Alan's Two Cents - Oil Change

I got an oil change the other day from an auto shop that I normally do not go to. It is more of a car wash/gas station/oil change “one stop shop” type of place. I normally do not go to these types of places, but I was having a hard time getting in to my usual shop. Needless to say, I now realize why I will not go back to said “one stop shop.”

After waiting 10 minutes or so, a mechanic called my name. I am thinking “that was fast.” So the mechanic proceeds to tell me that my transmission fluid looks like this and it should look like this. Both were the same color but one was darker “dirtier” than the other. He also did this for my brake fluid as well. I am thinking “these people are just trying to talk me into something I don’t really need.” I passed on the transmission and brake flushes. Then he pulls out “my” air filter and tells me it is dirty and should be replaced. I pass on that too.

Now, I consider myself to be somewhat handy…I know where my air filter is and if I had a driveway/garage I would probably do my own oil changes. When I got home I popped the hood and found my air filter. When I took it out it was a completely different air filter than what the guy had showed me and it was totally clean. I was a little peeved.

So the moral of the story is…don’t get ripped of by your local auto shop. I would recommend keeping a log book of what service has been done on your car.

If your are interested I recently found this site http://www.consumerjungle.org/content/view/491/1200