Valvoline Instant Oil Change

Their motto (Cars — we know ‘em, we love «em.) is NOT true. They don’t even know how to change oil!!! I was visiting the Mayo Clinic (from Chicago). These guys did a simple oil change before I headed home. When I arrived home I realized my car was leaking oil. I took it to the trusty local garage… turns out the «oil experts» at Valvoline used the wrong drain plug gasket (way too big), causing my oil to leak out and rendering my $ 80 OIL CHANGE (YES $ 80!!!) pretty darn ineffective. Thanks for nothing Valvoline!

Overall, I’d rate the operation as dependable and competent. The cost for a synthetic oil change and filter on my VW diesel was about what I’d pay at the dealership, but of course faster and more convenient (and servicing on Saturday!). I have two recommendations, one for customers and the second for the staff. For customers: Avoid showing up on Saturday mornings between 9 and noon unless you want to wait 20 – 30 minutes. For staff: I recommend purchasing about 15 weatherproof numbers that can be placed on the windshields of cars in the order they arrive. When there are three lines of cars waiting for the next open bay, it does not always work out that the first to arrive are the first to be served. If you want to keep customers happy, (a) don’t make them wait longer than 20 minutes and (b) If they have to wait, make sure they are serviced in the order they arrived.

Had a fantastic experience here today! From the get go the guys working here were nothing but polite, informative, and best of all, not pushy. They even drove my car into the bay for me as I was terrified that I was going to drive it straight into the hole in the floor. We laughed a little bit about that.
I found their service prices to be very affordable, and they even offered some discounts to me for having both of my differentials serviced at the same time. I waited around a half hour for a synthetic oil change, front and rear differential service, and rotation of the tires. The little waiting area is just that… little. Three chairs, a magazine rack, and a bathroom. Not that I minded, as the service was pretty speedy. If you don’t want to wait, there’s a strip mall full of restaurants and stores that you can easily wander to if you like. I liked to wait though because from the lobby you can see everything that they’re doing to the car. I know nothing about car maintenance, so I think it’s fascinating to stay and watch. :)
Highly recommend!