Getting an Oil Change - Finding the Right Shop

Apr 5
08:46

2012

Antoinette Ayana

Antoinette Ayana

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Unless you're something of an amateur mechanic, chances are that you'll want to bring your vehicle into a shop to get an oil change, as opposed to doing it on your own. So, how do you pick out a good shop? Here are some things to consider.

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Unless you are an amateur mechanic,Getting an Oil Change - Finding the Right Shop Articles chances are that you'll want to bring your vehicle into a shop to get an oil change, instead of trying to tackle it on your own. Even if you are perfectly capable of doing it yourself, there are several advantages to taking your car in to a mechanic. With deluxe deals, you can get a host of things checked and maintained at the same time, which means that you can be sure that you aren't going to miss anything important. If you have a warranty, you may need valid receipts of your maintenance to ensure that you are covered in case of failure. So, how do you decide on a good shop? There are several things to consider.

Location

Getting an oil change isn't a major inconvenience, but it can easily become one if you choose a shop in an area far from your daily route. While most mechanics can have your car back to you in a suitable timeframe, it can still be a hassle to go well out of your way to take care of this important bit of maintenance. For this reason, try to find a shop that's close by. While you shouldn't choose a bad shop on your block, as opposed to a good shop five miles away, all things being equal, you should choose the shop nearest your location.

Speed

There's hardly a need for an oil change to take more than fifteen or twenty minutes. Of course, if you always take your vehicle to the busiest shop in town on Saturday mornings, you're rarely going to get this level of service. But, if you're constantly waiting around for a half-hour or more, even during slow times, you probably need to find a quicker shop. There's little that could be done during this time that should take up such a large chunk of your valuable schedule. Unless you could use some time in a shop's waiting room to simply get away from your busy life for a little while, try to find a shop that prides itself on getting you back on the road quickly.

Cost

The cost of an oil change is going up, for obvious reasons. The days of finding someone to do it for less than $10 are certainly over and if you do find someone willing to do it for that price, it might raise a red flag. Still, there's no need to pay $50 every three or four thousand miles. While you should always choose the deluxe deal, which means that they check all of your fluid levels, top them off, check your wiper blades, lights, etc., from a shop you trust, you should not have a difficult time finding a price that is both inclusive and inexpensive.

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