Oil Change Places and Car Repair

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Re: Oil Change Places and Car Repair

Post by cjd »

Super S wrote: July 7th, 2022, 9:22 amI would not let Jiffy Lube touch any of my vehicles. I have heard too many horror stories. In some cases they have unplugged headlight connectors to sell bulb replacement, and recommended air filters on cars with a few thousand miles on the odometer, and I know of at least three instances where they used the wrong fluids during a transmission flush as well as a coolant flush where they used old green antifreeze in place of the orange GM Dex Cool, and the residual Dex Cool mixed and caused the system to clog. Fluids are very specific from one brand to the next, and modern vehicles do not operate properly if you use the wrong stuff. And many of the quick lube places in general like to consolidate part numbers and often use smaller filters because "they fit" but aren't really designed for the application. Many Ford and GM truck applications are good examples of that. At least at dealerships and regular garages you usually get the correct filter for the job.
I can remember my grandmother back in the 90s taking her car to one of those express oil change places. When she got home she checked the oil level and it was completely empty! They had drained the oil and not refilled it. Fortunately it did not ruin the engine (this was on a 1992 Mercury Cougar).
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Re: Oil Change Places and Car Repair

Post by Brian Lutz »

Back when I drove a beater '84 Camry I took my car to the Jiffy Lube for oil changes. When I bought my current car (2007 VW Rabbit) new I generally had the dealer service it until I reached 100,000 miles, then I mostly started doing my own service, with help from my Dad on some jobs, and some things being handled by a local shop.

There's a place called Stew's Self-Service Garage in Kirkland that caters to do-it-yourselfers by providing lift rentals pretty much any tool you might need to do a repair job yourself and mechanics who can provide advice (but who will not do the job for you.) I've started doing some of the work on my car there, although it's a bit of a drive from my house. They seem to be doing well, and are planning to open a second location in Auburn soon. It's actually a pretty interesting concept, and I'm surprised it's something we haven't seen more of.
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Re: Oil Change Places and Car Repair

Post by SamSpade »

Brian Lutz wrote: July 7th, 2022, 11:18 am There's a place called Stew's Self-Service Garage in Kirkland that caters to do-it-yourselfers by providing lift rentals pretty much any tool you might need to do a repair job yourself and mechanics who can provide advice (but who will not do the job for you.) I've started doing some of the work on my car there, although it's a bit of a drive from my house. They seem to be doing well, and are planning to open a second location in Auburn soon. It's actually a pretty interesting concept, and I'm surprised it's something we haven't seen more of.
I love this idea. Part of why I haven't changed my own oil (I have an older vehicle and have learned in the past) is the ground clearance. The idea of being able to use a shop lift to do some basic auto maintenance myself sounds like a money winner.

I bet some ladies would appreciate it as well, as thankfully, more women have made efforts to learn more about things "the husband/father" used to do. (sorry, I know this sounds sexist, but auto repair is certainly a male dominated field)
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Re: Oil Change Places and Car Repair

Post by buckguy »

SamSpade wrote: July 7th, 2022, 2:48 pm
Brian Lutz wrote: July 7th, 2022, 11:18 am There's a place called Stew's Self-Service Garage in Kirkland that caters to do-it-yourselfers by providing lift rentals pretty much any tool you might need to do a repair job yourself and mechanics who can provide advice (but who will not do the job for you.) I've started doing some of the work on my car there, although it's a bit of a drive from my house. They seem to be doing well, and are planning to open a second location in Auburn soon. It's actually a pretty interesting concept, and I'm surprised it's something we haven't seen more of.
I love this idea. Part of why I haven't changed my own oil (I have an older vehicle and have learned in the past) is the ground clearance. The idea of being able to use a shop lift to do some basic auto maintenance myself sounds like a money winner.

I bet some ladies would appreciate it as well, as thankfully, more women have made efforts to learn more about things "the husband/father" used to do. (sorry, I know this sounds sexist, but auto repair is certainly a male dominated field)
These kinds of places were briefly a thing in the 70s/80s when cars weren't very reliable and it was easier to work on them. Given the greater reliability of vehicles and all the electronics, the market is probably way more limited than it once was and it can only work with having skilled mechanics present which probably cuts into the cost savings.
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Re: Oil Change Places and Car Repair

Post by Super S »

buckguy wrote: July 8th, 2022, 5:55 am
SamSpade wrote: July 7th, 2022, 2:48 pm
Brian Lutz wrote: July 7th, 2022, 11:18 am There's a place called Stew's Self-Service Garage in Kirkland that caters to do-it-yourselfers by providing lift rentals pretty much any tool you might need to do a repair job yourself and mechanics who can provide advice (but who will not do the job for you.) I've started doing some of the work on my car there, although it's a bit of a drive from my house. They seem to be doing well, and are planning to open a second location in Auburn soon. It's actually a pretty interesting concept, and I'm surprised it's something we haven't seen more of.
I love this idea. Part of why I haven't changed my own oil (I have an older vehicle and have learned in the past) is the ground clearance. The idea of being able to use a shop lift to do some basic auto maintenance myself sounds like a money winner.

I bet some ladies would appreciate it as well, as thankfully, more women have made efforts to learn more about things "the husband/father" used to do. (sorry, I know this sounds sexist, but auto repair is certainly a male dominated field)
These kinds of places were briefly a thing in the 70s/80s when cars weren't very reliable and it was easier to work on them. Given the greater reliability of vehicles and all the electronics, the market is probably way more limited than it once was and it can only work with having skilled mechanics present which probably cuts into the cost savings.
I bet we don't see more of them due to the potential liability if somebody doesn't set up the hoist properly and a car gets damaged and/or falls off the lift. But I think this is a good concept for those who live in apartments, rentals, etc.
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