Oil Changes
 

www.laconiaoilchange.com is all written up in an article in today's Nov 6 LaDaSun, at the Irwin Ford-Toyota in Laconia....a no appointment....just show up anytime car service biz.....hmmmm....seems worth taking a look-see.....wonder if they charge $85-flat rate/hour or have posted easy-to-understand, and a heck-of-a-lot lower than dealership prices for things like oil & filter, brakes, belts, shocks, struts, & tires? And, will they work on my 2006 Chevy Impala that has to last for 200,000 miles?

Yesterday, Monday, was the opening day down at Irwin Ford-Toyota's new Laconia Oil Change. Did anyone make it down there? Wonder if they have a decent waiting room with a decent tv? Like when you go to VIP-Laconia for a $23-oil change, the tv in the waiting room only gets the very very minimum number of tv stations so I actually end up watching the recorded Laconia selectmen's last meeting ... :eek:.....can you believe that! Hopefully, that www.laconiaoilchange.com can do better than that....and serve up The Tennis Channel, and the Fitness Channel with its' three very hot & sexy young women going through their yoga routines........NAMASTE!


Never thought a great big dealership like Irwin Ford-Toyota would open up a quik service center......FORD....yes....FORD.....has probably now got a better idea !.....and I suppose it was a case of....if you cannot beat the competition then let's just copy them....or something like that......now, what's Irwin got for tv channels down there?

I understand that they are using several service bays at the end of the Enterprise Rental Car building ( which Irwins own ) and they even have a showroom there.
I see it as a intelligant business move that hopefully and should do well. We all have busy lives and a place to just drop in when you can without an appointment would be helpfull.
I tend to frequent a local service station and for the most part, I can stop in one day for an apointment on the following day. I can usually be in & out in about an hour for a LOF & rotation. I forget exactly what it cost me, $60 +/- It might be a few dollars more than the speedy oil change places in Laconia. They have always been there for me when I have needed help and it does put my money into a local business.

I think car stealerships are starting to realize more and more that service departments keep customers coming back. If they have you in there for an oil change and frequent that location you are more apt to think of them when time comes for a new vehicle.

Irwin's Ford-Toyota : Laconia Oil Change; oil changes-$19.95............state inspections-$29.95............tires-will beat any price! ...... (as per small ad down at the bottom of today's LaDaSun front page, www.laconiadailysun.com)

www.laconiaoilchange.com

My local Chevy dealer has a deal with the purchase of any vehicle. $9.95 lube oil and filter for as long as you own it. I can't even do it myself for that little.

Listen Up Men
 

A $29 oil change is no bargain at a Toyota dealer. They will check your brakes, tires, air filters..(engine airtake & cabin), and whatever else they can Convince You ..you need. It's a Barracuda coming after you. If you are mechanically challenged they will sense it and go for your jugular.

I worked for a Toyota dealer (Newport (RI) Toyota) for awhile and bought cars from them for 14 years (3 NEW cars). Two years ago this month the warranty was over for my wifes 2005 Camry. The state inspection was due. I walked out of there for the last time..$500+. lighter in the wallet. Un-needed.

I am NOT mechanically challenged. THEY LIED to me..as to what I needed. I pointed this out. They were tone deaf. I had to pay up or FAIL State inspection. If I had walked away... I would HAVE to come BACK to THEM after I resolved the alleged problem... some where else.

I was a TOTAL BOOSTER for that dealership for 14 years and...... they decided it was my turn in the barrel.

I'm over it. (well maybe not) I haven't been back there since. I'm back to doing my own oil changes..at 69 years old. BITTER...You Bet. NB

BTW: Right after that incident, I went to another local Toyota Dealer when I needed an oil change in my 2007 Toyota truck. The "MO" is the same. :(

About two years ago, one of the marketing brainiacs at the Plymouth Super Walmart went and raised the price for an oil change from 18 to 30 dollars and it pretty much killed the business for that Walmart location. The T-L-E, Tire-Lube-Express, went from super busy to super not-busy with that price increase. Like, whatever happened to Walmart and their "We sell for less, always!"

For shame......shame, shame, shame....... on the Plymouth Walmart T-L-E for doing that! ...:rolleye2:


And even today, November 10, 2010, the price at Plymouth Walmart remains at 30-dollars for a basic oil change. You would think they would get the message.....hello Walmart!

...............

KTM Auto in Plymouth, www.ktmauto.com, does oil changes for just 12.95 and it is a very good repair garage. Down below the Plymouth Senior Center, where the women's wrestling extravaganzas get held, and along the railroad tracks, you will find KTM Auto......a very competent repair garage with a decent waiting room!

Oil Changes
 

McGreevy's Automotive Belmont

I've taken my 3 cars to McGreevy's Automotive on RT 106 in Belmont.
Right near the junction of RT 11 and RT 106.

Mike is the manager, and has always given me first rate service !

They usually have oil & filter change specials for $19,95. Obviously, specialty cars and Hybrids will cost more.

Give them a call, don't think you'll be disappointed !

BD

Beware of the oil change with no filter change.

Just do it yourself. That way YOU know it is done "right"

I'll stick with doing my own.
 

