Lube-It

BUYER BEWARE. RIDICULOUSLY DISHONEST PRICING & PEOPLE. The fact that this type of arbitrary pricing is allowed at this establishment is the reason I will never return to this particular Lube It ever again. Please read below for details on my experience.
I recently went in for a routine oil change and was alerted that two of the belts on my car were cracked and needed to be replaced. So, having a general distrust of mechanics I asked how much it would be and was quoted with a price of $ 199.95 and was told that it would take about a half hour. I questioned the pricing thinking that this was a ridiculous amount to pay and the attendant, his name was Eddie, told me that this was the price that was set by corporate, but he would throw in a free air filter just grease the skids. So, I went forward with the service and after about a 15 min wait Eddie came back and told me that only the alternator belt actually needed changing and he adjusted the price to $ 144.95. While being rung up I noticed that the cashier was hand-​jamming the price into the computer, which tipped me off that this was not in fact a «corporate price.» After paying for the services I left and called the other Lube It in Merrifield to get a price quote on the same service and was quoted a price about 60 bucks less. I then called the auto dealership that I purchased the car from and was quoted a price that was even lower.
So, I called this particular Lube It back and talked to the lady at the front who transferred me to Eddie, who then told me the same lies he told me before. I then asked for the manager who I told about everything. He then asked what the Lube It in Merrifield quoted me and he passed me back to the kind lady who answered my call who is sending me a check for the difference in amount.
Price mix ups can be common. But my main beef with this place is that arbitrary pricing is even allowed. Eddie lied to me at least three times (first price, second price, corporate price), then the lady at the front didn’t catch the egregious pricing for this service, and lastly the manager didn’t sound remorseful at all and strongly suggested I get store credit instead of requesting a refund, which I couldn’t even pick up that very day. I hope I get that refund check, my fingers are crossed, but given this place’s track record I will not be surprised if it doesn’t.
One Plus is that the people that work here do seem very friendly. But given the dishonesty that I just encountered, I cannot recommend a place like this and feel obligated to share this experience to warn others about the culture at this place.

Zipped in and out of here in about 15 minutes today after work. Got the «full service» oil change and top off of fluids and tires rotated, $ 55 with 2 coupons available on their website. I didn’t watch them so I hope they did everything they were supposed to, but it sure was quick and easy!

Both times I went, I was in-​and-​out quickly — within 20 minutes both times, but they definitely are trying to upcharge other services beyond the oil change. First time was the filters — $ 200 later, I didn’t feel very good about it. I gave them another shot, this time, I got a list of services needed — valve cover gasket (189.99), power steering fluid (89.99) and spark plugs (129.99).
I brought my car somewhere else for a second opinion, especially after going home through my car maintenance records, where they confirmed my initial suspicions. The power steering fluid and spark plugs were just recently replaced and did not need to be replaced at all. I’m glad I didn’t get duped again.
Bottom line — need an oil change, I’m sure this place is fine, but don’t get tricked into other services without getting a second opinion.

This place advertises a 10-​minute oil change with a manager’s special at $ 19.99. My wife took our (2 year old) Honda Accord there because she was in a rush. In the end she walked out of there with a $ 90.00 bill. What’s worse is they tried to get her to have the automatic transmission flushed — filled for an additional $ 79.99, the brake fluid flush for $ 139.99, and a tire rotation for $ 30.00. That’s all fine and dandy of any of it were true but the fact is two of the three were just done three months prior by my buddy’s brother at the dealership. Fortunately, my wife had the sense to say «no thank you» because she knew this was supposed to be a simple oil change. So congrats Lube It — you just permanently lost a customer because you either have a greedy business model or greedy employees (perhaps commission) that take advantage of those who don’t know better. Hats off jack arses.

I’ve gone to the Lube It location for regular oil changes for years– probably for over 10 years. They’ve always delivered good quick service at a reasonable cost; it really is about the 10 minutes. They do offer additional services as all other services shops will but I have never felt pressured. I realized I may have taken their consistent, quality service oil changes at reasonable cost for granted when I tried another place for an oil change recently. This place delivers no frills, straight forward service at a good price. This is a good spot.

