Easy DIY Oil Change Holds a Minefield of Potential Screw-Ups - 2015 Ford F-150 Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.com

Easy DIY Oil Change Holds a Minefield of Potential Screw-Ups - 2015 Ford F-150 Long-Term Road Test

Changing the oil in a 2015 Ford F-150 with the 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 is easy, but you need to know a few tricks and quirks beforehand.

Read the full story here

ebeaudoin

Wow, that's really pretty terrifying. I'm assuming you had the last oil change done at a dealer? He used the wrong oil and way too much of it. Is it his first day? The oil spec is written on the cap, for crying out loud! I mean, really... How hard is it to verify that you are changing the oil properly on a customer's truck? Wow. Thanks for the write-up; great pics, too!

swib

I own a Focus ST and it is well known that they (Ford dealers) routinely do the oil changes incorrectly. With the ST they won't recognize that it is the turbo engine instead of the regular Focus' engine so they fill it a quart low and with the wrong weight oil - pretty poor showing by Ford for sure.

ebeaudoin

swib said:

I own a Focus ST and it is well known that they (Ford dealers) routinely do the oil changes incorrectly. With the ST they won't recognize that it is the turbo engine instead of the regular Focus' engine so they fill it a quart low and with the wrong weight oil - pretty poor showing by Ford for sure.

For as many Ford products as there are on the road with turbo engines, it's a darn shame Ford dealers aren't maintaining them correctly.

thecardoc3

About the oil. http://www.walmart.com/ip/16940217?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222227017563330&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=77517162048&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=107413840128&veh=sem

dm7279

As I said in the previous post about the 15 minute wait to check the oil on this car, my Volvo has a similar requirement, and similar to what you indicate above, my dealer (and many others, from what I've read) has significantly overfilled it. I believe they bill for 8 quarts, when the car only takes a bit over 6. Since the car still has a free service left from purchase, I will let Volvo do it one more time, and I will be on them about it if they get it wrong. It amazes me that the people that sell and service these cars don't even know how to properly change the oil.

reminder

I know it might not bother other people, but that plastic pan & drain plug makes me a bit nervous. I'm still partial to the old school steel drain plug.

jerrry44

I knew something was up with your poor fuel economy when most owners are reporting much better than you have been able to achieve.. Having an extra GALLON of oil in the engine surely had an effect on your fuel economy. I learned long ago it is best to do your own oil changes if you want them done right. It's not a matter of IF they will screw something up it is a matter of how badly and how often they will screw something up.

allthingshonda

You should let the dealer know and have it documented that it was overfilled. Ford clearly says that overfilling may cause engine damage.

roadburner

This entire overfilling debacle reminds of a quote from Douglas Adams:
"A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools."

thecardoc3

dm7279 said:

It amazes me that the people that sell and service these cars don't even know how to properly change the oil.

Why is this so amazing? There is a quote that applies here, "You don't know what you don't know" and that applies to everyone. Go look up the oil change service on the new Corvette. Now picture someone having done thousands of oil changes and encountering one of those for the first time. In this context you have been directed to look up the service first but in practice anyone who took their car to a shop and saw the technician stopping and looking up the routine would immediately not only lose trust in them they would waste no time in telling everyone to avoid them because they didn't even know how to change the oil.

One of the things that Dan correctly points out is the contradiction between the consumers expectations about how long the service should take (aka the ten minute oil change) and the fact that it takes longer than that just for the oil to make it down to the pan when filling. Meanwhile the most important details such as how to choose a product that is genuinely approved to meet the specs again wasn't mentioned. Or wait, maybe it was when Dan questioned if the dealer used the correct "blended synthetic" since in his opinion it didn't specify that by the bill and he was only comparing by the price of the oil. Most consumers don't even know what the word "synthetic" means when talking about engine oil in North America. Synthetic doesn't mean what the average person thinks that it does, with that being the case what exactly does "blended synthetic" really mean? Consumers should be asking just what can an oil company put in a bottle when they sell it with such labeling.

