Product Review: grammatical error

[markgoodrich]

 

 

I do all my own maintenance on my motorcycle, which always includes an oil change, and often a transmission oil change. I was over at Pep Boys yesterday picking up some gear oil, and noticed a product: http://tinyurl.com/cxe566

 

It looked like the perfect solution to the old way I’ve done it, which entailed draining into a plastic pan, then draining the plastic pan into a big plastic bucket with a good-sealing lid, then taking the bucket down to the local lube joint and cajoling them into letting me pour it into their huge container (they pout). The Blitz Mess Buster was extremely promising, as it has a snap-down lid to cover the oily part into which you drain your oil, with a spout to pour into the pouters’ container. And, it fit under the bike easily. I thought I’d save a lot of hassle and cleanup. It even had a special place under the green lid to put the filter, so it could drain without slipping into the pool of goo.

 

So, I cheerfully undid the plug and…realized almost instantly the label contained a serious grammatical error. It’s not the "Blitz Mess Buster", it’s the "Blitz Mess, Buster!" The genius who designed it didn’t make the drain hole large enough to capture the oil, nor did he make the sloping sides steep enough, so what looks like a good idea ends up splattering oil everyfreakingwhere, and almost, but not quite, contains the oil within the sloping area.

 

Now, you may think this isn’t such a big deal, a few (thousand) splatters on the garage floor, but let me just add that my garage is carpeted, from when the kids were juvenile delinquents and Suz was certain they needed a “play room” in which to steal beers out of the garage fridge, play video games, etc. So there I was, splattered myself, the carpet, the underside of the bike, a big mess, Buster. After finishing up the service on the bike, with its usual attendant do-overs, I noticed my shirt and shorts were covered with large specks of oil, which meant the carpet, which looked innocuous, was, too. So I drug out the carpet cleaner thing we have, and ran it over the portion of the garage floor that was in the splatter zone. You’ve never seen such thick, disgusting goo in a carpet cleaner. Four times.

 

So, my advice? Go back to to pouring the oil down the storm drain down the street at night, when no one’s looking. Buster.

 

 

 

 

 

[eddd]

Did you happen to over torque the drain plug when you put it back on?...Completing the trifecta of oil changing:

 

1. Spend money on fancy new product

2. Make mess with new product

3. Snap off drain plug after getting p*ssed off at mess

 

 

 

[SageRider]

Did you open the vent on the Blitz before draining the bike oil?

I have used a similar Blitz product (doesn't have the green cover) for years with no issues.

[markgoodrich]

Did you open the vent on the Blitz before draining the bike oil?

I have used a similar Blitz product (doesn't have the green cover) for years with no issues.

 

Yep. I did. Basically, it was like a cow pissing on a flat rock, as we say in Texas.

[markgoodrich]

Did you happen to over torque the drain plug when you put it back on?...Completing the trifecta of oil changing:

 

1. Spend money on fancy new product

2. Make mess with new product

3. Snap off drain plug after getting p*ssed off at mess

 

 

 

Nah, the drain plug is fine, but I did strip the threads out of the transmission drain plug. Just used JBWeld to seal it shut, prolly sell the bike to a retired teacher before I need to change the trans lube again .

[Jake]

This gave me a good laugh - thanks! I'm imagining that the oil splattered everywhere on your carpet except for the area blocked by you - creating a perfectly discernable cartoonish outline of a startled rider/wrencher. Nice.

[AviP]

I had a similar fancy product that had a crappy seal on the big cover. It leaked into the trunk of my PT Cruiser and I still have the stains. Now, I do it the idiotproof way:

 

- Drain oil into conventional oil pan.

- Fill oil from new oil container.

- Empty drained oil into the empty new oil container.

- Discard at local auto shop at leisure. No leaks ever!!!

[eddd]

Did you happen to over torque the drain plug when you put it back on?...Completing the trifecta of oil changing:

 

1. Spend money on fancy new product

2. Make mess with new product

3. Snap off drain plug after getting p*ssed off at mess

 

 

 

Nah, the drain plug is fine, but I did strip the threads out of the transmission drain plug. Just used JBWeld to seal it shut, prolly sell the bike to a retired teacher before I need to change the trans lube again .

 

I'll be on a fixed income and unable to afford anything but a few gallons of gas for my RT and some cat food for dinner.