My first visit. In and out on a Saturday afternoon in about 15 minutes. I did purchase an air filter because mine was definitely dirty. They give a $ 7 military discount off the full service oil change which is about 20% off. The lady behind the desk was friendly as was the service staff. I will definitely go back.

Price for the base oil change is decent. Other services they will try to push on you are overpriced. The line moves fairly quickly.
They have a checklist comprised of a list of basic services you get automatically when you bring your car in. One of them is an Armor-​all wipe down of your interior dashboard. My dashboard was not touched at all, yet on the receipt they provide, they lie and say the service was done. Also, I watched them check the tire pressure on only the passenger side wheels of my car.
Who’s to know what else they lie about when they service your vehicle?

Went here for a quick oil change and every single person gets a check list with at least $ 100 worth of extras.
The car was not cleaned like it was suppose to they had time to eat chips in my car… Gross. Came in for an oil change and walked out $ 200+ dollar later. There’s better service around. Drive by on to the next one…

DO NOT GO HERE! They tried to «recommend» $ 800 worth of services that I did not need. A $ 200 belt change when mine was almost brand new plus $ 200 transmission fluid change and $ 200 brake fluid change when I’ve just had all that done within the last three months. SCAM ARTISTS

I took my car back here for another oil change. My Dad’s been taking my car in lately and has been putting in regular not synthetic. So this time around I figured I’ll just stick with regular since that’s what’s in my car now. However, they never asked me what type of oil I wanted and I told them just a regular oil change please. But since I was already in their system from the last time I came and had synthetic they automatically put in synthetic, without clarifying with me. Ugh, so I ended up spending more money than I wanted which was over $ 70. Also, they didn’t top off any of my fluids or vacumn/​wipe the windows as advertised. So now I’m out of washer fluid… annoying…

Worst. Business. Of. Any. Kind. Ever. I’d rather crap in a cup and paint my face with it than go back to this Pennzoil piece of crap again.

Ok I’ll save the dramatic Unilocal prose and get the to the point:
1. The oil filters they use are the smallest, cheapest, filters I’ve ever seen.
2. They cross threaded my drain plug. I used to be able to loosen the plug with a one tug of a wrench and then hand turn it the rest of the way. Not anymore. The threads are a mess. I’ve worked in a few shops throughout high school and college. The only people who do this are incompetent and/​or negligent.
3. Considering the filters, I doubt they use Penzoil as the name suggest. Cheap shops use the cheapest oil they can get.
4. I checked the oil right after they changed it. The oil was already black less than 5 miles on my 1.6 liter stock Honda engine, which is in good shape. Did they even change the oil?
Well there is a pro. They’re fast. But the shop was empty with about 5 guys hanging around. The cashier lady was nice. I’m not sure what the vacuuming and window cleaning is about, didn’t see any of that going on.
Yes, my car still runs, and yours will too even if you go here for years, but, if you want a decent filter and good (or even new) oil, find a decent shop. I would say you get what you pay for but, you can get a decent oil change for $ 35. Just not at this place. I normally do my own oil change, but was in a rush to do it before a big trip. Unfortunately I choose this place.

Don’t call your female customers «mami.» It’s rude and extremely unprofessional service.

First class service managed by my friend Santos Ayala. They also do brakes, change spark plugs and a wide array of mechanical services. I’m a twenty year customer.

