One of those instant oil change places tried to rip me off.

consumer not comsumer

Did they charge you for the sticker? If not, I'm not sure how they ripped you off.

With a sythetic blend you can go 5 to 7 thousand miles without an oil change.

like a bms oil change?

More like 7-10k miles... but I still don't see how they ripped you off... They told you their SUGGESTED oil change interval, you don't have to follow it.

If the attendant put 3000 miles on the sticker, maybe he didn't put synthetic in the car?

ripped off comsumer wrote:

I took my wife's car to one of these quickie oil change places. I'm used to all the stuff they always try to sell you (air filter, gas addicitive, wiper blades and a host of other things), but this is what I didn't notice.

I put a synthetic blend in the car and the sticker they attached said that she needs another oil change in 3,000 miles. I don't usually check the sticker but there is no way its due in 3000 miles with a synthetic blend.

RIP OFF.

Sounds only like an attempted rip off.

But, I heard that oil change places in the US were lowering there suggested oil change to 3000 because in Canada the oil change places followed the US "5000 rule" to rip off the customer because they use kilometres, not miles. As a result, a lot of people in Canada are changing their oil at 5000km (instead of 8000km like they should). So the US places saw what was happening in Canada and lowered in to 3000 miles (because in Canada they change at 5000km). Now I'm waiting for places in Canada to start suggesting that people change their oil every 3000km (the new "3000 rule").

Think about this. The guy doing the oil change is making $15 tops an hour. He does this all day long. Most oil changes are regular oil, not synthetic. So, he or she is on auto pilot, sees the mileage, adds 3000 and writes this down on the sticker. If you were smart you would change your oil either whenever a 5000 mile number comes up, or in the case of synthetic oil, 10k mile. That way you will remember when you need your next oil change. Once you go to synthetic, I believe you can't go back to regular, so you pay double and now you can wait until 10,000 miles later on your odometer. You did not get ripped off. Plenty of other ways to get ripped off, but this is on your shoulders, big boy....ha, ha. Besides there is no need to change every 3000 miles, unless you are driving off road in the desert all the time.

As a previous poster said it was an attempt to rip off. However, I didn't take my wife's car in for the oil change last time. Maybe the car wasn't due yet for an oil change and i did get ripped off.

The sticker indicates when its due. Its not due when the sticker says that it is. That's fraudulent.

I don't fault the minimum wage guy who put the sticker on. This is clearly company policy. Everyone thing is very controlled at these places. They realize they are wrong but irt pays to make people come inmore frequently then they need too.

I paid for synthetic blend.

ripped off consumer wrote:

As a previous poster said it was an attempt to rip off. However, I didn't take my wife's car in for the oil change last time. Maybe the car wasn't due yet for an oil change and i did get ripped off.

The sticker indicates when its due. Its not due when the sticker says that it is. That's fraudulent.

I don't fault the minimum wage guy who put the sticker on. This is clearly company policy. Everyone thing is very controlled at these places. They realize they are wrong but irt pays to make people come inmore frequently then they need too.

I paid for synthetic blend.

You're correct that it is company policy. It would be beyond an instant oil change place to know the oil change interval of every vehicle, so they give them all 3000 mile stickers, which is the shortest recommended oil change interval of older cars with conventional oil. It's up to you to maintain your vehicle, not them. If you want better service, don't go to a quick lube.

I just use the regular oil in my cars so an oil change is about $25. If I change the oil every 3,000 miles instead of every 5,000 miles, I have to change the oil 26 more times over the 200,000 miles in 10 years I will be driving the car. Those extra oil changes cost $650. If you waited until 5,000 miles every time and the oil got too dirty and caused the engine to conk out at 150k instead of 200k, you just cost yourself roughly $5,000 dollars because your $20k car only lasted 3/4ths as long.

I'll choose to error on the side of changing the oil too often than not enough.

Maybe your last oil change was a couple thousand miles late, and they're just trying to get you back on track?

Wtfunny wrote:

Maybe your last oil change was a couple thousand miles late, and they're just trying to get you back on track?

That's not how it works.

They always try to tell you to come back in 3,000 miles. You are an idiot if you follow that. Check your owner's manual for the proper interval.

safe or sorry????? wrote:

I just use the regular oil in my cars so an oil change is about $25. If I change the oil every 3,000 miles instead of every 5,000 miles, I have to change the oil 26 more times over the 200,000 miles in 10 years I will be driving the car. Those extra oil changes cost $650. If you waited until 5,000 miles every time and the oil got too dirty and caused the engine to conk out at 150k instead of 200k, you just cost yourself roughly $5,000 dollars because your $20k car only lasted 3/4ths as long.

I'll choose to error on the side of changing the oil too often than not enough.

Get your wifey a Toyota Corolla then you don't have to change the oil at all, you just keep topping it up with the cheapest oil you can find. It'll keep going for years regardless and you'll save thousands throughout the life of the car. This is the case with most modern cars, over servicing is where the rip off lies.

Maybe the guy who changed your oil has been with your wife, knows she drives like a drag racer, and thus correctly recognized that her oil should be changed more frequently than the standard interval?

Wtfunny wrote:

Maybe your last oil change was a couple thousand miles late, and they're just trying to get you back on track?

You don't say.

No Way wrote:

You're correct that it is company policy. It would be beyond an instant oil change place to know the oil change interval of every vehicle, so they give them all 3000 mile stickers, which is the shortest recommended oil change interval of older cars with conventional oil. It's up to you to maintain your vehicle, not them. If you want better service, don't go to a quick lube.

No that doesn't fly at all. They have everything computerized. They knew when my last oil change was, oil type that was used, mileage of the car, model of car,and a whole bunch of other information.

Giving the proper recommendation for the next oil change was not only easy for them to was the thical thing for them to do.

ripped off consumer wrote:

No Way wrote:

You're correct that it is company policy. It would be beyond an instant oil change place to know the oil change interval of every vehicle, so they give them all 3000 mile stickers, which is the shortest recommended oil change interval of older cars with conventional oil. It's up to you to maintain your vehicle, not them. If you want better service, don't go to a quick lube.

No that doesn't fly at all. They have everything computerized. They knew when my last oil change was, oil type that was used, mileage of the car, model of car,and a whole bunch of other information.

Giving the proper recommendation for the next oil change was not only easy for them to was the thical thing for them to do.

Sorry bud. Don't know what to tell you.

It's like going to McDonald's and being surprised when they try to sell you the large when you only need the medium.