Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire scam or ignorance?

ad at local car dealership $49.95 for 6 qt. oil change full syn. + tire rotation. call service dept. service guy asks what vehicle? 2012 suburban. Oh that takes 8 qts. me, "no it doesn't. him, yes it does. me, no I've changed it about a dozen times. takes 6 qts. him, okay we'll just put 6 qts. in. So that's settled and I make an appointment. Which I may still cancel. Do they count on all customers to be rubes and just keep 2 qts. the customer pays for or are expecting to find other problems that need fixed or both?

He should know better. My search says 6 quarts for a 2012. My 2020 GMC with a 5.3 takes almost 8 quarts so maybe he was off on the model.

Ignorance...

He’s losing money

Not all Full Synthetic oils are equal, and neither are the filters. Retail price for the oil and filter I use in my 3.4 Tacoma costs about $40, but at least I know what's in it, and I know it's not going to get overfilled, underfilled or a stripped oil pan bolt. If you want a cheap oil change go to walmarx, but yes... it sounds like bait & switch which dealers have been known to do for decades, and salesmen for eons.

I buy the bundle deals.

Advance usually has 5 gt Mobil 1 or Castrol full syn hi milaeage + K&N filter for $40 or so.

Store brand oil + store brand filter for $34.

I spring formthe upgrade. K&N filter uses a 1” socket.

I just bought a 92 F350 dually with a 460 engine in it. The seller got it "serviced" at Wally World before I picked it up. He's really the one who got serviced, as in royally phugged. The idiots put in 16 quarts of oil- - - -the right amount for a Powerstroke Diesel. At least I can drain out the overfill and have enough oil for almost two more changes!

The vehicle repair/service industry is full of scam artists so the answer is probably both.

But answering phones and scheduling appointments is a low skill job. The value add is in turning wrenches so in any decent sized shop don't expect the guy who answers your call to know WTF because if he did they'd put him to work elsewhere.

Naw, he's buying cheap oil by the barrel. They are making money.

Some dude making minimum wage and playing games on his phone half the day.

He’s paying $5 for a filter and buying oil in a 500 gallon tote for $2.50 qt for synthetic. He’s doing just fine. And you upsell an air filter, w/s wiper blades. $$$

Take it somewhere else that knows what they are doing. Not the thing to count.your nickels on. Serious no confidence dialog on that one.. mb

Exactly...

Most folks don't understand bulk... or volume buying.





$1.91 for a Luber Finer filter for a new Toyota or Lexus...

Same on bulk oil...

That sounds like a price that would come with a scam, so I understand why you asked. Stealerships want to charge $50 just for tire rotation.

Round it up to cover losses or maybe the shop guys tweaked the system so they get to keep a quiet on each job....
Maybe he don't read numbers so good...

Anyone dumb/lazy enough to take their vehicle to get the oil changed should expect this. You ever see the guys doing the oil change? They look like retards. Change it yourself or find someone you trust that’s not too lazy for a 30 min oil change. If you can’t rotate your own tires maybe see if they hiring oil changers at your dealer lol

well you didn't disappoint me Bay. I knew I'd get one smartass response. Go [bleep] on another forum....

You guys have your oil changed? Seriously? Next you are going to claim your scrub the bores on your rifles too.

Same [bleep] here one time. Wife's car sits low so she took it to a lube place. Had a price of like $35 for up to 5 quarts. They told her it held 5.5 quarts and up charged $5.00.
Car actually held less than 5 quarts.

I went into the place the next day and confronted the manager. Told him I knew the car held 5 quarts or less. He said we just checked by the dipstick. He said it took a bit over 5 quarts so they charged for another quart. So I said okay, where's my half quart of oil I paid for.

He knew this was headed where he didn't want to go and gave me a free oil change. We used the freebie and never went back. I took it in that time and watched every move they made. People get ripped off every day and are too stupid to know it.

No way am I going to allow a low IQ someone I don't know take off and replace my drain plug and filter at what stage of torque I don't know. And then put bulk oil of what brand, quality, and viscosity I don't know along with a no-name filter. Oil is too important. I save money by changing it myself but that isn't the main reason I change it.

At our house the gas vehicles get Mobil 1, or Castrol full synthetic and Wix or Mobil 1 filters. One time I bought Royal Purple when it was all they had in upper end oil.

The one old Ford tractor we have and the Honda 4 wheelers get Rotella or Mobil conventional 15W40.

Yeah some local oil change guys wanted to do my rear brakes for "only" $450.

Like the regular maintenance BS. Wife got a new vehicle last year and signed up extra for stuff. ( I know I know).

They count on that responsible feeling folks get after spending on maintenance. HErs was reminding her so she took it in. I thought that oil change would be free at least but guess the "inspection" took more expertise. I was pizzed and asked what they inspected at 11k miles. Was told belts\hoses - and tried to think when the last time I heard of anyone having either break at ten times as many miles???
Battery terminal.....yep its been checked fellas.
Power steering....what? But it got better- yes, we sleep better knowing the drive shaft has had a good going over.

They said complimentary car wash...my wife said umm...no- we signed up for bi-annual clear coat so do it.

Of course, they wanted to do the engine air and cabin filters....for $146 more. I did them both for under $25 in about ten minutes instead. The cabin filter looked almost new ( surprsie.....11k miless duhhh). The engine filter had some oily residue on it- hoping that is common in new vehicles but wonder if that auto-shutoff nonsense is more likely the culprit?
Oh but are tires are now rotated.
If we had done all this maintenance in a vehicle less than 2 years old with $11k miles they would have taken us for over $700. I showed her the filters and did them both for about $25 and ten minutes. She agrees.....no more maintenance, at least from the dealer.

Local valvoline charges $70 and you sit in the car

FWIW ad did state Oil to b ACDELCO GM DEXOS1 full syn. Don't know if that will actually be put in

The previous shop I worked for did a 30+ point inspection on every vehicle that came in. ( not a dealership). Some people thought we just wanted to up sell BS problems.

Owner would tell them, Someone is going to be doing this in the next few months or this year. It doesn't have to be me, but your brakes or belts, or whatever are set to fail.

Most appreciated an honest opinion and returned, some are just cynics no matter how you approach them.

Do they put the oil in out of previously unopened plastic bottles or do they pump it through a hose? What brand filter? I caught them not even changing the filter on my daughter's car. They did wipe it clean though.

Pump it thru a hose have no idea what filter

"Both..." It is a scam. And he is too ignorant to understand that most folks know it is a scam...

Loss leader. He's trying to reel in folks too cheap to change the oil, find issues, and then up-sell.

BMT

Yes