They can be found in towns and cities across the country. They’re on random corners, tucked into strip mall parking lots, and attached to big box retail stores. They’re owned by mega-corporations or small companies with just a couple of locations. They’re Quick Lube shops. They offer oil changes with the promise of speed and convenience.
You might not even have to leave the comfort of the driver’s seat. But behind this speed and convenience lurks an uncomfortable reality: You might be mistreating your car.
I’ll admit I feel a little bit like I might be preaching to the choir of all you extraordinarily brilliant, beautiful Autopians, who know better than to take your cars to such a place (and obviously I’m biased given that I’m a service advisor). But I’m hoping this might come up in a few random Google searches and save people some heartbreak too.
Most of us who are enthusiasts enjoy riding our creepers (or just scraps of cardboard under our cars) on a nice afternoon to get some up-close-and-personal time. Changing oil on your own is usually a peaceful and smooth procedure with very few unknowns. On the scale of home-based wrenching, it’s low risk with the comfortable reward of feeling like you accomplished something. Unfortunately, the majority of car owners are either not interested in doing it or not equipped for it.
Saturday before last, checking the level after changing the oil on my MR2 pic.twitter.com/4Ffx4lE6qQ
— Andrea Petersen (@Neondancer) March 30, 2023
A few months ago while idly browsing social media in the black and red velvet-draped comfort of my Twin Peaks-themed bedroom, I came across a meme, as one does. The meme showed an aerial shot of a Quick Lube joint with a relatively clean entrance and deep black streaks lining the exit of each bay. One particularly fresh line leads to a parking spot to the side; an image telling a cautionary tale. The tale of “somebody made an expensive mistake.”
Out of curiosity, I fired up Google Maps and went to a couple of the speedy oil change places around my neighborhood. Now, to be fair, not all of them were bad. Ok, a couple had freshly paved parking lots to hide any shame, but a couple of them definitely weren’t too far off from the meme.
Around this same time, one of our technicians coined a lovely descriptive phrase: “Quick Lube Condition.” Annoyingly, he decided he held the trademark and started asking for five bucks every time someone used it. I hope like hell he never sees this article or I’m going to owe him a fortune.
“Quick Lube Condition” describes a car that has only ever seen a handful of fast oil changes in the last few years and consequently has fallen significantly behind on regular maintenance and any needed repairs.
Quick Lube Condition. Photo: Author
The oil in it may be fresh, but the filter in it is often an inexpensive and poor-quality part. The filter may have collapsed into an hourglass shape, a tell-tale sign of poor flow or poorly fitting into the housing. There will usually be a variety of leaks and squeaks, and there is often evidence that these problems are not new. The owners are often none the wiser.
Anybody who has been under a car built in roughly the last 25 years will know that they feature aero shields. They’re great for protecting the undercarriage and aiding in aerodynamics, but they’re also really good at keeping fluid drips off your garage floor. The “Quick Lube Condition” car’s squeaks are hidden by simply turning the radio up and pretending they don’t exist. I too would rather have my heart broken by the creaks and rattles of German synthpop or Icelandic post-capitalist bondage techno than the cranks and rattles of my suspension.
When you go to a Quick Lube shop, their job is to remove the oil, remove the filter, put in a new filter and replace the oil. They might check tire pressures too if you’re lucky. Their job does not involve looking at a single other thing on the car. They are not looking for fluid leaks and if on the off chance they do happen to notice one, it’s luck of the draw if they’ll bother to tell you. Again, you’re not paying for them to inspect anything, and in turn, anything they might find falls solidly within the “not my job” category. This is also why they often can’t or won’t reset the service indicator; they’re not completing all the elements of an entire service. When cars come to our shop even if it’s for an unrelated issue, the technicians will note anything they happen to see, ranging from “the tires are at the wear bars” to “this belt is days from becoming forbidden spaghetti.”
[Editor’s Note: Obviously, there are quick lube shops that do a great job. This is just Andrea’s opinion on quick lube shops in general, based on her experience as a service advisor. -DT].
