Comment on 5-minute oil change place
cattywampas@lemm.ee 4 days ago
Never use those quick lube places. Find a reputable mechanic and get it done there.
If you care at all about your car please follow this advice.
Quick lube places survive off of up sells like wipers, belts, and filters. Plus they’ll impact on your oil drain plug which will strip and stretch the threads. The oil filter will go on with no oil on the gasket, and every single ugga they can dugga will be used to tighten it on there.
Find a good mechanic that won’t try to sell you every minor repair your car needs.
I’ve been using Valvoline, but I bring my own oil and filter, and they actually do use a torque wrench on everything I can tell. It’s $60 (with coupon) for my 6.7 that I also have them rotate my tires, I’m in and out in 30 min, and I don’t have to dispose of the oil. Just turn down the the other services, especially the air filter (that I typically replace while I’m waiting in line), and they’re not too bad. I just wish they’d do my fuel filters, but LiAbIlItY.
You do see how that’s a terrible idea, right?
I used to go to a quick change place until yep, they did indeed strip the threads of my drain plug. The next oil change I got was at a nicer place and cost less. They replaced my drain plug. I just had to drop it off for a couple hours.
That’s assuming they remember to put the drain plug back. My brother lost an engine that way
It’s important to use a regular shop for routine maintenance because you’ll build a relationship for when something major goes wrong. The extra cost is worth it.
Plus, imagine what kind of “mechanic” works in these places. Accepting low wages implies they can’t get a job at a real shop because they suck, or because they have no experience.
Yup, I used to hit up those places because quick and cheap are my favorites!
But, sure enough, one of them screwed everything up so bad, the next place refused to even attempt it.
The dealership where I bought my last car offers free inspections each year, so I just have them do the oil during that.
SpikesOtherDog@ani.social 4 days ago
I had started changing my own oil about 10 years ago and my wife had a fit that I was spending $70 on oil and filter plus some supplies here and there compared to the $50 oil change.
We took the car there next time with the coupon. Wife came with me so she could make sure.
Oh, I only use synthetic, it says so in the manual. That was an extra $30.
The car takes 6 quarts, not 5. +$15
The filter wasn’t included. +$20
No, that’s not my air filter. I just replaced it last time.
Can you please deflate my tires back to 32 psi? 60 is too high. It says so here on my door frame.
+??? & Tax came out to $130.
5 minute oil change took like 30-40 minutes.
I still do so my own oil changes.
dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world 4 days ago
The fact that these places always exclude the filter from their price and treat it as a “gotcha” add-on is deeply hilarious.
You have to replace the filter when you change the oil. That’s just how it works. It’s not special and it’s not extra. It’s literally the intended procedure.
Thassodar@lemm.ee 4 days ago
The reason I do it myself is because they’ll use a generic crappy no name filter and oil with no additives for older engines or anything.
comador@lemmy.world 4 days ago
K&N Air Filters would like to have a word…
I literally never change my air filter during oil changes because once a year I take my K&N out, treat it and put it back in. They work better, they produce less waste and they pay for themselves after a year.
dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world 4 days ago
The oil filter. Not the air filter.
ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 4 days ago
They also use shit oil, you’ll be lucky if it’s the right weight you were even supposed to have, and you don’t have to look very hard before finding someone who’s left one of those places with no oil put back, or the oil cap left off, or a leaky filter or drain bolt, or stripped drain bolt threads, etc.
I’ve always changed my own oil.
Also, a special shout-out to Valvoline Restore and protect oil. It really does make your engine cleaner and free up piston rings. My 08 Prius has 272,000 miles on it and the last 16,000 miles I’ve been using that oil (lots of vehicles around those years were using low tension oil rings) I’ve gone from burning a quart around every 2,800 miles, to burning a quart every 5,000 miles.
SpikesOtherDog@ani.social 4 days ago
Yeah, I heard the stories and couldn’t bear to be at their mercy.