Holy F*k, inspections are part of PM procedures, no you don't inspect everything at every oil change but someone such as yourself that proclaims to have been a dealer service tech should know this unless you were no more than the "lube guy". This comment of yours is almost as bad as when you said dealer service tech's dismantle lower ends and send them out for machine work for rebuilds.
I was a dealer tech, ASE certified with an associate's degree. I'm not saying that the ideal is to skip maintenance. I'm saying that it usually doesn't get done.
I'm not going to bust the OP's balls because these things don't always get checked. Do you inspect your brake lines from the master cylinder to each corner and then bleed the system until you get clear fluid annually? Do you pull your brakes apart once a year? Do you do a hydrometer check on your coolant every fall? Do you do a hydrometer check on your battery once a year? Do you pull out the multimeter and check your grounds for voltage drop? Do you flush your transmission fluid every year? Do you send your oil off for analysis after every change? Do you check your gear oil and lube the chassis at every oil change? Do you break out the pry bar and check every suspension and steering component for play? Do you inspect your u-joints, CV axles, and carrier bearing? Do you inspect your exhaust for leaks? Do you plug in the scan tool and check all your data stream for abnormalities?
Don't bull$#!+ me. You don't do all of this. None of us checks everything. We check what we're worried about, or what attracts our attention.
As a dealership technician, we had a 120 point inspection chart that we were supposed to follow, and we were supposed to get it and an oil change done in twelve minutes. It was all visual. We only went further if there was a potential profit. You had to get that next car in ASAP and sell maintenance on it!
As a military technician, we ran the entire checklist, every time, because we had a 7-level tech double-checking us, and there was a good chance we would have QA come behind them and pick apart our work. We had
days to complete inspections on the larger equipment.
I do at least a couple times a year during tire rotations. How hard is it to pull a drum off? I see plenty of nice trucks on this forum with owners who maintain them properly.
The only time I've ever rotated tires regularly was the mudders on my Jeep. They'd get noisy if I didn't, and yes, I'd check the brakes while they were off. But my Mustang's on staggered directional tires, and it's a PITA to jack up, so it doesn't get checked as often. I can see the pads through the chrome five-spokes, and that's all the inspection they get. Also, rust isn't typically an issue here. Should I go deeper? Sure, but that doesn't happen because I have too much $#!+ to get done.
This comment of yours is almost as bad as when you said dealer service tech's dismantle lower ends and send them out for machine work for rebuilds.
When did I ever say that? Don't go putting words in my mouth to try and back up your own comments. As a dealer technician we
never rebuilt engines. It was always remove/replace.
