oil change and skid plates on 01 qx4

[mdarreen]

i just had one of those instant oil changes and they charged me an extra 10 dollars because they said i had a skid plate on my 01 qx4,i took a look at the bottom when i got home and noticed no skid plate and when i looke in the manual, i saw no skid plate.

Am I missing something here?

also, i just put in some mobil 1 and now my truck is leaking oil.

should i go into the oil change place and bust heads or is it just me and my truck?

thanks!!

[rbsileighty]

The big plastic cover is considered a "skid plate"

How many miles do you have on your truck? If you add syn to a high mileage motor that cured to dino oil... that might be your problem... or if you went to a craptastic oil change place they might have left your oil filter or drain plug loose... I've had good results with Valvoline Max Life in my 01 Pathfinder... I think the mileage has improved since I've bee running it (haven't calculated yet...)

[larryt]

I started putting Mobil 1 in my '02 pathfinder just before 40k and have had no leaks, but, as mentioned by rbsileighty, it's pretty common if you switch with a higher mileage vehicle.The plastic "skid plate" makes the change take a little longer due to the 10 or so screws that hold the plastic panel in place. I've never been charged extra for it, but now I change it myself anyway. I've noticed that some of the aftermarket skid plates -- which are really skid plates, not plastic -- have a large hole through which an oil change can be done without removal.