# Scared to get an oil change



## Faded Lines (Sep 22, 2006)

My car is do for an oil change. I am scared to go to the place...I feel like I won't know what to do when I get there. I asked my dad to come with me but he like laughed at me.

"Hi, I need an oil change."
".....ok........and?"

That is what's gonna happen.


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## dullard (Aug 4, 2008)

You could do it yourself...


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## sanspants08 (Oct 21, 2008)

dullard said:


> You could do it yourself...


And it would be much cheaper.

Though it might be a dirty pain in the ***. I sometimes do my own oil changes, but absolutely hate it, because the oil tends to squirt out in unpredictable directions before it finally picks one.

When getting an oil change, I ask, "Do you have time for an oil change today?" The answer is almost always yes. If you have a car that came with engines of varying sizes, it's best to know which engine you have when you get there, but if you're not a car guy it's not a big deal, as someone at the shop will figure it out for you.

As long as you don't drive a Maserati or something. :b


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## Mr. SandMan (Aug 24, 2007)

if you go to jiffy lube all you gotta do is pull up to the garage, someone should come to your window and greet you...all they should ask is, "have you ever been to a jiffy lube before," or, "are you here for an oil change?" something like that...and if you say no, they will talk to you for what may seem like forever...you can bypass all that by just saying, "yes, i would like the signature service"...then they should just tell you to pop your hood, and they will lead you to the lobby...and you dont even have to sit in the lobby, you can go outside if you want...

you dont have to know anything about your car or nothing...as they change your oil they should ask you to verify some information...and when they are done, they are going to give you a 'service review,' or should, which will take 5 minutes maybe, then you have to pay and sign something...

you will have to talk to people though, but you'll probably have to talk to someone no matter where you go...

i would suggest going in the morning, so then theres a much less of a chance someone is going to have an attitude...

and it will be about 40 bucks, the highest it will get is about 70, and thats if you have a v-8 or somethin and you have mass quarts to put in it...but for a regular car it will be 40 bucks...jiffy lube is the most expensive, but thats pretty much exactly what will happen...


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## TruSeeker777 (Nov 9, 2003)

I'll second Jiffy Lube. You don't have to talk much. You pretty much just follow their lead and answer some yes/no questions. I just went a few days ago. I'm always nervous there but things usually go fine.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

Jiffy Lubes take care of all that. They just ask you what you want done. It's really not that bad.

I've seen those pics of you at that party. You can do this. Be suave and know what you want .


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

An oil change gives mechanics a chance to put your car up on the lift and look for all other possible problems -- which they have a strong incentive to do as fixing stuff is where they make a living. Unfortunately, mere mortals like myself are basically clueless and have to trust them since we don't know a damn thing.

I've never done an oil change myself and I never plan to.

My late brother would take his Chevy 1500 to a Chevy dealer and Mr. Goodwrench would often overfill it by half a liter (which is apparently bad as you then get it whipped into a foam that can't be pumped). You'd sort of expect Chevy dealers to know how much oil goes into one of the most common Chevy engines around, but apparently too much to expect.


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## BrokenDreams (Nov 22, 2008)

I prefer to do my own oil changes as I don't trust others to do it. 

I had to go to a Jiffy Lube once. They'll recommend an appropriate oil for your car so you don't have to know anything but they'll also suggest other services they want to sell you. Unless you have good reason to think you need them, just say no thanks.


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## coldmorning (Jul 4, 2007)

I had a bad experience at a jiffy lube so I don't take my cars there anymore. It's better to go to a real mechanic, even for something like an oil change.


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## shyvr6 (Feb 18, 2008)

I used to do my own until I lived in apts where you can't do any work on your car. It won't be nearly as bad as you think it will so try not to worry about it.


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## Want2Bconfident (Sep 14, 2008)

Faded Lines said:


> My car is do for an oil change. I am scared to go to the place...I feel like I won't know what to do when I get there. I asked my dad to come with me but he like laughed at me.
> 
> "Hi, I need an oil change."
> ".....ok........and?"
> ...


Hey come on you can do that. They deal with like hundreds of customers each week, they will not be thinking or looking at you any differently to anyone else. 
Just say 'Hi, would you be able to change the oil in my car please'. And then they will take control of the conversation - i.e. when do you want it done, what sort of engine is it?

Don't put pressure on yourself to have to be confident and perfect when asking because even if you were to mess up, so what, it means nothing! I mean if someone was to ask you in your job and messed up what they asked for, what would you think of them, what does it mean? Nothing! You are worrying over nothing in reality.


