quick oil change places ... how do you know you're getting what you paid for?

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I'm thinking about going back to Wally World to get my oil changed. At least you can see what the "technician" is pouring into your car.

Quick change places around here insist on you waiting it their waiting room. I don't want to pay $50+ and end up with a cheaper choice than I selected.
 
quote:

how do you know you're getting what you paid for?

Trust them..
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Take care, Bill
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There's actually a independant gas station that will change my oil for $10 if I bring them the oil & filter, but I feel guilty like I'm taking advantage of them.
 
Tell them you want to watch. You should let them know your intention before they touch anything on your car.

If they insist that you go to a waiting room that you can't watch, that means they don't want your business. Go somewhere else.

If you give in, then you've already had your choices. No need to complain. But you should determine in advance how important is that peace of mind to you.

Good luck.
 
06Ranger,

Didn't you say in one of your other posts that you only had 800 miles on the truck. Isn't the dealer supposed to do that for you during the warranty period ? Other than that, you should try to do it yourself if you're physically able to. You would be surprised to know all the different ways there is to screw up a simple oil change. If you do it yourself, you have the piece of mind knowing it was done right.
 
GoldenRod,

Yeah I'm approaching 900 now and was planning on switching to synthetic (not sure which one) at 1k miles.

I'm physically capable of changing my own oil, but I'm an apartment dweller and DIY oil changes or frowned upon.
 
dont feel like you are taking advantage of the independent gas station. thats all the labor should cost. is takes say 15 - 20 min. that puts them up to $30 - $40/hr. its an oil change it doesnt warrent a $60+ hourly rate.

if you can watch everything they are doing at the walmart then you should be fine. the same goes for any quick lube place. just keep and eye out for whats going on.
 
We only had two complaints when Walmart was changing our oil. First, the vacuuming wouldn't always get done even though it is on their checklist. Second, we would occasionally be charged for an "off the shelf" filter, when in fact the filter included in their price was actually installed. I called two different store managers on this practice. Needless to say, I quit using those Walmarts. I started providing my own filters, and Walmart took $2 off for not using their Fram, so the second issue became moot. Otherwise, the Walmart techs did exactly as we asked.
 
I have no problems with the local Wal-Mart supercenter. They just charge me for the oil and filter(I think this time I'm going to buy a purolater and have them put that on instead of the fram). I ask them to put Pennzoil HM 5w30 and they do it. I'm thinking of have them cut back on one qt of Pennzoil HM 5w30 and have them replace that qt with Valvoline Duroblend 5w30. It might make it more energy effecient that way.
 
06Ranger,

I live in an apartment complex in The Great Devastated Swampland too. Can you do your oil changes and other car work while the office is closed -- say, Sunday morning? The Powers That Be in the office may never known about it. (Besides, even changing oil, you probably spill less oil on the concrete than a lot of Louisiana-registered cars leak out of their poorly-maintained engines.)

-- Paul W.
 
quote:

I'm physically capable of changing my own oil, but I'm an apartment dweller and DIY oil changes or frowned upon

Benzadmiral beat me to it but as an apartment dweller myself I don't get hassled when I do my vehicle work on the weekends and away from other vehicles. My only problems have been when I did work on a weekday and a member of the office staff saw. Even then I challenged them to show me where it said in my lease or community policies that I couldn't work on my vehicle. That ended any interference from them.
 
I bet if you paid your rent on time you wouldn't get much grief.

Unless you party, make noise or have otherwise annoyed your neighbors and the management is out to get you.

Also if they're showing prospective tenants around that sort of thing looks "lower class".

Depends on how tight housing stock is. If they can break your lease and make more money off a new tenant that's one thing. If folks took off forever never to return you're in better shape.
 
I wouldn't do fluid related work right in my parking spot, I'd recommend moving the vehicle to another location in the complex away from general parking depending on how your complex is laid out. I have done things like spark plugs in my spot but for oil changes I move my vehicles to one end of the parking lot near where maintenance tends to stash old washing machines, etc for disposal. The only side effect is having other residents ask you car questions because they've seen you doing something on your car they would never do themselves. As long as you keep liquid spillage to a minimum you should be OK.
 
Regarding the ability to watch while they do the work, I know in some places they say it's an insurance regulation. Not sure if that's necessarily true, but it could be the shop is just concerned that you might fall in one of the open pits and sue them. The company I work for makes us take our vehicles to Jiffy Lube; I always watch them carefully and have never been asked (told?) to wait in the waiting room. I did have one of their techs call me a dumba$$ for insisting on the factory-approved oversize filter for my truck, but I think he's a management-trainee at Burger King now...
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he called you a dumba$$ to your face. wow. i would have made sure that one was fired that day.
 
Zombie_Tech wrote:

>

Man, you ought to see the looks I get when I drain the oil out of the dipstick using the Topsider. It must look like I'm giving my car a transfusion!

-- Paul
 
"Not sure if that's necessarily true, but it could be the shop is just concerned that you might fall in one of the open pits and sue them."

About 3-4 years ago here in N. AL., there was actually an incident in which an elderly gentleman fell into one of the "pits" at the local Texaco Xpress Lube. He died. I don't know if there was ever any legal action taken.
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racer, I should have been more clear. He didn't call me that to my face, rather it was on their computer in the comments section of the work log, written by the 18 year-old whiz-bang who did the work. The check-out person inadvertently let me see the screen when she was looking for some information...I actually thought it was funny that I've been doing my own mechanical work for twice as long as he's been alive, yet I'M the dumba$$...
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Right now in N.O. you don't want to tick off your landlord. BIG housing shortage since Katrina. She passes the complex sometimes after office hours.

I'll probably end up purchasing the oil & filter at Wally World and going to the independent shop.
 
Overlord...that would'nt happen to be the Jiffy Lube on 28 in Mashpee or whatever that one is on the way to Hyannis?


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