Been with Kmart TAS for years now but my last service with them was not really ok. I sent a message to their online feedback, thinking everything was confidential, but the Area Manager thought it was prudent to give my details together with my feedback to the store manager.
Checked KTAS and it's $159 for an oil change with some inspections included. Ultra-Tune, Auto-Bahn, etc. any good and priced better? I checked Ultra-Tune online and there's no mention of price.
Youtube how to do an oil and oil filter change. Go to Supercheap/Repco to pick up the engine oil and oil filter. Their part finder will get you the parts you need.
Buy an oil pan, oil filter wrench, 1/2 drive socket set, jacks (never scissor jacks), jack stands and do it yourself. SC has 25% off on all tools right now as well.
You are in WA. If you were near GC, I would have taught you how to do basic servicing on your car for a 24 pack of beer.
Anyone in victoria generous enough to teach me how to do it for a 24pack?
I think YouTube is great, but under the bonnet, all cars look a little bit different and it's worrying I could break something and make it worse. Fear of the unknown drives me away from DYI sometimes.
Sure. Come to Wantirna and I'll show you for a slab of Coldies.
If you're in the South East Suburbs I can give you a hand.
North Melbourne, happy to help.
Do it yourself or go to your local independent workshops, franchisee are a ripoff and they don't feel the need to create a long term business with you which an independent would happily do with quality work.
There is more to a proper service than just dropping the oil and spinning filters. There are various other checks and adjustments and preventative maintenance that often gets missed if you don't know what you're looking at.
For the sake of a couple of dollars (for safety and peace of mind), I'd recommend asking around your local area and getting a good workshop to look after your car. Servicing your car yourself when you're not trained to do it, to save a few dollars, is false economy.
I disagree. If you can teach a man to fish, he will never go hungry. If you are taught the correct way to do something then you can do it yourself safely. Changing oil is probably the second thing I learnt after changing a tyre when I got a car. Being able to do simple things on your own car saves a lot of money when most people seem to never have enough to go around as it is. I can't count the amount of money I've saved by changing my own oil, brake pads and other small tasks that you can easily do in your own garage.
If you have a modern car and use the handbook suggested weight oil and amounts (as well as checking the levels once refilled), you shouldn't have to do any preventative maintenance.
Auto market is full of money making bull.
Anyone can find info online to change oil & filter. You could if needed hammer a long screw driver through the filter's end if your a Real Ozbargainer, and get a servo to just loosen the sumpbolt for you and then use shifter. Buy filters under $10 and check with the manufacturer that any proper grade oil will likely suit most standard engines which translates to a $30 oil change every 12 months at most. And less than 1 hour of your time.
Be practical with these machines and they cost little over rego, and fuel.
Now can I have my negs please:)
No negs, but detailed step by step instructions of what u said will be appreciated.
My point is you dont have to buy a bunch of tools and service unnecessarily often.
I asked two manufacturers by email, incl. Hyundai and I think Subaru, which oil to use, synthetic vs mineral etc, they both said XLD and Gtx Castrol (I asked about these) cheepies were ok just dont mix them, and use the correct grade eg. 20W-50.
So expensive boutique oils are marketing ploy mostly. Using any cheap known brand your motor will last its expected lifespan.
If you look up on Bing how to change oil I'm very sure you'll find dozens of helpful illustrated guides.
I've used the screwdriver technique about 3 times when stuck. you just hammer a long screwdriver through the very end of the filter, the furthest from the engine block, then turn anticlockwise. If you can buy a filter remover of course use that.
Also can place a neobidium magnet from hardrive on end of filter a few days before a change, apparently it catches micro metal fragments.
Removing a sumpbolt is often very difficult. So get the right tool. A quality openend spanner my work. But a good ringy is better.
Drop the oil on crap grass no real need for tray.
I've been to mechanics about three times in 30+ years, it's not necessary if you enjoy tinkering. At 17yo I got full tools needed for nix from swapmeets etc and have fixed all cars and problems since. Now oil gives me dermtitis so cant do it anymore.
Have a go with mates.
In case it's not known, most car manuals can be found free online or avilable at libraries.
@NOYANONO:
"Drop the oil on crap grass no real need for tray" that is REALLY NO GOOD. Imagine if everyone was doing that…5-6 liters of oil per change…once a year…millions of cars.
Environmental disaster…They would have to stop selling motor oil and force people to get it done by mechanics that dispose of it properly. Use a tray (an old jerry can with one side wall cut out is perfect), put the old oil back in the empty can and take it to a mechanic or kmart tyre & auto (they are hopeless for anything else, but they will take your old oil ;-).
@maxi:
Me too, seems to do the sandy soil some good.
