The Good and Bad About Oil Changes by Auto Repair Chain Shops
shared by Anonymous
Have you ever wondered why oil changes are so cheap?
For about $20, you can take you car in and get your oil changed by professional mechanic who will also check all your fluids and tire pressure. That is a really good deal when everything seems to be so expensive these days.
When you do take your care in for an oil change, the mechanic most often also checks to see if you need other work done on your car. There is certainly a very positive side to this in that they are alerting you to any work that needs to be done on your car. Sometimes though, beware that mechanics can be using oil changes to suggest work that you don't yet need or don't need at all.
For any major work, I suggest finding an alternate mechanic to verify that you do in fact need that work done. I find that although the big chain auto repair places do give great value on oil changes, their repair work does not represent great value.
For example, I recently took my car in to a Green and Ross for an oil change. They changed my oil and told me I also needed new brakes for which they quoted me a price of about $1,000.
They were right, I did need new brakes - I took my car into a mechanic that my brother suggested and he confirmed that. He also quoted me a price of less than $400. This is a licensed professional mechanic, a one-man show who has been happily serving his customers for 30 years. I saved $600 on that brake job.
Take your car into the big chains for cheap oil changes but don't get your repair work done there. Take your car to a smaller shop that has been recommened by family or friends for repair work.