The latest and greatest technique is vacuuming out the oil so they don’t even have to touch the oil drain plug. Any time you touch that plug you run the risk of stripping it or the threads of the oil pan itself. If you don’t have to touch that, you don’t have to pay to replace anything that may break. I myself have occasionally done a vacuum-style oil change on my cars when I’m looking to get it done quickly and the amount that comes out via a straw is usually pretty different from what comes out the traditional way.
Photo: Author
Engines are pretty complicated places with lots of nooks and crannies to hide, if you’re just quickly sucking out the oil pan, you’re likely leaving a fair bit of oil in there. This also eliminates the opportunity to look at anything that may have accumulated on the drain plug if it happens to be magnetic.
When you come to a proper mechanic’s shop or dealer service center, you are getting what is better described as an oil service rather than an oil change. Yes, the oil and filter are changed, but where the added time and much of the added expense comes in is having a technician with expertise inspecting the car. Would you rather have a guy who has been working on cars in general for a year or two working on your car or a guy who has been working on the specific brand of your car for a decade or more taking care of it? You’re paying for a person who has the knowledge not just to look over the car but who has the specific knowledge of where to look.
An added expense also comes with the parts used in the service. When you go to a dealer service center you know you are getting a dealer-brand part and the exact oil brand and weight that is supposed to go into your car. This is great when you’re still under warranty because if anything does happen, you have the maintenance records to prove everything was done correctly. A reputable independent shop will use a dealer-brand or OEM part and also use the correct oil. While “dealer” and “OEM” are terms often used interchangeably, the former has the logo of the car’s manufacturer on it and the latter will have the logo of the company that originally manufactured the equipment for the manufacturer. OEM will be the same thing but usually a little less expensive. Still a-ok from a warranty standpoint.
Oil is where independent shops will have a little more flexibility. Every now and then the car’s manufacturer will update the recommendation for what oil goes in the car. Sometimes this is because the manufacturer of the previous brand of oil is no longer meeting their specifications. Suddenly the good ol’ Mobil 1 or Castrol you’ve used for years isn’t the same thing. Or at the very least they’re no longer submitting data to the manufacturer to keep their oil approved for use. Obviously, the sticker on your car and the owner’s handbook doesn’t magically get updated, but we stay up to date on those things. Other times the recommended oil weight may be changed. This is when things get a little more iffy. Usually, we use a bit of oil knowledge, experience, and the recommendations of respected experts to decide whether to update what oil goes in or to stay with the weight that the engine was designed to use. You won’t see a 30-minute discussion over oil viscosity going on at a quick lube, but I’ve seen it a few times in our shop. 
One of the things quick lube shops can do that we can’t is offer a menu of services. They can say across the board an oil change is X amount regardless of if it’s a Fiat or an F-150, perhaps with variations for conventional, semi, and full synthetic oils and quantity over a standard amount. I can have wildly different prices for an oil service on the same make and general model based purely on the fact that we charge for oil by the liter or quart and a car with a four-cylinder turbo engine takes less oil than an eight-cylinder engine. The only fully simple service I can throw onto a repair order is a brake fluid flush; I have standard or advanced. Everything else takes significantly more time and thought to price out. Oh, and I’ll need your VIN because “Uh, I think it’s a 2004, maybe a 2005, and I think it’s an ML350” doesn’t let me nail down your exact part numbers and fluid quantities in order to give you a price. Well, maybe Mercedes isn’t a great example; I swear 70% of them use the 000 180 26 09 filter.
What all this adds up to is a little bit of a warning. If you’re really truly desperate, some oil is better than no oil so the occasional quick lube oil change probably won’t kill your car. Probably. No promises.
But realistically, in my view, your car should be meeting with the hands and eyeballs of a qualified mechanic at least once a year. And yes, that includes those of you who don’t put many miles on their cars. I understand “my commute is 12 minutes each way,” but those short trips are brutal in their own way. For most cars, we typically say six months or 6,000 miles and for the love of God, do not believe anyone who says 10,000 miles. Even if the manufacturer says that, I recommend you come in sooner.
Some cars need oil even more frequently than 6,000 miles and in those cases, we’ll adjust your reminder sticker accordingly. However you go about it, please regularly bring your car to a qualified shop that can help you stay on top of maintenance and repairs. It’s largely about avoiding the domino effect; you can pay $1,000 to fix that oil leak we spotted and keep driving happily for years or you can wait till the drive belt shreds from being soaked in oil and end up with repair estimates that exceed the value of the car. It’s not an upsell, it’s keeping you on the road.
