I work at a Valvoline Instant Oil Change and have had many many people tell me and the people that I work with that this is the best experience at a quick lube shop they have ever had and will continue to come back in the future. I am respectful knowledgeable and courteous to my customers. I simply preform the steps of my service and if at any time in the process they stop me because either A. they do not want what I am offering B. think it is a bunch of [censored] when I offer a synthetic oil for their vehicle when a manufacture such as Toyota, Chevrolet, even Volkswagen recommends it. You would be surprised how many people are <span style="font-weight: bold">AGAINST</span> synthetics or showing sever service intervals for certain parts of the vehicle recommended by the manufacture I stop, make sure everything is going well, ask them is there anything else I can do for you like fill up your tires or whatever it may be and then cash them and send them on their merry way. I know many of you do not like my kind, and with the reputation my industry has gained over the years I hold 0% animosity towards the opinion you have. But I would appreciate any good stories about your experiences at lube shops and what made it so great.
Good experiences at lube shops?
- Thread starter DimondPhilup
- Start date
I was at my sons in Greeley Colorado, and the transmission on my 2005 mustang was acting funny. It was about a week before Christmas. I went down the street to a quaker State quick lube place, and asked to have the fluid level checked, as it was one of those with no dipstick. They checked it and put in about a quart and a half, and said it looked a little discolored, but not to bad. I asked how much I owed, and he said no charge, Merry Christmas, and gave me some discount coupons to give to my son. Oh, and the tranny worked perfectly after that until I traded it off.
I am really glad they treated you so well. I am the same way when It comes to things like topping up fluids or inspecting something. My shop gets fluids for so cheap and we get them by hundreds of gallons so why charge someone for a measly couple pints or quarts of fluid.
Oddly enough, my neighborhood Valvoline Quick Lube was the one i was going to reference as well. They are always professional, courteous and honest. I always recommend them to friends.
Originally Posted By: DimondPhilup
I simply preform the steps of my service and if at any time in the process they stop me because either A. they do not want what I am offering B. think it is a bunch of [censored] when I offer a synthetic oil for their vehicle when a manufacture such as Toyota, Chevrolet, even Volkswagen recommends it. You would be surprised how many people are AGAINST synthetics or showing sever service intervals for certain parts of the vehicle recommended by the manufacture I stop, make sure everything is going well, ask them is there anything else I can do for you like fill up your tires or whatever it may be and then cash them and send them on their merry way. I know many of you do not like my kind, and with the reputation my industry has gained over the years I hold 0% animosity towards the opinion you have. But I would appreciate any good stories about your experiences at lube shops and what made it so great.
Note exactly a quick lube place, not that many in Australia, mostly corner garages that do the work.
Anyway years ago I was riding my 2-stroke motorcycle through the mountains with a couple of mates. My RD spat out an exhaust baffle that snapped in half.
Found the parts and went to a little country town that was close, and went to the local mechanic / garage. The guy welded the baffle back together for me and helped me fit it, to get going again.
When I asked him how much I owed him, he said "A hand shake will do". So we shook hands, and he sent me on my way.
These are the stories I like to hear.
I've had plenty of good experiences - including my local Walmart TLE. Sometimes, the Express portion feels like a bit of a misnomer, but the truth is the guys there are just overworked and spread thin. I've also had a few bad experiences, but everything was corrected in the end and I always left happy. The only reason I stopped getting my oil changed there was because motorcraft 5w20 started creating up in price so I started changing it myself.
I also remember when the quick lube near my home first opened - it was a gulf oil shop and the guys were terrific. They used one of those plastic fluid comparison charts to show me my old fluids and offered a lot of services but never went for the hard sell or pushed any snake oil. They actually pulled my differential cover to clean out the 200k mile sludge before refilling. The cost with gasket, synthetic oil, labor, and I'm sure at least one can of brake cleaner was $50 (which they quoted me when they thought they'd just be using a fluid extractor). Now the current owner is a different story.
More than anything else, I think that I have good experiences because I go in with very specific expectations, down to what oil and filter will be used and because I have enough knowledge to not be taken advantage of. I always inspect any work that has been done on my vehicle - trust but verify... AND stay the heck away from power/solvent flushes of any type. A clean radiator that leaks doesn't do me any good.
Also, I don't get mad at people for trying to push services or minimum oil standards that I actually need but when it goes beyond that (like suggesting Lucas oil stabilizer) I just politely say no without turning it into an argument.
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A little off topic but does valvoline instant use a different filter if they fill a sump with synthetic? I have always assumed they use the same oil filter for syn as dino...it just irks me. Totally looks like a purolator btw.