There are definitely people who should be called out onto the carpet for issues like this but when the blame is placed only on the techs, especially the entry level ones the real culprits are actually standing beside you pointing their finger at them too.

banhugh

I had similar experience with my Accord. The first oil change at dealer #1 was done with the wrong oil viscosity. Dealer #2 forgot to replace the engine air filter (even though I was charged and paid for it). I only caught that because the engine bay was dusty and the air filter box looked untouched.
After these experiences I decided to do my own maintenance on the car. I got online, found the repair manual of the car, a good informative owner's forum and since then I have replaced engine and transmission oil and filters, spark plugs, brake pads and rotors, brake fluid, coolant, steering fluid, etc.
Dealers use the same $8/hour 18yr old "mechanics" that the shop next door does, I have no trust on their "special" training for their employees. Unless it's a complicated repair (most probably for a German car, these are made to be be untouchable by owners like me...) I would first try to fix it myself!

markinnaples_

What a ridiculous PITA for doing a job that should be as simple as getting a 5/8" or 14mm wrench, a drain pan, and a filter removal tool. What masochistic engineer designed this system? I saw a story about Castrol designing a "cartridge" type oil and filter changing system in one package that can be changed as easily as changing a battery. THAT should be OEM for every new car. This entire process is just over engineering and smells like something done just to drive up service hours at the dealership, because really, it's not difficult, just a PITA.
Pffffffft, Ford, give me a break.

meckser

markinnaples_ said:

What a ridiculous PITA for doing a job that should be as simple as getting a 5/8" or 14mm wrench, a drain pan, and a filter removal tool. What masochistic engineer designed this system? I saw a story about Castrol designing a "cartridge" type oil and filter changing system in one package that can be changed as easily as changing a battery. THAT should be OEM for every new car. This entire process is just over engineering and smells like something done just to drive up service hours at the dealership, because really, it's not difficult, just a PITA.
Pffffffft, Ford, give me a break.

What? This needs even less tools, and is even less effort. No fishing for a filter in the back of an engine, its right up top.

longtimelurker

Hello to all...I am a long-time lurker, hence my screen name, but I had to register to point out that the fact of this truck being filled with too much of the wrong kind of oil was pointed out back on August 1 by several commenters.

It appeared to be overfilled by only one quart of the wrong weight of oil at that time, but if that had been acted upon, the four-quart overfill would have been discovered then, and the dealer would have had to do it over with the right amount of the correct oil. And any recheck since then of the oil level would also have shown the huge overfill...so this vehicle was driven for the past 10,000 miles without anyone checking the fluids in it?

That's not good. I would not want to be a subsequent owner.

kirkhilles1

LOL, that was tiring reading all of that. Its not supposed to be that complicated. You summed it up with:

"I may never pay anyone to change my vehicle's oil again, especially when it's this easy. "

Yep. So, your Ford dealership screwed you over (unintentionally!), so what percent of owners do you think are going to be driving around with the correct amount of oil in them and using the right filters and such? 10%? 20% at the max? What do you think Jiffy Lube will do to that vehicle? Butcher, butcher.

Its an oil change FFS. Its supposed to be super easy. Our Pilot has an "Oil" with an arrow pointing to the bolt. Drain it fill it, change filter. Done. Just like every other freaking vehicle in the planet. Did a German manufacturer help with this?

kirkhilles1

thecardoc3 said:

dm7279 said:

It amazes me that the people that sell and service these cars don't even know how to properly change the oil.

Why is this so amazing? There is a quote that applies here, "You don't know what you don't know" and that applies to everyone. Go look up the oil change service on the new Corvette.

Except that this isn't a Corvette. This is a workhorse of trucks, starting at $26k. It shouldn't be this complicated.

roadburner

kirkhilles1 said:

Did a German manufacturer help with this?

