Hey, I've been a user of discoweb for years, but saw this forum and thought I'd share my recent professional service experience. Maybe it can help someone else make an informed decision as to where to take their Disco in the NW.

My wife took our Discovery II to PDX Rovers (an hour and a half from our home) for a major scheduled service in December. We had 75k on the clock and, other than plenty of brake jobs, we'd been pretty lucky with it. The crew at PDX Rovers took care of the service the day of our appointment and sent us on our way.

The next week we had some issues with codes indicating misfires on two cylinders. This was not a problem we had previously encountered. I switched plugs (from the irridiums they installed to NGKs) and the wires and we were back on the road without issue.

Yesterday, I went to change the oil for the first time since the service at PDX Rovers. I drained the pan and then tried to loosen the filter. I had no luck. So I tried a filter wrench (cap style and band style), still no luck. Through these attempts I had applied enough torque that it badly damaged the filter. At this point I was committed to finishing the job as I couldn't trust the filter to hold oil enough to drive it to a shop. I bought a plier style filter wrench and tried again... the filter was torqued on so tight that it actually broke the wrench. After about 4 hours of fiddling I had the filter off (in a dozen pieces).

Today I took the hour and a half drive to Portland to visit Francis at his shop. I brought the pieces of the filter with me in a bag to show him the level of difficulty I had removing it. I wanted to ask if he would be willing to reimburse me for the cost of the wrench I needed to remove the filter and that had subsequently broke. When he walked in the door, before I could say a word, he told me he wasn't giving me anything. He said his son (the receptionist) had called him and told him what I wanted and that there was no way. I tried to explain my story several times (calmly with plenty of sirs and pleases) and was told several times that he'd never seen anything like this "idiocy," wasn't going to give me anything, and couldn't believe that I would ask him for anything. All this while his receptionist stood by and recorded our conversation on his i-phone. Then Francis asked me to leave, which I did (still calmly).

This is my experience with PDX Rovers and Francis. Take from it what you like. The Disco has clean oil and I have a lesson learned.

-Peter

 

I would have not have wasted the gas.

I have found after many years that the tools that are sold to people are for the most
part junk.
The tools used in a shop are made to last and are much better made.
If a oil filter starts to crush you need to get to the base of it to remove it.

The way they treated you was not good.

To drive a hour and a half are you sure you just wanted the ten buck for the oil filter
wrench?

 

well maybe you can get the wrench money back from the place you bought it from. I have found that the dealership doesnt give a crap and will make you feel like poor crap if you dont throw all your money at them. I feel more confident working on my rover myself. The y really talk up their techs and in my case, they were younger and less experienced than myself, and Im only 29. I have spent a lot of time under my truck but when it is done, I know it is done right. I can understand not having the time though if that is the case. Anyway, welcome to the forum, this is by far the best one out there, people will definitely give their opinions, in my opinion!

 

Landzuii--

You are totally right, it wasn't worth driving the hour and a half to Portland just to complain. I have a 2 day meeting in Portland that started this afternoon, so I was already making the trip.

As for taking the filter off, when the cap-style tool that attaches to a ratchet started to crumple the filter, I turned to a strap wrench. I put the strap wrench at the very base of the filter, but the attempt resulted in the metal distorting only further. The plier-style filter wrench was the best tool I tried, as you can grip the filter solely on the rigid lip at the base. This is the tool that eventually got the filter loose, but also the tool that broke in the process. I agree wholeheartedly about the quality of over the counter tools.

-P

 

Thanks- I just finished graduate school and will hopefully have more time to get out and wheel again. I'll start checking this site.

-P

 

So go file a complaint with the BBB and check with your local District Att's office to see if they can help you.

 

also, start using the k&n filters. they have a lug welded on to the filter that you can use a socket to get off. WAY EASIER!

 

Well that is unfortunate. Not all dealerships are the same, and sometimes it can be more like a stealership. I have had good and bad experiences with them, but that is why I do the majority of my maintenance work myself. Sometimes you have to take it in, but for the most part do it yourself if you can, especially oil changes.
Welcome, enjoy

 

Or you could just install the filter properly.

As for the dealer, a professional mechanic should know better than to use a filter wrench to install a filter. X2 with filing a complain with the BBB, that's the only way I was able to get anything out of Rock Auto.

 

Hand Tight is all an Oil Filter should be tightened. I had to punch a long ScrewDriver thru
the filter to twist it loose the first time I changed the oil in my disco. somebody had tightened it on with a filter wrench and boy was it a mess...