Ok – I’ll be the first to admit it, I’m spoiled. I have never had to worry much about where and when to get my car serviced or repaired, I’ve been in this business since I was a kid with my dad. But the other day I decided to get a taste of what life might be like for my customers. I took my car to a quick lube place for an oil change.

I must admit it was very quick; I didn’t even get out of the car. I asked for the basic service and it was immediately brought to my attention that for an extra few dollars they would check my fluids and top them off if needed. Oh, and by the way my car needed the high mileage oil at an extra charge. I declined both but was told my air filter was dirty and my coolant needed to be replaced. It was a constant stream of employees coming up to my window and telling me I needed this or that.

Since I was just there for an experience, I declined any additional services at that time. One thing I noticed is that my tire pressure was not checked. A big thing in my book since I know that proper tire pressure helps my gas mileage and tire wear. Of course nothing else was really checked on my car, no brake check, no belt and hose check, no suspension check, etc.  You get what you pay for and it was obvious that the staff was not at the top end of the trade as far as skill level. The handed me a service sticker for the window that indicated my next oil service was in 1,000 miles.  I asked them about that, they got confused but eventually gave me a new sticker with the correct mileage. Good thing I looked.

Well they finished me up within about 15 to 20 minutes and off I went. When I read over my paperwork it indicated services done but I know were not performed and claimed condition of fluids and other items that we were verbally told something different. So what would I tell my husband once I got home?

 One of the first things I noticed was that my car did not go up the big hill near our house as quietly. It is an older Subaru that has a tendency for lifter noise if the oil level and consistency is not right – that noise was very evident.  The next morning for the first time ever we had oil spots in the driveway. Further inspection revealed that the drain plug and oil filter were leaking. We checked the tightness of both and they were in there good but now leaking. The lifter noise has gotten worse and the leaks larger.  I had to change my oil and filter again after a week to stop the leaks and the engine noise.

I can see the advantages to a quick service on my car, but am glad I have never had to rely on this type of service.  This might be why my cars have always lasted longer than I wanted to be driving them.  Good quality service obviously counts.