For all of the people saying “do it yourself.”
Not everyone has the space to do so. I live in an apartment complex where my spot is on fairly uneven ground and beside someone who smokes in their minivan a lot for some reason. Doing an oil change in this spot is not safe nor practical.
And, let’s be honest, some of us do not have the mechanical skills to get hired by Jiffy Lube. I have failed at many basic maintenance tasks over the years.
Being able to change your own oil is a fairly privileged position to be in.
That is true. Before I had a garage, I would do my own oil changes in the summer because crawling through the snow is miserable.
That’s an excuse, and it’s not legit. You have ZERO friends with a driveway? Or a parking lot that isn’t under video surveillance? Doubt it.
I have zero friends who would have a place where it’s possible to safely change the oil, yes – I live in an older urban area and most of my friends do too. And the majority of parking lots have video surveillance now. It’s pretty standard.
*Ignore that notification at the bottom of your post, I’m testing some background features with the commenting system.
Anyway, I get Citrus’ annoyance. I don’t do oil changes at home anymore because my neighbor keeps calling the cops on me for committing the crime of…checks notes…car repair.
So now I haul myself out to a Walmart parking lot or my storage unit, both are stupid locations for an oil change for a car parked at home. Can’t wait until I move out of this hole. lol
In what world does a seasoned service advisor think that dealer lube techs are more than a minute step above the local quick-lube kids? That position is generally filled by the bottom rung washouts who are paid a pittance to drop oil and spin-on filters.
My company work truck goes to dealers for all its services; they do an ‘inspection’ on it and not once has it caught a single problem on the truck. It has obviously loose tie rod ends, bad shocks, trash wipers, needs from tires or at the very least a rotation, never had a trans service, 120k on the original cabin air filter, cracked windshield, terrible idle quality, and is slow to start.
Even with my complaining about how it drove nobody recommended any service. I literally asked for new wipers and they just didn’t do it once!
The sad part is they just left money on the table, it is managed by a fleet company that approves pretty much any repair and these ding-dongs aren’t even selling wiper blades!
I think the issue is less the places doing the work and more the culture of modern mechanics
A friendly PSA:
A jug of service manual spec full synthetic Walmart Super tech or Costco oil, a crush washer and a filter can be had for $25.
DIY can be done in the time it takes just to drive to and from the service shop.
The tools needed are usually few and simple to use.
Most auto parts stores accept used oil and filters for recycling, if your city recycler won’t already pick it up curbside.
Changing your own oil is family friendly fun and oh so satisfying plus you’ll know it was done right.
Just do it!
You forgot the requirement to own a $xxx,xxx house.
I’ve done my share of bandit Auto Zone parking lot oil changes in the hood when I was low on cash and needed to save $15 but it sucks.
As someone who has seen the things I have attempted to fix, I assure you I would not know if something was done right.
It’s almost as if you can learn new things and become better at stuff instead of just staying a dumbass forever.
If I’m going to learn new things I’d rather not risk my primary mode of transportation in doing so.
Just because something is practical for you doesn’t mean it’s practical for everyone.
Well, I won’t give you any shit for not changing your own. “A man’s gotta know his limitations”. Or, my version: know when to walk away (hint-it’s before you throw a wrench through the windshield)
The upside to having so many of these places is that they often will accept your used oil for recycling and they are often nearby.
A lot of city contracted recyclers will just pick it up at the curb.
In my state, the Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control does, they have big collection tanks in the parking lot outside their headquarters, just drive in and dump it. Also have a special trash can for the empty oil bottles.
Most auto parts stores offer free oil recycling as well, that’s where I’ve always taken my used oil.
It always amuses my how many people think their experience/situation is universal. In my area you have to produce a receipt showing you bought an equivalent amount of oil at the auto parts store before they will accept used oil. The transfer station in town quit accepting oil 5 or 6 years ago. Every 6 months or so I could drive 20 miles to the hazardous waste collection day to get rid of it, but if you’re out of town or have other plans that one Saturday, you’re waiting 6 months for the next one.
