Quickie Oil Changes vs. A Searles Service Package
Quickies are often tough to resist. After all, doing things the long way requires pre-planning and a bit more effort. But often times after a quickie oil change, your car isn’t satisfied. And that’s a problem.
By their very design, quickie oil change depots are convenient, especially in larger cities like Victoria where it’s nice to get all of your errands done in one outing to avoid traffic. But more and more, as CBC’s Marketplace reports, car owners are starting to speak out about how much they prefer getting their oil changed by a local auto mechanic instead.
Why the growing dissatisfaction with all of this convenience?
Unqualified Technicians
I like my dentist, a lot. He knows me. He’s a man that gets it. Same with my barber, and my bartender. They know what I like, and I feel good seeing their qualifications framed and hanging on the wall. What I’m getting at is, it’s great knowing the people who service you. The same goes for your vehicle. Be selective over who you’re opening your hood for!
At a drive-thru oil change station, you’re likely to get a different person working on your vehicle every time, and you might never get to meet the stranger working under your hood. What’s worse, the workers at these places are not necessarily trained auto mechanics, and many are working for minimum wage and simply aren’t given enough time to pay attention to detail.
Because of the nature of volume sales, the staff are rushed, making them more prone to making mistakes, and without knowing enough about the make or model of your car or truck, they aren’t able to recognize and correct such mistakes. Don’t take a chance!
Inferior Parts
It goes without saying that quickie oil change depots don’t stock every type of oil filter they might require. They just see way too many vehicles in a given day to keep every type of filter around.
Therefore, they tend to only keep standard filters on hand, often a cheap variety, taking a one-size-all approach to auto mechanics. This works, to a point, but it means your car might not be getting the quality parts and the attention to detail it would get at an independent shop.
There are also those stories of places that have been known to use the wrong grade of oil, or a cheaper brand than advertised, or simply not enough oil, or worse yet, only topping up the oil and not changing it at all! We believe it’s better to be able to see what you’re getting.
Too Many Upsells
With coupons, Groupons, loyalty cards and other incentives, quickie oil change depots seem like the cheaper option, and sometimes, they can be. But each time, you have to brace yourself for the dreaded upsell.
Either your power steering fluid needs a flush, your transmission fluid is no good, or your air filter has never been replaced. Sound familiar? If you invest in any of these service upgrades when your vehicle doesn’t require them, discounted oil changes can end up costing a fortune.
A local auto repair shop will take the time to look things over, and might have some recommendations to make as well, but you’ll be able to trust that your mechanic knows what they’re talking about, particularly if you go to a place that has your car’s history on file. Treat your oil change mechanic like you do your dentist, and see the same person every time!
Where’s the Warranty?
Taking your vehicle in for regular oil changes, no matter where you go, is better than not taking it in at all, and you’ll still be able to collect the appropriate paper work from an express location that proves you take care of your vehicle, but it’s always a gamble as to whether or not their parts and services are warrantied or not. And if they are, it’s tough to say how successful you will be if you need to make a claim.
Because the express places aren’t familiar with your vehicle’s service records, they will be less likely to take ownership of any issues or problems they have caused due to the points mentioned above: inexperienced technicians and inferior parts and products. Don’t risk it!
Book Your Oil Change With Searles Today!
Booking your next oil change with a local auto mechanic takes a little bit of forward-thinking, but not always. Sometimes you can show up without an appointment and be helped the same day. The Searles team is ready on deck to provide you with the Searles Service Package Advantage so you can rest assured your oil change with us will be thorough, and only done by a skilled mechanic. We’ll even have John drop you off while your car is being serviced if you need to be somewhere in the meantime, or take advantage of our courtesy car service.
But convenience isn’t all we provide. With our Searles Service Package you’ll get more than an oil change. You’re also get a BG MOA oil fortifier , a bumper-to-bumper inspection, and all of your other fluids topped up.
See you soon!
