Mechanic Works On Popular Car. Then He Offers Warning On Pentastar Engines: "Oh my God. Can You Guys See That?"

It’d take a while to list the problem points a mechanic lists while showing the many ways an oil change can go wrong. From almost no oil showing on the dipstick, to oil so dark the mechanic compared it to "Willy Wonka's chocolate river," to broken plastic pieces littering the filter housing, it was a job that’ll be tough to forget.

The clip from creator @wrenchboss_nj, which has been viewed more than 32,000 times, starts with concern since it appears the Dodge Durango may have gone more than 7,000 miles since its most recent oil change. As someone familiar with different engine setups, the mechanic wasn’t thrilled at the prospects for the job awaiting him.

“These engines do not, and I mean do not like long oil change intervals,” said of the 3.6-liter Pentastar engine. “We're at 67,810 (miles) and the oil change sticker says 60,000. That is not, not ideal under any circumstances with these vehicles.”

Potential Problems Pile Up

The unease increased when he checked the engine's oil level before draining the crankcase. The dipstick appeared to show very little oil remaining, prompting a double-take.

"Oh my God, dude, you guys can see that? I did not wipe that off," he said while holding up the dipstick. "That little bit."

Once the drain plug was pulled, the oil that flowed out increased his concerns for the Durango’s mechanical health.

"Look how black it is though. Look at this," he said. "When I had my Durango, I would do my oil changes, mine would come out red, not black."

When the mechanic pulled the engine’s cartridge-style oil filter, he spotted broken plastic fragments inside the filter housing, requiring a pair of long-handled pliers to fish out several pieces that appeared to be broken off from the previous filter. The shattered pieces were a sign that there were several reasons for concern beyond the long interval between oil changes.

"[expletive] lube techs, man," he said. "You got people out here doing your oil changes that don't know what [expletive] they're doing. They don't care. Customer doesn't care. Oil change person doesn't care."

The Pentastar V-6 has powered millions of Dodge, Jeep, Ram and Chrysler vehicles over the past decade, creating a large base of owners who are familiar with its performance and maintenance needs. While the mechanic portrayed the engine as particularly unforgiving of extended oil-change intervals, many viewers argued the video reinforced a different lesson: routine maintenance matters more than anything else.

"I get my 3.6 Grand Cherokee oil changed every 3 to 4k miles," one owner wrote. "It has 210k miles and running strong."

Another replied that their own engine had reached 225,000 miles without major issues.

Some viewers became sidetracked by the mechanic's observation that his own used oil often drained with a reddish tint, insisting clean red fluid would more likely point to automatic transmission fluid than engine oil. Others countered that motor oil can sometimes take on a reddish hue depending on its formulation and condition.

For the mechanic, though, the color debate missed the larger point. He ended the video by contrasting what he saw as careless maintenance with the standard he tries to uphold in his own shop.

"If you bring your car to me, I care," he said. "I give a [expletive]. When no one else does, I give a [expletive]."

Why Maintenance Matters

The discussion highlighted how maintenance habits can matter as much as the hardware itself when it comes to keeping a car running reliably.

The 3.6-liter Pentastar has been installed in millions of vehicles across the Stellantis lineup and has plenty of loyal owners who say regular servicing has allowed the engine to rack up hundreds of thousands of miles. Like any modern engine, its performance depends on maintaining the proper oil level and replacing both the oil and filter at appropriate intervals.

It's also worth noting that the color of used motor oil by itself doesn't necessarily indicate whether it has reached the end of its service life. Fresh oil can vary in color depending on its formulation, though oil naturally darkens with age and use as it circulates through an engine and accumulates suspended combustion byproducts.

In this case, the mechanic’s view was that the combination of findings—overdue service, very little oil on the dipstick, heavily discolored oil, and broken pieces in the filter housing—painted a troubling picture for a vehicle that needed some care and attention.

Many viewers ultimately landed on roughly the same conclusion: that scheduled maintenance is a lot less expensive and unpredictable than gambling with procrastination and neglect.

Motor1 reached out to the creator via direct message and comment on the clip. and to Stellantis via email. We’ll update this if they respond.