Any $20 oil change places in the Chantilly/Herndon area? (Fairfax: disposal, costs)

[HarborEastGuy]

I'm still new to the area so I figured I'd ask. Why spend $40 for an oil
change right?

[oneasterisk]

I just find a local chain like firestone/merchants/ntb and then print their coupon: Firestone Complete Auto Care - Firestone Complete Auto Care

[hubey21]

the place i go to, centreville tire and auto, in centreville is 30-35 depending on the car. I don't know anywhere that's 20 dollars without a coupon.

[Bigfoot424]

Careful. You might get what you pay for.

[car54]

Originally Posted by Bigfoot424

Careful. You might get what you pay for.

You might not even get that. Youtube has many a "hidden camera" expose' on car repair places.

I change my own and spend more than $20 on the oil and a quality filter. Granted, shops get a better price on materials, but still, the profit on a $20 oil change would be miniscule. I think they do it to get you in the door...and then the games begin...

[Carlingtonian]

The thing with the cheapo places is that they nickel and dime you once you show up. It's been probably 15 years since I tried one, but they hit me for disposal of the old oil and the filter as a separate charge from the oil. And I'm sure the oil they used wasn't the best.

My current oil changes run me just over $40, but my mechanic uses genuine OEM parts, high-quality oil, and is fun to chat with the whole time.

Oil is crucial to engine life, so I would cut costs somewhere other than the oil change.

[oneasterisk]

Originally Posted by Carlingtonian

The thing with the cheapo places is that they nickel and dime you once you show up. It's been probably 15 years since I tried one, but they hit me for disposal of the old oil and the filter as a separate charge from the oil. And I'm sure the oil they used wasn't the best.

All shops I've been to charge you a disposal fee for the oil, also to dispose of tires. This includes dealerships.

I'll give you the nickel and dime though. They do come up with some crazy recommendations sometimes.

[car54]

Originally Posted by oneasterisk

All shops I've been to charge you a disposal fee for the oil, also to dispose of tires. This includes dealerships.

It's been a while since I've been actively involved in service stations, but oil recyclers used to pay us a small amount for our used oil...but we had to be careful that it was not contaminated with antifreeze (the driver had a tester). Old motor oil has value.

Unless that has changed, an oil "disposal fee" is just another game they pay. Tire disposal fees are legitimate....it does cost to get rid of them.

[oneasterisk]

Well then all of them are playing that game. They may not list it separately and just package it in the price, but it is factored in there. I've been in small independent shops, chain stores and dealerships and they charge for it.

I guess if you wanted to be really cheap you can ask them just to fill the empty oil quart containers and you can dispose them yourself at a landfill or autozone.

[Carlingtonian]

My mechanic (Mark Weisman/Swedish Import Service in Fairfax) doesn't charge for disposal. He probably breaks even on oil changes, but his customer base is super-loyal, so hopefully he makes out OK on the other services.