Mr. Lube: Scam Artists

[Toronto`s Finest]

I go to Mr . Lube when needing a quick oil change. I ignore all that bull shit up sell tell them .... thanks .... I will mention it to my mechanic. Then if you think there might be an issue ... ask your mechanic. Nothing beats having an honest , reliable mechanic ... esp . one that will source after market parts to save money & one that you sense is not up selling & bull shitting !!! :thumb:

 

[desperado]

I had my last oil change done at Mr Lube and they tried to sell me just about everything you can imagine. The best thing is probably to have oil changes done where you have all your service done(if you have a good place to go). They will want to keep you as a loyal customer so they will not try to scam every time you go. Also Oil Changer advertise no upsell so you may want to try them.

 

[Celticman]

Also Oil Changer advertise no upsell so you may want to try them.

Oil Changer location on Kennedy south of Ellesmere is very good.

 

[ogibowt]

Oil Changer location on Kennedy south of Ellesmere is very good.

that was the one i was referring to....safe, honest , respectable

 

[james t kirk]

A friend of mine was a mechanic and had his own shop for 40 years. He retired 2 years ago at age 62. His house is paid for and he holds the mortgage on the shop he once owned which was also paid for. Selling price was 1.8 million. His house is worth approximately $800,000. Not bad for what you call average money at best.

I've been a "car guy" since I can remember. I'm not a mechanic, but I've been laying under cars since I was 8 years old and hanging around mechanics since I was in my teens (how I learned about motors.) I've rebuilt my own engines, done frame off restorations and owned a few toy cars which I do all the work on myself. I've known scores of mechanics. From dealership ones, to Green and Ross, to neighbourhood ones. Many friends are in the business.

None have made the kind of dough your friend has and they are all hard working guys.

Good for your friend, he obviously did something right. Just not my experience is all.

 

[desperado]

Oil Changer location on Kennedy south of Ellesmere is very good.

Thanks! That's pretty handy for me

 

[Celticman]

Thanks! That's pretty handy for me

It is on the east side, kitty corner to Big Al's aquarium warehouse

 

[rgkv]

Oil Changer location on Kennedy south of Ellesmere is very good.

that was the one i was referring to....safe, honest , respectable

Thank you gentlemen.......

 

[stinkynuts]

Oil Changer location on Kennedy south of Ellesmere is very good.

Thanks for the tip!

 

[stinkynuts]

i have been going to the same Oil Changers in Scarborough for years....never ever have a problem with any kind of service.............every other oil change he just shows me the air filter, and lets me make my own decision, of whether i want a new one................im not a shill.but they are honest, quick and efficient

Thanks, I will look into the chain. Thanks to all who mentioned this franchise. Seems like a great place.

 

[tml]

Oil Changer location on Kennedy south of Ellesmere is very good.

I had my emissions test done there and was very pleased.

 

[GPIDEAL]

I have better things to do with my time than change my own oil (except the 'hobbying kind' he he).

I trust my mechanic who's been in business for years (in the Rexdale area if anyone is interested - PM me).

I stopped going to the dealer although I don't rule out the dealer for certain things but my mechanic can fix most.

Also, I will change blade and bulbs myself. I also have access to my employer's mechanic in our back shop. He even does body work. I can give him cash and smokes or a bottle.

Canadian Tire up sells and is a rip off in my own experience. They over charge it seems too.

Dealers are expensive.

The dealer I used to go to, would revise the maintenance schedule which was not quite the same as the one in my owner's manual. No more for me.

P.S. Benefit of dealer is they sign a booklet to maintain your factory warranty, but you can do that yourself by maintaining a log with copies of bills or even a reference with your mechanic.

P.P.S. I do take my car and my mother's to Krown Rust every year. I should never have bought the anti-rust package from the dealer at the time ($700 with conditions - Still saw a surface rust spot on the underside of my trunk lid).

 

[GPIDEAL]

I had my emissions test done there and was very pleased.

Just had my emission test done in Rexdale. $35 plus tax however, he claimed his machine couldn't read my credit cards (I think he was missing a step from the looks of it), so I had to use my debit card. I can't say it was to evade taxes since there's a transaction record.

 

[TheBuyer]

Many years ago, MIDAS tried to tell gf that her car needed $800 of work, fearing that he's gonna lose the sale because she was crying and freaking out (she wasn't working at the time), tells her that she can skip some of the repairs, bringing it down to $600.
Thank him for the inspection and quote, then take the car to my old man who is a mechanic. Tells me to go to Crappy Tire and buy some break pads. $34 dollars later....the car ran fine for years after!

Took another car to another MIDAS years later for another free diagnostic. Female mechanic this time. Great! Good! She'll be trustworthy. NOT SO MUCH?

 

[spraggamuffin]

Chains like Active Green and Ross and Candaintire are also filled with horror stories.

Seems customers go to them as the default because of their bigger presence and advertising budgets compared the smaller honest shops people don't know much about.

Mind you, smaller shops can also scam very well. I know a new car owning female that took her car to scan for codes due to check engine light.

Code said it needed two sensors. When asked how much it would cost, he couldn't say, but said the transmission is toast and he could take the car off her hands for $1000.

Marketplace did something on an oil change place and the guys who worked there told of how they were trained by the owner to scam people.

 

[GPIDEAL]

I've been a "car guy" since I can remember. I'm not a mechanic, but I've been laying under cars since I was 8 years old and hanging around mechanics since I was in my teens (how I learned about motors.) I've rebuilt my own engines, done frame off restorations and owned a few toy cars which I do all the work on myself. I've known scores of mechanics. From dealership ones, to Green and Ross, to neighbourhood ones. Many friends are in the business.

None have made the kind of dough your friend has and they are all hard working guys.

Good for your friend, he obviously did something right. Just not my experience is all.

It's possible if he was the owner of a successful business but with my mechanic, it's a family business of also over 30 years at least. They are hard working, and honest. Nothing fancy to show.

 

[maniac1911]

I go to my mechanic.

 

[bishop]

I ran across an article/blog/video with good advice about never letting those lube places replace the nut that holds the oil in. I totally forgot about that when the lube guy told me that my nut was rusty/old and it is a good idea to replace it, and I said ok to it. The nut they use is not the right size and the result was oil leaking everywhere.

 

[checks]

Just had my emission test done in Rexdale. $35 plus tax however, he claimed his machine couldn't read my credit cards (I think he was missing a step from the looks of it), so I had to use my debit card. I can't say it was to evade taxes since there's a transaction record.

It was to avoid the credit card merchant charge. The merchant charge for debit is much less, if there is one at all, as I think the customer pays it via bank fees. Most Chinese businesses will not accept credit for this exact reason.

 

[Serpent]

Ummm.....I'm going to state the obvious that everyone seems to have missed: why not go to Costco? Their prices are great and service is....well, it's Costco, can't ever lose!