I have always however had good luck using their services in the past except one time when they charged me an extra $5 or so for .3 qt extra because I had a coupon. Never had to pay extra previous times without a coupon. Had to make their money back lol. This was before being more serious about diy. They do cost a little more than I would like also but I guess you pay for convenience
Originally Posted By: FordBroncoVWJeta
Originally Posted By: DimondPhilup
I simply preform the steps of my service and if at any time in the process they stop me because either A. they do not want what I am offering B. think it is a bunch of [censored] when I offer a synthetic oil for their vehicle when a manufacture such as Toyota, Chevrolet, even Volkswagen recommends it. You would be surprised how many people are AGAINST synthetics or showing sever service intervals for certain parts of the vehicle recommended by the manufacture I stop, make sure everything is going well, ask them is there anything else I can do for you like fill up your tires or whatever it may be and then cash them and send them on their merry way. I know many of you do not like my kind, and with the reputation my industry has gained over the years I hold 0% animosity towards the opinion you have. But I would appreciate any good stories about your experiences at lube shops and what made it so great.
I’ve never had a bad experience but I’ve not used too many. I do hate it when shops try to flush your wallet with all those BG flushes but I just say no and they don’t usually push it too much after that.
4WD
$50 site donor 2023
Our little town has a modern Mobil 1 quick lube I have used post surgery when I could not DIY … the owner trains his folks well … the computer system is stellar … caters to the folks (we have lots of PSD trucks so he has numerous brands for them) … the waiting area is nice and he pops in/out often to visit with customers …
4WD
$50 site donor 2023
SR5 … awesome story … my BIL’s dad was like that … quick fix of a tractor seat … no charge … grab a cold Coke from the old style dispenser … Now if he had to build you a new driveshaft by welding and machine shop work … or cut a tool joint for a drilling rig … he’d charge a moderate fee but was never trying to get rich.
He was also a member of the VFD … which is funny since he caught that shop on fire a couple times 
The FD was 500m from him …
The FD was 500m from him …
Originally Posted By: cb_13
Originally Posted By: FordBroncoVWJeta
Originally Posted By: DimondPhilup
I simply preform the steps of my service and if at any time in the process they stop me because either A. they do not want what I am offering B. think it is a bunch of [censored] when I offer a synthetic oil for their vehicle when a manufacture such as Toyota, Chevrolet, even Volkswagen recommends it. You would be surprised how many people are AGAINST synthetics or showing sever service intervals for certain parts of the vehicle recommended by the manufacture I stop, make sure everything is going well, ask them is there anything else I can do for you like fill up your tires or whatever it may be and then cash them and send them on their merry way. I know many of you do not like my kind, and with the reputation my industry has gained over the years I hold 0% animosity towards the opinion you have. But I would appreciate any good stories about your experiences at lube shops and what made it so great.
Originally Posted By: FordBroncoVWJeta
Thing is if your driving a brand new Ford, and I say we can put Ford recommended oil and filter in your car or regular pennzoil. 99% of the time people want Motorcraft.
Originally Posted By: HorseThief
Originally Posted By: FordBroncoVWJeta
Thing is if your driving a brand new Ford, and I say we can put Ford recommended oil and filter in your car or regular pennzoil. 99% of the time people want Motorcraft.
The whole up-charge thing across the board at any Valvoline quick lube or Express care but then again I have only been working there for a year now so I have no idea what their policy was before that. We cover the first 5 quarts and the filter (depending on the engine there are some that are very specific to the and can't be used on other vehicles like the new 6.7 powerstrokes for instance) and I am not sure if all our filters are dino rated or all of them are made for synthetic oils. It would not surprise me if they are just made for dino to save a buck. For the longest time I thought our filters were made by Baldwin but I found out recently they are sourced from Hastings I have never had complaints from customers about them even the diesel guys seem to like them. What is your opinion on Hastings filters?
I fully realize this yes lol. Does it make me cringe with every fiber of my being when people with their ecoboosts use conventional for like 6000 miles? Yes it does. You need the best lubrication and stable oil possible for turbocharged vehicles. Does the conditions your driving in and the OCI matter a great deal. Absolutely! But I know my customers and they sometimes are VERY tough and harsh to their vehicles and makes think how long will those turbos really last.
Originally Posted By: DimondPhilup
I fully realize this yes lol. Does it make me cringe with every fiber of my being when people with their ecoboosts use conventional for like 6000 miles? Yes it does. You need the best lubrication and stable oil possible for turbocharged vehicles. Does the conditions your driving in and the OCI matter a great deal. Absolutely! But I know my customers and they sometimes are VERY tough and harsh to their vehicles and makes think how long will those turbos really last.
I've honestly had much better experiences in general at quick change places than with having dealers change my oil.
I used to go to a Valvoline place that was very close to my work because it was fast and convenient, downsides were that it was expensive and didn't offer tire rotations (I guess that is probably rare at places like that). They tried to upsell basically everything, but weren't obnoxious about it. I wonder if they would offer to replace my CVT fluid if I went there now, that is supposed to be quite a long job in the FXT...
