where in Bay Area to go change the timing belt on a 98 Civic?
#46
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: where in Bay Area to go change the timing belt on a 98 Civic?
"gigelus2k3" <popescu.serban@gmail.com> wrote
> One thing they talked about was that the oil drain plug
> was abused in
> the past (probably crappy jobs at oil-change stations in
> Chicago) and
> that the oil pan thread was almost ruined. They suggested
> and I aggreed
> to put in a valve instead (see fumotousa.com). It seems so
> simple that
> it makes me a little suspicious, surely there's a catch!
> Have you ever
> heard of this?
I replaced my 91 Civic's oil drain plug with a Fumoto valve
a few years ago. Didn't like it--seemed to leak. I just went
to one of the local auto parts stores and bought a new plug.
No drips. I also now use a torque wrench to tighten the new
plug to the specified torque. Plus I always use a new
washer.
Others have reported that they love their Fumoto valves.
Glad to hear the Car Talk site turned up what might be a
good shop for you.
> One thing they talked about was that the oil drain plug
> was abused in
> the past (probably crappy jobs at oil-change stations in
> Chicago) and
> that the oil pan thread was almost ruined. They suggested
> and I aggreed
> to put in a valve instead (see fumotousa.com). It seems so
> simple that
> it makes me a little suspicious, surely there's a catch!
> Have you ever
> heard of this?
I replaced my 91 Civic's oil drain plug with a Fumoto valve
a few years ago. Didn't like it--seemed to leak. I just went
to one of the local auto parts stores and bought a new plug.
No drips. I also now use a torque wrench to tighten the new
plug to the specified torque. Plus I always use a new
washer.
Others have reported that they love their Fumoto valves.
Glad to hear the Car Talk site turned up what might be a
good shop for you.
#47
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: where in Bay Area to go change the timing belt on a 98 Civic?
gigelus2k3 wrote:
>
> I went to cartalk.com and there were a few service shops with more than
> 3-4 reports, among them Mr. Mazda and Foreign Affair. Since the latter
> is specialized in Honda/Acura and they're conveniently located close to
> my job place, I ended up going with them. The car is now in their shop
> (I asked them to do some other things beside replacing the TB); at
> least the TB change job was reasonably priced (around 600 bucks all
> included) and they seem a very serious shop.
Glad to hear they worked out for you. They're not cheap, but they do an
excellent job. And in my experience, they don't recommend unnecessary
repairs.
> One thing they talked about was that the oil drain plug was abused in
> the past (probably crappy jobs at oil-change stations in Chicago) and
> that the oil pan thread was almost ruined. They suggested and I aggreed
> to put in a valve instead (see fumotousa.com). It seems so simple that
> it makes me a little suspicious, surely there's a catch! Have you ever
> heard of this?
Yup. Never used it, but a friend of mine had it on his Subaru. He loved
it. It's extremely convenient, especially if you do your own oil
changes. And if you go to the fast lube places, it ensures they won't
completely destroy the threads! I don't remember exactly how this thing
is designed, but you may want to make sure there's enough clearance,
etc., so the valve doesn't accidently open and drain out all the oil.
Another caveat is that you may not be able to get all the oil out of
the pan, because it extends a little bit above the drain. If you're
regular with your oil changes and warm up the engine before you do
them, it shouldn't matter.
Good luck!
BT
>
> I went to cartalk.com and there were a few service shops with more than
> 3-4 reports, among them Mr. Mazda and Foreign Affair. Since the latter
> is specialized in Honda/Acura and they're conveniently located close to
> my job place, I ended up going with them. The car is now in their shop
> (I asked them to do some other things beside replacing the TB); at
> least the TB change job was reasonably priced (around 600 bucks all
> included) and they seem a very serious shop.
Glad to hear they worked out for you. They're not cheap, but they do an
excellent job. And in my experience, they don't recommend unnecessary
repairs.
> One thing they talked about was that the oil drain plug was abused in
> the past (probably crappy jobs at oil-change stations in Chicago) and
> that the oil pan thread was almost ruined. They suggested and I aggreed
> to put in a valve instead (see fumotousa.com). It seems so simple that
> it makes me a little suspicious, surely there's a catch! Have you ever
> heard of this?
Yup. Never used it, but a friend of mine had it on his Subaru. He loved
it. It's extremely convenient, especially if you do your own oil
changes. And if you go to the fast lube places, it ensures they won't
completely destroy the threads! I don't remember exactly how this thing
is designed, but you may want to make sure there's enough clearance,
etc., so the valve doesn't accidently open and drain out all the oil.
