JL has changed its business in the past few years and is braching into car repair. When I used to go there about 7 years ago the mechanics all had several ASE certifications but they had not started doing repairs. It seems to me that a battery check at JL is similar to having it done at a chain auto parts store, except the store has replacement batteries immediately available. Since the closest JL is across the street for Advance Auto, they probably run over for a replacement as needed. I’m not advocating for JL, only pointing out that they are likely at least as qualified as the chain auto store folks.
But for those things that level of skill is sufficient enough.
I guess you haven’t seen the threads here about quick-change places doing things like draining the transmission fluid and double-filling the oil on certain cars.
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Quote from “The Hitch-hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”
A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.
Ask me how I know? … lol …
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If you can do a proper, professional oil maintenance service in 10 minutes, you’re far better than any lube tech I’ve ever had work for me!
Drive the car into your stall.
Check the operation of the A/C and heater/defroster.
Check wiper/washer operation, top off washer fluid.
Inspect all exterior lights, replace any easy-access bulbs.
Inspect coolant level and condition (freeze protection and pH level).
Inspect brake fluid level and condition (moisture content).
Inspect other fluids as needed and note any fluid leaks.
Note condition of belts and hoses.
Inspect air filter and cabin air filter if accessible (some cars require removal of the BCM, gas pedal, etc. to get to cabin filter).
Raise vehicle and remove splash guards (possibly a dozen bolts or clips).
Remove and replace oil filter, install new O-ring if needed.
Remove oil drain plug.
Check and adjust air pressure in all tires to factory spec. Measure tread depth.
“Shake” steering/suspension/undercar to check for loose bearings, tie-rods, struts, exhaust etc. Note any fluid leaks. Visually inspect brake linings/rotors if able.
Install drain plug with new gasket, clean any residue, install splash guards.
Lower car, add appropriate amount of oil, run engine to verify no leaks, and check dipstick.
Perform tire relearn if needed.
Reset Oil Life or Maintenance Reminder system.
Clean windshield.
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Completely agree with asemaster.
“You can do it right or you can do it quickly or do it cheaply, pick one of the three!”
For most of the frequent posters, we either have the ability to competently do most maintenance ourselves and/or we have the access to competent machanics to do it for us buit unfortunaty most folks don’t seem to have the same outlook.and often end up “paying the price down the road”. Towing, major vehicle damage and decreased trade in/resale value not to mention the emergency breakdown calls and expense from our loved ones.
Of course a simple oil change can be done by a “trained chimp” but what happens when that “chimp” fails to tighten the filter or puts in the wrong ATF fluid? Sure you can sue them but attorney’s run at least $200/hour so in the end where does that leave you?
As a Motor Head and Financial Profesional with multiple graduate degrees, the bottom line is to find a Professional Independent Auto mechanic to do ALL your work.
Most recently may have cost me $20 and time on every oil change but saved me thousands when the A/C stopped working and the only problem was a corroded ground wire.
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That’s exactly why we’re worth every penny we’re paid and then some . . . we have the experience and skills to know where to look and what to start with
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Its bound to happen with new techs and can be easily reprimended and corrected.
Is this what you call “a proper, professional oil maintenance service?”
If I brought my vehicles in for this level of service I think I would have to schedule it out about a week ahead and plan on leaving it for two-days… L 
L . . .
I do not think NASA provided this level of service to “Pathfinder,” the latest lander on Mars… 
I call this the automotive repair triangle (I forgot who showed me this years ago), you get to pick 2 of the 3 options for any service to be done…
Options:
- You can have it good and cheap but not fast…
- You can have it cheap and fast but not good…
- You can have it fast and good but not cheap…
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Yes it can happen and if not caught in time or at all before customer drives off, it could cost you $10-$20-$30 thousand dollars for a new engine and or transmission…
How many times you want to reprimand and correct a mechanic over that kind of money?? I can promise you one thing, you will not stay in business very long having to pay that out being an independent shop and if you have ins to cover it, how many times they pay out before they dump you… then you are really screwed if it happens again…
Not to mention the customer being effected by it, you have to pay for there rental until repaired and any time from work they miss due to this, plus neg reviews on yelp google etc etc, and bad word of mouth… It can be a snowball effect that people not in the trade just don’t understand…
So yeah, go have your little talking to and smack them on the hand and say bad tech… lol
Yes, routine and scheduled maintenance was consistently scheduled a week-10 days out.
