We constantly hear stories from car owners who go to a garage for a quick oil change and leave paying for services they may not have needed.  

One customer told us how he was waiting for his vehicle’s oil change to be completed when one of the mechanics came into the waiting area with two air filters.  The mechanic quickly announced that one of the air filters was the customer’s air filter the other was a brand new one.  The mechanic asked if he wanted to go ahead and buy the new air filter for his car.  The customer quickly asked to see his air filter compared to a bad air filter.  The mechanic responded his air filter really wasn’t in bad shape. 

The point is the mechanic at the quick-lube garage was willing to sell the customer a new air filter when it wasn’t needed.

What Services are Necessary?

Tom Torbjornsen, Maintenance Editor for AOL Autos, wrote a great article, “Quick-Lube Primer: Stop! Don’t Go For Your Next Oil Change Before Reading This”  that everyone really should read before getting their oil changed at a quick-lube garage.

Have you ever gone to a quick-lube place for an oil change and, while you’re waiting in the lobby for your car, the service bay/sales person informs you that a certain service(s) “must” be performed on the vehicle immediately to avert a disaster of immense proportion?

Mr Torbjornsen points out that the repairs that are usually recommended involve:

1. High mileage oil
2. Fuel system cleaning
3. Brake fluid flush
4. Transmission flush
5. Transfer case or differential fluid change

We recommend that you read, “”Quick-Lube Primer: Stop! Don’t Go For Your Next Oil Change Before Reading This” if you plan on using a quick-lube garage.  Of course, you can save even more money if you rent a bay at Self Serve Garage and change your vehicle’s oil yourself.