Oil Change - Can Mechanic Tell Its Not Time

I just saw a $75 oil change with up ot $60 reimbursement on a job board. I am not even close for another oil change - had one earlier this month. It needs to be this car - brand specific.

Can the mechanic tell I recently had an oil change? I know the oil color is a giveaway - but he's already doing it by then and probably will go through with it. I won't be going back to this dealership - but it is on my way and I have the time and its $75 !!!!

Of course, I will take the sticker off.

Any wisdom out there?

Create an Account or Log In

Membership is free. Simply choose your username, type in your email address, and choose a password. You immediately get full access to the forum.

More About Oil Change & Car Service Mystery Shopping

I have done them with as little as 400 miles after the previous one. No one has said anything to me. I had some repsonses planned in advance, just in case:

"I loaned my car to my nephew and he drove it really hard, I wanted to get another oil change to be safe."

"I saw a spot of oil when I came out of a parking lot, I thought it might be from my car. So, I wanted to get an another oil change to make sure it is okay."

"Don't ask me why I am doing it so early. My wife made me promise to get the oil changed before we go on our road trip."

It doesn't hurt to be prepared.

Thank you soooo much. I'm going to take it, that $75 is just too good to pass up.

OK, by the time I went back to sign up for the shop, it went to $80. SWEEEEEEET !

This is more fun bragging about than a great bargain at the store!

Oh, my, how I have changed !!!!

A mechanic would not question - good heavens - that is money and money they love.

I'm older so I can get away with saying I'm just confused and couldn't remember when I had it done last!

if you normally get it done at the dealership and you to another dealership, some brands they can pull up your vehicle's history.

= + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = +
There are no stupid questions, but there are a lot of inquisitive idiots
==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==
When you try to please everybody, you end up pleasing nobody

techman01 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> if you normally get it done at the dealership and
> you to another dealership, some brands they can
> pull up your vehicle's history.

Well, then, in that case I would use the "oil spot" or "irresponsible nephew" story.

"Dang, I'll bet my husband did it while I was out of town and forgot to tell me! I told him I'd do it when I got back."

:
:
==============================================================
I pray it does not occur that the last thing I did before I died was vacuum the house or eat broccoli.

I had a service shop scheduled a few weeks ago, and my Honda wouldn't start that day so I took my Subaru instead which really didn't need anything done to it. When I got there, the guy looks out at the window at it and says to me "You said you had a Passport?" and I just went "Ohhh, my bad, I get those two mixed up all the time!" Durrr....! So if female or blonde, you can always play that card LOL.

Mechanics do not care how old it is. You say change the oil they will change the oil. 99% of the time they will not even look at the oil being drained. You can go do the shop without any worries. Even if you had a sticker saying it was done last month you could just say your husband likes you do do it every month.

You all were certainly right. They never said a word and just changed the oil. This has been a great lesson. I never took these shops until we needed it, but with this kind of money, it is well worth it.

Thanks again.

If the mechanic questioned it and suggested that your car doesn't look like it's ready for an oil change, the client would probably appreciate finding that information in the report. lol

If you have the oil changed by a chain, i.e. Jiffy Lube, Valvoline, Firestone, etc. and you go to a store in the same chain as last time, can they locate the info. in their computer on when you were last in for a change?

So, for instance, if I went to Valvoline last month on Johnson Street and now go to Valvoline on Smith Blvd. this week, can the Smith store see that I went to the Johnson store last month?

plmccut Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If you have the oil changed by a chain, i.e. Jiffy
> Lube, Valvoline, Firestone, etc. and you go to a
> store in the same chain as last time, can they
> locate the info. in their computer on when you
> were last in for a change?
>
> So, for instance, if I went to Valvoline last
> month on Johnson Street and now go to Valvoline on
> Smith Blvd. this week, can the Smith store see
> that I went to the Johnson store last month?

They could probably find the information if they wanted to. But 99.9% of them don't care. Many quick-service mechanics are paid by the number of oil changes they do in a day and won't waste time even thinking about when it was done last, why the oil isn't very dirty, or why you were just in a month ago.

spaztck Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> "Don't ask me why I am doing it so early. My wife
> made me promise to get the oil changed before we
> go on our road trip."
>
> It doesn't hurt to be prepared.

My husband is my excuse for everything!
One of my favorite grocery store questions...My husband is on some new diet and wants to make sure there are no nitrates in any of his food. Do you have lunch meat without nitrates?

I have done Jiffy Lubes in multiple locations and they don't have a central data base. However, once your car is in that specific store, then you're in it forever!

Not my circus - Not my monkeys @(*.*)@

~Polish Proverb~

Cubbie - Thx. for that info. I bet it would be same with Valvoline stores or any other ones - once you've been there they've got your info. and they keep it forever. But there are a lot of Jiffy Lube stores and I could get my oil changed once a month. And one could wait till the end of the month when the shops get bonused.

ShopperOnDuty Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I just saw a $75 oil change with up ot $60
> reimbursement on a job board. I am not even close
> for another oil change - had one earlier this
> month. It needs to be this car - brand specific.
>
> Can the mechanic tell I recently had an oil
> change? I know the oil color is a giveaway - but
> he's already doing it by then and probably will go
> through with it. I won't be going back to this
> dealership - but it is on my way and I have the
> time and its $75 !!!!
>
> Of course, I will take the sticker off.
>
> Any wisdom out there?

I have often did shops at 1500 miles because the scheduler was desperate. The Scheduler said "Its OK let me give you a big bonus."

When they unscrew the plug and the oil is draining the mechanic is not checking the color.

I told the service advisor dont have 3000 miles on the ca, the car was sitting around. but it has been 5 months since I changed it last.

With today's engines, most manufacturers are recommending oil changes at 4500 to 7500 miles. The 3000 mile rule is from a bygone era of leaded gas running through clunky engines. The oil change companies hang onto the 3000 mile spec for obvious reasons.

All that to say, if you take your Honda in at 3000 miles, the oil probably looks pretty pristine. The shiny filter might be more of a giveaway, but the clear oil draining from the pan won't raise an eyebrow.

Now this raises an ethical question. Should we be concerned about the waste of oil? The folks in California are. They've put together a "Check Your Number" campaign to educate consumers and save oil. [www.checkyournumber.org]

I'm not the greenest guy in the world, but I still wait until I'm at least close to 3000 miles before I take an oil shop. I'm not judging - just adding an another factor to consider.

AndrewTX
Certifiable

Jiffy Lube does in fact have a central data base. They knew I was in southern MA when I did it again in NH

Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.

Click here to login

Oil Change - Can Mechanic Tell Its Not Time

Create an Account or Log In

Official List of Mystery Shopping Companies

Mystery Shopper Magazine