[CorneringArtist]

Okay, I've posted this in a couple of other threads, but I was nearly fired today because my acting service manager wanted me to use conventional oil in a Nissan 370Z, when I strongly recommended synthetic. The customer AGREED to use synthetic after I asked the service advisor if they wanted to do so. I called a local Nissan dealer, and even they said use synthetic (we are a Toyota dealership).

When the acting manager found out that I did that, he yelled at me that either I do things his way or leave, that I know nothing because he "has 20 years experience in the industry" (I am a apprentice tech, but this was a common sense case to me, and according to other techs he supposedly has no actual technical experience), claimed that ALL oil is the same, said that I don't know anything about cars, and then threatened to send me home, and then escalated it to threatening to fire me. To defuse the situation, I just told him it won't happen again, said he was right, got the proper oil anyways, and carried on. I was ready to tell him that it's common sense to use synthetic oil in a sports car (considering that the FR-S does as well), but I didn't want to risk making the situation worse.

Now, I understand that I'm supposed to respect the manager's decisions especially as an apprentice, but if the vehicle comes back with an engine problem directly related to the wrong oil used, I would probably end up fired because my number would show up on the service history. When this individual takes over as acting manager while the real manager goes on vacation (he's a senior service advisor), he is supposedly known to power trip when in that position.

I need to know, did he have grounds to fire me over questioning a single decision and doing the right thing, and would it have been my ass down the line had I listened to him?