This statement always has the ability to scare me, for so many reasons. I will start off with this: the most neglected cars I see belong to people that change their own oil. Yes, sir, they do. Uh-huh. Every three thousand miles. There are a million good reasons to change your oil, and very good reasons to pay a professional to do this for you.
Why you SHOULDN’T change your own oil:
We charge $25-30 for an oil change, and half the time there is a special going on. You can save maybe 10 dollars buy buying cheap stuff and doing it yourself. Is the hassle really worth ten bucks?
Unless you are such an enthusiast that you have a lift in your garage and a set of tools that rivals those of a Professional Technician you shouldn’t bother. In the event anything goes wrong (stripped drain plug, jammed filter, damaged plug seal, oil cap stuck) you may have to tow your car to a shop to have it fixed. That tow will cost more than you can save by doing your own oil changes for a year.
You probably do not have easy access to info like maintenance schedules, fluid capacities, fluid type recommendations, etc. Yes, you can find all of these if you look, but really- that is our job. You do your job and be good at it. We do ours, and we’re good at it.
You WANT a pro under your hood on a regular basis. We will spot things you don’t, and believe me, scheduling a repair is WAY better than having an unplanned one. Some repairs cannot be predicted, but you should do everything you can to catch the ones that can (and most of them can be caught early).
Liability. Yes, that is a dirty, dirty word, but I said it. Simply put, we have legal liability- if the filter goes kaput and your engine goes off like a firework, you don’t have to pay 4000$ to get a new one. You have no legal recourse if a guy in his backyard (or you) mess up your car. Believe me, it happens. I have replaced about a dozen engines over the years from botched services (botched at other shops, we’ve never botched one here, thank God- and thank the QA process).
Why you SHOULD let us change your oil:
Can you reset your oil change reminder lamp? We do that, free of charge, with every oil change.
Do you know how to check your brakes, suspension, lights, filters and fluids? We do. Free again. That’s right, no charge to you. We don’t high pressure sell, either. If we find stuff wrong, we’ll hand you an estimate and tell you what you need. If you want us to do the work, great, that is what we are here for! If not, great, we still love you (just please take care of your car)!
Can you set the pressures in your tires CORRECTLY (see blog on this topic)? We do that too, free with every oil change.
You make an appt (or just call, we can almost always fit you in), come in, have a cup of coffee (free) in our comfortable, climate controlled, waiting area with free wi-fi, and hang out for about 1/2 hr. You hand us 25-30 bucks, we chat about your car and what your best plan for caring for it is, then off you go.
Building the relationship with your auto mechanic BEFORE you have a breakdown is crucial. When you have seen us 2 or 3 times for maintenance services, you can feel confident when you need us for a repair. Our goal is and always has been “right the first time, every time” and we are pretty awesome at meeting it. You don’t get to know that until you’ve been here, though.
In a nutshell, get a PRO at a Professional Auto Repair Facility (not a guy in his back yard) to change your oil! It is WORTH it!!!!
