gtstang99

I took my car in for an oil change the other day (too cold in Chicago to do it myself) and wanted the shop to do a fuel filter as well. They said they could do it. About 15 minutes later, they come back to me and said the filter was rusted onto the line and eventually it would have to be cut out and the lines would have to be replaced. Any idea if this is possible and if it is, how much would it cost to have done? Thanks!

72MachOne99GT

They're probably awfully retarded and just want to jab you.

Wait till the weather is in the 40's one day, crawl under the car, look up and see if you can't get it off by yourself.

Fuel lines sound like they'd be exspensvce, and I wouldnt take the advice of an oil change/quick lube place any day of the year regardless of what they say

timeformiller44

do u drive it in the winter??? and chances are they just couldnt do it.. u dont have to use a wrench or nothing its a special disconnect tool.. i dont see how it could be rusted unless u drive it all winter in salt and crap everyday

kcp1989

Try Pb blaster and a good twist to the filter before you spend any money.

pete1665

they probably didn't have/know the right tool. Get the disconnect tool, or just cut the line and connect the new one with come rubber fuel line and hose clamps

texas_stang02

that's probably what it is. a lot of those quick lube places will try to sell you anything and everything you don't need. when i lived in an apartment and couldn't do my own oil changes, i was taking the car to this valvoline place. every time i got an oil change they were trying to sell my something stupid. "Ford recommends flushing the power steering fluid at 30,000 miles"... sh*t like that. don't take their word for it... they probably think you have no idea where the fuel filter is and can't check it yourself, so it would be easy for them to just swap the fuel filter out, take their time doing it, and charge you for a bunch of crap that they didn't do. not saying that all lube places are like this because my dad owns a Shell service center/repair shop, but some places will really target younger people (especially college kids) and sell them crap they don't need.

72MachOne: how many posts do i have to get to before my status changes to "official retard"?

GhostRider02GT

some do have check charts with mileage reccomendations on trans, power steering, brakes flushes and what not, I know, I used to work at one, and not EVERYONE at a lube center is retarded...

BUT I do guarantee you they just didnt have the right tool, try going somewhere else if you dont wanna tackle it yourself.

texas_stang02

yeah i know that not everyone who works at lube centers are retarded.. my dad owns one and i worked there for 5 years, but i was just warning him that there are some out there that aren't always completely honest. one shop wanted to charge my fiance $500 for belts, hoses, and a radiator flush, it was a Firestone place.

gtstang99

Thank you for all of the advice guys! That's why I love this site--quick and knowledgeable responses. I can almost guarantee now that I think of it that they didn't have the right tool. I will wait until it warms up a bit and get the $10 tool from Auto Zone and do it myself. Also, should I wait until I am almost empty to replace it or will it not matter? Thanks again!

texas_stang02

your tank's fuel level won't matter. just when you take it off there will be some gas in the line, so let it relieve pressure before yanking it out of there. some gas will drip down so don't get directly underneath it, and you may want to have a pan to catch the gas in (if not then it will just evaporate eventually).