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## matt404 (Feb 8, 2006)

I try to avoid going to mechanics as little as possible also (for SA and financial reasons). 

If you did want to do your own oil change, it's really pretty simple. I know next to nothing about cars and even I do my own oil changes. You can buy some blocks to drive your car onto to lift it up for 15-20 bucks (DON'T use a jack, they can fail). Once you're under there, you'll see a pan-like affair with a nut on it. Unscrew the nut and the old oil comes out (You'll probably want something to catch it  ). When it stops coming out, screw the nut back on. Open the hood, find the place where the new oil goes in (usually has a picture of an oil can on it) and fill it up with the recommended oil and the recommended amount (should be in your owner's manual). Replace cap. Done.

The only semi-difficult part can be if you want to change your oil filter (I always do when I change my oil). The only thing that's difficult about it is, depending on your car, it might be in an inconvenient place and hard to reach. All you do there is wait until the old oil has drained, unscrew the old filter (careful, the filter will be full of oil), screw on the new one, and then put in the new oil.


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## David1976 (Nov 8, 2003)

I agree with jiffy lube.... I will go when I get a 19.99 coupon... they try and stick you with some other services.. but just let them go through their sales pitch and just say that you will just go with the oil change today...


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## Still Waters (Sep 18, 2008)

You can do this!!- But I know how you feel-I always worry in situations like this that I won't know the correct terminology/lingo. Mostly all the guy cares about is how many more cars he's got before he can go to lunch or go home.-I promise this will be painless!!


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## trevor35th (Oct 22, 2008)

Faded Lines said:


> My car is do for an oil change. I am scared to go to the place...I feel like I won't know what to do when I get there. I asked my dad to come with me but he like laughed at me.
> 
> "Hi, I need an oil change."
> ".....ok........and?"
> ...


Just go wherever the car has gotten oil changes in the past. That way they'll have your license on file, they'll quickly enter it in their computer, and they'll have all your information there, like address, phone # etc., so you won't have to say much. If they do ask "....ok... and?" just respond with "that's it, just a regular oil change". They'll say "ok, 10 minutes", you'll take a seat in a nearby lobby with magazines, flip through the magazines, and before you know it, they will call your name.. or car name.. and you'll go up to the desk and pay. There's a slight chance they'll say something else needs to be done. If you have no idea what they're talking about, just ask "what would you recommend?". If it's not too much extra, then go ahead and get it done. Hope this helps...


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## Lonelyguy (Nov 8, 2003)

coldmorning said:


> I had a bad experience at a jiffy lube so I don't take my cars there anymore. It's better to go to a real mechanic, even for something like an oil change.


:ditto
I've been a full time mechanic for almost 14 years and I've seen enough screwups from those quick lube places over the years that I wouldn't recommend anyone taking their cars there. One time we had a guy come in with a severe oil leak, turned out he had the oil changed at one of those chains about a week before and the chimps had stripped the drain plug. By the time it came to our shop the plug was loose enough I could remove it with my fingers and there was only about a quart of oil left. I checked things over and also found they hadn't lubricated any of the chassis parts and the air filter was completely plugged...things we normally take care of with a service job. I've also seen bent rims from improper tire mounting, loose lug nuts, and all kinds of potentially dangerous and costly mistakes made by those places.

As Karl pointed out, when I have a car on the lift I will usually inspect it for any needed repairs. If its something that will need to be serviced soon, I'll make a note of it on the work order so the owner is aware of it. But if there is something seriously wrong I'll usually fix it, then show the part to the customer and explain to them what was wrong and why it was replaced. I want people to be safe and I also have liability concerns...I'm not going to let a car leave the shop if there's something dangerously wrong with it. If it's going to be an expensive repair I try to explain to them over the phone and ask their permission before going any further. I've built a reputation of honesty over the years, my customers trust me and know I'm not going to shaft them for parts or repairs they don't need. There's been several times over the years when I've replaced a part that failed to fix the problem, so I took it back off rather than charge them for it. I wish I could say the same for all shops, but there's a lot of crooked ones in the business.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

Lonelyguy is one of the few people I could trust with this information.
:boogie :boogie :boogie - that man knows his engines.

You need to go into business for yourself.


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## BeachGaBulldog (Feb 13, 2007)

Yeah, Jiffy Lube is cool. I would really like to do my own oil changes, but I am not very mechanically inclined. Just beware, they don't do it everytime, but they will usually try to sell you stuff that you don't need.