Oil changes are dead simple on the three BMWs in my fleet- top side mounted filter canister and a drain plug that can be removed without dropping any underbody panels- and they all take M1 0W-40. Next easiest is the TJ, which has a relatively easy to reach spin-on filter element. The MS3 is the worst- hands down; a splash panel needs to be removed and the cartridge filter is mounted inverted- it has its own drain plug so you don't have a complete mess when you unscrew the cap. Fortunately, my Mazda dealer gave me free oil changes for life and-unlike the Ford dealer mentioned here-my dealer hires techs that actually know what they are doing.

thecardoc3

roadburner said:

Fortunately, my Mazda dealer gave me free oil changes for life and-unlike the Ford dealer mentioned here-my dealer hires techs that actually know what they are doing.

If they have to hire techs then they have a problem because that means they can't keep the ones that they already have.

Mr_Shiftright

4 quarts over-filled? I'm surprised it didn't blow out every seal in the engine, or at least start some serious smoking out the tailpipe. If this engine develops oil leaks, you know already how they started.

roadburner

thecardoc3 said:

If they have to hire techs then they have a problem because that means they can't keep the ones that they already have.

Are you ever happy? You don't like people complaining about incompetent hacks- yet you gripe at me when I praise competent techs. But now that you mention it, my Mazda dealer does have a problem(in your opinion it would seem)- they provide excellent service 100% of the time. Of course if they continually made boneheaded mistakes I'm certain you'd defend them to the bitter end.

thecardoc3

This is like peeling back the layers of an onion. You don't get it and from your consumers perspective you probably never will. It should be easy for everyone to realize that nobody is perfect so the idea of them providing excellent service 100% of the time just doesn't hold water. They probably are very good which is great, but still there is something wrong and that layer of the onion just past the free oil changes needs to be peeled back so that it can be seen.

There have been countless stories about the upsells that occur in a lot of shops. A lot of that work is easily legitimate, but through a process of punishment and reward even good people can be trained to do bad things. Most of them figure it out one way or the other and eventually move on only to be replaced by someone else with no training or experience. (See the video below)

You are completely wrong when you say that I defend incompetent hacks. There are people who try to be mechanics/technicians who don't belong in the trade and the sooner they are gone and into careers that better suit them the happier everyone should be. Your problem is that you can't see the difference between them and someone who has the natural talents to become a qualified technician but simply lacks the training and experience which would come in time given the right work atmosphere. Combine that with how long it really takes to master the trade which is measured in decades and consumers should begin to realize just how big of an issue this really is.

So back to the free oil change. Without the upsells techs lose money doing that service for the time that it actually takes to do it. With the upsells they get paid more than the job(s) take to do. That has the appearance of a good plan right up to the moment someone objects that an upsell wasn't legitimate. The moment that happens the revolving door atmosphere of most shops exposes itself. The common approach to this is to simply blame that person instead of the management practices that really cause it. Here is a nice example of how bad that can get. Make sure that you catch them giving away the one oil change for free while they take full advantage of the driver. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-avpx8UTakI

They should all go to jail in my opinion but did you see the other issue? Trying to sell oil changes with a "good, better, best" approach? That is totally inappropriate with today's cars and yet you can find companies all over the place that train their employees to do that. The problem is there is almost no way to stop them from marketing like that because consumers gravitate towards it because it starts out with the promise of a low price or even free. The result of that is many cars are serviced with products that don't meet the manufacturer's specifications and that is the number one reason for the majority of the engine failures and oil consumption complaints all through the forums.

roadburner

thecardoc3 said:

This is like peeling back the layers of an onion. You don't get it and from your consumers perspective you probably never will. It should be easy for everyone to realize that nobody is perfect so the idea of them providing excellent service 100% of the time just doesn't hold water. They probably are very good which is great, but still there is something wrong and that layer of the onion just past the free oil changes needs to be peeled back so that it can be seen.

Oh wow, thanks for the heads-up!. In 8 years I've never had any issues with my Mazda dealer- but yet there actually IS a problem.
Got it.

