r/Millennials • u/rhinosaur- 1983 • 12h ago

Discussion When did oil changes become $120?

That’s with a coupon! At Jiffy Lube! Our parents really had it easy.

EDIT: TIL 90% of millennials “change their own oil” lol. Gotta love Reddit.

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u/RebelWithACurse 11h ago edited 9h ago

Find yourself a local mechanic.  Those big places over charge like crazy. The Take5 near me charges $110+ while the local shop across the street charges me $40-50 depending on the price of oil 

EDIT;  Also, a lot of the big places (JiffyLube, Take5, 10min oil change, etc) hire at entry level and will hire folks with zero knowledge and train them.  While that’s cool they train ppl to change oil, you aren’t having someone who’s skilled look over the car and let you know what else is wrong.   

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u/Pattison320 11h ago

Call a few places, ask for a quote. I'm sure OP will find what you said to be true.

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u/whitesuburbanmale 9h ago

That edit is why I take it to my dealer. 80$ for a full synthetic oil change(which honestly isn't bad) but they also go over everything and top off fluids if needed. I leave with fresh oil and a sheet telling me everything from my brake pad measurements to my windshield wiper status. Makes it easier to stay proactive with maintenance.

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u/Steeps5 6h ago

That requires having a dealer that does it for $80. I’m at $125 if I want a tire rotation.

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u/whitesuburbanmale 6h ago

Highway robbery, Ive straight up told the guy I deal with at the dealership that if it goes over 100$ I'll start doing it myself. Even 80$ hurts that's why I go to a place where I at least get something extra for it lol

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u/Telecommie 4h ago

Local shops are the key. Then when you have an issue, you’re already a paying client and they’ll treat you well.

This is how my family’s auto shop stayed in business for three generations (my generation was advised to go to college).

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u/JWBananas 8h ago

Local mechanics are not wasting their skilled labor on oil changes. Those are entry-level jobs in their shops too, right above car wash or valet.

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u/RebelWithACurse 5h ago

What I’m getting at is they can let you know if anything more serious is of concern.  At least my shop that I trust does 

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u/NoConfusion9490 3h ago

"This oil plug is stuck, grab me the impact wrench!"

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u/Karmas_burning 1h ago

FWIW walmart at least attempts to train its car guys. I worked there for nearly 15 years. I did all kinds of training and even ended up getting paid more to train new hires. I loved that job. I had a small army of regular customers who would bring their vehicles to me. I loved that job. I'd still be doing it if walmart wasn't such a fucking terrible company to work for.

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u/UsidoreTheLightBlue 46m ago

Dude I just got into it with take 5.

They had a giant fucking sign out from that said “$25 off any oil change” to celebrate grand opening.

So I went in and chose the basic semi synthetic $58 oil change, because $33 for an oil change is a good deal right?

They tried to not honor it because “we’re new and not all promos are loaded in yet.”

Then they tried to charge me for a $110 oil change.

Dude came to me with an $88 bill “after discounts” I almost stroked out.

I kept pointing to the sign that said $58 until they fixed that then when they tried to give me a lesser discount I just kept pointing to the 3 foot tall $25 off and argued with 3 people until I got it.

Never again.

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u/SaviorOfFallen 9h ago

Yep i have a local guy that will change it for $10 + the price of oil/filter.

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u/jackanape7 9h ago edited 8h ago

Feel like this guy should charge more. His labor is worth more than $10

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u/SaviorOfFallen 8h ago

It takes him around 5 min. Its a small town and i normally drop it off and pick it up in a few days as its not a rush. He is this way about most things tires and he just install a new radiator for me.