I wound up needing to have my expert Jaguar mechanic put in a new plug system at the oil drain because some gorilla stripped the threads on my oil pan made out of very soft metal. I was not terribly happy about that. Guessing it probably happened at a quick lube sort of place.
I used to take all my cars twice a year to a trusty old mechanic in the neighborhood but unfortunately for me, he retired.
I tried a new local place but got badly ripped off.
So now I have a quick lube shop do the winter oil changes when it’s way too cold for me to get underneath the cars. Of course they cracked the plastic filter housing on the 3.6 Pentastar (common problem if you aren’t careful).
I’m now doing at least the summertime oil changes myself, along with a transmission drain and fill.
2 out of 3 our cars do not have a transmission dipstick and they have a very specific oil level adjustment procedure where the oil has to be in a certain temperature range.
I don’t even think dealerships do those jobs correctly.
I hope one day I can build my own garage with a lift and can do all my maintenance myself, as I’ve stopped trusting people to do anything right.
The premise of the article is flawed. 9 times out of 10 the person doing an oil change at a dealership is a newly hired low pay teenager. If there is another job on the repair order besides the oil change, an A or B tech might do it. But just an oil change? Nobody wants to bring a car in and get splashed with hot oil just to make .5 hour
Here’s the difference: if the Jiffy Lube kid screws up and your car engine is damaged, it has to happen almost immediately or the Jiffy People will deny responsibility: prove it buddy. The dealer won’t talk to you even if you have Jiffy Lube receipts: talk to Jiffy.
However if the kid at the dealership screws up, even if the problem takes time to appear, the dealership has records indicating that (supposedly)the maintenance schedule was followed correctly and they have to accept responsibility for the problem.
So your engine might not get treated any better but you probably will be.
Yeah, I agree here. Took my Jeep JK with the 3.6 Pentastar in to my dealer, and the kid double-gasketed it. Made it almost home (about 2 miles away) when I saw the smoke, pulled out front of the house, and oil was pouring off the top of the motor.
Called the dealer, and they made it right. Immediately sent out a truck, took it back. Offered to bring it back to me, but I declined and went down to the dealer to wait for it.
Not so sure Jiffy Lube would have done the same.
In the end, the double gasket job did cause the plastic housing to crack and eventually that became obvious by dripping oil over a steep rock incline when wheeling, but it got covered under warranty.
FWIW – I was an A tech at Saturn (yes, a long time ago) and all of us did oil changes, tire rotations and maintenance services every day. Rotations are where you spot brake and suspension work. Oil changes are where you spot oil, trans and coolant leaks, serp belts that need changing and valve cover gasket leaks.
We got paid .5 for oil change and rotation and could easily get through it in 0.3 without making mistakes. There were days I literally did 2 whole flag sheets full of oil changes and rotations, 0.3 and 0.5 per, and still handily beat 8 hours in a shift. And in thousands of oil changes and tire rotations, I never once double gasketed an oil filter, forgot to tighten a filter or drain plug, left lug nuts loose or over tight or forgot to put oil in the engine, although my faster co workers occasionally did.
I recently stopped by my local Honda dealer to (coincidently) pick up an OEM oil filter. Next to the parts counter is a big window looking into the service bay. Tech had backed a CRV up to pull it out but had stopped after backing up about 15 feet. The shameful puddle and trail of fresh oil showed his error.
I’m sure they were wishing that had a set of blinds on that window!
Took my vehicle for an oil change at the local chain car wash and auto lube place. They used oil that was supplied through hoses that pulled down from the ceiling of the service bay. They filled the oil, but the nozzle on tip of the oil filler hose fell off… inside the valve cover. I had to leave my vehicle there all day so they could pull the valve cover, replace the gasket, retrieve the nozzle, and reinstall the valve cover. After that ordeal I learned how to change my own oil. That was 40 years ago.
I worked as a service advisor and then junior mechanic(fluid changes and such) at a Chrysler/Toyota dealer back in the 90s, coming from a quick lube shop, there wasn’t much difference except the lube shop had a setup designed specifically for the task, pit to drive over, filters/wrenches all within arms reach, grated drain below you stood on, refill pump nozzles directly above.
