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Edit: I snapped this after I found it. That's how I knew it was on so tight. It still took me a good few minutes to find it because I kept looking under the car. I wasn't expecting the filter to be on top.
this post was submitted on 07 Feb 2025
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Devils advocate: As a mechanic, if I tighten the oil filter too little, I'm liable for thousands in repairs. If I tighten the oil filer too much, some rando curses me but I don't hear it and continue sleeping like a baby. Or it comes back to me and I don't care if it's tight, Ive got the tools that make it easy.
So, sorry, not sorry. I'm gonna keep cranking those puppies down.
Also your PCV hose is starting to look pregnant.
Shhhhhhhhh
We ignore little things until they're problems. Tis the broke bitch car guy way.
Yeah, it's pushing thirty years old. We've got some deferred maintenance items to tend to. This isn't my daily lol
And no I totally don't blame the techs and mechanics for super snugging filters. I was pissed off an hour ago, but now that I'm on the other side of this job, I get it.
I mean, I'm still pissed, but I get it lol
I wouldn't sweat the PCV line until I had to remove it for some reason either.
Those old Civics are indestructible.
You see where that filter is. You damned well know it was tightened with just a hand and no tool was involved. OP just needs to pull out his man hand and power that sucker loose.
The danger in overtightening is that you ruin the seal. So maybe not quite as bad as loose, but an oil leak is still a problem. Much like anything with a crush washer, you want to get it snug, then tighten enough to squish it, but not so much that you ruin the very thing that keeps it intact.
That's not really so much of an issue. Virtually all spin on oil filters are designed in such a way that you can tighten them until the metal filter body contacts the sealing surface and the o-ring will still be happy and protected from over-squishing in it's little recess.
All bets are off if you're buying no-name filters tho.
Just as a another form of Devil's advocate, going over the manufacturer's recommended specs on it isn't a good idea either and intentionally making a car have to go back to a shop in order to be repaired on something that should be as simple repair is the easiest way to make it so the customer doesn't come back
I had that happen with my first vehicle, normally I change my own oil and filter because it's about the most stupid easy job that you can do, but it was finals week and I already had way too much stuff on plate so I caved and under my parents recommendation brought it to a local shop
Everything went fine didn't spend through the roof but the next time I went to change my oil oh my God those fuckers put that oil pan plug on there so fucking tight that there was actually signs that it was starting to strip/warp, I had to get my dad to help me with it which was super embarrassing and he laughed at me until he tried to do it himself and he fucking struggled with it.
It was clear that shop intentionally made it as tight as fucking possible because they wanted to make it so the next time it happened they wanted it to be brought in again. After we finally got it off we both agreed on one thing, neither of us are bringing our vehicles back to that shop again. That was over 10 years ago now and I'm still holding true to my word fuck them I'll drive the extra 20 minutes to another shop
Yeah, I'm sorry that happened. But literally no one, even the shadiest shop, is doing that intentionally. Laziness and using air tools, probably. Trying to save a buck by using the original crush washer and just tightening it down harder, also likely. Intentionally over tightening so you have to come back to them; extremely unlikely.
That's exactly what you should do if you're not happy with the service. But be prepared to wait to get into a decent mechanic. The ones that provide shitty service are able to stay in business because there is always someone in a hurry. And this is why I say they aren't intentionally over torquing your drain bolt. They don't give a shit if you come back on not; there's plenty others waiting.
I'm glad my professional wrenching isn't in the automotive field any more.
Yeah, even if that wasn't the intent that was the outcome. And honestly yea probably was done just using air tools, it's still blows my mind of how stupidly tight that was on there.
Thankfully though I live in a fairly low population state so there's never a line for any shops, usually most things can be a walk in or leave that night to have it worked on next day...you just have to be willing to drive 45 minutes to get to one. I do agree, finding a decent mechanic can be helpful, even if the only real work you ever need done is the yearly inspection.
Okay, you're a mechanic, great, you're awsome, thank you for your input but oil filters do have a set torque strenght to be tightened to. Overtighten any screw can and will cause damage either to the screw itself or the socket it is being driven into and I'm sure you know it.
I had a mechanic do this - the better to overtighten than not - and strip the socket of the oil level sound: the mounting block was aluminum, the screw was steel. Guess what happened when the sound had to be replaced?
The cost to have that damage alone repaired made scrap the car. It was still in good shape but not worthy of spending that much to repair.
„Manufacturer doesn’t know shit” Random car guy in a greasy shop.
Manufacturers should make it so that it's not possible to overtighten it. Like the grip of the screw will start to rotate freely around the base of the screw when the torque exceeds the correct tightness
Adding a clutch mechanism would likely make oil filters more expensive by introducing new manufacturing challenges depending on the style of clutch mechanism they use. The more economical approach might be a torque wrench with a special socket shaped to grip the filter. That way you can tighten to spec without overdoing it, and most consumers wouldn't have to bear the increased cost of filters since most folks just go to a shop that will do it for them.
A lot of manufacturers are starting to go with the cartridge type oil filters which are much better, but still not perfect.