MarkF786

I scheduled an oil change at Elite Acura in NJ today and the cost of the oil change jumped form $34.95 to $44.95 (or $28.95 to $38.95 with their usually coupon). I first thought it was a typo, but the service advisor confirmed it. I then called Turnersville Acura and their price similarly increased.

Is this something many dealers are now doing? I can understand that they must increase prices over time, but a 35% increase in one month?

The only reason I've continued to use an Acura dealer for my oil changes is for the multi-point inspection, but at that price it might be better to switch to an independent shop.

Mark

truonghthe

I bring my own oil along with the filter and the cost is right around $12. I use mobil 1 full synthetic and royal purple oil filter.

thoiboi

$10 is drastic to you?! You're going to faint when you see the price of a timing belt service

Ken1997TL

Ha! Don't visit Lexus or BMW

dezymond

Sounds about normal pricing to me.

NBP04TL4ME

Check with your local Honda dealers instead. Typically much much cheaper and most have coupons as well. They also do a multipoint inspection as well. I typically use the dealers only because their coupons rival or beat the indy shops.

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

why did you buy an Acura if $10 is such a deal breaker for you?

screaminz28

iTrader: (1)

I doubt $10 is expensive to the OP, nor is it a deal breaker. Rather, it is the fact that it increased 35% in one move. Yall need to learns some maths, cause that is rather drastic.

That would be an increase in the price of a gallon of gas from $2.50 to $3.38 overnight - that's a BIG jump.

Or, think of if your cell phone bill jumped from $100 to $135 after one month, your power bill going from $200 to $270.

Most companies will slowly increase prices so there isn't what I call percentage shock. I guess Acura kept their price comparatively low and finally had to cave to labor and inflationary pressures.

I mean, what can you do when burger flippers want $15/hr? Sheesh.

MarkF786

That was exactly my point.

The odd thing is the prices for other maintenance services haven't seem to have similarly risen (yet). Probably since an oil change is the most frequent service, if they increase their profit on just that one item, they dramatically increase their overall profit.

Thanks for all the other feedback, guys.

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

I'm well aware of how percentages work. My point is, for things that cost under $50 every couple months, even 30-40% isnt a big difference. Gas on the other hand, I fill up every week so thats a very noticeable difference.

polobunny

Except it's not likely an increase driven by the percentage rather than by "it's going to be $10 more from now on since we haven't increased the price in 10 years."

OP rejoice, if you had made 2 oil changes per year (jan 1st + june 1st) since 2006 , first year being $34.95 and all succeeding years had a $1 increase instead you would have spent $789 on June 1st 2015
If the price was $34.95 since 2006 and you spent $44.95 for the last one (new pricing!), you would have spent $709 on June 1st 2015.

thoiboi

Or do it yourselves and save $20 bucks! THAT'S A SAVINGS OF ALMOST 50%

Don't try to outmath Asians...



If you want to get into the economics of it, it just doesn't make sense to go and do it outside and then come and rant about a $10 difference..


You have options as a consumer, if you don't elect to 'shop the market' and be an informed consumer, then complaining about $10 comes off as mundane..

DarkTower19

Personally, I think $45 for a friggin oil change is insane....but apparently that's just me Either do it yourself next time or take it to Firestone for $19.99 and call it a day.

FamilyGuy

Your auto technician thanks you for supplying him with Mobil 1 oil

t-rd

That's why I do oil change on my mom's 03 TL.

MikeTC

DIY, $12 for oil & filter without the need of driving to and wait for it to get done. I still need to put my kids thru college. he he.

anx1300c

iTrader: (2)

$12?

What brand of filter does that budget allow you to run?

eastcoastguy

Hasnt happened here, the Acura dealer is still charging $24.95, beating most other shops.

GOOSEej

iTrader: (2)

Come on man thats barely anything.

I buy my own oil and do it myself. I know many cant DIY it but still...

After changing the rear main seal, timing belt on my 08 tl Im sure regular maintenance things will not hurt my bank after those 2 major things. Luckily I can do them myself and save money.

Maybe is just the dealer jacking up the price thats all.

truonghthe

did plenty of business with them before and yet encounter 0 issue, I ask for old part back some times.

I hate cars

That's a big jump but I can't imagine letting someone else change my oil while
I'm not standing there watching. Plus, my changes are $70 doing it myself. I would be looking at $100 oil changes if I paid someone to do it and they would take my Redline oil and RP filter and put it in their personal car while I pay them an additional $30 to steal my oil and filter and use bulk oil in my car while never changing the filter while they may or may not put the plug in tight or strip it out.