Another caveat is that you may not be able to get all the oil out of
the pan, because it extends a little bit above the drain. If you're
regular with your oil changes and warm up the engine before you do
them, it shouldn't matter.
Good luck!
BT
#48
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: where in Bay Area to go change the timing belt on a 98 Civic?
gigelus2k3 wrote:
>
> I went to cartalk.com and there were a few service shops with more than
> 3-4 reports, among them Mr. Mazda and Foreign Affair. Since the latter
> is specialized in Honda/Acura and they're conveniently located close to
> my job place, I ended up going with them. The car is now in their shop
> (I asked them to do some other things beside replacing the TB); at
> least the TB change job was reasonably priced (around 600 bucks all
> included) and they seem a very serious shop.
Glad to hear they worked out for you. They're not cheap, but they do an
excellent job. And in my experience, they don't recommend unnecessary
repairs.
> One thing they talked about was that the oil drain plug was abused in
> the past (probably crappy jobs at oil-change stations in Chicago) and
> that the oil pan thread was almost ruined. They suggested and I aggreed
> to put in a valve instead (see fumotousa.com). It seems so simple that
> it makes me a little suspicious, surely there's a catch! Have you ever
> heard of this?
Yup. Never used it, but a friend of mine had it on his Subaru. He loved
it. It's extremely convenient, especially if you do your own oil
changes. And if you go to the fast lube places, it ensures they won't
completely destroy the threads! I don't remember exactly how this thing
is designed, but you may want to make sure there's enough clearance,
etc., so the valve doesn't accidently open and drain out all the oil.
Another caveat is that you may not be able to get all the oil out of
the pan, because it extends a little bit above the drain. If you're
regular with your oil changes and warm up the engine before you do
them, it shouldn't matter.
Good luck!
BT
>
> I went to cartalk.com and there were a few service shops with more than
> 3-4 reports, among them Mr. Mazda and Foreign Affair. Since the latter
> is specialized in Honda/Acura and they're conveniently located close to
> my job place, I ended up going with them. The car is now in their shop
> (I asked them to do some other things beside replacing the TB); at
> least the TB change job was reasonably priced (around 600 bucks all
> included) and they seem a very serious shop.
Glad to hear they worked out for you. They're not cheap, but they do an
excellent job. And in my experience, they don't recommend unnecessary
repairs.
> One thing they talked about was that the oil drain plug was abused in
> the past (probably crappy jobs at oil-change stations in Chicago) and
> that the oil pan thread was almost ruined. They suggested and I aggreed
> to put in a valve instead (see fumotousa.com). It seems so simple that
> it makes me a little suspicious, surely there's a catch! Have you ever
> heard of this?
Yup. Never used it, but a friend of mine had it on his Subaru. He loved
it. It's extremely convenient, especially if you do your own oil
changes. And if you go to the fast lube places, it ensures they won't
completely destroy the threads! I don't remember exactly how this thing
is designed, but you may want to make sure there's enough clearance,
etc., so the valve doesn't accidently open and drain out all the oil.
Another caveat is that you may not be able to get all the oil out of
the pan, because it extends a little bit above the drain. If you're
regular with your oil changes and warm up the engine before you do
them, it shouldn't matter.
Good luck!
BT
#49
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: where in Bay Area to go change the timing belt on a 98 Civic?
gigelus2k3 wrote:
>
> I went to cartalk.com and there were a few service shops with more than
> 3-4 reports, among them Mr. Mazda and Foreign Affair. Since the latter
> is specialized in Honda/Acura and they're conveniently located close to
> my job place, I ended up going with them. The car is now in their shop
> (I asked them to do some other things beside replacing the TB); at
> least the TB change job was reasonably priced (around 600 bucks all
> included) and they seem a very serious shop.
Glad to hear they worked out for you. They're not cheap, but they do an
excellent job. And in my experience, they don't recommend unnecessary
repairs.
> One thing they talked about was that the oil drain plug was abused in
> the past (probably crappy jobs at oil-change stations in Chicago) and
> that the oil pan thread was almost ruined. They suggested and I aggreed
> to put in a valve instead (see fumotousa.com). It seems so simple that
> it makes me a little suspicious, surely there's a catch! Have you ever
> heard of this?
Yup. Never used it, but a friend of mine had it on his Subaru. He loved
it. It's extremely convenient, especially if you do your own oil
changes. And if you go to the fast lube places, it ensures they won't
completely destroy the threads! I don't remember exactly how this thing
is designed, but you may want to make sure there's enough clearance,
etc., so the valve doesn't accidently open and drain out all the oil.
