Where do you get your oil changed?

[simply1]

Ideally I'd change it myself, however it's not always convenient living in a townhome to try to do that.

Is there anywhere in WDM I can take the oil/filter and pay some fee to have them take care of it for me? I can get Mobil 1 Synthetic and a quality filter for quite a bit less than the lube shops charge and know what's going into my vehicles.

 

[ISUAlum2002]

I can't think of any shops that will let you bring your own oil and filter. I mean, they might use your stuff, but they'd charge you full price for the change. You'll definitely need to call around to the smaller shops, because the big chain shops and oil change specialty places certainly won't do it.

 

[Cyclone42]

I know Wal-Mart doesn't have a very good rep around here, but they might do it. Especially if you buy the oil and filter there (and they sell most top-quality brands). And you can't beat their prices.

 

[simply1]

I can't think of any shops that will let you bring your own oil and filter. I mean, they might use your stuff, but they'd charge you full price for the change. You'll definitely need to call around to the smaller shops, because the big chain shops and oil change specialty places certainly won't do it.

I need to establish a good mechanic anyways, might be a good way to do it, hah.

 

[simply1]

I know Wal-Mart doesn't have a very good rep around here, but they might do it. Especially if you buy the oil and filter there (and they sell most top-quality brands). And you can't beat their prices.

I admit to buying the oil at Wal-Mart, they do have great quality oil and prices for sure.

 

[Phaedrus]

The biggest issues I have with oil change places are some of the ripoff pricing and the generally incompetent people that work there.

I went to one once, and caught them putting on my drain plug with an impact wrench.

I looked through oil change dudes tool box, and they didn't have any correct/really decent tools.

Now, since I cannot change my own oil, I pay about the same price at a local private mechanic as the quick change ripoff joint.

 

[ISUAlum2002]

The thing I don't like about the oil change specialty places is that you can't buy just an oil change. They have packages that include vacuuming out the car and checking other fluids and such, using these other "services" to jack up the price. Just give me a barebones oil change. Don't do anything else. Nope, can't do that.

And this is why I do all my own work on my cars.

 

[Freebird]

Ideally I'd change it myself, however it's not always convenient living in a townhome to try to do that.

Is there anywhere in WDM I can take the oil/filter and pay some fee to have them take care of it for me? I can get Mobil 1 Synthetic and a quality filter for quite a bit less than the lube shops charge and know what's going into my vehicles.

I take mine to the corresponding dealership (Smart for my Honda and Bob Brown for my GMC.) Even if the car is out of warranty. Most run around $30. You get a real mechanic. They know the car, and if there is a service bulletin on the vehicle they can usually take car of it at a regular oil change.

 

[cycloner29]

Forget Jiffy Lube!! Had buddy take his car there, they replaced his serpentine belt and installed it wrong and caused the engine to overheat as the waterpump was running backwards.

 

[ISUAgronomist]

I take mine to the corresponding dealership (Smart for my Honda and Bob Brown for my GMC.)

I used to do this too but the local Chevy place overfilled my oil by 1.5 quarts two time in a row, which they were willing to correct immediately. After that I've never gone back and will continue to change it myself. I can't justify paying someone $40 to **** up and have to bring my car back when I can get all the supplies for around $20 and do it correctly myself.

 

[Phaedrus]

A family member who sold me a car, used to religiously get his car serviced at the stealership where he bought it.

When I got it it had 100,000 miles on it, and the first air filter change I did, it was a bear to get to and remove it. When I finally got to the air filter, the factory tell-tales were still intact.

Basically, they were just charging him for the service and not doing it. I admit that it's hard to get to the air filter on that model, but geesh!

 

[cycopath25]

Where do I get my oil changed? In my driveway that is where.

 

[cychhosis]

The garage where I get my oil changed has an ugly mechanic and he has a foul disposition. But it is right next to the house and he doesn't mark-up the products and I trust him with my car. The thing that worries me - he might be sleeping with my wife!!:biglaugh::biglaugh::biglaugh:

 

[burn587]

I go to Jiffy Lube if I need an oil change when I'm traveling for work. If I can do it myself, I do, but I generally haven't had trouble with Jiffy Lube. I'll just say only let them change the oil, don't let them try and sell you on their other services, because they don't really know how to do them well. I once agreed to a radiator flush and coolant replacement. There are a series of things to do on my car (and probably other cars too) to get the pressure in the coolant system relieved, and they didn't do it. So basically I had all these air pockets in my coolant system that would slowly work their way out, resulting in me getting a low coolant light going off, me having to pull over and put more coolant in, rinse and repeat. It was pretty annoying, and very preventable.

