[Nick2008]

Hi everyone, this is actually my first post. I have been reading posts for a long time but never found a reason to post. I have a 2008 Ram 5.7 Quad cab that I purchased used with about 75K miles.

I keep pretty tight with maintenance schedule, and at 90,000 I knew I wouldn't have time to change spark plugs with work schedule at the time. So unfortunately I took my truck to an a valvoline and had them change oil and spark plugs and a few other things.

Skip ahead to today, truck is at 119K miles. I changed the spark plugs this morning, and was not happy with the old spark plugs. I started on the passenger side bank. Pulled all the plugs and in cylinder number 2 and find this.


(not sure if i'm posting pics correctly)

I discovered that the oil change guy didn't replace with OEM, but instead used these E3 spark plugs. Well, its not too hard to see that they aren't worth a dime. The plug was actually broken on the end and the electrode had fallen out i guess. So i'm guessing this plug wasn't firing at all.

I just wanted to share this as a warning to other thinking about using these plugs. I would recommend the OEM Champions.

To top it off. . . Whoever installed these plugs was not the brightest.. In cylinder 4 there was a plug only threaded in about half way. I could tell because the top half of the threads looked brand new. On the driver side bank, one of the plugs was cross threaded. I had to use a tap on those cylinders to get the plugs back in.

Moral of the story. Use OEM plugs in the 5.7, and don't truse those quick lube places to any more than an oil change.

Link to the album of plugs.

http://s1375.photobucket.com/user/2008nick/library/E3 Spark Plugs 29000 Miles - 5 7 Hemi

 

[h2oman]

Good first post. Thanks for the info.

 

[jlc41]

^^^What he said. As the saying goes. Garbage in garbage out. Is it to late to go talk to the shop that did the work? If for no other reason than to let them know those plugs are garbage.

 

[DetroitDoc]

Awesome post. They push those E3 plugs hard. Snake oil salesmen are alive and well.

The scary part is those broken pieces rattled around in the cylinder for a while. I'd do a compression check/leak down test on that cylinder. I hate to be a pessimist but I'd be amazed if it had compression within 10% of the other cylinders.

I don't even trust those quick lube places to change my oil. I change my own oil. Those guys probably f'up wiping their own butts. Not to mention, who knows what's in those bulk oil barrels or where those filters come from that they are paying $0.39 for.

 

[GTyankee]

another place to stay away from is Jiffy Lube
With my last 1/2 ton Chevy, i told them that i wanted Castrol 10W-30
I watched them install a cheapy Fram oil filter & used their bulk oil, which at the time was Valvoline
I let the filter slide, but i told them to drain the oil from the oil pan & put in Castrol
I was asked to come inside the office & check my invoice, because they couldn't see where i had asked for Castrol.
It was on the invoice as plain as day, i quickly went back to watching them out in the bay, i saw empty Castrol cans, but didn't see them put it in, so i was irritated.
Then i asked them how dry the zerc fittings were on the front suspension. They said that No 1999 Chevy 1/2 tons had grease fittings, that they were sealed at the factory. I told them to check again & they asked why, i informed them that my truck had aftermarket suspension & that there were several grease fittings that needed attention.
Then the wise ass manager called me back into the office, i told him that i would go into the office when they finished the lube. He basically said 'what is it now ?'
I said that they had not checked the rear differential fluid, he told me that 'of course they did' .
I just said to him that there was no way that it had been checked, only the front 1/2 of the cab was over the pit & unless 1 of the 2 lube guys was Plastic Man, their arms & eye balls could never reach the back of the differential, where the fill plug was located.

I hope the heck that i am partially the reason that the JIFFY LUBE guys are always standing out on the sidewalk holding signs that announce the special of the day, because the service bays are empty

 

[dodge man]

I agree, I don't trust the quick lube places. Truth is, you want it done right, do it yourself. Even I screw up once in a while but I know who to blame and I know who is going to fix it right the second time.

