Dear Tom and Ray:

The quick-oil-change dealer in my town has begun to siphon the oil from cars through the dipstick tube. He still changes the filter and the new oil looks clean. But it seems to me that debris could be left in the oil pan at the bottom of the engine, causing problems. What do you think? -- Keith

Ray: I don't think it's a problem at all, Keith. I think it's a great idea. It'll probably even remove some stuff that you wouldn't get out through the normal oil-change process.

Tom: Whichever method you use, you're only going to get about 95 percent of the old oil out. But that's good enough. And the advantage of sucking the oil out through the dipstick tube is that it eliminates the possibility that some knuckle-scraper at the quick-oil-change place is going to strip your oil pan by overtightening the drain plug.

Ray: Or not tightening the plug enough, and letting your oil drip out on the road as you drive home.

Tom: So as long as they change the filter, we're

Ray: Of course, they could accidentally suck out your transmission fluid! But we'll give them the benefit of the doubt of knowing which dipstick is which -- at least until we hear from our readers otherwise.

Wait! Don't buy another car without the mechanic's checklist that's included in Tom and Ray's pamphlet "How to Buy a Great Used Car: Secrets Only Your Mechanic Knows." It will help you get a good used car and avoid the clunkers. To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1997 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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