As for not defending incompetents hacks, anyone can read through A Mechanic's Life - Tales From Under the Hood and see for themselves. You even gave a "no harm, no foul" pass to a dealer service tech who had instructed another tech to learn how to drive a manual by practicing on a brand new Mazda that he was supposed to PDI.

thecardoc3

There is a difference between giving a pass and trying to level the perspective.

longtimelurker

You both raise interesting points, but I am interested in hearing from Edmunds on how this was handled and how it will be handled going forward, by Edmunds. I had already asked why comments that the work was done incorrectly back in August were not addressed, and as for the next course of action, I don't think I would just dismiss a 66% overfilled crankcase over the past 10k miles with "still running strong and smooth..." and dump it onto the next owner, if it were within my power to have the dealership take responsibility for their error (maybe an extended warranty, etc. - ?). I don't think that's the right thing to do.

dgcamero

The technician probably drained the oil too quickly after shutdown, so only 3 quarts drained out, and then refilled with 7 quarts. You were likely driving around with half of the original oil for the second service interval. Too bad you didn't get a sample for analysis.

Ford should probably replace at least the oil caps and dipsticks on the 2.7TTs with some that have warnings to wait 15 minutes before checking or draining oil, and perhaps a sticker near the drain plug that reiterates the warning. Also it seems reasonable for them to implement an oil level sensor as a running upgrade to the engines.

emajor

Well, I'll never buy a used 2.7 Ecoboost F150. Apparently even a clean-looking example with a documented service history could still hide the fact that it was overfilled by 4 full quarts.

The oil change procedure doesn't look onerous at all, and even the 15 minute wait time is no big deal. But it is really disturbing that technicians employed by the Ford dealership haven't been properly trained to handle someone's $40K Ford vehicle during such a basic maintenance procedure.

Excellent post, Dan. Any chance you will be bringing this up with the dealer?

paengineer

As some other comments note, its not just a Ford issue. Our local Honda dealer managed to put an extra quart into our 01 Accord and tightened the filter so much I needed a small pipe wrench to loosen it.

Regarding the Motorcraft blend oil, it seems to be pretty good stuff, at least in normally aspirated engines. I can' t say about the boosted ones. I routinely ship samples for testing and it was about as good as my last full synthetic change in my 5.4L V8 after 5000 miles, much to my surprise.

All this being said, I'm surprised no one at Edmunds checked the oil since the previous oil change and picked up on the previous service mistake, especially given all of the towing and mileage in between.

reminder

Strange that nobody commented about the fact that it takes 15 minutes to get the majority of the oil back into the pan. Clearly not a common arrangement. I'm going to speculate that the reason the motor was built this way was to keep some surplus oil in the upper reaches of the motor to pull excess heat away. Maybe.

explorerx4

Dan,
That was a very enlightening post. The 2.7 seems like a Ferrari (or at least Italian) engine put in a Ford pickup.
Time to bring back the old Ronnie Regan, 'Trust but verify', when it comes to service.
The dealer I usually get my service done at has a dedicated truck service building, so maybe they're more savvy about the product.

explorerx4

I did some checking the oil drain plug lists for about $7. Another thing, the owner's manual does not specifically say the wait time is for the 2.7.

ab348

This entire thing seems like an engineer run wild - the cartridge filter and o-rings (why is a cartridge with the added complexity better than a spin-on?) to the odd drain plug to the 15 minute drain time (what is the oil doing for all that time?). Ford engineering always seems rather strange and this is just another example.

isellhondas

When I was very young I worked part time at a local gas station and I did a lot of oil changes.

I remember we hated the older cars that had cartridge oil filters. Some were difficult to deal with getting the o rings and gaskets lined up just right so they wouldn't leak.

So, now, it seems cartridge systems are back on a lot of cars? I mean WHY?

Just seems like a step backwards.

roadburner

isellhondas said:

So, now, it seems cartridge systems are back on a lot of cars? I mean WHY?

Just seems like a step backwards.