Seriously, the comments were illustrative, and aimed at flexibity in maintaining your vehicles practically & cheaply, as opposed to following the bull put forward by an industry aimed at profit to a large degree.
OK sorry I offended with haphazard comments.
Can't recommend this enough. Have it on my 4WD and changing oils is now so damn easy. Don't even have to take out the under body plates.
"Over 2,500,000 Fumoto Oil Drain Valves have been sold in the past nine years and no problems have been reported."
Pretty good record.
The problem with most cars I've seen is the sump bolt is very shallow and easily stripped as it must set hard from temp changes or something.
I had a Corona I think with a full size hardened steal bolt head, and it was easy to undo, but no other car was ever that easy.
Might get one for next car.
Definitely recommend this too - if it fits. Got a Honda Jazz that works like a charm with this, no more worries on overtightened bolts anymore. However on a Honda Civic 8th gen this didn't fit. I am sure the thread would have been correct but the sump location simply didn't have enough space to fit this.
KMart Tyre and Auto are ABSOLUTELY COMPLETELY HOPELESS.
And their online feedback is useless…they did not even bother to contact me…why would they have an online feedback then?
Change oil, filter and spark plugs is very easy. After you do it the first time you will wonder why you paid someone to do it before. A
nd you can buy all you need at Supercheap Auto or Repco when they have big specials or 20-30% off storewide. Just think in advance and stock up for your next service.
You will save hundreds and gain some mechanical knowledge which is helpful when you have work that you cannot do yourself and the mechanic tries to rip you off.
MY local independent tyre and service centre didn't tighten my front wheels. Was driving on the highway from brissy to gc with the steering wheel shaking and loud clank noises. They weren't even hand tight. f***ers
That reminds me, any wheel/tyre shop who tries to use a rattle gun on my wheels, yep I ask him to stop straight away and drive out. If they are there to make money out of quick jobs while screwing my car, they don't have my business.
They probably couldn't find the impact wrench
… You do realise they ALL use a rattle gun. Even if it's when you're not looking.
Is exactly why I am ALWAYS looking. If I drop the car off to do any major work, I stay there the whole time till the work is done. I mention before dropping off, not to use any rattle gun etc on the lugs. Went to Bob Jane I think couple of years back with one of my cars to buy a set of Michelin Pilots, guy said, we will use rattle gun since it's faster and don't worry it will be all right. I drove the car off to another shop who agreed to use breaker bars to take the lug nuts off and tighten them after work with a torque wrench.
I love my cars, spend time and money in maintaining them, and I enjoy that. I am not letting some grease monkey make it his pet-project.
@shadowarrior:
Normally they do it with a rattle gun and then check them by hand ( each one). What is wrong with rattle guns?
@maxi:
They should finger tight them each in a star pattern, then torqued to it's specification with a torque wrench, again in a star pattern. Using a rattle gun puts too much stress which can damage the lug thread or worse break the lug. A lot of places don't even follow a star pattern.
@shadowarrior:
TL;DR - Agree this is how it should be done. Although I'm not too concerned about the use of the torque wrench in this situation but definitely NO rattle gun.
Against my better judgement I took my car to a local franchise of a national chain for a service. Told them NOT to remove wheels as I had recently changed brake pads and service system but didn't get time to rotate the wheels at the same time. Mentioned that I was going to do that the following weekend. However they decided to do it anyway as part of their 'checklist'.
Weekend rolls around and 4 out of 5 studs on front RHS loosened before lifting the car. Not even a breaker bar with a pipe extension was cracking the last one!
Wife takes it back on the Monday. They bust it off and order a new lug. Week later they replace it.
The following weekend I get started again. Front RHS no problem. Back RHS same problem!! Race back to the workshop before closing and they have to bust this one off with a truck rattle gun. In both cases you could see they were stripped from over tightening.
I ask the guy if they use these to do them up - Yep! Shrugs shoulders when I suggest they either use the correct tools or buy new guns.
Call the manager first thing Monday - too busy to talk and the guy says it must be my fault but he'll call back. Waited and waited, eventually called back myself - yep too busy again and no intention of fixing this for me. Turns out the guy I spoke to when I took the car in was the manager but he never mentioned this when I said I'd call the manager first thing Monday!
So for the sake of a $15 part and some of my time I never recommend them to anyone.
This also the same place that during my servicing they rang to say my wipers needed changing. No, no, not the blades but the actual wiper arms!! WTF!!
Not sure how much they make on new wipers but a friend of mine had the same thing happen there! Both cars under 10 years old.
