Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Oil Change Chicanery.............

Our local guy is $5 more than what it would cost me and his shop is across the road from the park.

Drop off keys, play with kids, drive away.

I usually do my own, but there are several independent shops here advertising $10 oil changes if you furnish the oil and filter. I'd trust these guys more than Walmart or the big shops such as Jiffy Lube.

Me too. Used to do it myself. Buy oil and filters at WalMart and/or K-Mart when they were on sale. Enjoyed doing it and saved a few bucks. Too much arthritis now to go crawling under cars. I bought a used 2010 Ram 2 years ago. The guy offered 4 oil changes, for $100 bucks, at the time of the sale. I just used the last one. For that money, it's not worth screwing around. He offers that deal every couple months, or so. When he does it again, I'll pick up another one. It's hard to do it yourself for $25 bucks a pop.

My 87 year old Aunt brought her car to her Honda dealership for an oil change. I told her say NO to anything else they try to sell you. She came home with a $450 bill! They told her it was time for her 60,000 maintenance. She said no, and they strongly recommended it. It might not be safe to drive the car if she didn't get it done. She said OK. They changed her oil, and topped off the gear oil, replaced her wiper blades, inspected her brakes and tires... The wiper blades were billed at $35 Each! I called the dealership and asked to speak to whoever talked my Aunt into the tune up. I laid into him for 10 minutes and told him to make a note in her files not to do one single thing to her car without my approval. If she ever drives there on her own without me, they will call me or they will not get one thin dime. I then called the dealership's manager and told him the exact same thing. I threatened to go to the AG's office and turn him in for manipulating a poor little old lady into buying unnecessary services. They are crooks. I do mine, and my Mom's and Brother's vehicles. Everything I can. If I was to get any of them done, I would go to my corner garage and make things clear on what I want, and get what I'm paying out front. See how it goes, and if I will go back or not.

Before my Mother died in 2008 she could still drive and live on her own. She needed a fuel filter on her car so I wrote a note for her to give to Jiffy Lube to do only the fuel filter. She later called me and told me they charged her over $300.00.

I immediately stopped payment on her check and went to Jiffy Lube to speak with the manager. He said he had her on video accepting the high pressure options which she took. I told him I stopped payment on her check and that I would pay for the fuel filter only. He repeated again about having her on video. I asked him how he would like to have the video camera shoved up his ass.

He said "listen, you're speaking to a veteran and I can take care of myself". I told him he's speaking to an OLD veteran and I would literally show him what a good ass whipping was all about. Then, while there, I called the head office in WV and explained all about it.

I won.

For the OP, it's more about the guys at the place, than the place itself. Any of the chain joints will train their staff to upsell lots of services, and at ridiculous margins. Dealerships can be a lot like that, or even worse, though certainly not all of them are. It may be possible to find a place who runs their particular site more honestly, or at least will agree to lay-off you & your kin for extras. However, I think you'll have better luck at an independent place, than at a dealer or a chain shop.

You can look for highly-rated mechanics at the Car Talk website, or go on Angie's List (if you're a member). Or, you can go to the local McDonald's at 7 am on a Saturday morning, and buy a round of coffees for the old curmudgeons who'll be gathered there, & ask them where they go (and where they won't go. ).

FC

As long as I am able I will buy my own oil and filter change it myself along with lubing the vehicle.

I get enough oil changing with my motorcycles. I allow myself the luxury of having my car's oil changed at a quick change place.

Their prices are reasonable and there's no pressure to buy anything extra.

It's assembly line efficient.

Pull in, stop, fill out a short form with the milage of your car and the type of oil you want, sit for 5 minutes, pay, drive off.

Do it again 6 months later.

I use a small locally owned shop. I know the owner and trust him to treat me and my family right. He always has.

There is no safety in using a Car Dealership. I had a Chevrolet dealer on I-75 try to tell me that my engine had no oil in it and was seized up. Shop manager said that they had a crate engine he would be glad to replace my engine with and he could have me back on the road by late that afternoon. Instead, I had my dealer send a loaner and a tow truck to pick my car up. My dealer found that it didn't have a drop of oil in it, but the problem that caused it to stop running was a dead battery and no alternator belt. The engine wasn't seized up and was fine. The crooked dealer had drained the oil (they had showed me that there was no oil in the engine) and was going to charge me to replace a perfectly good engine when the only problem was a belt missing. Probably were just going to charge me and not even replace the engine.

It pays to know who you are dealing with when it comes to car repairs or maintenance.

Most of the year I change my own oil but in the middle of winter when it is cold and nasty, I'll pay to have it done at the only quick change place I ever go to.

Oh yeah, I say no, I don't want that done a lot of times. They keep hoping though.

The best scams are the ones that pull people in with the magnanimous offer of "free" inspections of various aspects of the vehicle.

Just had to post this for the hell of it.

I've heard of using airbags to lift a vehicle instead of using a traditional jack, but I never realized what a great idea it really was.

I just tell the girlfriend that there's new oil and a filter in the passenger seat and that she better get it done before I finish my beer and want a sandwich. Had to remind her about greasing the driveline one time, but after that, I've had no more issues.

They don't even let all the oil run out before putting crappy oil back in....but, whatever.

Same here. I used to do my own as well and harassed a friend when he told me he was dropping his outfit off for a change. He made a very salient point about the value of his time.

That along with having 8 motorized vehicles of a sort (cars, trucks, tractors, atvs, and until recently a boat), I have far better things to do with my time.

I have a local private shop change the oil in the diesel pickup. $75 for a diesel oil change is pretty damn good deal. Plus, he does a far cleaner job having a lift to get the job done. Added benefit is it helps my relationship with him so that when I really need a mechanic, he's there for me.

Sounds like some of you guys are just a little slow with a wrench. I can change my own oil in less time than it takes to drive to the nearest lube shop - and that ain't far.

Driving to the shop, waiting for them to do the change (hope there isn't a line) and driving home takes far more time. Even just stopping on the way to somewhere else (if convenient) - they often take more time to do it than I would.

Same thing with tire rotation. Not worth the trip or the wait, when I can do it at home in less time.

Sounds like y'all are making excuses for not wanting to get your hands dirty.

Seems like some of you guys don't realize we don't all live in the same reality you do.

I drive somewhere in the neighborhood of 60,000+ miles a year to get to my jobs across the western US. What do you suggest I do while 800+ miles from home, overdue for an oil change and will not be home or have a day off work for the next few weeks all the while I will probably rack up another 3,000+ miles or so?

Hey, that's all fine. I was just poking a little fun anyway - but your situation is a far cry from just paying someone to "save time". The lube shops are a convenience and for some a necessity - but a time saver, they are not.

That and the risk of breaking a nail.