The cartridge systems that are mounted in the engine compartment are-in my opinion-a step forward. All you have to due is unscrew the housing cap, pull off the old cartridge, stick on the new one, and screw the cap back on. No need to get under the car, no oil running down your arm like you often get when you unscrew a spin on filter, and absolutely NO leaks. This photo of the engine compartment in my 318ti shows where the cartridge is located(and yes, I know it needs a thorough cleaning):

rwthomas1

Plastic oil pan and drain plug??? No thanks. Any decent piece of debris or a light bump Off-road and pop goes the weasel! I believe cartridge filters are more eco friendly, easier to recycle? A spin on filter right next to the drain plug still makes more sense to me. I'm under there anyway....

thecardoc3

BTW. No one ever put their finger on the real reason for the advice to wait to use the dipstick and check the oil level after adding oil or running the engine. Oil that is higher in the engine will be flowing back to the pan and it can drip right onto the dip stick when you are trying to check the level making it next to impossible to see where it is really at. The result is that it makes it look like you overfilled the engine, not under filled it was assumed here.

mbitsko

Coming up on 10,000 miles on my 2.7 EB. 4x4 Super Crew. Lifetime fuel economy is 22.6. I routinely beat 24 mpg on a tank in mixed suburban and high speed freeway, which in my state means 70 to 75 mph. We have long stretches of 80 mph, and this truck will average about 20 mpg even at that speed. Yes, I deliberately try to use as little fuel as possible. But I don't hypermile either. Gentle acceleration (unless a rice boy wants to race), and set the cruise at the posted speed limit.

I did some towing, deadheading a fairly heavy flatbed trailer with a ramp in the back acting like a drag chute, and the fuel economy plummeted. This engine is THE best choice by far if you only occasionally use the truck as a truck, like most pickups are used, but if you tow or haul regularly the 3.5 EB is the correct choice. Why anyone would want the V8 is beyond me. It does nothing well.

mbitsko

rwthomas1 said:

Plastic oil pan and drain plug??? No thanks. Any decent piece of debris or a light bump Off-road and pop goes the weasel! I believe cartridge filters are more eco friendly, easier to recycle? A spin on filter right next to the drain plug still makes more sense to me. I'm under there anyway....

You don't know much about plastic. Aluminum pans will crack. Sheet steel ones are a bit more forgiving, but you can still put a hole in one. The plastic that Ford uses is indestructible. You could drop the entire truck on it. Absolutely the toughest oil pan out there.

They use the best material for each part of the 2.7. Aluminum alloy heads. CGI cylinder block, like the diesels. High-strength aluminum crankcase with a "ladder" design and multiple crossmembers. And the indestructible plastic pan. There are no compromises with this motor. It's a monster.

mbitsko

mbitsko said:

rwthomas1 said:

Plastic oil pan and drain plug??? No thanks. Any decent piece of debris or a light bump Off-road and pop goes the weasel! I believe cartridge filters are more eco friendly, easier to recycle? A spin on filter right next to the drain plug still makes more sense to me. I'm under there anyway....

You don't know much about plastic. Aluminum pans will crack. Sheet steel ones are a bit more forgiving, but you can still put a hole in one. The plastic that Ford uses is indestructible. You could drop the entire truck on it. Absolutely the toughest oil pan out there.

They use the best material for each part of the 2.7. Aluminum alloy heads. CGI cylinder block, like the diesels. High-strength aluminum crankcase with a "ladder" design and multiple crossmembers. And the indestructible plastic pan. There are no compromises with this motor. It's a monster.

I find it hard to believe you'd pooh-pooh the oil pan, yet you say you want a cheap spin-on filter right down there where it can catch a rock.

It's all a moot point to me anyhow. I always put heavy duty skid plates under my trucks just on general principle. Aluminum in this case, since it's not a dedicated offroading machine. I just wanted something tougher than the cheap fiber aerodynamic shields that Ford uses. My oil pan could be made out of newspaper for all I care. But the reality is that the plastic one is more than ample, skid plates or no skid plates.

mbitsko

explorerx4 said:

I did some checking the oil drain plug lists for about $7. Another thing, the owner's manual does not specifically say the wait time is for the 2.7.

