This is what the foreman at the Dodge dealership told me today.
Backlog for folks who don't know me around here... but I'm a disabled vet. I could probably do my own oil change... but getting on the floor and getting up again are definite challenges. So, when I bought this Redeye, I got the 10-year free oil change package. I had it out with my local dealership, and this time, I took it 40 minutes north to GEORGIA from Tallahassee to get the oil changed.
As they were changing the oil, I did that whole spy on the tech thing by pretending to be talking on my phone. He never even moved to where the oil cooler is. I then watched him take a giant funnel and put 7 quarts of oil down the thing and that was that. Now, prior to handing them the keys, I told the advisor don't over-fill the oil or we'll be doing this oil change again.
They drive the car around, I check the oil, sure enough it's a good half to 3/4 quart over full. The advisor says the tech noticed there was no oil cooler equipped on the car. My response was, "Well, this is a bone stock car and every Hellcat, Redeye, Demon, and Super Stock made since 2015 has one in the same place. Mine's got one too." Usually, most people would say something like, "Huh, well let me go check with the tech." No, this guy says, "Sir, there is no oil cooler on this vehicle."
I said great, put it on the lift and get your foreman, the guy who worked on it and his boss out here and I'll show you guys where it is, what tools you need to drain it, and while you're doing that, I'll even pull up the Mopar service procedure that tells you how to do it. He says, "Sir, I can't make this more clear... your car does not have an oil cooler."
I just waved him off and when they got it in the air again, I pulled back the bottom cover a little and said, "Kindly tell me what that is?" The foreman's response was, "That's a cooler for the A/C refrigerant." No, I told him... that is over... here in the middle in front of the radiator. And showed him. I then followed the line coming out of the cooler and it goes... "So, there's refrigerant in my engine then? Or, is this probably an oil cooler?"
"It's not an oil cooler."
So, I said, "Look, you don't know me... but I know a little thing or two about this car." I pulled out 3 $20 bills and a mess of $1s and $5s. "This is all the cash I have on me... but I'll bet you, that if you undo that fitting there, oil is going to come out of it and not refrigerant." He then goes, "Well, I'll take your money then bill you to refill the refrigerant." I agreed and, sure enough, oil comes out of the thing.
I then said, "Look, I don't want your money. This is a teachable moment. I'm not trying to bean A-hole, but I would like for you to learn from this because if you've quote, "Done lots of oil changes on Hellcats," then you've done them all wrong. Every single one of them. I told him that I could honestly care less if the cooler was drained or not. I'd prefer if it was, but if you don't know how fragile this thing can be, I'd rather you didn't mess with it and instead of filling to the 7qt spec, put in 6 and feather in the last quart until it reads full.
But, sadly, he didn't take kindly to my alpha man splaining. "Sir, I know how to do my job." To which I replied, "Well, so long as your job is behind a desk, I won't argue, but if you're going to tell me that you do Hellcat oil changes for a living, then you not knowing where the vital components of the oil system are located on your brand's halo cars is kind of telling me otherwise."
The thing that pisses me off the most is that I can't just do this myself and avoid all the hassle to begin with. I can't put a lift in this garage (has a floating floor). So, I'm going to have to find another location to change my oil because... honestly, someone who's worked there for quote, "7 years" and has never been trained how to do an oil change on a Hellcat at a Dodge dealership... well, they're not for me.
Backlog for folks who don't know me around here... but I'm a disabled vet. I could probably do my own oil change... but getting on the floor and getting up again are definite challenges. So, when I bought this Redeye, I got the 10-year free oil change package. I had it out with my local dealership, and this time, I took it 40 minutes north to GEORGIA from Tallahassee to get the oil changed.
As they were changing the oil, I did that whole spy on the tech thing by pretending to be talking on my phone. He never even moved to where the oil cooler is. I then watched him take a giant funnel and put 7 quarts of oil down the thing and that was that. Now, prior to handing them the keys, I told the advisor don't over-fill the oil or we'll be doing this oil change again.
They drive the car around, I check the oil, sure enough it's a good half to 3/4 quart over full. The advisor says the tech noticed there was no oil cooler equipped on the car. My response was, "Well, this is a bone stock car and every Hellcat, Redeye, Demon, and Super Stock made since 2015 has one in the same place. Mine's got one too." Usually, most people would say something like, "Huh, well let me go check with the tech." No, this guy says, "Sir, there is no oil cooler on this vehicle."
I said great, put it on the lift and get your foreman, the guy who worked on it and his boss out here and I'll show you guys where it is, what tools you need to drain it, and while you're doing that, I'll even pull up the Mopar service procedure that tells you how to do it. He says, "Sir, I can't make this more clear... your car does not have an oil cooler."
I just waved him off and when they got it in the air again, I pulled back the bottom cover a little and said, "Kindly tell me what that is?" The foreman's response was, "That's a cooler for the A/C refrigerant." No, I told him... that is over... here in the middle in front of the radiator. And showed him. I then followed the line coming out of the cooler and it goes... "So, there's refrigerant in my engine then? Or, is this probably an oil cooler?"
"It's not an oil cooler."
So, I said, "Look, you don't know me... but I know a little thing or two about this car." I pulled out 3 $20 bills and a mess of $1s and $5s. "This is all the cash I have on me... but I'll bet you, that if you undo that fitting there, oil is going to come out of it and not refrigerant." He then goes, "Well, I'll take your money then bill you to refill the refrigerant." I agreed and, sure enough, oil comes out of the thing.
I then said, "Look, I don't want your money. This is a teachable moment. I'm not trying to bean A-hole, but I would like for you to learn from this because if you've quote, "Done lots of oil changes on Hellcats," then you've done them all wrong. Every single one of them. I told him that I could honestly care less if the cooler was drained or not. I'd prefer if it was, but if you don't know how fragile this thing can be, I'd rather you didn't mess with it and instead of filling to the 7qt spec, put in 6 and feather in the last quart until it reads full.
But, sadly, he didn't take kindly to my alpha man splaining. "Sir, I know how to do my job." To which I replied, "Well, so long as your job is behind a desk, I won't argue, but if you're going to tell me that you do Hellcat oil changes for a living, then you not knowing where the vital components of the oil system are located on your brand's halo cars is kind of telling me otherwise."
The thing that pisses me off the most is that I can't just do this myself and avoid all the hassle to begin with. I can't put a lift in this garage (has a floating floor). So, I'm going to have to find another location to change my oil because... honestly, someone who's worked there for quote, "7 years" and has never been trained how to do an oil change on a Hellcat at a Dodge dealership... well, they're not for me.
