How's Hasting CF410 oil filter?

Years ago, they made very good quality filters. I don't know if they have kept up, though. I didn't find any reviews of their filters on the net, either.

Jeff

I do not have any experience with Hasting filters, but if you are concerned about the filter, you can bring your own filter of your choice to the shop and ask them to install it when you bring the car in for oil changes.

Not all shops will allow you to bring your own parts, though. In which case, you can do what I did when a shop declined to let me bring my own filter and/or oil. I went and had someone else do the work.

Jeff

Not all shops will allow you to bring your own parts, though. In which case, you can do what I did when a shop declined to let me bring my own filter and/or oil. I went and had someone else do the work.

Jeff

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If (theoretically) a customer brought a Toyota oil filter to be installed on their Toyota, and the mechanic refused to use it, it's time for a new mechanic.

Not all shops will allow you to bring your own parts, though. In which case, you can do what I did when a shop declined to let me bring my own filter and/or oil. I went and had someone else do the work.

Jeff

**************** Yup, or do what I do and change the oil myself.

I have never been to an oil change place that did not allow the customer to supply their own filter. Some will give a $1 discount, and others will not (which shows you how much their filters are worth).

I have only brought my own oil a few times, but never had a problem with that either.

I am talking about places that specialize in oil changes, not major service shops.

ou

I wouldn't take a car to a p;ace that specializes in oil changes. The tech are often unqualified and poorly trained. And they often recommend things, like transmission flushes (aka, wallet flushes) , that are not necessary.

I only take my car to places where the workers have a clue.

I wouldn't take a car to a p;ace that specializes in oil changes. The tech are often unqualified and poorly trained. And they often recommend things, like transmission flushes (aka, wallet flushes) , that are not necessary.

I only take my car to places where the workers have a clue.

===================

There's always someone who wants evidence. Here's some. :-)

Changing oil is not rocket science. However I do try and select independent shops or regional chains that have franchises that are independently owned and not owned by a big corporation. It is not uncommon to find the actual shop owner at an independently owned franchise, and they typical have much better employees. These tend to be regional in nature and include Express Oil Change in the Southeast and Grease Monkey in Colorado and a few other states. I do not use Jiffy Lube.

I don't think the quality of workers who changes oil at a dealership are any better than oil change places on average. The regular techs will not be ones changing your oil in most cases. There have been plenty of horror stories posted on this newsgroup for oil changes done by dealers that have been.

Also, at a dealership you usually can't see what they are doing due to the way their shops are set up. Dealers tend to use 10W-30 not matter what you ask for or what the manufacturer recommends, because they don't like to stock a lot of different viscosities in the bulk containers (which is the cheapest way to buy oil).

With regard to recommending unnecessary services, I have not found that to be more prevalent at oil change places than at dealerships, but even if it where true, who cares? I just say "no thanks."

You said "I do try and select..."

Sounds like an ongoing process that never ends. Why don't you just pick one and stick with it?

As I mentioned previously, I never use Jiffy Lube. Never. There are plenty of other small independent firms that specialize in oil changes that do a good job.

Secondly, I ALWAYS stand in front of the car and watch what they are doing. ALWAYS. I am technically outside of the garage, about 10 feet in front of the car, so there is no problem. People who are too lazy to watch them work on your car and want to drink coffee in the waiting room should think twice about doing that.

Third, I never get extras at an oil change place. Never. The scam that Jiffy Lube had was to charge for extras like transmission fluid change or fuel filter change, and then not do the work. I have these things done at a dealer.

I would change the oil myself, but it makes a big mess. And it is getting harder to reach the oil drain plug even with jacking up the car (either cars are getting lower, or I am getting wider).

To each his own. I believe that there's something to be said for having all my repair records in one place with one shop. And, the mechanic who does my oil changes also takes care of a couple of other lube points in the drive train, as required by the Tacoma's manual. He also encourages customers to take a look at the other things he pokes & checks under their vehicles. Last time I checked, I'm paying $5 to $8 more per visit compared to the oil change places. So worst case, I'm paying $24 more per year. Cheap insurance.

I do, but over the years I moved to different cities.

If I had a mechanic (other than at a dealer) that did my other maintenance, I would not have a problem with them doing oil changes. But I do not like to have my oil changed at a dealer because I can't watch and see exactly what fluid they are using. All the oil change receipts are in my glove compartment.

I almost always have all other maintenance other than oil changes done at the dealer. Tires at Discount Tire.

A Tocama? I didn't realize you drove a global warming machine, but the hypocrisy is not surprising.

It has been my experance that all of the 10 minute oil change places tend to hire cheap help. Most of them give their people about 10 minutes of OJT and then turn them loose.

Yes, you are right in this. Oil changes are a low margin business and most dealers only do them as a service to their customers. The same guy who washes cars changes oil.

I have not found this to be true. If you don't specify what weight or brand oil you want, then they will use whatever they have in bulk. But it you specify what you want, they will use it if they have it in stock. They don't stock the same selection as your local Auto Zone and it might cost you a couple of bucks more but they will use what you want if possible. Their thinking is, "If you can't trust the dealer with an oil change, can you trust them with a major repair job?"

Again, you are right. "Extra" services is where the money is!

Jack j

My philosophy is that unless I can see what they are putting into my crankcase, I don't trust them. It could be by mistake, or it could be deliberate ("That stupid customer doesn't know anything about cars and using

10W-30 instead of 5W-30 will not cause any problems"), but I guarantee that if you don't watch them, then at some point in your life someone will put in something different than what you asked for.

Since I use synthetic oil, I am especially paranoid of someone putting in conventional oil (since I pay extra for synthetic).

I treat oil change workers like I treat the Russians. Trust, but verify.

If the dealer does the oil change, there is (usually) no practical way to verify what they put in there, and they know that. As I said before, when I have my oil changed at an oil change shop, I always stand about 10 feet in front of the car (outside of the garage and out of their way) to watch what they are doing.

Since I tow a boat, there was no other good option available in 2004 when I bought the Tacoma.

Would you like to debate the absolutely perfect methods I used to evaluate the various options before buying the Tacoma?

Is it a sailboat, or are you polluting the waters and wasting fuel puttering around in your motor boat? I think you are guilty as charged.

Let's back up.

You said: "A Tocama? I didn't realize you drove a global warming machine, but the hypocrisy is not surprising."

Hypocrisy? Where did you get that from? We can't continue until you explain that. There must be something from past conversations which made you say "hypocrisy".

What was it?