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Extortion at oil stations
mukiha
#11 Posted : Tuesday, April 13, 2010 10:06:54 AM
Rank: Elder

Joined: 6/27/2008
Posts: 4,114
Fact: If your car ever needs a top-up of either oil or coolant in between scheduled services [5,000km], then it has a problem. Either in original design, or in maintenance!

Fact: Coolant costs you about 200bob for one litre at the supermarket. Sh700 should get you a 5L mtungi

Fact: Some coolants need to be diluted; others must NOT be diluted. Check the instructions
Nothing is real unless it can be named; nothing has value unless it can be sold; money is worthless unless you spend it.
StatBoy
#12 Posted : Tuesday, April 13, 2010 11:08:44 AM
Rank: Member

Joined: 5/29/2009
Posts: 49
I had a horror experience of one of the attendants trying to swindle me by putting in regular instead of super and instead ended up filling my tank with diesel.

Lesson learnt... I always get out of the car THEN give instructions on what I want done and watch them do everything. Take the time to regularly check your own fluid levels... Don't rely on the attendants to check it for you, many use this as a supplementary income stream. I know of one station that has empty oil bottles which they will use to 'top up' your oil while you are seated comfortably in your vehicle.
JkMwatha
#13 Posted : Tuesday, April 13, 2010 9:01:07 PM
Rank: Veteran

Joined: 9/11/2007
Posts: 816
Drive into a petrol station the attendant wekas fuel and another goes into your hood and checks the oil. The oil has hardly settled.

"Boss! inataka oil, lita moja"

So you say "Weka"

He puts the oil then he pimas again and now says,

"Iko sawa, iko full"

But the oil has not settled yet again.

By the time the oil settles, its way past full.
(I doubt these guys are trained... or are they?)

So what's the damage?

Too-high oil level causes frothing in the sump/crankcase. Gas recirculating mechanism takes oil foam into cylinders. Unburnt oil goes down exhaust and messes the catalytic converter-
-Non-Expert Opinion


..and if its a TDi/diesel, ....go to church or get someone to pray for you.

Gordon Gekko
#14 Posted : Wednesday, April 14, 2010 6:06:37 AM
Rank: Elder

Joined: 5/27/2008
Posts: 3,760
@statboy, I have always known nozzle sizes for fuel dispensers to be different depending on the type of fuel. Diesel nozzles being the largest. The size of the 'hole' of your entry tank also differ in size, with premium tanks having the smallest holes. This means that it is virtually impossible for a diesel nozzle to fit into a premium hole. Hii gari yako ni gani?
Chaka
#15 Posted : Wednesday, April 14, 2010 7:48:39 AM
Rank: Elder

Joined: 2/16/2007
Posts: 2,114
@JKMwatha

"Boss! inataka oil, lita moja"...Kwani these guys talk to the engine??
I find the business of checking oil dip sticks old fashioned.Are there cars that have an oil gauge similar to the fuel gauge?
anasazi
#16 Posted : Wednesday, April 14, 2010 7:49:54 AM
Rank: Veteran

Joined: 6/8/2007
Posts: 675
I concur that a well maintained car that has no issues should not require oil topup, except when changing oil during service! As for these petrol station guys, trust them not! Even when fueling, I ALWAYS make sure they put in the amount I requested!

On another note, who knows why petrol in Ngara is upto 6 bob cheaper than most of Nairobi? That is a significant difference! Just wondering...
Form is temporary, class is permanent
StatBoy
#17 Posted : Wednesday, April 14, 2010 9:00:59 AM
Rank: Member

Joined: 5/29/2009
Posts: 49
@Gordon, I wasn't aware of that fact. Gari ilikuwa Nissan, albeit an older model at that time but I had hardly gone 2 kms before I lost all power and was emitting large plumes of smoke.

By the way, are you saying then that the small diesel cars have large fuel tank inlets to accomodate these nozzles?
Rahatupu
#18 Posted : Wednesday, April 14, 2010 9:35:57 AM
Rank: Veteran

Joined: 12/4/2009
Posts: 1,982
Location: matano manne
@All, I'm not a mechanic lakini a few tips are in order. Every morning b4 u drive off do a simple engine check i.e: oil level, coolant, battery, brake and steering fluid levels + tyre pressure, and a body check for dents, scratches nakadhalika. This way you will avoid the opinions of the pump attendants abt "mbele". If need be at the pump station get out of your car. Attendants, mechanics prey on those they suspect know nothing abt their cars. If possible you must be there whenever your car is being serviced.
JkMwatha
#19 Posted : Wednesday, April 14, 2010 12:30:01 PM
Rank: Veteran

Joined: 9/11/2007
Posts: 816
Rahatupu wrote:
@All, .... Every morning b4 u drive off do a simple engine check i.e: oil level, coolant, battery, brake and steering fluid levels,...... .


You would be displaying OCD symptoms (obsessive-'checking' disorder).
Once a week is sufficient for a personal car.

As for dents/scratch, visual tyre pressure .... can happen daily.
anasazi
#20 Posted : Wednesday, April 14, 2010 12:49:14 PM
Rank: Veteran

Joined: 6/8/2007
Posts: 675
@JKMwatha, true... checking oil daily is rather obsessive!
Form is temporary, class is permanent
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