cheap oil changes, how do they do it?
I luvs my trucks
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 117
Likes: 0
From: Norcal
Avoid the cheap oil change places like a case of herpes. Why are their oil changes so cheap?
1: They badger you into buying meaningless crap like injector flushing. Even when you tell them that you just want oil, they will randomly bring out something drippy and say it needs changed... even though what is dripping is just fine ATF fluid.
2: They screw up, and then charge for "repairs". A close acquaintance had one of those places manage to bust an automatic transmission hose. Total cost for an oil change? $450. Add in the cost of taking the vehicle to a real mechanic, near a grand.
3: They get the cheapest help they can find.
4: Their QC isn't that great. We all know people who either had to sue for engine replacement, or have a replacement engine installed due to failure to tighten an oil drain plug tightly.
My opinion: Stay the hell away from the cheapie oil change places, at all costs. Change it yourself, or take it to a mechanic or dealership. Yes, it may be significantly more in cost, but I vote with my dollars, and would rather pay for service at a reputable place than contribute to the race to the bottom when it comes to service quality.
1: They badger you into buying meaningless crap like injector flushing. Even when you tell them that you just want oil, they will randomly bring out something drippy and say it needs changed... even though what is dripping is just fine ATF fluid.
2: They screw up, and then charge for "repairs". A close acquaintance had one of those places manage to bust an automatic transmission hose. Total cost for an oil change? $450. Add in the cost of taking the vehicle to a real mechanic, near a grand.
3: They get the cheapest help they can find.
4: Their QC isn't that great. We all know people who either had to sue for engine replacement, or have a replacement engine installed due to failure to tighten an oil drain plug tightly.
My opinion: Stay the hell away from the cheapie oil change places, at all costs. Change it yourself, or take it to a mechanic or dealership. Yes, it may be significantly more in cost, but I vote with my dollars, and would rather pay for service at a reputable place than contribute to the race to the bottom when it comes to service quality.
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 261
Likes: 11
From: Nibley, Utah
Honestly, it doesn't matter if the place is cheap or the most expensive highest quality shop in the world: I check my oil plug before leaving the shop.
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 269
Likes: 3
From: Ft Lauderdale
I had a friend in high school who worked at one of the chain oil change places and he wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. He would tell me horror stories about their screw ups, I would never go to a jiffy lube even if it was free. If they didn't have the correct filter, they would use another, and once the car left, it's not their problem. He told me sometimes they wouldn't even change the oil, sometimes they wouldn't change the filter, just wipe it clean.
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 133
Likes: 3
From: Y-ville
Originally Posted by Ryninger
Alot of times they change oil at a loss or break even on them, with the hopes of getting additional business out of you. Brakes, tires, mufflers, "weak tie rods"...
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 122
Likes: 3
From: Austin, TX
So I just bought my new EcoBoost at a different dealer then I usually go to since they won me over with the deal they gave me. The service manager said they always have an $8.99 oil change special. This is from an actual Ford dealer that has been in business for at least 50 years, and not some crazy fly by night place.
TRENDSETTER
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 477
Likes: 15
From: spring, TX
Wow, this thread is a joke! I worked at jiffy lube for three years, and the busiest one in Texas at that! All these horror stories are true yes, we do badger the crap outta people, but all you have to do is simply say no! We had to check every cars and get a " report on conditions" to inform the customer about their car is all. We checked lights, wipers, coolant level, water in the battery, power steering, air filter, cabin air filters, and down stairs ( where I worked) check the rear differential, transfer case, front differential, change oil and filter, and visually inspect for leaks, then IF the customer wanted, change a fuel filter, transmission flush, change differential fluid etc etc. I worked my *** off and that's horrible about the reputation we had, they even took me back when I got laid off from baker Hughes!
Yeah all these places suck, but you need to do your homework and not just take your car/ truck to any hole in the wall with low lifes running the shop!! Just tell them straight up when you pull in that you just want the oil changed and to not touch anything else, we always checked anyways complimentary, but the easiest oil changes were when people pulled up and knew what they wanted and what to expect. They only badger you to get their "numbers" for the day, that's retail for ya!
I was one of the highest paid techs when I was working there, I hated " greeting" and trying to badger people to make a sale for the company, but you gotta do what you gotta do, I did everything in that shop except management, I got chewed out enough when I did inspections and someone failed because they never bothered to even walk around their car or research online what the state checks for and then bich at me when they failed for something I had no control over!!! Ugh, okay I'm done with my rant, but if you don't wanna complain then do it yourself, these companies want your money, don't you get it??? Isn't that why they call it a "stealership" ???
Ha!! Newbie rant!! I am thankful for jiffy lube because when I got laid off from the oil prices a few years back, they took me back in, no questions asked! Now I'm back making drill bits so we can GET oil, go figure...
Yeah all these places suck, but you need to do your homework and not just take your car/ truck to any hole in the wall with low lifes running the shop!! Just tell them straight up when you pull in that you just want the oil changed and to not touch anything else, we always checked anyways complimentary, but the easiest oil changes were when people pulled up and knew what they wanted and what to expect. They only badger you to get their "numbers" for the day, that's retail for ya!
I was one of the highest paid techs when I was working there, I hated " greeting" and trying to badger people to make a sale for the company, but you gotta do what you gotta do, I did everything in that shop except management, I got chewed out enough when I did inspections and someone failed because they never bothered to even walk around their car or research online what the state checks for and then bich at me when they failed for something I had no control over!!! Ugh, okay I'm done with my rant, but if you don't wanna complain then do it yourself, these companies want your money, don't you get it??? Isn't that why they call it a "stealership" ???
Ha!! Newbie rant!! I am thankful for jiffy lube because when I got laid off from the oil prices a few years back, they took me back in, no questions asked! Now I'm back making drill bits so we can GET oil, go figure...
TRENDSETTER
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 477
Likes: 15
From: spring, TX
Oh, and we never used recycled oil, we had huge bulk tanks downstairs with conventional, so I'm assuming all the cheap places have the same deal. I like jiffy lube because all they use is shell products, everything in there is owned by shell and that's the only gas I use in my vehicles, nothing else...
So the answer to the question is, cheap oil changes bring in lots of volume, the economy is bad and you'll get more customers to your business with a cheaper price, the oil and filter cost next to nothing, so in all actuality, the place IS making money either way........
I'm done
So the answer to the question is, cheap oil changes bring in lots of volume, the economy is bad and you'll get more customers to your business with a cheaper price, the oil and filter cost next to nothing, so in all actuality, the place IS making money either way........
I'm done