As the main oil change guy at the dealer, my experience came from working at the quick lube shop. To the point that I had to correct at least 1 mechanic on how tight to tighten a filter when they walked over to check and cranked it down as tight as he could. My history working at the lube shop having to screwdriver off filters from the dealerships boiled to the surface and I cussed him out, “So YOU’RE the reason these things are on too tight! You know that has to come off again in a few thousand miles???”
Also at the lube shop saw our fair share of stripped drain plugs, we had tap sets to redo if possible, other less handsome plugs to try and fix what some idget broke. So it’s not all lube shops are bad and it’s also some dealers don’t do the best job either.
Also as far as the streaks go, some cars(Hondas/Nissans) have drain plugs in spots you can not get a drain pan under well and without some sort of drain channel(aluminum foil works) oil will get everywhere. Did you google dealership service bays for the same oil spots? I did and can see quite a few!
This kind of blanket article is just bad reporting. Find a place you trust, go by reviews from other people, if there’s an active forum for your particular car type go on there and ask for recommendations.
Or just DIY for a LOT less $$. You’ll also know for sure it was done right.
I’m not sure about that. I thought the business model was upselling customers on cabin filters, fuel filters, wipers, etc. The oil service is to get suckers in the door.
For those of you doing your own changes (or if you like your mechanic), two words:
FUMOTO VALVE.
A good suggestion but that does remove the opportunity to inspect the plug magnet for debris.
I stopped when I left, and my car started smoking from the hood like crazy.
I got out the fire extinguisher and opened the hood. Turns out they forgot to put the oil cap back on, and the splatter showered the whole engine in oil. I put the cap back on, wiped it down, and brought the car back immediately.
That was about 2006
I have a PHEV C-Max, and the manual states that you should follow the dash indicator for changing the oil. Since I plug it in every day, it usually ends up being once a year the indicator comes on, because the engine isn’t used very often. Of course when I get the oil changed at the Ford dealer, they still put on a sticker showing 5000 miles till the next change. So I’m not confident they ever adjust the mileage on those stickers.
Volt here, I follow the oil life monitor which will eventually reset to 0 at 2 years. I don’t let it go under 20% though and with my driving it’s usually 1.5 years between oil changes.
Volt owner here. I go once a year just to keep things checked (coolant levels, filters, brakes, tires, etc). It only needs usually the oil changed plus a filter (cabin filter or engine air filter) and the obligatory tire rotation. I have to do the coolant flush soon but with the 3 loops, I am not sure if my dealer is capable of doing it since last time I asked them they gave me a really low price, I think they are thinking of a regular ICE coolant change, and not the HV stuff.
When I was first fixing up my granddad’s ’68 Dart, I took it to a mechanic to get the carburetor tuned and they did an oil change as well. The next day I took a trip and while on the highway looked in my rearview mirror to see a black cloud trailing behind me. I pulled over to find the mechanic had neglected to remove the original oil filter’s o-ring from the engine, and with the two double stacked they blew out and emptied every ounce of oil from my engine onto the highway. Thank goodness I caught it quickly and that slant sixes are pretty unkillable. I’ve been doing my own oil changes ever since.
“When you go to a dealer service center you know you are getting a dealer-brand part and the exact oil brand and weight that is supposed to go into your car. ”
I’ll argue this point. When I was commercial manager at O’Reilly, I can’t tell you how many dealers would call or have us stock filters for them. Guess what! It was always the cheap crappy filters! Never the name brands. Not to say I would ever go to a quick lube (I haven’t and I won’t!), in my experience the dealer doesn’t use much better parts.
Ex dealer service manager here. For their used cars that aren’t their brand? Sure, maybe. For their own brand that they handle? No way.
My wife: “Are you going to change my oil or should I go to the strip club?”
I haven’t experienced much better at dealership service departments (Acura). In the past 2 years I have had a service department not put the fill plug back into my transfer case destroying it rapidly (they did replace it for free but lied to me about it being a new part despite it being used), they lifted the engine without removing the strut tower brace smashing a coil pack into it and causing it to fail, not detaching the front motor mount when lifting the engine causing it to fail, and the smallest but still aggravating is not removing the old crush washer from the oil pan bolt and just added another one. I will obviously never take a car to that dealership again but I have also lost what little trust I have in dealership service departments.