@techpoida:
Yep exactly this, and I have seen it happen too many times. I have seen them do something similar to the wheel's crow nut when changing the outer CV joint. Stripped the thread, needed new outer CV. Broke the ABS ring by trying to hammer it out without heating it, ordered a new ABS ring. Billed entire thing to the friend stating their CV and ABS ring were getting brittle because its so old. :|
Happened to our family once. One wheel was just floating. Last time I left a tyre shop in Geraldton WA, they questioned me why I was checking the wheel nuts before leaving & something about trusting them. I mentioned human error.
I will do that from now on.
Never happened…
All the tyre place i have been at best do finger start first then rattle gun star pattern then check with wrench star pattern again
If they have already used rattle gun, what's the point in checking with a deep socket wrench? The rattle gun has already torqued it to the max of the thread's limit. Putting the lugs and finger tightening them also ensures you are not crossing the threads.
And if a trigger happy over tightens them, and then you have a flat in the middle of woopwoop ville, you will have a hard time taking the wheels off since you won't have access to a rattle gun middle of no where.
Btw, on a different note, don't make me start on wheel balancing done at the bulk tyre shops like Bob Jane etc. :)
Agree…however rattle guns have different settings of torque.
Talking about wheel balancing…what about wheel alignment?!
At KMart tyre Toombul (Brisbane) they do not have a clue on how to do it and they regularly stuff it up.
If you are in Brissy, go to Bosman Tyres for wheel balance/alignment and tyre purchase. Brilliant guys. I drive there from GC!!
http://www.bosmantyres.com.au/
I use Goodyear service centres 5'stars $175 Have a fairly new Hi Lux even after being in the motor trade all my life.
(panelbeating) theres many things these days as in computers etc that aren't worth stuffing up.
If OP doesn't know what cross threading is then maybe he/she is better off finding a reputable mechanic. If you don't know one then talk to friends and acquaintances. When you pick up your car after service, talk to the mechanic about some general things like when will you need to replace timing belt, brake pads/oil, tyre wear,shocks and spark plugs. The answers may give some indication as to how much he/she has checked your vehicle.
If you buy Oil and Oil Filter in advance when on sale your service would cost you $30-$40. There are no longer any grease points in cars so its easy now, just drain oil leave for 1 hour, remove and replace with a new oil filter, replace the sump bung (screw plug) refill with oil. While oil is draining check all fluid and battery levels. Repeat every 6-12 months pending kilometers travelled.
a good full synthetic around $55-$60 on special plus filter around $10 = around $65-$70…
Not everyone needs synthetic. I'm guessing only newer or more expensive cars. For my older car, $10 oil + $10 filter = $20.
lots of delusional people here
i understand that if you own a 1995 Porsche 911 you probably want everything done to the letter by a guy named Hans Gruber but you are complaining that the KTAS apprentices are using air guns on your 1992 Camry?
come on
and the star patten on the lug nuts? lol?
different level of service at KTAS as opposed to a high end place
gotta do it yourself if you're that fussy about things, i mean even prestige places that only work on Euros dont do things 100% to your liking either
It does not matter if its a Camry or a Porche. To someone his Camry is worth same as a Porche. Given the option everyone would prefer a reliable car which will last them for years. Not deliberately destroy it because of someone's stupidity.
Most of the workshops do it with a rattle gun because it's faster, they will jump to another car and make more money that way. Might work for you, I would rather have my car properly serviced and maintained. Kia, Hyundai, Toyota or a Veyron, they are still my hard earned money.
Fixing a broken or stripped lug nut is a pain in the ass. Getting stuck at the middle of a highway in a rainy night with a stripped lug could entice the adventurer in you, but not for the rest of the people.
EURO cars mean nothing. Are you one of those who look at a workshop's billboard which reads "We service all Euro cars" and decide they are top notch? A Honda NSX in the other hand is a bucket full of crapola?
Oh and about star pattern. Google, how to tune drums, it will explain some basic principle.
Please park your ignorance outside before supporting the existing bad service prevalent in the auto-service industry. Unless you own 'Bob's A1 Garage, we service all European cars'.
You speak like someone who knows what he's talking about (questionable) who is being rude and unreasonable about it all.
Everyone is entitled to an opinion - and what you're saying here is that you're going to walk into a café and request that the chef wears a hair net and surgical mask before cooking your meal, while you stand there the whole time to 'supervise'.
Good luck in your future car repair/servicing endeavours.
If I enjoy cooking and can cook, why should I bother going to a restaurant? I can save money plus have fun cooking and eating my food. Same logic applies to my car repair/servicing adventure :)
Apart from taking an engine block and gearbox apart, I have learnt how to do all the other work by myself. I have taken the effort in buying workshop manuals and reading them, watching youtube and autozone videos, going to TAFE to do the basic certificate 2 in automotive servicing.
