![]() When you go to have your oil changed, chances are you’re not in the bay watching the technician do the work. We all like to believe this one is rare, but unfortunately it does happen. When in doubt, find a car guy or girl whom you trust and ask them to go along with you, or write down the task with the technician’s explanation and bring it to your trusted friend for later. There are plenty of other places to get your oil changed so don’t hesitate taking your business elsewhere. If you’ve politely asked why a job is necessary and they stiffen up or respond defensively, that could be a sign they are trying to take advantage of your lack of knowledge. If you don’t understand what the technician said, it is better to ask than to blindly agree to whatever they recommend. A good shop understands that not everyone is mechanically inclined or even interested in cars and will meet customers wherever they’re at.ĭon’t be afraid to ask questions. If a shop starts talking to you like you’re stupid, walk away. #3 – Treating You in a Condescending Manner Investing in a repair manual is one of the best things you can do. Beginners would be surprised just how easy basic car maintenance or repair is. The more you educate yourself on what maintenance you can (or can’t) do, the easier time you’ll have of spotting when a shop is trying to pull a fast one on you. You can buy a 50/50 mix of coolant at the price of a couple lattes and swap out the old stuff in about an hour after watching a Youtube how-to, but many shops charge upwards of $150 to perform this service. Radiator and transmission flushes are some of the worst offenders. In most instances, you can replace your own air filter in about 5 minutes, but a shop might charge you $20 in labor to perform this task. However, other maintenance tasks rake in substantially more profit, which is bad news for the consumer. The profit margin on an oil change is very thin, if it exists at all. They are designed to get a customer in the door and this business model requires the shop to convince a customer they require additional maintenance. Oil changes are often loss leaders at a quick lube shop whether it be Jiffy Lube, Firestone, Express Oil, or an independent shop. The best way to prevent this is to keep an accurate logbook of maintenance performed on each of your vehicles, and know when the manufacturer recommends performing each task. While this can be very helpful to reveal a burnt out bulb or a pesky leak that went unnoticed, some shops will try to convince you to let them perform maintenance far sooner than is necessary. They’ll check everything from the headlights and turn signals to the air filter and miscellaneous vehicle fluids such as transmission fluid and brake fluid. When you go in for an oil change, most shops will also do a quick inspection of the vehicle. A quick lube shop is not going to know or care what the recommended interval is they make money each time you come in. See Also: Conventional vs Synthetic Engine OilsĪlways consult your vehicle’s owner’s manual to find the manufacturer recommended oil change interval and use that as a rough guideline. The actual condition of the oil is more important than an arbitrary mileage number. Unless you’re driving under extreme operating conditions or your owner’s manual specifically mentions a 3k mile interval, this is usually too frequent. Even many conventional oils can last you 5,000 miles or more under normal driving conditions.Įvery quick lube shop I’ve been to gives you a sticker and tells you to come back in after 3,000 miles. ![]() ![]() Modern full synthetic oils can run anywhere from 6-10,000 miles, some even lasting up to 15,000 miles depending on the vehicle, oil formula, and driving conditions. This is perhaps the most common and subtle sales tactic used by quick lube shops. #3 – Treating You in a Condescending Manner.
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