For a synthetic change, Jiffy Lube is no cheaper here than the dealeris. The “savings” is purely about time.
You glossed over the most compelling reason to avoid them though – it’s mostly kids making minimum wage who have no experience at all around an engine, shown how to use the vaccum thing and a filter wrench and that’s it. What could go wrong?
I used to enjoy taking my Mk1 MR2 in (New England in the winter with no garage). First was the hilarity of watching them try and find the engine. First popping the frunk, then once told “it’s in the back” they open rear trunk. Then the insistence they checked my power steering fluid. “are you positive you checked the power steering fluid?” yes sir! “did you find any? Because I don’t have power steering, so if there was fluid I want that addressed…”. Honestly at this point I can change the oil in my cars in less time than it probably takes to drive to a reputable Jiffy or dealership. so why bother? My local parts place takes all my fluids, and I just keep enough oil and filters on hand. Heck, I realized I was overdue prior to going to work one day and just did it. Literally 15 minutes?
I go to Costco for oil changes. Kill 2 birds with one stone. They’ll apparently stand by their work. Supposedly, if they screw up (rare), it’s not a hassle to make things right.
And, yes, I can take the plug and filter off without a breaker bar after them.
That being said, mandatory winter tires here in Quebec. That means I’m swapping wheels twice a year at home and all the suspension bits get inspected at the same time.
Wait, what? I’ve never seen a Costco oil change! All of my tires are from Costco, I really wish they had oil changes near me.
I just learned that Costco oil changes are a Canadian thing.
We have them in South Carolina
I went to college with a woman who became a manager of a quick lube place while in high school. She had to sign off on engine replacements weekly due to mechanic errors.
I wish I could cattle prod every lube tech that uses an impact to tighten a drain plug. My wife’s Jeep had the head of her drain plug twisted so bad by a dealership, I needed a damaged nut/bolt remover to get it out. Along with a 1/2″ impact. My Subaru also needed the 1/2″ impact the first time I changed the oil after two years of dealership service. When torqued properly, a 3/8″ ratchet is all I need. I also know a guy who got stranded by a Jeep dealer that didn’t tighten a cartridge filter housing enough.
I stopped going to quick lube oil change places and started changing my own oil in about 2005.
The last straw was when an Uncle Ed’s performed an oil change and coolant flush on my ’93 Maxima 4DSC and forgot to tighten the radiator hoses. I drove about 5-6 miles home to discover coolant pouring out from underneath the car. While I was sitting in the car as they performed their work, I noticed that it took them multiple attempts of hard slamming to close the hood, which was unusual for my car. When I opened the hood at home to figure out why it was dumping coolant, I also found that the reason why closing the hood had been so difficult for them was because they were slamming the hood onto a screwdriver they had left on top of the fender shut line.
As bad as that experience was, it was preceded by an incident a few years earlier where an Valvoline Instant Oil Change employee drove my winter beater (’87 Olds Calais 5-speed) into the hole in the floor. Amazing.
I typically do my own oil changes but twice I’ve had a shop forget to tighten the drain plug leading to me reenacting the Exxon Valdez incident. Once was a Jiffy Lube the other was a Toyota dealership. The biggest difference is the Toyota dealership accepted their mistake and paid for a tow truck to haul my car across town so they could fix it. The Jiffy Lube insisted they did nothing wrong and that somebody else must have loosened the drain plug in the 12 hours since they’d worked on it.
When I was 16 my mom went to Jiffy Lube with a pretty new Honda Accord. The idiot techs used an impact on the drain plug. This car had barely 30k miles, might have even still been in warranty, idk. Anyway, the oil pan leaked immediately, went back the next day, they denied any responsibility.
They claimed it could have been done by anyone, and I’m like bros you worked on this car yesterday. After much arguing they agreed to pay for “half the cost” to fix it. I went to a service shop where I knew people, and paid for the repair, then had them print me out a bill where they doubled the cost of literally everything, thus paying the entire repair bill.
I have not gone back to one of these since.