As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention (oil change) is worth a pound of cure (complete and total engine failure). Regularly changing motor oil is undoubtedly the most important task on any owner's car maintenance to-do list. Clean engine oil lubricates all the moving parts that keep the vehicle chugging; when that oil turns to sludge, those moving parts seize up and refuse to play ball, leaving you with an expensive repair or, more realistically, a 2-ton paperweight.
Needless to say, oil changes, like leg days, should never be skipped. Period. Do not pass 'Go.' Do not collect $200.
What's more open to debate is the best place to get an oil change. So, let's debate: Is it better to swing by an express oil change shop or get an appointment at your car dealership? (We leave out DIY oil changes because of their inherent dangers.) To do that, we'll follow the age-old principle of the "unattainable triangle," which states that you can choose service that's cheap, fast or good – but you can't have all three.
Quality of Service
If a job is worth doing, it's worth doing well. You know who said that? Me neither, but the proverb is certainly true regardless of the task at hand.
When deciding between getting an oil change at a dealership vs. jiffy lube or another one-stop oil change shop, you need to carefully consider if you value a job well done. And you should value it; an oil change performed poorly – oil leaks and subsequent engine failure can be caused by something as simple as stripped drain plug threads – can be disastrous to your wallet, peace of mind, calendar and the environment.
That leads us to "Jiffy Lube horror stories" about technicians upselling unnecessary service or parts, stripping drain plugs, replacing oil filters with used oil filters, destroying engines and more. A quick search on the internet will tell you all you need to know about EZ lube places.
We had a young single mother comes into our shop after she got a bad vibe from the shop she took her SUV to. Suburban with 60k on it. After her last oil change they told her she needed brakes, shocks, trans flush, diff flush. We look at it and they overfilled the trans to make it leak out the breather, the oil drain plug was loose and there were like metal shims shoved behind the brake pads to make them wear and grind. So we called the police down because we have a good working relationship with them since we work on all their cars, they file a report and report to the BBB. Luckly the other shop closed shortly after when the owner took all the company cash and shut it down. - /u/Social_Hazard
Wife needed an oil change I was working and we were leaving for vacation that night. She took it to a Lube shop... The trip down we got bad Gas Mileage, shuttering, and the engine sounded really loud... The next day I find they tried to remove the MAF with an angle grinder and then shimmed it up so I was getting a bad reading. They also disconnected the Air Filter so I basically drove 400 miles sucking in whatever road dirt kicked up. - /u/duolc84
I will never go to a jiffy lube. They screwed up so many by times on my ex's car, from forgetting to put the oil cap back on to putting in the wrong viscosity oil. This doesn't even take into account all the scare tactic techniques they use to upsell other services. Last straw was them charging $45 to install an air filter. Finally dawned on my ex that she was getting ripped off when I dragged her... down to the parts store and bought a new air filter for $7 and showed her how to install it. Too many horror stories about how bad quick lube places are! - /u/Koksnot
Because these chain oil change places overvalue speed and cheap service, quality suffers greatly.
- Employees at even the best quick lube places aren't trained adequately enough, and turnover is oftentimes too high to establish a core group of competent technicians. You can bet that most shops don't employ many or any ASE-certified techs.
- Product quality is also a concern at EZ lube places. Instead of OEM components and brand-name oil, express lube centers will be quick to cut corners, by using cheap oil filters and improper types of motor oil, if it means more profit and efficiency.
- Speed lube locations are not in the practice of offering specialized automotive services. You get the generic, one-size-fits-all menu, no matter what make and model vehicle you own. This is a problem if your car takes a certain brand or grade of oil that the shop doesn't stock. Worst of all, there's no guarantee that you'll be alerted to this fact prior to service; they'll just do the work and ship you off.
On the flip side, car dealership service centers provide more consistently reliable service.
- They employ and train technicians, many of whom are or are working toward becoming ASE certified, to meet and exceed industry standards of care.
- Because they mostly work on the same brand of vehicle day in and day out, dealership oil change technicians are very familiar with certain models. This allows them to more quickly and accurately diagnose and service your vehicle.
- Getting an oil change at a dealership virtually guarantees the use of OEM or high-quality oil filters, the proper motor oil, and quality replacement parts.
- All service is also electronically noted with your manufacturer; for instance, if you take your Honda to our Roper Honda service center in Joplin, that history will transfer to any other Honda service center across the country.
Price
For many people, the low price point of a Jiffy Lube, Valvoline or similar fast oil change shop is a big selling point. However, you get what you pay for when choosing the cheapest place to get an oil change – just look at the examples above.
Paying a little extra to have work performed by a trained and competent mechanic or tech is well worth the investment. That "extra" cost isn't even encased in stone; most dealerships offer oil change coupons near you that will reduce the price of oil change service, sometimes even to the point of being lower than a competitive fast lube shop.
If the price difference between an oil change at a dealership vs. Valvoline or Jiffy Lube is less than the cost of a pair of Happy Meals, the no-brainer decision is to go with the dealership.
Speed
Another selling point is convenience and speed of service. Their name -- "quick lube shops" -- implies speed, and you certainly get that. But at what cost? Mistakes are made when haphazardly completing spreadsheets, and that logic applies to oil changes, too. Can you afford to have your oil drain plug fall out a mile down the road? What about your engine seizing up and catching fire?
The fact of the matter is: Oil changes can be performed fast at top-rated oil change places, dealerships included. If you schedule a weekday morning appointment at your dealership, the odds of your car being ready before rush hour even officially ends are high.
To top it off, your quick dealership oil change normally includes a full inspection, tire fill-up and print-out of your vehicle's health, such as tire tread depth and brake pad life. You may even get a free car wash out of the deal – something that those chain oil change places can't and don't offer.
Bottom Line: Trust Your Dealer!
Is Jiffy Lube good? We can't answer that outright since no two lube shops are the same. We can tell you that, when offered a choice between a dealer oil change vs. Jiffy Lube, Valvoline or a similar type of business, your vehicle is in better hands at a dealership.
So, the next time your Honda Oil Life dashboard light comes on, make an appointment at your nearest Honda dealership for an oil change. For car owners in and around Joplin, MO, schedule an oil change at the Roper Honda service center, located at 902 N Rangeline Rd.