Valvoline, they take the line loose and hook the machine to it and flush then hook the line back up. Who ever cut the lines must have been a total idiot.
Changing the filter and fluid only gets a small portion of the old fluid out. The machine in question here replaces all the fluid and flushes out the filter. I highly recommend it to anyone but..... Watch them to make sure they know how to hook the thing up.
 
All I can tell you is the dealer said he has repaired HUNDREDS of this sort of problem. Valvoline after several conversations with home office still defends cutting the lines. BEWARE
 
"hundreds" seems a huge exaggeration. He says this to make you think everyone else is incompetant. Yes, the ONE person who told you why this was done is. Fact is, most shops are flushing transmissions these days. It is the only way short of disassembly to replace all the fluid. Imports have screens instead of filters, so this service works well on them also.
I don't care who does the work, you need to make sure it was done properly, start to finish. No amount of money paid is a guarantee a perfect job. Buyer should alway beware, and not assume. :)
 
My daughter took her Grand Am to Valvoline and got a transmission flush. Three weeks later it's acting up and I check the transmission fluid and it's dark and smells burnt. Went back to the place and naturally they didn't do anything wrong when they flushed it. I suspect they put used fluid instead of new back into it when flushed. End result another couple weeks later the transmission totally failed. New/rebuilt transmission cost was more than the blue book for the car so she just traded it and took the loss. I'd sure like to get my hands on the "mechanic" that did the flush!!:mad

Ron
"Baldie88"
 
It is a shame that such incompetence from mechanics give such a great service a bad name. Once again thats why I stay right with it and watch every move they make . If a shop will not let me stay with my car or truck while it is being worked on, I go somewhere else. I need to get my diesel truck checked on a couple of warranty items now but I am afraid to take it to a dealership because of the horror stories that come out of dealerships. I will refrain from typing all that I am thinking about people taking pride in their work and where the US has gone as far as service and dishonesty so this whole thread doesn't end up in "The Edge" ;)
 
My mechanic recommends against flushing an automatic transmission.

He told me that the process will loosen small particles within the transmission which, when dislodged, will end up floating around in the new fluid and causing major problems post flush which will eventually (sooner rather than later) require a major overhaul of the transmission.

I don't flush but I do service the transmission the old way in accordance with the instructions which came with the car.
 
Baldie88 said:
My daughter took her Grand Am to Valvoline and got a transmission flush. Three weeks later it's acting up and I check the transmission fluid and it's dark and smells burnt. Went back to the place and naturally they didn't do anything wrong when they flushed it. I suspect they put used fluid instead of new back into it when flushed. End result another couple weeks later the transmission totally failed. New/rebuilt transmission cost was more than the blue book for the car so she just traded it and took the loss. I'd sure like to get my hands on the "mechanic" that did the flush!!:mad

Ron
"Baldie88"

There were some stories about Jiffy Lube recently. It seems that people were being advised to get the flush done, but the work was simply not done. It was a total rip-off with the customer being charged for work that was not done.
 
DRTH VTR said:
...Jiffy Lube...

Actually happened once to me (not on Vette). JL service guy came in holding engine oil dipstick - said was transmission oil and needed to be changed! I turned him in to the manager (who probably knew they were doing that scam).

Bob
 
These posts are incredible, absolutely incredible!:mad

As far as the GMC truck with the cut lines, that shop would be buying and installing the preformed steel lines from GM, period. How can they justify that? It would be like saying "we dented your door, but its OK because we popped it back out". Vehicle can't leave the shop in different condition than it went in!
 
Actually happened once to me (not on Vette). JL service guy came in holding engine oil dipstick - said was transmission oil and needed to be changed! I turned him in to the manager (who probably knew they were doing that scam).

Bob

Sounds like Jiffy Lube service is crap across the entire country. I took my vette in for an oil change once, looking at the receipt when I got home it said they hit 5 zerks. Of course there are 8 on the car and I was wondering how the kid got an odd number.

Weeks later I took my Blazer in to the same place and stood in front of it while they worked on it. Of couse they didn't hit any of the grease fittings or check anything on the checklist. When the kid in the pit said everything was done I called him on everything that was skipped. Of course he started making excuses saying that you don't do everything on the list every time. I finally called the manager over and made him finish the job while I watched. Watching the guy wearing the nice shirt who usually gets to sit in A/C and talk to customers get in the pit was kind of intresting. It took about 45 minutes to do most of the things that were missed and he got filthy. It would have taken longer but I finally told him where the last 5 zerks (out of a total of 11) are on the front end and I let him skip some things on the list.
 
Is there any reason you can't flush the transmmision and then
put it on the lift and then change the filter? It seems you
would get the best of both worlds that way, plus cleaning
the pan wouldn't hurt.
PS. I wouldn't like them cutting my steel lines and patching
them with rubber. Don't think I would be going back there
to soon.
Len
 
Why not? May be redundent but whats the harm.
 
Here's a method I have used and never had a problem.
First I pull the trans dipstick, stick a suitable hose down the dipstick tube and pump out as much fluid as I can, I can take out about 4 to 5 quarts this way. Then I refill with clean fluid. Drive the vehicle a few thousand miles and do it again. This should freshen up all of the fluid throughout the transmission and converter at this point. Drive a few thousand more miles and then pull the pan and let it drain thouroughly. I pulled the pan on my Vette on a Saturday and let it drain until the following Saturday. Very clean at this point. Next install a new filter, clean up the pan, apply new gasket and install and carefull torque the pan to specs. Good luck! It works for me.
 
Here's my 2 Cent's worth on the issue, as I've turned wrench's for a living for
30 year's now.

If you have ANY "Qualm's" about having some young minimum wage "Kid" at JL or the like fooling around with a VERY "PRICEY" piece of your Vette, then the WISE thing to do would be to aquire a Floor Jack/Stand's if ya don't have any?? Get yourself an Aftermarket Tran's Oil Pan WITH a DRAIN PLUG in it,
and spend a Hour or so swapping Pan's/Filter, and then ya can "REGULARLY"
drain your tran's as you would your engine oil, and change the filter as often
as ya deem necessary, and NOT "WORRY" about somebody screwing up a
HIGH $$$ Tran's....and ya KNOW it was done RIGHT by..."YOU"!! :)
 

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