I’ve been taking my car here for over 10 years. I’m usually in-​and-​out in under 30 minutes (including waiting in line). The little old lady at the register is a sweatheart and has been working there the entire time that I’ve been going. I like that she always remembers me. With $ 5 coupon, it’s $ 30 for the «full-​service» oil change.
If you have a old car, like mine, they will always try and up-​sell you on things you need fixed. Especially, the Air Filter. That always comes up. When I went in this time the guy showed me a whole list of things wrong, totaling over $ 400. Luckily, I already know that my car is overdue for maintenance. The Oil Slick in the driveway was my first clue.
Nevertheless, he showed me where & why my car is leaking oil and it’s nice to be reminded with some specifics so I can anticipate what needs to be done when I finally take it to my mechanic.
Overall, I haven’t been coming here 10+ years for nothing. It’s worth driving out of my way for some consistency & reliability. Plus, it’s right next to Mr. Car Wash. Two Birds/​One Stone.
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I live across the street from this location and so I thought I’d give them a try.
The Good: Very fast service. The bay was full when I first arrived, but I was still in and out in about 15 minutes (full service oil change and tire rotation). The price was decent. I paid $ 64 for everything, and that included their additional charge of $ 5 for 5W20.
The Bad: The counter guy was real nice and cool at first, but when I was ready to pay my bill, he got kind of deceitful (as if he didn’t want anyone to hear what he was about to say). He told me that it «was highly recommended» that I get my transmission flushed and all these different additives that would have cost an additional $ 100. My car only has 16k miles on it; transmission flushes aren’t recommended for at least 30−40k miles. Getting your transmission flushed too frequently can be harmful to your car, and I shudder at the thought of all the people this tactic may have worked with. I’m actually surprised they took a chance on me falling for it; I’m a guy that looks like I work on cars all the time.
Also, and this may just be me still babying my new car, but the guy finishing the last checks was talking on his cell phone at the same time and just let me hood drop all the way down because he was too lazy to bend down and latch it properly. And I’m not just talking about a couple of inches, I’m saying he was using his shoulder to hold the hood up and then just jumped out of the way and let it slam down. Yes, I did say something to him but he was still on his phone and didn’t care. Oh well; that’s what name tags and managers are for!
Overall I give 3 stars because of super fast service and decent prices. Just be careful to not get suckered into all their extra stuff.

I have been taking my car to Pennzoil Ten Minute Oil Change for nearly 5 years and I still love this place. I used to live pretty close to there but even now that I’m in DC I drive 15 minutes out of the city to get my car serviced here.
Not only are the efficient, but my car has never had any problems since I’ve been taking it here. I also feel strongly that the people that work here are honest when they make recommendations about changing certain filters or valves that may need it. It’s not the type of place that literally every time you’re in they insist you need a new air filter.
I usually do a full service change which is around $ 35. They also send coupons in the mail pretty regularly which drops the price by about $ 5.
If you go Saturday in the middle of the day you’re likely to hit a bit of a backup, but nothing dramatic. I really think the longest I’ve ever waited here is about 30 minutes.
Great service, friendly people, honest recommendations. Not much more you could ask for!

So, I’ve been driving my bf’s groovy Prius for work since my car is an Xterra that gets 17 miles a gallon. I felt like I needed to do something and figured I’d get his oil changed.
Read the reviews on this place, drove over and 15 minutes later my oil was changed. $ 34.95 for a full service which included a vacuum (good job), windows washed (good job) and the dashboard amoralled.(um I think this guy had poor eye sight)
Overall I was pleased with the service and my BF had a smile on his face. awe… They knew what kind of oil it needed and the lady at the register was Chatty Kathy. Loved it.
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Oh dear — who to trust with the car?!! Yep, I’m a woman who doesn’t know how to do my own oil change. But seriously… it seems really messy so I’d rather have someone else do it anyhow.
I get nervous when it comes to matters of the car. I mean there are WAY TOO MANY horror stories out there about bad things that happen when you get the wrong mechanic. Yes — I even know of horror stories that occurred from simple oil changes.
Thank goodness for Unilocal! I checked this place out the other day after waiting a little longer than I probably should have while trying to figure out where to take my car. I went to the station not too long after they opened and those guys moved like machines. I had a coupon for $ 5 off so I could take advantage of the full service deal where they also vacuum the floors and armorall the dashboard. Go figure I got a cleaning along with having an oil change.
I think the car was relieved.

Everyone needs a check-​up from time to time. You know what? So do our vehicles — which is why we’ve been blessed with Pennzoil. They usher you in and get you out as quickly as possible. Ten to fifteen minutes depending on the car’s condition is the normal wait time. Forgot your coupon at home? No problem, they print one out for you without any haggling. I really don’t know how to rate an oil change. pfft. These four stars are all for customer service.