Lube Centers

Lube Centers

By Jason Green

July 21, 2013

Need an oil change? There are many places you could take your car to for one. When deciding where to service your car, lube centers are on the list. These places can be great for oil changes! No appointment needed and most of these places will have you on your way within half an hour or faster. During the oil change there will be an inspection done on your vehicle. This is done more for the lube center’s benefit than yours, but it can certainly be beneficial to you as well (or not).

A well run lube center is an impressive machine to watch. It starts with the greeter who you guessed it, greets you! The greeter is there to welcome you, ask what type of service you are looking for, and to let you know approximately how long of a wait should be expected for your service. Once in the building a team of technicians swarm your car. There is the hood tech that inspects the engine compartment, checking fluid levels and their conditions, filters, battery, and some other engine components as well, eventually ending with that hood tech adding oil to your engine.

Then there is the pit tech (the technician underneath the car). The pit tech will drain the oil from your engine and change the oil filter. The pit tech will also lube the chassis and check the fluid levels and fluid conditions of any gearboxes if the vehicle is four wheel drive. A lube is when a vehicle’s chassis grease zerks are filled with grease when the chassis boots get low on lubrication. Grease zerks are going the way of the dodo. Auto manufacturers are phasing them out with “sealed systems” which do not require the constant refilling of the boots to keep the chassis properly lubricated and connected. But a good pit tech will still keep a watchful eye out for any safety issues concerning your car’s undercarriage.

While the hood tech and pit tech are busy doing their jobs, there will probably be a courtesy tech whose job will be to check your tire pressures, wash your windows, lubricate the door hinges, and perhaps vacuum your car. Watching all of this attention being given to your car is impressive and it is meant to be. A well trained and managed lube center can be a fine place to have your car serviced at. The other side of that is a poorly trained and managed lube center can end up costing you a lot of money in missed inspection items or with improperly performed maintenance. Let your gut guide you when deciding if you are dealing with a quality lube center or not. If you get a feeling that something is lacking during your lube center experience don’t ignore that voice in your head.

Once the hood tech is finished with the inspection and getting any needed information from the other technicians, the hood tech will fill out an inspection form to present to you. A good hood tech will present all the information from the inspection to you starting with the things that checked out good to give you a sense of “this isn’t so bad”. Then undoubtedly will be the recommendations for services to be performed on your car. A well trained lube tech will not come across as pushy, but many of these lube centers put incredible pressure on their hood techs to maintain a certain dollar average amount in sales above the oil change per car. If that average isn’t met… guess what, that lube tech is expendable. It can be brutal. If the tech comes across as high pressure and pushy, decline any extra work on your car and let them know that you don’t appreciate their pressure tactics.

A typical inspection form will include the condition of the car’s different fluids, filters, battery, exterior lights, accessory belt(s), wiper blades, and the lube centers list of available services for your vehicle. Items and services such as…

• Engine cleaners and mechanical engine flush services
• Fuel system cleaner additives and fuel system cleaner services
• Engine air filter replacement and cabin air filter replacement
• Fuel filter replacement
• Transmission fluid change or flush
• Gearbox services for four wheel drive vehicles- front differential fluid, transfer case fluid, and rear differential fluid
• Radiator (engine coolant) fluid change or flush
• Power steering fluid change or flush

There are even more services available in some lube centers such as a/c system inspection and recharge along with other items and services I may have failed to mention. You get the picture. There is a lot of opportunity for these places to make money from you servicing your car. If recommended honestly and correctly additional performed work benefits you and the lube center.

Here are some common tactics used at lube centers to help increase their sales.

• Fluid samples comparing used versus new, they will use the terms “dirty” and “clean”
• Filter samples comparing your engine air filter or cabin air filter next to brand new ones
• Pamphlets regarding their offered services, such as fuel system cleaning and others
• Repeatedly asking for the sale

When considering to approve or decline these additional services keep these things in mind. Air filters will typically last 30,000 miles unless you drive in particularly dusty conditions. Lube centers will try to sell you these air filters every 12,000 to 15,000 miles regardless of the manufacturer recommendations. Unless the engine air filter looks dirty to you, it can probably wait. Unless you feel really comfortable with your chosen lube center I would hold off on more technical maintenance until after a few visits to the business satisfies you that the technicians are competent and well trained. Wiper blades or inserts are easy to see if they are needed. Streaks on the windshield or rips in the wiper inserts make okaying replacement a “cut and dry” (pun intended) decision!

After the hood tech finishes the inspection review, oil will be added to your car and before you know it, you are on your way. I recommend checking the final engine oil level before leaving as well as making sure there are not any indicator lights on your meter gauge display. If the oil level looks ok (ask the tech to show this to you if you do not know how to check your oil level) and there are no warning indicators on your display, you are good to go until your next oil change!

Choosing Between Synthetic or Conventional Oil

Image courtesy of jscreationzs at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Choosing Between Synthetic or Conventional Oil

By Jason Green

June 25, 2013

The argument over synthetic versus conventional oil has

raged for years on automotive forums.  In

this article we will give you some knowledge to decide which oil is best for

your car.