I run high end Amsoil products in all of our vehicles, including ATV’s, snowmobiles, motorcycle and all power equipment. I do as they recommend and change the oil once a year and at 6 months spin on a new filter and top it off. The up front cost is higher but the savings over the course of a year is significant even over conventional oils.
McGreevy's Automotive Belmont was purchased by the Autoserv group.
Autoserv service departments do not have a good track record for quality work.
My Ford truck was purchased at the one in Tilton. Long story short they told my wife one thing and when I talked to the same person they had a different answer.
Unless I have to will not drive into Irwin Ford for service either.
Remember, many if not all of your quick lubes stations pay the employees by what they do not number of hours worked. So they are always in a rush to get you in and out as quickly as possible. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard about the filter not being put on properly and leaking or the plug being left off or loose or worse over tightened and stripping the threads. Yes they are cheap but how much do you save if you run down the road and the car runs out of oil. And try proving it was their fault.
I've given up on paying for work I can do myself. I've found that the 100 to 150 mark up on parts has just become unaffordable, as is the $80-$100 hourly shop rate.

Belmont is right about Autoserv. I needed major work on my Dodge truck and they quoted me exactly $5,000......Lakes Jeep Eagle was open at the time and, knowing they have a good diesel mechanic, got a quote from them.......$2,300 for the same work and they did a great job.
Too bad they couldn't make it but they lost their franchise during the auto bail out.

Service
 

My dealings with AutoServe have been terrible. I wouldnt take a pogo stick in for them to service. McGreevy's always did well by me but I am sure the AutoServe tradition of sloppys service and stick them for all you can has taken precident.

My last incident of poor service ended with me sending them a letter suggesting some middle grounds for solutions. They didn't have the courtesy to respond.

Good golly, that Wal-Mart in Plymouth must either be reading this thread, or else they took notice of their lack of business doing oil changes for the very high price of 30-dollars. Yesterday, down at the Q-L-E, Quik Lube Express for those not in the know, there's a great big banner there that promos the Quaker State-$24-Jeff Gordon oil change that includes up to 5 qts of the Quaker, filter, grease lube, and tire pressure air-up and something else...all for $24....down at Plymouth Wally-World...and their three double-wide service bays were all definately empty of customers!

With 763 seperate views & counting here on this thread, they should definately give me a freebie oil change for posting this:D!

:offtopic:

What-the-heck, you can buy a gallon of blue-cap 1% low fat milk at the Plymouth Walmart for $1.63, so somebody needs to invent a car engine that will run on milk, and call it a cow-car, or something like that!

You might not believe it, but the DMV State Inspection people are friendly, understanding, and will go to bat for you against a dishonest inspection station. I had an incident a few years ago with an establishment that failed my car for a non-inspectable item. I asked him to show me the regulation on it, and he couldn't, but said his brother (One of the other Daryles?) had told him it was there somewhere. So I called DMV, who called him and threatened to pull his inspection license. 2 hour later I had my sticker. 2 months later he was out of business.

The first thing you should do, after getting the name of the person who did the inspection and their supervisor, is request a written list of the failed items, then go to another station and have them do the inspection again. If the previously failed items are not cited, call DMV and report the place. Then go back and make them give you a refund!

On the subject of oil changes, a friend has a Ferrari, and they wanted $350 for an oil change! He's doing them himself also. And most of the transfer stations have provisions for taking used engine oil without any charge.

Thank GOD I do my own work. That's all I can say. 15 minutes of my time and less than 30 bucks later I can do my own thank you very much, and that's using full synthetic Mobil 1 oil and an OEM factory oil filter.

Those quick lube places or department stores with "automotive service centers" use substandard parts and fluids, 90% of the time they don't know what the heck they are doing, but no surprise they employ "techs" and I use that title very loosely that either can't get a job as a real mechanic or did and were cast off because they were idiots.

No matter where you go there are very few mechanics that are truly honest with their customers. Trust me, I used to be a mechanic and it was really eye opening, considering I was working at a dealership. What was even more scary was all screwed up (usually catastrophically) stuff that had been serviced by the quick lube places. Yeah I wouldn't let any of those places touch my weed whacker.

MAXUM..You got me started again. My previous post in this thread........elaberated below.

Here's the SCAM. The service tech comes to me (in the waiting room) and says my brakes are "Low and Soft". So I says..what does that mean..? He says my rear brake shoes are worn down (37,000 miles) and need to be re-adjusted to compensate for the wear.

The Problem IS: The Brakes..(Toyota) including the rear "drum" brakes have been "Self Adjusting" for well over a decade in these cars. ...AND I KNEW THIS. My Bad. :D

Every time you back up.. and hit the brakes....the rear brakes self adjust themselves. Front....or any Disc Brakes... have ALWAYS been self adjusting in any car that has them..

Most vehicles today have "Disc" Brakes in the front and "Drum" brakes in the rear. Higher end cars have DISC brakes on All Four. Just Sayin. :D

EDIT: This episode is only a small part of the SCAM that transpired at Newport Toyota on that day in November 2008. .....and I had Always considered myself privileged.. to deal with an "Honest" car dealer.