A woman asked a mechanic to change the oil filter without oil, and the mechanic was suspicious of the request.
A veteran mechanic, Dave Perry (@daveperry1976), says the customer was trying to scam the auto shop. As of this writing, the TikTok has generated over 11,700 views.
The veteran mechanic issues a warning to newer mechanics about scammers. Warning to readers: it is expletive-laden.
“Alright, you baby [expletive] techs, I forgot about this one. So I am going to get it out the [expletive] way. You got to watch out for scammers—[expletive] scammers everywhere,” he begins.
Perry reveals what a couple tried to pull off at his shop.
“We just had a couple pull up in a parking lot and say, ‘We had our oil changed, but they didn’t change the filter. Could you just change the filter?’ What the [expletive] did you just say?” he shares.
This interaction was taking place with another younger mechanic at the shop. Perry says the young mechanic told the couple he would need to ask his manager. Before that, Perry stepped up and addressed the question directly.
“I overheard the conversation. Walked my [expletive] out to the car and said, ‘Nah, you can go ahead and take your filter, and you can go wherever it is you are gonna go, or you can pay for an entire frickin’ oil change right now,’” Perry says.
He says this made the woman chuckle.
“Nobody will do it,” she shared.
Perry says it’s because they’re not “dumb.” He says he heard the car and could tell something was wrong with it. He believes the customers were trying to get him to work on the car so they could later blame him for the pre-existing issue.
Luckily for the young mechanic, Perry stepped up to stop the scammers from pulling a fast one.
“You guys gotta watch out for scammers because they will blow their [expletive] up and blame yo [expletive] for it, guaranteed,” he concludes.
Viewers React To Couple’s Alleged Oil Filter Scam Attempt
Viewers went to the comments section to approve of the PSA.
“Seen this [expletive] all of the time,” one TikTok commenter shared.
“Facts,” another added.
While other viewers offered suggestions on additional ways to protect yourself from scammers.
“I always tell customers to go talk to the service writer. I won't touch anything without an RO,” one added.
“If it has a spin on it, always write the date and mileage on it too. Saved me on some trying to get free warranty work 15k later,” another suggested.
Don’t Fall For The Oil Filter Scam
Getting an oil change is a standard car maintenance task that helps ensure your vehicle runs properly. However, oil changes themselves won’t address bigger issues.
Considering the vehicle on TikTok made a bad noise when it pulled up, the car likely had a bigger issue than just needing an oil filter. Based on the information, it appears the vehicle has a bad engine or transmission issues.
“If the car don't sound right, don't offer to change oil. Same with trans service, ask them if they are having issues with it. when they say it shifts bad, send them to a trans shop. Oil change and trans service are maintenance, not to cure a problem,” one commenter suggested.
Transmission replacements can cost over $7,000, AutoZone reports. Even changing the transmission fluids can be $600. Additionally, a new engine can cost more than $10,000.
With these high prices, scammers will find ways to avoid paying this. According to FindLaw, customers can sue mechanics for bad repairs, breach of warranty, fraud, invalid use of a mechanic's lien, and false quotes or no price estimates.
Defective mechanical work can be used against auto shops if the vehicle performs worse after service. It’s the mechanic's job to solve the issue with the car and not create more. If poor service is provided, it increases the risk of danger to the driver and anyone on the road.
With the situation on TikTok, the mechanic noticed the car likely needed more work than a simple oil filter change. Thinking ahead, he shut down the request to protect the shop from any future accusations that it made the car worse. If the mechanic only changed the oil filter without addressing the underlying cause of the strange noise, the alleged scammers may have blamed the shop for the pre-existing issue in the future.
Motor1 has contacted Perry via TikTok direct message and commented on the post. We’ll update the story if he replies.
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