A while ago, I came to the startling conclusion that Lubbers Service department does an oil change and tire rotation for the same amount of money as Walmart. The crazy thing about this is that I WORK at Lubbers. I mean, if there’s anyone that should know about how prices compare, it should be me. I shouldn’t be startled at all!
Which brings me to what I’d like to talk about today.
Saving money on oil changes.
No one likes spending money on oil changes. It’s expensive, and it’s a hassle. With that said, there are a lot of ways to save money, at walmart, at Lubbers, or at whatever shop around the Wichita area you happen to end up choosing. Let’s take a look at the costs prior to savings.
Oil Change Costs
The thing about the car business is that (to be redundant) it is a business. This means people are trying to get your money. That’s the downside. The upside is that LOTS of people are trying to get that same money, which means companies are willing to fight for it. Walmart gives you a cheap oil change because they want you to buy groceries and other stuff. Lubbers, not to give away too many trade secrets, wants to give you an oil change because they want you to come back to them for higher priced things, like warranty repairs and buying your next car. For your average car dealer, warranty repairs are actually a pretty big business. The customer gets free car work done and the dealer still gets paid by the manufacturer. Everybody wins! Except maybe the manufacturer, but who cares about them?
Anyway, back on point, this means that a lot of the views you hold on where to get the best and cheapest oil change may as well be thrown out the window, because they’re probably wrong.
Consider the math. At Walmart your oil change is going to cost about $30. At Lubbers, that same oil change is going to cost about $30.
The average person gets about 3 to 5 oil changes in a year, which means about 6 to 10 oil changes every two years. Which means at both places you’ll be spending approximately $180 to $300 ever two years on oil changes.
That’s the starting point. Now how can we get that to go lower?
Reducing the Cost
We start by shopping around and learning about deals. Most service companies will have absolutely no problem giving you a quote over the phone. They may ask for your name, which can be annoying, but law requires that if they start sending you ads, you can always opt out.
Many of the big box stores will list their prices online. Smaller service stores typically won’t, because they depend on the “let’s make a deal” strategy. Nevertheless, often times smaller service stores WILL include at least one special on their website, and that special will almost ALWAYS have something to do with oil changes. For examples, here is the Lubbers current special. As you can see (at the time of this publication), there’s a heavy focus on oil.
But those are only the deals on one time oil changes. The real way to save money is to pay attention to long term savings. