Valvoline sucks oil out now?

Yeah the only reason is speed no one has to get under the car lift the car do anything well yeah they do to change the filter but you get my drift so I wonder if they do change your filter interesting like I say if I'm already under there then it would just make sense to open the drain plug and open the filter housing change the cartridge on my way back over to observing the last little bit of mess coming out of the dipstick and generally I'm so weird I have my lovely assistant for half a quart of crap oil while I'm down there getting ready to close up so I can see it run out with any residue that's in the very bottom of the pan that usually comes out a little dirty and then runs as clear as what she poured in if I have time I'll let it sit there with the drain open you know 20-30 minutes and do something else and then close it up and add oil but that's my 10,000 mi routine pretty much every oil change No dipstick sucking Black and Decker made a hand crank jackrabbit pump back in the '80s early '90s and it had instructions and the tube that came with the little hand crank pump that was exactly for sticking down your dipstick hole I guess to make things easier but you still have to get under the car to change the filter so it's kind of funny to me.

 

Yes; so that they can say they changed the oil and 'claim' the filter was replaced also. I personally don't see the point, since changing the filter would create the same mess you would be avoiding by sucking out the oil; why not pull out the drain plug while your there anyways?
They also save money by charging you for 4 quarts of oil, when they barely got 3-3.5 quarts out by sucking it out. Technically legal to charge you for an oil change - but everything else would be questionable.
IMHO, stay away from places like this. All they want to do is check an oil change box and collect your money. Quality does matter, especially if you intend to keep the car till the wheels fall off.

 

Well, ether they didn't drain it, then filled it, or they over filled it.
You should make them drain it, then fill it correctly.
Then NEVER go to a quickie place again.
I made a lot of money replacing engines after someone went to them....

 

cheap and fast? I’d give those guys a pass.

 

You know what you're doing. Now you know what they're doin

 

Lost a perfectly good truck the last time I went to on (wrong engine oil, wrong transmission fluid, wrong rear differential fluid!). Their excuse was it was what their manuals called for! That was 2008. Haven’t been to one since! Did end up with a much better truck, but still.

Heck, if I can’t watch it done like at the dealership, I crawl under the vehicle and at least verify there is a new filter. Only having the dealership do them for the free ones. Other than that I do it.

 

3rd gen'rs, and earlier year 4th gen'rs with the same permanent filter housing, couldn't even do that. There's been more than one report here, first DIY oil change, there was NOTHING in there.

 

Well one positive is one less drain plug to potentially damage/strip or tighten too loosely that it leaks….

 

I've been "sucking it out" for my last 4 oil changes. That saves me a lot of time, mess, and risk of attracting kibitzers. If done carefully on some engines, including Prius, that removes as much or more old oil than removing the drain plug. Did you ever notice that the bottom of the drain hole is above the bottom of the oil pan?

Shops like to "suck it out" because it doesn't tie up a lift, and eliminates risk that their lowest-paid employee will cross-thread, overtighten, or undertighten the drain plug. Whether they do it right, and only on cars amenable to the procedure, is up to them.

I can't confirm, but have read that recent Mercedes models are designed specifically for suction oil changes.

 

How do you change the filter? I think it's only accessible from under the car.


iPhone ? Pro

 

That's right, so I have to change it conventionally.
There's no real need to change the filter every time on an engine that deposits very little "dirt" in the filter.

 

NO reason to change the oil, just change the filter, since its an engine that deposits very little "dirt" in the filter.
It's cheaper.
What tool do you use to look into the filter? That's amazing!

 

They're all heading in the direction of eliminating pits and lifts altogether. Too much liability. They can't completely switch yet, but they're working on it.

 

@CR94 - The majority of Mercedes do recommend oil changes from the top. AMG models, at least the one in our household, require draining from the bottom. (Yes I even read of the rumored plastic oil pan and plug that needs replacing on one model engine, on Mercedes Startechinfo. You have to dig to figure out why the pan needs replacement, “plastic” is conveniently left out). For all the models in the household, the oil filter is accessed from above. (My now in heaven Smart Fortwo had oil filter at bottom and drained from bottom, the only exception). The reason for multi access on AMGs as far as I’m aware is a temperature actuated valve that feeds an oil cooler. Instructions require monitoring oil temp, while revving the engine to push engine oil temp to or above the required temperature to get the valve to open, then immediately drain out HOT. If you fail to do this oil will fail to drain from the oil cooler and the amount of oil prescribed is too much…

The John Dow vacuum powered sucker that I have, (was listed on the Mercedes special tools list,) has various size tubes to stick down the dipstick, — tips of which are manufacturer cut at an angle, so some (small amount of) oil is left at the bottom —. (Let’s not argue please, both methods will likely leave some oil at the bottom of the pan). I do not think that amount is significant compared to the total amount used in those larger displacement engines. (My current smallest Mercedes engine is 2.6 L displacement on a ‘92 is it M103? , and to my surprise all the way back then sucking out the top is preferred… Why do I note that? Because even though I use a proper copper gasket and torque the drain plug to spec, I still see a tiny amount of oil seeping out when I go to drain. Most recently I’ve tried maybe 1 more Nm, and I guess I need to have my torque wrench calibrated).

I always use a torque wrench when tightening the oil filter cap and drain plug. Most recently I had the honor of receiving a rental Chrysler PacHy which said “oil change due” as I left the rental place. To not risk higher monetary loss I got SuperTech 20k mi oil and Fram Ultra filter from Walmart. I took a short video of the vehicle about half way when I finished draining. First time I tried the stuff, it is a nice golden color (fully synthetic). I think I’m switching to that oil from now on, (0W-20, 5W-20, 5W-30, and IIRC 10W-30 are available). Also noticed a stickier quality (on finger tips) when applying to oil filter gaskets. $20.xx for 5 qt jug, which may (for the same golden hue) be upwards of $50 for Euro brand synthetic or Mobil’s now discontinued Annual Protection, (which I used until discontinued). Why do I mention this in this thread? Because oil change places usually allow you to bring your own oil and filter, of which you can control the quality of what is put in, while they charge you just for labor. (Disclaimer- This may or may not be an economically sound option).