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## howard26 (Jun 28, 2008)

i hate dealing with auto shops, and getting an inspection, hate it! I change oil myself. When i did use an oil change shop, i'll say this first > "i just need an oil change". One place wanted to charge 9.95 + the cost of air filter for installing an air filter. Crazy. I think that i don't like the feeling of being helpless, and i can't control the situation. Good luck to you, but don't delay; your vehicle is worth it.


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## Mr. SandMan (Aug 24, 2007)

Lonelyguy said:


> :ditto
> I've been a full time mechanic for almost 14 years and I've seen enough screwups from those quick lube places over the years that I wouldn't recommend anyone taking their cars there. One time we had a guy come in with a severe oil leak, turned out he had the oil changed at one of those chains about a week before and the chimps had stripped the drain plug. By the time it came to our shop the plug was loose enough I could remove it with my fingers and there was only about a quart of oil left. I checked things over and also found they hadn't lubricated any of the chassis parts and the air filter was completely plugged...things we normally take care of with a service job. I've also seen bent rims from improper tire mounting, loose lug nuts, and all kinds of potentially dangerous and costly mistakes made by those places.
> 
> As Karl pointed out, when I have a car on the lift I will usually inspect it for any needed repairs. If its something that will need to be serviced soon, I'll make a note of it on the work order so the owner is aware of it. But if there is something seriously wrong I'll usually fix it, then show the part to the customer and explain to them what was wrong and why it was replaced. I want people to be safe and I also have liability concerns...I'm not going to let a car leave the shop if there's something dangerously wrong with it. If it's going to be an expensive repair I try to explain to them over the phone and ask their permission before going any further. I've built a reputation of honesty over the years, my customers trust me and know I'm not going to shaft them for parts or repairs they don't need. There's been several times over the years when I've replaced a part that failed to fix the problem, so I took it back off rather than charge them for it. I wish I could say the same for all shops, but there's a lot of crooked ones in the business.


hey, i work at jiffy lube...

lol im kidding, i dont know much about cars at all...i just know the routine...i think your right anyways, i dont even trust them on my car, they just talk alot of ****...but it is quick in and out, and i do try but i bet some people dont...


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## copper (Nov 10, 2003)

They are a bunch of idiots at the Quick lube place here. One of my coworkers had their oil changed there and the idiots forgot to put the oil filter on. So he gets downtown with the vehicle and the low oil engine light comes on. Luckily, he stopped the car before it could do lasting damage.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

Lonelyguy said:


> I've built a reputation of honesty over the years, my customers trust me and know I'm not going to shaft them for parts or repairs they don't need. There's been several times over the years when I've replaced a part that failed to fix the problem, so I took it back off rather than charge them for it. I wish I could say the same for all shops, *but there's a lot of crooked ones in the business.*


The problem ordinary people like me have is knowing which ones are honest like Dave and which ones are the scum of the earth. I personally know far too little about auto repair to really know the good from the bad, unless they screw up royally to prove how inept they are, but then it's kind of late.

I see the same kind of sleazy behavior in the world of investment advisors, and most people know next to nothing about investing so they can't tell when they're getting screwed. A few years ago I was wined & dined with two other family members by a financial adviser from Morgan Stanley. I'm sure we cost them around $200 in food & drinks + tip (best meal of my life -- ordering the most expensive stuff we could). I was happy to screw them as they richly deserved it. The "kid" who was putting on this show to get new clients had the same finance degree as me from the same university, except I got mine 5 years earlier than junior. I was fully aware when they were spewing 100% pure BS regarding investing, since I'm an expert in the area. And I knew the investment manager they brought along was charging an obscene amount for what his firm did, costing 18 times more to manage investment-grade bonds than what you could get from a Vanguard mutual fund, for just one example of their BS.


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## copper (Nov 10, 2003)

The service department where I bought my truck is pretty good. They don't give anyone the run around esp if you bought a vehicle from them, but this is a small place so they don't want to get the word out if they end up screwing Uncle Henry. He will tell everyone he is related to not to go to them or even buy a vehicle from them.


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## Mr Deuce (Nov 14, 2008)

I go to the same Firestone everytime I get an oil change. I just make an appointment online and show up when it's time. My name's in their computer and everything so I just give them my keys and listen to my ipod until they finish the oil change and that's it. Barely have to talk to anyone at all. :b


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## shyvr6 (Feb 18, 2008)

So did you get the oil change done?


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