I just finished my first oil change on my 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The first oil change, the dealer did at no charge... So, this is actually the second oil change for the vehicle, but the first I did myself.

So, I drain the oil and take off the oil filter housing and when I pull it out there is NO FILTER installed. The gaskets are there, but absolutely no oil filter inside of there.

I looked at the receipt I got from the dealer at the change they did and it indicates the correct oil filter as a part they used, but unless the Escapes eat oil filters, they never installed it.

I'm pretty worried now about what could have happened the last 5,000 miles or so as I was driving around with no filter, plus I am pissed at the dealer for doing such a **** poor job.

What do you think I should do, and what is a reasonable thing to ask of the dealer to make this right?

I've done my own oil changes on my vehicles since I was 16, so it's not like I could have "missed" the filter actually being there. The only problem is its my word against theirs.

 

Keep in mind that it is WAY to expensive for the dealer to use highly compensated, expereinced & trained personell for ROUTINE maintainance procedures. There MUST be entry level jobs for all those McD flipper graduates.

Probably no damage resulted.

 

This will shorten the engine life, some...

It wasn't until the 50s that engines had filters at all. You caught it, be glad that you did. Put in a new one and get on with it. If you trade cars every 3-6 years you won't notice a thing.

Tell the dealer. He may not do much, and may not believe you, but he may be having a problem with a certain mechanic and this may fit, so he may do something. But he likely won't do much for you. He may offer an oil change or something like that for free next time you come in.

In the end, no big deal, although you are right to be upset about it.

 

WWest, would you say that only entry-level employees do oil changes in most car repair garages, like Firestone or Goodyear? Or do you just basically dislike Ford dealer service centers?

 

I advise my friends to NEVER use one of the third party franchises like Firestone/Goodyear. They all pay the mechanic/technicians a hefty commission for upselling extra parts.

I do advise my friends to ALWAYS use the factory dealer service department for any serious level of remedial work to be done. They have ALL of the factory documentation at hand and even beyond that they will have work experience, history, primarily ONLY on the dealer marque.

I don't know what I would do if I wasn't able to DIY for all the routine maintainance stuff. Luckily the number of things to accomplish routinely grows smaller every year I grow older.

 

Most oil filters have a spring loaded bypass that will allow oil flow to bypass the filter should it become mostly fully clogged. A good thing to do, maybe, is the next time around have a good look, inspect, the oil filter you remove to see how much "debris" it collected.

If it is heavily clogged then that would be a good indication of what went through the engine while there was no filter.

 

First engine oil filters DO NOT filter 100% of the pressurized oil. The engine take a SMALL portion and runs it through the filter, so over time all of the oil passes through the filter.

Secondly all filter brands are not alike, some filter finer particles than others.

Most shops the best techs do not do the scheduled maintenance. An entry level (oil changes) or mid level tech do them. The best techs are called in to look if something is unusual. Most people do not want to pay for competent service on their cars.

 

True about the old cars, but that was somewhat mitigated by several factor. First, they ran at much lower RPM, and second, they used non-detergent oil, which caused sludge to collect in out-of-the way places