 

[st8]

The biggest issues I have with oil change places are some of the ripoff pricing and the generally incompetent people that work there.

I went to one once, and caught them putting on my drain plug with an impact wrench.

I looked through oil change dudes tool box, and they didn't have any correct/really decent tools.

Now, since I cannot change my own oil, I pay about the same price at a local private mechanic as the quick change ripoff joint.

first off, for someone who appears to consider themselves more intelligent then anyone else on this board (or the world for that matter), why can't you change your own oil??? then you could use only "correct/decent" tools on your vehicle and put your drain plug back on without using an impact wrench. or maybe that would interfere with your need to continually validate yourself on a message board? secondly, does your car know the quality of tools that are being used on it? last I checked it didnt take that many tools to change some oil ? It sounds to me like you went to a poorly run jiffy lube/car-x and now asume that all chain quick lube joints are filled with careless morons that return your car to you worse off then when you brought it in. do you also think that all middle easterners are terrorists, or that every hispanic in america is here illegally?

 

[Freebird]

first off, for someone who appears to consider themselves more intelligent then anyone else on this board (or the world for that matter), why can't you change your own oil??? then you could use only "correct/decent" tools on your vehicle and put your drain plug back on without using an impact wrench. or maybe that would interfere with your need to continually validate yourself on a message board? secondly, does your car know the quality of tools that are being used on it? last I checked it didnt take that many tools to change some oil ? It sounds to me like you went to a poorly run jiffy lube/car-x and now asume that all chain quick lube joints are filled with careless morons that return your car to you worse off then when you brought it in. do you also think that all middle easterners are terrorists, or that every hispanic in america is here illegally?

Wow, was that necessary? Everyone else is entitled to their own opinion right?

If you can't see anything wrong with using incorrect tools to do the job then I can't really help you there...

 

[CyPride]

I get my oil changed in my garage!

i bet if you went to wal mart, purchased the oil and filter there they would do it. I can't imagine why they wouldn't, but I've never tried.

 

[iowa_wildcat]

Outlaw grain alcohol!

 

[usedcarguy]

first off, for someone who appears to consider themselves more intelligent then anyone else on this board (or the world for that matter), why can't you change your own oil??? then you could use only "correct/decent" tools on your vehicle and put your drain plug back on without using an impact wrench. or maybe that would interfere with your need to continually validate yourself on a message board? secondly, does your car know the quality of tools that are being used on it? last I checked it didnt take that many tools to change some oil ? It sounds to me like you went to a poorly run jiffy lube/car-x and now asume that all chain quick lube joints are filled with careless morons that return your car to you worse off then when you brought it in. do you also think that all middle easterners are terrorists, or that every hispanic in america is here illegally?

I'm no brain surgeon, but I imagine that it's pretty tough to change the oil in you cars when you are in Afghanistan.

The fact of the matter is that finding competent oil changers is not as easy as it appears. I ALWAYS check everything when I have one done because I've experience and witnessed about every bad thing that can happen. For myself, the most common occurance is that they forget to reinsert the dipstick or put on the fill cap. At a franchised dealership where I used to work, I saw cars where they forgot to tighten drain plugs, put the oil back in, and even a guy with a cabinet full of filters because he forgot to change them. I will have to say I never saw a drain plug installed with an impact.

The problem lies in that oil changes are loss leaders for most places, thus they have the entry level $8.00/hr guy doing the work, rather than the techs with all the experience. This isn't to say there aren't competent oil changers, but that there are many who are not, and that there is a ton of turnover at the position.

I refuse to change my own oil because in reality I can't afford to. For the time it takes to screw with it, I can make a lot more money. I trust others to do so - but always verify their work.

I really don't know why you went off on him. Did his comments strike a little too close to home?

 

[JonDMiller]

Aamco. Did u know they have four locations in central Iowa?