Oil Change Shops: Why

As others have said it's about the upsell and trying to get a few dollars more.
 
I used to have good things to say about the Jiffy Lube I take my company Escape to. Not anymore.

ARI specifies 7500 mile OCI, which I don't have an issue with as most is highway with downtown Boston traffic mixed in.
I noticed the engine didn't sound "normal" to me about a month after going to JL this time. The valve train was distinctly louder.
The oil level was fine and it looked OK on the dip stick, but that can be skewed compared to the sump.

Given the noise, I decided to change the oil as I had time and scored 8 boxes of M1 HM 5W20 from Walmart for $1/qt.
Check out these pics. This oil has about 1600 miles on it. I called JL and complained, but they have record of it being changed and were of no help. I also let ARI know, but nothing will likely come of it. Sucks for the regular consumer who doesn't know better.


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My oil looks like that after 1600 miles, thanks GDI!
 
In fairness to the quick-change oil shops, first they might not even carry conventional any longer. Why would they? How many people ask for conventional oil any longer, probably not many if any.

Secondly, they are probably trying to do a good job and limit any liability or allegations of using "cheap conventional" when someone pays for premium synthetics. If they don't even keep conventional on hand, no mistakes can be made or alleged. The last thing they need is a lawsuit alleging they destroyed your engine when you paid for premium but they put in conventional and it broke down too early.

Third, they are not there to debate and become oil experts. It's not a realistic expectation for a very entry level maintenance job. They have corporate controlled computers to tell them the correct product and other details. I'd suspect that their system only tells them a blend or a full synthetic.

I do my own oil changes. On the rare occasion I take it in, I almost always provide the oil and filter I want used. This averts mistakes and I know what I get. I also write the date on my filters, so it's easy to identify / age. Also, in my oil stash probably 1% is conventional, from garage sales or clearances. It's not even available at most retailers.
 
Hmm. I see you still have that old school thinking where you expect some employee to have knowledge insinuated by their job.

Sorry. You'll get used to it. 😶

With probably 10k different cars on the road, it's not feasible, possible, or even reasonable to expect someone working in a relatively entry level job to memorize such things. So they rely on a uniform corporate controlled computer, or the manual. Both probably recommend or even demand a synthetic or blend be used. Every vehicle I have post 2000 states such recommendations or requirements.
 
With probably 10k different cars on the road, it's not feasible, possible, or even reasonable to expect someone working in a relatively entry level job to memorize such things. So they rely on a uniform corporate controlled computer, or the manual. Both probably recommend or even demand a synthetic or blend be used. Every vehicle I have post 2000 states such recommendations or requirements.
It's feasible, possible and reasonable to expect someone administering the database to get it right. This is a harmless example but such a culture leads to the wrong weight used, wrong parts used, etc. It's just getting worse and worse. I think the key is for employees to stop being brainwashed to believe what they're taught is without error.
 
It's feasible, possible and reasonable to expect someone administering the database to get it right. This is a harmless example but such a culture leads to the wrong weight used, wrong parts used, etc. It's just getting worse and worse. I think the key is for employees to stop being brainwashed to believe what they're taught is without error.

I don't have the manual, don't know the OPs year car, nor care enough to waste time looking. But other's have pointed out that 2011+ model years do require synthetic. So it's possible the shop is correct.

And it's possible the shop only carries synthetic, as I've stated. Therefore when being informed, the more complete answer is "Of the products we offer, your car requires XXX synthetic (read between the lines, we do not carry conventional)."

Just a theory, nothing to get wrapped around the axels about. Get the synthetic, go somewhere else, or DIY.

Frankly, the price differences are so trivial and the performance of synthetics so superior I don't even understand this discussion.
 
At all my jobs we have had to put what was recommended by the factory in them. We had customers upset but we were just doing our jobs. Still have upset customers sometimes especially Chevrolet owners that have Dexos oil who only want to pay for conventional oil. We also had upset customers who wanted different oil grades than recommended too like we have this one customer who wants 5W-30 in his Subaru but it recommends 0W-20 because it’s a 4 cylinder we can’t do it has to be the 0W-20.
 
At all my jobs we have had to put what was recommended by the factory in them. We had customers upset but we were just doing our jobs. Still have upset customers sometimes especially Chevrolet owners that have Dexos oil who only want to pay for conventional oil. We also had upset customers who wanted different oil grades than recommended too like we have this one customer who wants 5W-30 in his Subaru but it recommends 0W-20 because it’s a 4 cylinder we can’t do it has to be the 0W-20.
Exactly this. We put in what the factory recommends/requires. If a customer has a problem with it, (which has yet to happen) we politely tell them we can't help them.
 
At all my jobs we have had to put what was recommended by the factory in them. We had customers upset but we were just doing our jobs. Still have upset customers sometimes especially Chevrolet owners that have Dexos oil who only want to pay for conventional oil. We also had upset customers who wanted different oil grades than recommended too like we have this one customer who wants 5W-30 in his Subaru but it recommends 0W-20 because it’s a 4 cylinder we can’t do it has to be the 0W-20.
I until recently worked with a fellow, who was at the time a student at the Local(nationally known and recognized) Auto/Diesel college training to be a Diesel mechanic.
He Blew up the 5.3 in his Silverado towing a camper back home in WV. Had the Local Chevy Dealer down there put in a new engine.
Got his Knickers in a twist b/c they filled it with Synthetic oil. (IE: the OE recommended Dexos oil)
told me according to his instructors you can't switch back and forth between conventional and Synthetic. if you do bad things happen.
I forget what those supposed bad things are....
 
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