I didn't have any mechanical background; hell till 2008 I only rode motorbikes (and serviced/tuned them myself. Tuning a carburettor to achieve the 'perfect' mix was so much fun :) ) When I realized how costly it is to do basic stuff for your car in here and was fooled by bunch of businesses (Hello Pedders, am looking at you) I took the initiative to learn. If I save money on labour, I can use that money on something else. Plus there's this satisfaction when I identify a problem and fix it. That itself is another rush.
I don't expect everyone to be passionate about their vehicles. What I would want is them being educated with some basic know how so they don't get fooled and taken for a ride. Apart from Tony, everyone else agrees with that concept. I have no problem with people who don't know and want to learn. I have problems with a naive who spread wrong information and has no intention to learn.
Saying cross threading isn't an issue, is bad. Saying it's ok to support the practice of never using a torque wrench to tighten the lug nuts is dangerous, for the various reasons I typed earlier.
For someone, they might have saved for 5 years to buy a second hand Camry to help with transport problems. Saying its ok to only care about a car if it's a super expensive one and ignore it if it's a cheap car is serious discrimination regarding a person's affordability. It does not matter what car someone drives. The problem is genuine and everyone should have the right to demand proper care when someone is working on their prized possession.
Knowing how to do basic service and check for wear and tear of critical safety parts should be a mandatory skill along with knowing how to change wheels to get a driving license IMO. But that's another story; currently we don't even care if the learner knows how to drive on a freeway as long as he can parallel park that car. :)
I have to agree with you here and your story is somewhat like mine. I had a Toyota dealership service my car around 10 years ago (part of an extended warranty sham). They had fixed my air filter to throttle body piping with electrical tape, but billed me for a new pipe. One day driving in the city the tape sucked inside the throttle body and jammed my accelerator. I had to red-line and jam my car into gears to get off a main road with people looking at me like I am a hoon (I'm surprised my engine didn't pop). I called the RAA who promptly pulled out all the tape from the throttle body and said it was lucky it was not sucked into my engine.
That was my impetus to learn about cars. I bought the TAFE textbooks (which are amazing) watched a DVD set called BOXWRENCH. Got a lot of good quality tools including a warren brown torque wrench my girlfriend got me for my birthday. Since then, I've done most of my own work (youtube is a great resource)am rebuilding na motor into a turbo motor to proper spec right down to making sure the shafts are balanced correctly, cylinders are bored right, the head skimmed correctly and all the torque values of every bolt are correct. I even rebuilt a starter motor because I was so in awe at how much money I saved on that alone. Mechanics like to charge around $600-$900 to fit a starter…I rebuilt mine with a kit for $60 sure it took me a good day lol but it was worth it.
When I really don't feel like getting physical, then I get the part and see the mechanic. The mechanic I take my car to lets me get under the hoist with him because I'm always eager to learn something new. I've even noticed that my knowledge on how engines work has even helped me in fixing washing machines because you can look at it as a motor using the same fundamentals
and yes, I hate mechanics that put everything on with an impact gun…especially sump plugs LOL! Seeya later oil pan.
I'm not qualified, but I don't understand why everyone entrusts this 'leave it to a qualified professional' sentiment (sure its necessary in some industries). I'd rather let a kid that works at McDonalds and tinkers with his car on weekends touch my car over any big box 'qualified' mechanic.
Said car is still running impeccably (no rust, no leaks, engine looks beaut and purrs nicely) and it is 20 years old.
edit: I got to say too mate…knowing how to tune a carby is becoming a lost art ;)
Thanks for the suggestions, especially those who DIY. How do you dispose of the used oil BTW?
Just found out I have that coupon thingy that I get free tire rotation and wheel balancing for buying 4 tyres at KTAS. So, back to Kmart it is. $159 is quite reasonable. I change oil once a year only due to very low usage, and being it an old car :)
I pour it in an old bottle and take it to one of the recycling centers listed here:
http://recyclingnearyou.com.au/
Same for car batteries etc.
I have been disposing it at the Recycling Centres too, but recently saw free disposal station at a Supercheap Auto, not sure if they all have it now.
Despite not wanting to go within a bull's roar of them with my car, my local KTAS have always been happy to take my used oil for free :-)
The only way KTAS can get customers is by giving cheap coupons, not certainly by referral from happy customers!
Good luck!
Apart from always being busy I have never had a problem with my local K-mart auto, saying that getting the car serviced is always a daunting process, I've had cars serviced at various places over the years and hardly ever feel 100% about it. I have had local mechanics or friends help with servicing and/or do it myself and somehow have missed something and ended up in trouble later down the line, so in the end feels like it's all a gamble anyway.
DIY?