Oil Change vs. oil change

January 5, 2009 8:42 PM

What is the difference between a $36 oil change and a $14 oil change? I know that it is a limited time offer but is one better than the other?
posted by MeeMaMN to travel & transportation (9 comments total)

Nothing really. Oil changes are very simple and usually oil change places use the same cheapo oil and filter everyone else uses. When there's a sale like this, they most likely make up for it by selling you extra services like new air filters, new bulbs for tail lights, etc. Sometimes they do a hard sell for transmission fluid changes and other expensive services.
posted by damn dirty ape at 8:50 PM on January 5

Profit margin?
posted by Max Power at 8:54 PM on January 5

The more expensive oil changes usually throw in a free car wash or tire rotation.
posted by abdulf at 9:02 PM on January 5

And often will check other filters and fluids as well, whereas the $14 job may well just change the oil and the oil filter and be done. Probably damn dirty ape's right and they'll try like hell to upsell you on other services too, but I've rarely had an oil change at any price where they didn't.
posted by middleclasstool at 9:09 PM on January 5

In my opinion, the difference is the amount of risk that the grease monkey will A) forget to put the drain plug in or B) forget to put the oil in, leading to a very sad time later when your engine seizes up. Shops with super tight margins will employ low-wage tolerant idiots.

I either change it myself (cheap even with high grade oil!) or have an independent shop do it for whatever they want to charge me for it, which can get pricey indeed.
posted by intermod at 9:10 PM on January 5

Gotta disagree that they're all the same. Some places do make a point of using better oil and a better filter. There are such things as crummy oil, filters.

Also, both may be simply changing oil and filter, but I used to go to a place that charged remarkably close to $36 (and used good oil, filters), but it included checking and topping off all fluids, checking tire pressure, generally looking things over, doing things like replacing turn-signal bulbs at no additional cost.

There can be other motivations; as someone noted, a hard sell for other stuff or a way to get you in the door. I've noticed that Wal-Mart does really cheap oil changes--with good oil and filters, will install wiper blades for no cost above that of the blades, etc. I reckon the thinking is that while people wait for car service, they'd do some shopping at Wal-Mart.
posted by ambient2 at 9:17 PM on January 5

Amount of time spent doing it right, possibly. Filter quality, possibly. Synthetic vs regular dino oil, possibly.
posted by zippy at 9:26 PM on January 5

I spent around 15 bucks before tax on oil changes at walmart for a couple years, which took over an hour and they eventually striped my oil plug. I then took it to a local mechanic I trust after walmart screwed me and they fixed the oil plug, changed the oil, oil filter and the air filter, and charged me $36. Anecdotal evidence. But you can't beat a regular mechanic vs oil-changing specialist places.
posted by dead cousin ted at 9:33 PM on January 5

Synthetic vs regular dino oil, possibly.

I think it's unlikely that for $36, you're going to get synthetic oil. I get the blend (all the benefit, less of the cost) and it usually costs me somewhere around $45-50.
posted by Netzapper at 11:45 PM on January 5