Remember, with extended oil change intervals and reliance on in-vehicle maintenance reminders, it’s not unusual to go 6-8 months (a year, maybe?) between service visits. Does anyone think it’s a good idea to go 8 months without looking at the things on the list I posted?
And yes, that was most of the procedure I had every tech do for a “simple oil change” (I forgot to include test battery).
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I’m just saying things like this is bound to happen. Its not like these shops don’t train or do anything to prevent this stuff from happening.
Our longtime shop looks at an oil change as not only an inspection but quality assurance for them, to see how their work is holding up after 5,000 or so miles since the last visit. They also can predict how much longer before needing brakes for example comparing to past inspections
We’re paying for the shop’s experience and service as much as their time, usually they can have the car in and out in 30-40min which is quick enough.
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That’s well known in aerospace too except that it was just good, not particularly fast, and never cheap. That’s how you build stuff that is expected to last for up to 20 years and is located so far away that it can’t be repaired.
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Oh it happens, how do you think I know about cost and outcomes… lol
Sometimes it works out ok with no damage, sometimes not so much…
When a trans pan and a engine pan are right next to each other and both have drain plugs and kinda look similar to the unexperienced eye, tranys get drained and engines get overfilled… If you do not pull the engine oil dipstick to confirm level, then you start and pull vehicle out of shop (if it moves)… And yes you can train them but only for so long, and if during the training you don’t run across this issue, well… And sometimes you just can’t fix or train stupid… lol
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And there you go. That’s the kind of customer a higher level shop wants to attract. If I put out coupons advertising a $25 oil change, I’m not going to get the customers I’m looking for.
I used to tell people to have a seat in the waiting room for an hour while we did their oil maintenance service. Notice I didn’t use the words “oil change”.
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Yeah I know stuff happens but there are ways to mitigate the problems. I changed oil on the Acura a few days ago and stamped by the drain plug is “engine oil”. A little hard to read on your back but it is still there. In addition, while the oil drain plug is a standard hex, the trans drain bolt is a square drive. Didn’t cost them an extra nickel to do this but you would really really have to try to mix them up.
Well, @asemaster you are right about this… I guess I’ve gotten complacent with the vehicle paperwork. I usually take care of any maintenance on the vehicles ('84 Harley, '85 Toyota, '01 Ram 2500, '19 Toyota, and the '20 Honda) and with all these vehicles to choose from and we are driving less than 15,000, on average a year, between all the vehicles, each vehicle getting less than 4,000 miles a year. The '85, '19, and the '20 have lifetime oil and state inspections, and only the Harley and the Ram are my main concern. But the Ram gets so little use, last year (2022) I did not need to add an ounce of fuel and that one tank of diesel lasted the whole year. All vehicles are garage kept and the garage is attached to the house and well insulated, and there is a family room over the garage, so there is very little temperature variation…
But as I wrote, I have become complacent with the paper work and really only looked over the billing part, not the attached Inspection sheet (since they never find anything to mentioned). But after I read your posting, I went back to the receipts (I keep everything… and a log book of every ounce of gas, oil, air, etc… that goes into them…) and I looked at the Inspection Sheet and it shows the level of inspection you said is appropriate, and note that the 2020 Honda had gotten barely 9,000 miles on it in the 3-years we’ve had it…
Thanks for the “Wake Up Call…”
That only works for people that have decent reading skills
I’ve worked with a LOT of guys over the years who were “functionally illiterate” 
There are still a few guys in this field that are being “carried” by others
Thankfully, the numbers of these “stellar” mechanics are declining, in my experience, due to retirement or the fact that these guys can no longer earn enough to be able to support their families and have to switch to another field
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