 

[Gantman]

Damn those quick lube guys! Them plugs look something nasty. I hope no major cylinder/piston damage occurred. Our Hemi's don't care for anything other than OE plugs. Copper baby, whether NGK or Champion.

 

[HammerHead]

What the F:SHOCKED:
Yep I defiantly do what I can on my own, and I sure wish I knew more.

 

[RadioFlyer]

I had Walmart change my oil last week. I told them I wanted Castrol 5-w20 and that it holds seven quarts. I told the guy (whom I know) taking my info and I told the tech doing the work. Turns out when it's time to pick up my keys the guy I personally told it takes 7 quarts tells me it took 7.5 quarts. I said well you had better go empty out a half quart and that I'm not paying for the extra. He said well I checked it and began to rattle on about his years of experience. I said politely....hold it buddy. Did you even check your books to see how much it holds? He said yes. I said so after 15 seven quart oil changes at this store on my truck you are going to tell me that all along these guys have not been putting enough oil in it? I have receipts here of over 25 oil changes from several different places who all claim they changed 7 quarts. But you with all these years of experience are going to argue and tell me it holds more? After disputing me for ten min I finally had enough and told him to take the half quart out now or else and he said he would. But everyone was looking at me like I was wrong for telling him. I sat there for an extra 1/2 hour watching them what looked like they drain it out. I get home and after a while I check my oil and it's still in there. As a matter of fact it looks like it at least 3/4 too much oil. I was played by this guy. So I go back over there and asked for the shop sup but he wasn't there so I asked for a store manager. Then the idiot who did it comes over and tells me that he didn't say he was going to drain the extra quart out. I called him a liar and told him to back away from me. So a store manager finally came out. He bought a butch girl small and skinny in statue with an attitude who started to pull my dipstick out. I said hold, don't touch my truck. I will show you how much oil is in here then you can show me why or dispute it. Then this woman is going to tell me that it looks to her it's only 1/2 quart extra. I told that manager to get her away from me and I'll go to another Walmart. I don't need some dumb ass to tell me that it's not what it looks like and a half quart extra won't hurt. Nor do I need this guy who changed it to make it look as if I am in the wrong here for wanting the extra oil out, I had enough. The manager immediately told them to give me another complete oil change, filter and all with only 7 quarts like the book say and like I prefer. Plus he gave me a 50 dollar gift card for the trouble. He was nice, I told him I don't need the gift card. I'm not looking for freebees but he insisted. Where do they get these idiots at? You show them several prior receipts for a seven quart change and they still insist it needs more? Btw, when I got home and after it sat a while it was right at the full mark.

 

[Hermes1]

Damn those quick lube guys! Them plugs look something nasty. I hope no major cylinder/piston damage occurred. Our Hemi's don't care for anything other than OE plugs. Copper baby, whether NGK or Champion.

I agree. I never trusted those quick lube joints.

 

[92GreenYJ]

Wow. First time I've seen an E3 fail like that! And I've been using them in a few of my vehicles for years now. Somehow I have a feeling that was an installer issue and not a plug issue. Though I guess it is possible a bad one slipped thru quality control. Personally I have had great luck with E3 plugs and Bosch Platinum 4s over the years. Champions are reserved for my lawn mower.

 

[huntergreen]

since i have been on ram forums, i have yet to read of anyone having success with e3 plugs in a hemi.

 

[starquestbd22]

You know, I'm sure these quick lube places are just like dealerships. They get labeled and stereotyped and frowned upon routinely. The fact with either one is that there are some good ones out there but in general there are more substandard ones that give them all a bad name as a whole. Regardless, even at a quick lube shop that has knowledgeable employees and tries to do right, you get what you pay for. It's the McDonald's dollar menu of automotive service, lol. If you truly want to know it was done right the first time, most of these places aren't going to cut it. Then when you do have a problem and you go back and make a little stink to someone you have to wonder...what are they going to do to my truck now???

Oh and just to stay on the thread topic....go OEM plugs!!!