Another caveat is that you may not be able to get all the oil out of
the pan, because it extends a little bit above the drain. If you're
regular with your oil changes and warm up the engine before you do
them, it shouldn't matter.
Good luck!
BT
>
> I went to cartalk.com and there were a few service shops with more than
> 3-4 reports, among them Mr. Mazda and Foreign Affair. Since the latter
> is specialized in Honda/Acura and they're conveniently located close to
> my job place, I ended up going with them. The car is now in their shop
> (I asked them to do some other things beside replacing the TB); at
> least the TB change job was reasonably priced (around 600 bucks all
> included) and they seem a very serious shop.
Glad to hear they worked out for you. They're not cheap, but they do an
excellent job. And in my experience, they don't recommend unnecessary
repairs.
> One thing they talked about was that the oil drain plug was abused in
> the past (probably crappy jobs at oil-change stations in Chicago) and
> that the oil pan thread was almost ruined. They suggested and I aggreed
> to put in a valve instead (see fumotousa.com). It seems so simple that
> it makes me a little suspicious, surely there's a catch! Have you ever
> heard of this?
Yup. Never used it, but a friend of mine had it on his Subaru. He loved
it. It's extremely convenient, especially if you do your own oil
changes. And if you go to the fast lube places, it ensures they won't
completely destroy the threads! I don't remember exactly how this thing
is designed, but you may want to make sure there's enough clearance,
etc., so the valve doesn't accidently open and drain out all the oil.
Another caveat is that you may not be able to get all the oil out of
the pan, because it extends a little bit above the drain. If you're
regular with your oil changes and warm up the engine before you do
them, it shouldn't matter.
Good luck!
BT
#50
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: where in Bay Area to go change the timing belt on a 98 Civic?
gigelus2k3 wrote:
>
> I went to cartalk.com and there were a few service shops with more than
> 3-4 reports, among them Mr. Mazda and Foreign Affair. Since the latter
> is specialized in Honda/Acura and they're conveniently located close to
> my job place, I ended up going with them. The car is now in their shop
> (I asked them to do some other things beside replacing the TB); at
> least the TB change job was reasonably priced (around 600 bucks all
> included) and they seem a very serious shop.
>
> One thing they talked about was that the oil drain plug was abused in
> the past (probably crappy jobs at oil-change stations in Chicago) and
> that the oil pan thread was almost ruined. They suggested and I aggreed
> to put in a valve instead (see fumotousa.com). It seems so simple that
> it makes me a little suspicious, surely there's a catch! Have you ever
> heard of this?
>
> Will keep you posted.
>
It sounds like you found a good shop. Fumoto valves are well known in
the enthusiast community and should serve you well. Watch out though
when taking the car elsewhere for service as they may not know how to
use the valve and might just wrench it off!
You have also hit on the main reason for using a real mechanic for
"simple" jobs like an oil change. Buggered up oil drain plug threads
are far more common than they should be!
John
>
> I went to cartalk.com and there were a few service shops with more than
> 3-4 reports, among them Mr. Mazda and Foreign Affair. Since the latter
> is specialized in Honda/Acura and they're conveniently located close to
> my job place, I ended up going with them. The car is now in their shop
> (I asked them to do some other things beside replacing the TB); at
> least the TB change job was reasonably priced (around 600 bucks all
> included) and they seem a very serious shop.
>
> One thing they talked about was that the oil drain plug was abused in
> the past (probably crappy jobs at oil-change stations in Chicago) and
> that the oil pan thread was almost ruined. They suggested and I aggreed
> to put in a valve instead (see fumotousa.com). It seems so simple that
> it makes me a little suspicious, surely there's a catch! Have you ever
> heard of this?
>
> Will keep you posted.
>
It sounds like you found a good shop. Fumoto valves are well known in
the enthusiast community and should serve you well. Watch out though
when taking the car elsewhere for service as they may not know how to
use the valve and might just wrench it off!
You have also hit on the main reason for using a real mechanic for
"simple" jobs like an oil change. Buggered up oil drain plug threads
are far more common than they should be!
John
#51
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: where in Bay Area to go change the timing belt on a 98 Civic?
gigelus2k3 wrote:
>
> I went to cartalk.com and there were a few service shops with more than
> 3-4 reports, among them Mr. Mazda and Foreign Affair. Since the latter
> is specialized in Honda/Acura and they're conveniently located close to
> my job place, I ended up going with them. The car is now in their shop
> (I asked them to do some other things beside replacing the TB); at
> least the TB change job was reasonably priced (around 600 bucks all
> included) and they seem a very serious shop.
