I have an appointment at a local brake place that is offering oil change and tire rotating for $20.00. I asked and they said they use Mobil oil and Napa filters.
This is less than my mechanic will charge. In making the appt. I was asked if the car had over 75,000 miles on it. It does… 157,000.
Its a 1996 Subaru Impreza AWD. I use 5W-30. Mostly low mileage city driving. Long trip once or twice a week.
Is high mileage oil necessary?
It costs $10 extra.
Thanks
No, it is not necessary.
Just be prepared for LOTS of attempts to “upsell” you, simply because they are losing money with $20 oil changes.
They will attempt to convince you to (pick one or more): Flush your fuel system, flush your cooling system, flush your transmission, flush your brake hydraulic system, replace your brake pads, replace your tires, etc. Trust me–nobody gets out of that place for $20 unless he/she is very firm with their sales resistance.
While it might be appropriate for you to have your brake fluid changed, or to have your transmission fluid changed (NOT flushed!), the vast majority of what they will try to sell you is unnecessary.
not in my opinion. i have about 482k miles with castrol 10w40
Hello !
Thanks for the quick response !! I am a hard person to “upsell” because I know what’s been done to my car in the past and where things are with it. <<>>
I have a great mechanic that I drive 45 minutes to and have work done while visiting a friend. I just can’t get there for this so I figured I would give the local quick change a try.
I am by no means a car head… but I know enough to talk with my mechanic and know what he is saying. I was stumped by this high mileage oil thing… and my mechanic is on vacation… so I went online and got dizzy with all the hits about this.
I have changed my own oil on the Impreza and, plugs, gaskets, tires on others back when cars were much simpler and I was younger. My shoulder has a bit o’ bursitis … so I’m babying it right now.
thanks !
Thanks for your post… what are you driving ?
89 honda accord lxi (fuel injected) 5 speed
I didn’t realize that this is a “quick change” place.
If they are not intimately familiar with Subarus, it is very possible for them to confuse the final drive drain plug and the crankcase drain plug. The result is a grossly overfilled crankcase and a dry final drive unit. Both are very bad situations to have to deal with.
I strongly suggest that you bring some paper towels with you and that you check the oil dipstick prior to leaving this joint. Trust me–this forum is littered with scores of people who had engines or transmissions, or differentials, or brake hydraulic systems ruined by the employees at quick lube places. Better to be safe than sorry by checking fluid levels before you leave the place.
re: Quick change… its not a jiffy lube or grease monkey… it’s a Midas place … brakes… etc… local … sorry … i was thinking quick change because i am going to wait for it… Would that make a difference ?
I know where the plug is to change the oil having done it myself… however… I do not know what a final drive unit is or where it is … and I will check the levels myself … and make sure they know Subarus before I hand over the keys…
Sometimes you can watch … I did that with a Nisson I once had… the place had big windows into the work bay so customers could see in… I watched a kid try to take off the air cleaner cover… it was always hard to do… he struggled… then gave up… When he finished we went down the list together and I said are you sure you checked the air cleaner filter… he said yea… well … I told him I saw what he did… and asked him what did he think he should do about it …he said he would do it over … so I politely said that this was a learning experience for him and that I wanted him to go get his manager and tell him what just happened… He did… I spoke with the manager and said that I wanted the kid to do it over… and that I wouldn’t rant and rave … and the kid should have another chance to get it right and tell the truth. And I didn’t pay for the oil change …They both thanked me… but the kid probably got read the riot act after i left…
" its not a jiffy lube or grease monkey… it’s a Midas place … brakes… etc…"
That is a step up. Chances are good that they at least know the difference between brake fluid and water. However remember at those prices they need to upsell and or do the job really fast, which is not always really good.
You don’t need it. Just change your oil on a regular basis.
If you must do something, squeeze a glob of Lucas Oil Treatment in at every oil change.
“Chances are good that they at least know the difference between brake fluid and water”
Thanks for giving me the chuckle of the day!
That was a good one, for sure.
And, as you said, upselling is a basic part of the business model at Midas, just as it is with J-Lube and its clones. Luckily, it does sound like the OP has good sales resistance, as well as some good automotive knowledge.