The owner's manual specifies waiting 15 minutes before checking the oil level. Waiting that long before draining it follows logically. Perhaps they assume Ford owners are smart?

saratogasteve

isellhondas said:

When I was very young I worked part time at a local gas station and I did a lot of oil changes.

I remember we hated the older cars that had cartridge oil filters. Some were difficult to deal with getting the o rings and gaskets lined up just right so they wouldn't leak.

So, now, it seems cartridge systems are back on a lot of cars? I mean WHY?

Just seems like a step backwards.

so now we know why you rail against the idea of using the quick lube place to do an oil change - because you yourself worked at one.
did this story not tell you how incompetent it can get at the dealer?

I think I'm beginning to figure you out ISELL!

saratogasteve

This thread is a great tutorial for the 2.7 litre eco boost! Much appreciated - I can't believe you managed to take pictures with one hand while the other was covered in oil as the oil was exiting the drain pan. Really well written instruction with pics.

I'm not surprised that it's the dealer that botched the first oil change. My last F150 came with two complimentary changes and they tried to charge me for a new drain plug after oil change two. Service tech said the other drain plug was stripped. I said "you're the only place I've had the oil changed at, so guess what?!"

I now have the 2016 F150 with the 2.7 ltr eco boost engine. Haven't had the first change as of yet, but am glad I read this.

isellhondas

saratogasteve said:

isellhondas said:

When I was very young I worked part time at a local gas station and I did a lot of oil changes.

I remember we hated the older cars that had cartridge oil filters. Some were difficult to deal with getting the o rings and gaskets lined up just right so they wouldn't leak.

So, now, it seems cartridge systems are back on a lot of cars? I mean WHY?

Just seems like a step backwards.

so now we know why you rail against the idea of using the quick lube place to do an oil change - because you yourself worked at one.
did this story not tell you how incompetent it can get at the dealer?

I think I'm beginning to figure you out ISELL!

Trying to insult me or are you just sarcastic?

I never worked in a quickie Lube place but, yes, I did work in a gas station part time when I was going to school. I did a LOT of oil changes and I never botched one. I always made sure there were no leaks afterwards and that everything was done right.

I'm trying to figure out what your point is here?

Any shop can botch an oil change including a car dealer. I think a person's CHANCES of an error being committed would be less at a dealer or a quality independent.

That's all...I'm done!

roadburner

isellhondas said:

Any shop can botch an oil change including a car dealer. I think a person's CHANCES of an error being committed would be less at a dealer or a quality independent.

I agree 100%; I wouldn't even take my Wrangler to a quick lube place. I insist that only sentient beings touch my cars.

thecardoc3

roadburner said:

I agree 100% I insist that only sentient beings touch my cars.

Hmm, that pretty much rules out DIY, doesn't it....

saratogasteve

This tutorial is a perfect example how inept it can be at the dealer. I too shared my story getting oil changed at the dealer where you pay more while often waiting several hours and they can still get it wrong. On the flip side I have close to 100 oil changes over the years with all my vehicles at the quick lube shop without a problem.

Larrylee

Great tutorial. Thanks' so much for taking the time, script and pictures. for all to benefit from: Larry w.

Samuel39

My apologies to bring this up again. My concern is also about changing the oil for my 2010 F150. I am curious what is brand of oil is everyone using here. I am just using regular oil but I believe if the car is getting older the more I need to change to a fully synthetic? I am about to hit 150,000 miles. There are lots of types of oil out there and upon researching, I came across a good article that has a comprehensive review that helped me choose the best oil. I am leaning towards Valvoline High mileage 5w-30. Do you have other recommendations?

roadburner

I have 3 cars that have north of 120k miles on the clock. I have just continued using the same oil brand and grade, but now I add a can of Liqui Moly Motor Oil Saver to keep the seals and gaskets pliant