>
> One thing they talked about was that the oil drain plug was abused in
> the past (probably crappy jobs at oil-change stations in Chicago) and
> that the oil pan thread was almost ruined. They suggested and I aggreed
> to put in a valve instead (see fumotousa.com). It seems so simple that
> it makes me a little suspicious, surely there's a catch! Have you ever
> heard of this?
>
> Will keep you posted.
>
It sounds like you found a good shop. Fumoto valves are well known in
the enthusiast community and should serve you well. Watch out though
when taking the car elsewhere for service as they may not know how to
use the valve and might just wrench it off!
You have also hit on the main reason for using a real mechanic for
"simple" jobs like an oil change. Buggered up oil drain plug threads
are far more common than they should be!
John
>
> I went to cartalk.com and there were a few service shops with more than
> 3-4 reports, among them Mr. Mazda and Foreign Affair. Since the latter
> is specialized in Honda/Acura and they're conveniently located close to
> my job place, I ended up going with them. The car is now in their shop
> (I asked them to do some other things beside replacing the TB); at
> least the TB change job was reasonably priced (around 600 bucks all
> included) and they seem a very serious shop.
>
> One thing they talked about was that the oil drain plug was abused in
> the past (probably crappy jobs at oil-change stations in Chicago) and
> that the oil pan thread was almost ruined. They suggested and I aggreed
> to put in a valve instead (see fumotousa.com). It seems so simple that
> it makes me a little suspicious, surely there's a catch! Have you ever
> heard of this?
>
> Will keep you posted.
>
It sounds like you found a good shop. Fumoto valves are well known in
the enthusiast community and should serve you well. Watch out though
when taking the car elsewhere for service as they may not know how to
use the valve and might just wrench it off!
You have also hit on the main reason for using a real mechanic for
"simple" jobs like an oil change. Buggered up oil drain plug threads
are far more common than they should be!
John
#52
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: where in Bay Area to go change the timing belt on a 98 Civic?
gigelus2k3 wrote:
>
> I went to cartalk.com and there were a few service shops with more than
> 3-4 reports, among them Mr. Mazda and Foreign Affair. Since the latter
> is specialized in Honda/Acura and they're conveniently located close to
> my job place, I ended up going with them. The car is now in their shop
> (I asked them to do some other things beside replacing the TB); at
> least the TB change job was reasonably priced (around 600 bucks all
> included) and they seem a very serious shop.
>
> One thing they talked about was that the oil drain plug was abused in
> the past (probably crappy jobs at oil-change stations in Chicago) and
> that the oil pan thread was almost ruined. They suggested and I aggreed
> to put in a valve instead (see fumotousa.com). It seems so simple that
> it makes me a little suspicious, surely there's a catch! Have you ever
> heard of this?
>
> Will keep you posted.
>
It sounds like you found a good shop. Fumoto valves are well known in
the enthusiast community and should serve you well. Watch out though
when taking the car elsewhere for service as they may not know how to
use the valve and might just wrench it off!
You have also hit on the main reason for using a real mechanic for
"simple" jobs like an oil change. Buggered up oil drain plug threads
are far more common than they should be!
John
>
> I went to cartalk.com and there were a few service shops with more than
> 3-4 reports, among them Mr. Mazda and Foreign Affair. Since the latter
> is specialized in Honda/Acura and they're conveniently located close to
> my job place, I ended up going with them. The car is now in their shop
> (I asked them to do some other things beside replacing the TB); at
> least the TB change job was reasonably priced (around 600 bucks all
> included) and they seem a very serious shop.
>
> One thing they talked about was that the oil drain plug was abused in
> the past (probably crappy jobs at oil-change stations in Chicago) and
> that the oil pan thread was almost ruined. They suggested and I aggreed
> to put in a valve instead (see fumotousa.com). It seems so simple that
> it makes me a little suspicious, surely there's a catch! Have you ever
> heard of this?
>
> Will keep you posted.
>
It sounds like you found a good shop. Fumoto valves are well known in
the enthusiast community and should serve you well. Watch out though
when taking the car elsewhere for service as they may not know how to
use the valve and might just wrench it off!
You have also hit on the main reason for using a real mechanic for
"simple" jobs like an oil change. Buggered up oil drain plug threads
are far more common than they should be!
John
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