 What is the Difference?

Conventional lubricants are made from crude oil that is

refined in order to remove impurities. Other chemicals are then blended with it

before it is bottled up and shipped to your favorite auto supply store. Despite

the best of refining methods, conventional oil will still contain certain

levels of impurities such as waxes, silicon and even dirt.

Synthetic oils are manmade and are typically derived from

alcohol or natural gas which means they start out pure and stay that way. There

are no contaminants and they tend to stay stable at a wider range of

temperatures. Synthetic oils are also more consistent, not thickening as much

in cold weather or thinning in hot.

 There is also the

synthetic blends category which is made up of oils that combine synthetic oil

with conventional. They are usually less expensive than a pure synthetic but

also don’t last as long.

Which is Better?

When looking at just performance synthetic wins hands down

and some new cars recommend using only synthetic oil, in some cases using

conventional oil will actually void the warranty.

Synthetic oil has a more consistent molecular structure when

compared to conventional oil. Without getting into a technical scientific

discussion this means that the molecules do not burn off when they get hot,

which makes the oil last longer. They also are better at transferring heat

letting the engine run cooler.

Since synthetic oils are resistant to breakdown the interval

between oil changes is drastically improved. Experts say that going 10,000 to

12,000 between changes is common which is three to four times that of

conventional oil.

Is it best for me?

There are a thousand different answers to that question so

in the end you have to do what you feel is right for your vehicle. Start by

consulting the owner’s manual. Newer vehicle often recommend full synthetic

oil. While it is more expensive, the additional costs are usually recouped due

to the oil needing to be changed less often.

Some experts claim that fully synthetic oil will improve

your gas mileage but the increase is hardly dramatic, usually falling in the 2

percent range.

There are many rumors floating around about synthetic oil

that are simply not true. Just a few examples would be:

· 

You cannot switch to synthetic if it has been

running on traditional oil for a long time.

· 

Older cars should not be run on synthetic.

· 

Cars will often develop oil leaks when switched

to synthetic oil.

 While these rumors

have persisted for years there is no proof to back up the claims.

The majority of experts recommend running fully synthetic

oils in high performance vehicles. When it comes to other

vehicle types it is really up to you and your budget. Before looking for where to service your car check

your owner’s manual and talk to a trusted mechanic to see what they recommend

and then make a decision that makes sense for you and your vehicle. 

Dealerships vs. Local Shops

Image courtesy of Chris Sharp at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Dealerships vs. Local Shops

By Jason Green

June 18, 2013

It’s a question that every car owner must answer at some
point. Should I take the car back to the dealership for service or is my local
service shop good enough. There are many factors that can weigh on this
decision, the complexity of the repair, the age of the car as well as your
budget. Deciding where
to service your car can be a complicated question, here are a few things to
think about when considering where to take your vehicle for service.

Costs – In a recent survey AutoMd
found that on average you would pay about $300 a year less if you get your
vehicle serviced at a local shop instead of a dealership. The majority of this
saving is due to the fact that dealerships charge a higher hourly rate than
most local auto repair shops.

While
there is no arguing that dealerships charge a higher hourly rate, you should
also take into account how quickly they can diagnose and fix the issue.
Dealerships can often correctly diagnose and fix the problem quicker than a
local shop which can more than offset the higher hourly rate.

Equipment – If you are driving a car that
is less than three years old you are almost always better off going to the
dealership. Automakers give dealerships an exclusive on the diagnostic
equipment as well as OEM codes for at least a year after a new model is
released. In many cases local shops may simply not have the proper information
or equipment to quickly figure out the problem and fix it.

The
diagnostic equipment needed for today’s complicated cars can also be expensive
which can make it difficult for smaller shops to keep up to date on the latest
equipment and training.

Training – Dealerships are required
to keep their technicians fully trained and up to date on the latest equipment
and repair methods. Smaller shops will make every effort to keep their
mechanics fully trained but again, dealerships usually have deeper pockets. A
mechanic that is up to date on the latest equipment will be able to diagnose
and solve your problem quickly and correctly the first time, eliminating the
need for return visits.

If
you decide to head to a local shop, ask about the certifications that their
mechanics hold, look for National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence
training and certifications.

Warranty Work – While you are welcome to
have warranty work done at any auto repair shop, at a dealership it will be
free. This is not always the case at local shop. It is always a good idea to
take your vehicle back to the dealer for any warranty work and to have it
checked out in full right before your warranty expires.

Routine Maintenance – If you have an older
vehicle and only need an oil change or other routine maintenance it can often
be cheaper if you head to a local

shop.  Even routine maintenance can go wrong though
so make sure you check out any repair shop you considering thoroughly before
handing over the keys.

While
a local repair shop can be cheaper on an hourly basis, a
missed diagnose can end up costing much more than the local dealership.
Consider using a local shop for simple repairs or maintenance and head to the
dealership for anything complicated or under warranty.