 

[Dancianne]

quick lubes and plugs

Many years ago, I suspected that Jiffy Lube cheated customers by not changing oil filters. So next time I marked mine with a black felt tip and sure enough,...no filter change. I made the station manager do a drain, refill and new filter. My advice is to never trust any quickie service to do anything for the following reasons:
1st: Given high turnover, the tech servicing your vehicle may be working his first day on his first job doing something he or she has never done before.
2nd: That filter, be it oil, air or fuel (if you get a new one at all) is nothing more than the cheapest generic one the station can buy.
3rd: Regardless of what you tell the attendant you want done, he already has his marching orders from his boss, and in turn the franchise owner.
4th: Anything that needs tightening, be it spark plugs, oil drain plugs, lug nuts or what ever else, there is a factory specified torque value. Be aware that you'll most likely get how ever much strength, judgment, or best guess the tech can or decides to give you.
5th: I know you all have heard the old saying: "you get what you pay for".

So, my best recommendation is to just let your local Ram dealer perform your maintenance. At least you are assured of OEM quality of parts and service. Yes, it costs more, but consider it as protecting your investment.
I do however want to recognize that many of you are far more knowledgeable and able to perform these same services for yourselves.
So, that being the case, and to those 3rd party service professionals who do good work and provide value, I congratulate you and ask forgiveness if I've offended.

 

[starquestbd22]

I don't think anything you said will offend anyone here. Sounds like good, logical advice to me.

:smileup:

 

[namretsud]

The only quick lube I would use is the one ran by the dealer onsite with the dealer garage. It saves the mainstream techs from doing the oil and filter changes but is monitored by a trained and qualified service manager.

 

[chrisb38002]

From what I have seen, even at the dealerships the ones doing the oil changes are the new, just hired, weekend help, least experienced techs. Its the easiest job they have, so the high experience techs are not doing them, they are working on the more complicated repairs. The first (and only) oil change done by the dealership I bought my Ram from left the filter loose. Doing my own now, and will continue.

 

[RadioFlyer]

From what I have seen, even at the dealerships the ones doing the oil changes are the new, just hired, weekend help, least experienced techs. Its the easiest job they have, so the high experience techs are not doing them, they are working on the more complicated repairs. The first (and only) oil change done by the dealership I bought my Ram from left the filter loose. Doing my own now, and will continue.

Spot on chrisb! I witnessed this type of workmanship at my dealership while some young kid was changing my transmission filter and fluid. He jacked the drain pan up so close to the pan that he couldn't get the ratchet and socket on most of the pan bolts. All he had to do was lower the pan a couple of inches but instead he knocked over all the fluid he drained out and made a big mess. That said, I don't believe that any shop no matter how much you pay is exempt from these types of incidents. I go to my particular Walmart for my oil changes more often because it saves me an extra 10 to 15 miles from a 50 mile trip. I pay close to 45 to 50 dollars for an oil change at Walmart when at the dealer I can get it done for 34 and change with a promo. Not to mention I know the shop manager very well from going there over 15 year span who happens to be one of the best servicemen/supervisor I ever met. He just happened to be off that day lucky for the guy who did it. I haven't seen him yet but I will tell him of my experience. It's no big deal about adding the oil. What irritates me is that he denied that he said he would drain it. And after reading these comments, it's more than likely he didn't change the filter and added the whole 7 quarts which made it over the full level. All said, imo there's a good chance that the guy who changed the E3 plugs for the OP most likely didn't set the gaps correctly or took for granted that they were properly pre set

 

[PaulMys]

From what I have seen, even at the dealerships the ones doing the oil changes are the new, just hired, weekend help, least experienced techs. Its the easiest job they have, so the high experience techs are not doing them, they are working on the more complicated repairs. The first (and only) oil change done by the dealership I bought my Ram from left the filter loose. Doing my own now, and will continue.

Actually, at my dealership the oil changes are done by a man we all call "Mr. Charlie."

He started working there right out of high school.

That was in 1962! I've watched him work while talking to him about every day things as he was doing my oil change. The guy treats every car as if it were his own.

 

[hemi4452]

Thats why I do everything myself.