Which is the right fit for you? A quick lube or an independent auto repair shop?
by Doug DeLucca
A week doesn’t go by when we at Boca Auto Fix get a call, “How much for an oil change?” It seems like a simple question, but in reality, it’s more nuanced than you would think. Not every oil change is the same.
A Firsthand Experience at a Quick Lube
As owner of Boca Auto Fix, I’ve been servicing vehicles my entire life. Because of this, another shop rarely services my vehicles. This is especially true for an oil change. To answer this question best, I thought it would be a good idea to see the experience of going to a quick lube. So my wife Alissa and I did just that.
About 1000 feet from our auto repair shop in Boca Raton is a quick lube, specifically a Jiffy Lube. It’s been there for decades, under one brand or another. On a Friday afternoon after we left our shop for the day we headed over to the Jiffy Lube. We were in our Toyota Camry. It was due for an oil change and I knew for a fact that the Camry did not need any other maintenance.
The Quick Lube Process
As we pulled around the back of the building, we set the timer on our phone. We wanted to see how long this service would take. There were two lanes, the left lane was for oil change, and the right lane was for brakes and other services. We picked the left lane. As we pulled up to the bay door, we were greeted by a nice, clean young gentleman who guided us behind a Cadillac that was the lead car in the bay. We had to drive over the pit where the staff would drain the oil out of our car. The first words he told us were “Nice car, don’t ever get rid of it”. I never thought I’d see the day someone would complement us on our Toyota Camry, but there is a first for everything!
The attendant’s first question was “What oil would you like?” Being a technician and auto shop owner, I know exactly what oil I would like, but would a typical member of the general public, with little to no automotive mechanical background, know the answer to this? I responded, “I believe it calls for conventional, let’s go with that.” He wrote on the front windshield 5w30 Conv and a few other letters. It was good we were in the rear section of the lane as Alissa and I could watch the operation in progress. We saw no less than five employees doing various tasks across the three vehicles in the lanes. All seemed to have a specific job. They were communicating well and the vibe we felt was that this operation was a well-oiled machine.
Our next interaction was when a nice young lady came to the window and handed us a tablet. She asked us to fill out the information requested. Our name, phone number, etc was filled out. There was no section for any services we would like, it was simply a data collection tool. We handed her back the tablet. For the second time, we were not informed of any additional services we may need. A second young lady had our hood open, she filled our washer fluid tank and then proceeded to check and adjust tire pressures. We then felt a jolt in the car, which was the person in the pit under our Camry draining the oil and/or removing the oil filter.
After a few more minutes a gentleman our age came to the driver’s side window. He looked like the leader of the operation so I asked “How is business”. He told us a short story about how this Jiffy Lube used to be a Mobil 1 oil change center and how they are trying to change the perception of how the old operation used to be. I complimented him on his operation and he told us the bill was $68.45. We gave him our credit card, and he ran it into the office, came back with the receipt, and told us to have a nice day.
We kindly backed out of the stall as the Cadillac in front of us was still in the stall ahead of us. We looked down at our time. The oil change service took 18 minutes.
As we drove home we discussed how the experience was better than we had anticipated.
The Boca Auto Fix Oil Change Experience
Comprehensive Service
What’s the point of this story you may ask? When this idea came to us, Alissa and I wanted to be sure that when we tell you that your experience with Boca Auto Fix will be genuinely different from that of a Quick Lube, it is 100 percent the truth. When we do an oil change service here at Boca Auto Fix, it will be a much different experience. For starters, our policy is our clients have to drop the car off. This will allow us time to do a Digital Vehicle Inspection. We will visually review 30-40 different items on your vehicle. Things like checking the vehicle’s air filter, tire treads, fluids, lights, belts, and hoses. This service, along with the oil change, typically takes 90 minutes.
Understanding Your Vehicle’s Health
Our goal is to NOT simply change your car’s oil. We want to understand the current health of your vehicle. Part of that includes a review of past services that have been reported to Carfax. We will ask you for any recent services that have been done. We will ask you what your plans are with the vehicle. How do you drive it? This information is valuable to us as it will help us put together a maintenance plan to keep your vehicle in peak condition.
Prioritizing Services
After we complete our Digital Vehicle Inspection, we will prioritize services marked red followed by those marked yellow. The order of our prioritization is Safety -> Reliability -> Efficiency. Then, we will estimate each service. This is to ensure you have a full picture of what your vehicle needs today, or later in a few weeks, along with a dollar amount. This also helps our clients budget for future work if required.
Cost Comparison
Now back to the original question we always receive, “How much for an oil change? Our typical five-quart oil change is $89.99. Which to be fair, is more than we paid at Jiffy Lube. But, it’s two different services. If you want a quick oil change and just the bare bones basics checked on your vehicle, a quick lube place would be a good fit. On the flip side, if you want to understand the needs of your vehicle, not only today but in the near future, look no further than the comprehensive vehicle service we offer here at Boca Auto Fix! It is our goal to advocate for our customers and make sure we keep them safe on the road.
Schedule Your Oil Change in Boca Raton, FL and Experience the Boca Auto Fix Difference
Why don’t you experience the difference for yourself? Schedule your appointment easily online at www.bocaautofix.com or call us today at 561-826-8834. Experience the communication, transparency and service that Boca Auto Fix has to offer.