I Just Needed an Oil Change, but did I Rooked?

if you drink black box, you can afford to pay someone else to oil their armpits

 

I’m at a Relay for Life event out here and everyone is curious what I’m laughing about.

If I even try to explain, they won’t understand .

 

nope, inside jokes

 

Mendel, this brings back so many memories of avoiding hot exhaust system components while breaking loose over-tightened drain plugs and filters, and then having the hot oil dribble down your arm or splash out of the pan! Worst, though, was having the hydraulic jack fail and engine oil pan come down on chest—fortunately wife came out after a while to see what was taking me so long and she could jack it back up so that I could get out.
Back to thread topic : price seems a bit high, but what is critical is that the oil level is neither under- nor over-filled and that the plug and filter are correctly torqued, and I am willing to pay for that nowadays. My dealer will also let me come out into the bay and do an under-car inspection, although they reasonably do not allow me to actually work on it while it is up on their hoist.

 

Jackstands good.

 

Agree!
“Too soon old, too late smart!”
Now use ramps and jack stands or let dealer do it.

 

Any mistake that doesn't kill you should be a learning experience.

Edit to add a slight tangent:
Every project needs an engineer with hairy ears. Those are the engineers who have been around long enough to have already made most of the mistakes.

 

I like jackstands plus a stubby cylinder of tree trunk, roughly 14" dia by 14" tall. I try to push that underneath first, whenever it's practical. And take a cell phone.

 

I would send them an email explaining why you are dissatisfied and that, if not resolved, they will have lost a customer and that you plan to post a review of your experience on line. Then let go of it and move on.

For comparison, my Toyota dealer charges $110 for two synthetic oil and filter changes within one year. That includes tire rotation and inspection. So I do believe that you were overcharged but not enough to dwell on it for long.

 

To me, the price seems very reasonable. 0w20 SP may be in reference to 0w20 Service Pro, which happens to be the same oil I use. Link: Lubricants - Service Pro® Professional Automotive Products

I think the issue here is that the OP asked for, and assumed he was receiving an oil change only. Instead, he received the "package" minor maintenance service which included a tire rotation and inspection. Did the OP confirm the price before handing over his/her keys?

It is also equally possible that this shop does not offer standalone oil changes and only offers a “minor service.” This is becoming increasingly common due to the reasons mentioned below.

Keep in mind that oil changes take a MINIMUM of 20 mins - that is how long it takes for a tech to find the car, pull it in, do the job, pull it back out, etc. A shop's door rate is often over $120/hr now, and standalone oil changes are simply a loss leader from a labor standpoint. The places that offer a $49 or $69 synthetic oil changes are usually the ones who also sell brakes at 5mm (with new reman calipers each time, of course) and new struts every 50K. Those are the types of places offering deeply discounted oil changes. A quality shop who charges 1/2 hr on a car ($70 labor in this case) and some parts mark-up is a much more realistic (and honest) business model.

Even Luscious Garage gets $177 for their 10k minor service on synthetic oil cars:

Book Your Service - Luscious Garage | Hybrid Specialists

 

everyone needs to realize that labor rates around the country vary.

 

I ways use one of my three local dealer's $19.99 coupons for a regular oil change and tire rotation. Yup $19.99. ln Chicago, consumers must be given a full written estimate. No addional work my be done without specific approval. Parts must be returned upon request. You got ripped off. Threatening to keep your car is criminal. Call your Local authorities. File complaints. Write accurate reviews.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

gen 2 uses dino?

 

According to the guys in the shop of the dealer I got my Gen2 ... Yeah ... regular oil.

 

I'm also replacing the drain-plug on the next change. It'll be the first I've done on this car and the cost was only $1.26.

 

The invoice states "Intermediate Servichedulede" not "oil change". The dealer may have had a list of the services and what they include on the counter or wall. OP should have at least received a tire rotation and an oil change.

IMO the scheduled services are just opportunities to sell oil changes and tire rotations at higher prices. If OP were billed for just an oil change all of the posted figures would still be there followed by a credit adjustment to bring the total down to the real price.

 

The tire rotation mentioned on the bill says "if needed". So who knows if it's even done?

 

The tires have to be removed for a proper brake inspection. So, the additional service charge is still valid.

 

Meh. They don't say what they did and didn't do on the invoice, apart from the expression "intermediate service". Regardless, the price is not so out of line that it's worth pursuing.

 

Does not seem out of line since they state on the invoice they top off all fluids in car. Depending on the price of gas and how low your tank was when you took it to them.