And an oil change for $19.99? It's going to be the cheapest bulk oil and filter while the lowest paid guy is going to be doing the change as quickly as he can to make money on their paper thin profit margins.

thoiboi

He'll strip out the threads of your oil pan for that great low price too!! What a steal!!

polobunny

Coffee filters aren't bad oil filters, it turns out!

You can get the job done for ~$15 at a lot of places if you give them your own oil and filter. But a $20 all inclusive? Pass.

Jackass

We have had decent luck with our local Firestone over the years for basic maintenance tasks. If I am not doing the work and the dealer isn't doing the work, it is usually our local Firestone.

As for my TL? Well, it always goes to the dealer. Oil changes are free as long as I own it.

FamilyGuy

That doesn't guarantee you anything unless you've developed a close relationship with the tech working on your car and even then it's hit or miss, as it's not guaranteed that tech is always the guy doing your oil changes, or that he will be honest about it 100% of the time. I've had friends in those jobs before. Even if you ask for your old oil back (who does that?), you have no way of knowing what it is and that it came out of your car unless you're watching them take it out and put the new one in. Many times your oil ends up in their car

I used to prefer jiffy lube back in the day for this reason - they had nice big windows showing the bays from the waiting room, so I could see the guy using my 5qt Mobil 1 bottle. Most dealers don't have this visibility. They often do offer to use your own oil at reduced cost for the job (labor only), but you have no idea what the actual tech is doing unless you can see him. He doesn't care what the shop charges you, he gets paid by the hour or by the job.

This:

kocyk123

You can always tell if they changed your oil or not! It says it on you MID!! haha jk... I change oil at Acura dealership every 4k miles and by that time the oil gets a little bit darker. Simply check your oil color before and after...

truonghthe

familyguy I hate to break it to you but they do have a big window in the waiting room where you can see from front to back of the shop.

coykiam

$45 is actually cheap. When I used to it, it cost me more. The M1-110 filter is at $12-$13 now and 5w-20 Mobil oil is $8.99 at my local autozone. Multiply that by 5 quarts and the hassle of disposing oil properly and lugging the floor jack and jack stands then you're actually spending more doing it yourself.

FamilyGuy

Sweet

Most dealer waiting rooms I've been to don't. Independent oil shops typically do.

I hate cars

I had to let a carwash oil shop change the oil once in my fiancée's car because we were on the way out of town and I ran out of time to change it. I brought them the $15 filter and $50 in oil. I paid them $20. After the change, I checked it to make sure the level was correct. My oil looks darker than most when new and when I checked the dipstick it looked too clean. I couldn't prove anything so I went on with my trip. About 5,000 miles later when I went to do the next change I found the same filter still on the car. It had a M1 filter on it when I brought it in to the carwash and gave them a Royal Purple filter to put on. The car still had the M1 filter. So I went down there and the manager said the tech had been fired previously. I told him I don't care about the tech, the tech worked for a company and the company is responsible. He offered to give me a few free oil changes which I laughed at. The manager eventually gave me a bunch of free carwashes. That manager was one of the dumbest people I've ever had the pleasure of arguing with. I was making fun of him to his face but he wasn't smart enough to realize it. The customers were laughing at him and several came up to me and said they were never getting their oil changed there.


I knew better than to pay someone to do the change but I procrastinated until I had to and that was my one time experience. I've had plenty of my friends get screwed. One had a Typhoon back when they were fairly new, in perfect shape, under 20,000 miles. He wanted a trans flush. They pulled the oil cooler lines instead of the trans cooler lines and filled the engine up with ATF. He didn't know until a day later when it had a rod knock.

polobunny

Last November I didn't want to get under the car to do my oil change because it was getting cold. Got an appointment in a chain here, brought my M1 oil and M1 filter and watched the tech do it by the window. I asked him about the washer, he said it didn't need changing (I expected that) and asked for the "rest of my oil back". He had it in his other hand, my 4.4L container of M1 with about 100ml left at the bottom. Thought the guy was cautious enough for my taste.
When I brought the car in the parking lot I still turned the wheels to check the oil filter for drips, drain bolt looked fine too.


Earlier this year I made my own change and I felt like the drain bolt was slightly overtorqued but nothing was stripped. That's probably me being too anal about it though.

Not all chain techs are terrible, but not all of them are good either. It's hit and miss and it sucks considering the oil change is the simplest maintenance next to refilling windshield washer.




Sucks for your friend with the Typhoon. It's rare to find one now, let alone a clean one.

MikeTC

Pep Boys usually run a 5 qt oil with a Fram or Purolator filter during Black Friday Sales for $11.99 with mail in rebate. Various brand of oil such as Quaker State, Valvoline, Pennzoil, Castrol etc; standard oil not synthetic.

YeuEmMaiMai

Given the % of increase yes, I would say it's pretty steep 34.95 to $44.95.. that is a 28% increase...and would be considered steep.