Replacing lube techs with oil-draining devices can save money, boost efficiency

Tom Kane faced a standard dilemma for a fixed ops director — efficiency vs. expense.

The parts and service director for Universal Nissan and Universal Hyundai in Orlando wanted to stay competitive with local aftermarket providers in the time his express lanes took to perform basic oil changes, tire rotations and multipoint inspections. So Kane assigned two-member crews of lube technicians to work on each quick-service vehicle.

That got the job done: The average time the dealerships needed to complete a quick-service visit was a prompt 21 to 24 minutes, Kane says. But the double-teaming had a cost: The two-technician crews didn't generate enough hours of labor under the express lanes' hybrid pay system — a flat-rate plan combined with an hourly wage supplement — to enable both techs to earn an acceptable weekly paycheck.

Last year, Kane developed a different solution: He paired a single quick-service tech with a device that extracts used oil automatically from a car or truck during an oil change. Kane estimates the shift is saving each of the dealerships at least $95,000 a year.

And because use of the oil extractor eliminates the need to remove a vehicle's drain plug, Kane expects to save thousands more each year on damage claims that previously arose from stripped or loose plugs and related mishaps.

The staffing change has not created any loss of efficiency; cycle times in Kane's express lanes are at least as good as they were under the two-tech crews. Nor has it cost any jobs, Kane says, because a 35 percent expansion of service operations at the dealerships has enabled him to promote some lube techs to their own bays.

"It was a win-win for everyone," Kane told Fixed Ops Journal. "It helped to reduce our unapplied labor, reduce our cycle times, reduce mistakes and help the techs make more money."

Express service operations at many dealerships use a "dry man/wet man" system. A tech in the upper quick-service bay performs such tasks as inspecting the vehicle, rotating the tires, replacing the air filters, cleaning the windows and vacuuming the interior. Meanwhile, a technician in the pit changes the oil filter and removes the used oil by loosening the drain plug.

Instead of maintaining two-tech crews for quick service, Kane has bought 24 oil extractors from John Dow Industries Inc. in Barberton, Ohio, for which he says he paid nearly $600 apiece. A Dow distributor says the manufacturer's suggested retail price for an individual extractor is between $900 and $1,000.

The device, which uses compressed air to create a vacuum, has long been used to extract oil from boats and heavy trucks. But it also can remove used oil from car and light-truck engines, using a wand or probe that is inserted through the vehicle's dipstick tube and works its way to the bottom of the oil pan.

Extraction can take two to 10 minutes, depending on the engine's oil requirements and temperature. Meanwhile, the lube tech can do other work on the vehicle. The used oil is emptied into the shop's oil holding tank for later removal.

"In a previous life, when I was the fixed ops director at a Mercedes-Benz dealership, we used to extract the oil" from SUVs, Kane recalls. "Flash forward many years later, and I happened to be at a Hyundai store in South Florida. I saw them using a fluid evacuator and thought, 'Wow, how did I not remember this?' "

Some of the Dow extractors, Kane notes, have clear tanks that allow a quick-service tech to examine used oil for signs of internal engine problems. Used-fluid extractors also can be used to change coolant and transmission fluids. The ability to change oil without removing the drain plug is an especially big advantage, Kane says.

"Drain plug damage or a broken crush washer used to make up most of the complaints we had," he says. "Now, it's almost a thing of the past."

Chuck Davis, service director of Mercedes- Benz of Kansas City, in Missouri, says he uses Dow devices to remove used oil from M-class vehicles.

"It's clean, there's a time-saving factor to it, and if the filter is located on the top side of the engine bay, you can easily perform an oil change without the need for the lift," he says. "We had dozens of issues with the drain plugs, including the cladding underneath. These used-fluid extractors have allowed us to push those issues right out the door."

But Davis notes that on Mercedes models such as newer S-class cars, smart sensors rather than a dipstick determine the amount of oil remaining, its condition and the load it has been subjected to. A move back to using the drain plug on these vehicles could limit the usefulness of extractors, he says.

Don Caffell, service manager at Smith Kia in Bellingham, Wash., says he has experimented with oil-draining devices but still prefers to put vehicles on lifts.

"The chance to get underneath really helps our bottom line," he says. "We can see what the vehicle needs. It gives us a chance to examine the vehicle and look for opportunities to upsell if we find something. Some vehicles have oil leakage or need a tire repair or replacement."

Other major providers of oil extractors to dealerships include Samson Corp. in Swannanoa, N.C., and Lincoln Industrial Corp. in St. Louis. Determining the number of the vendors' dealership customers is difficult because sales tend to be made through distributors.

List prices for popular Samson devices range from $799 to $1,004. An express-service assembly line developed by the Gile family of dealerships near Cleveland and marketed to other dealerships includes an oil suction system produced by Samson. The Gile operation distributes an extraction device made by Samson called the Engine Vac, rebranded from its manufacturer's original name, the EvacMaster.

Popular Lincoln Industrial models, which include wands for Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Volkswagen dipstick tubes, list for $542 to $721.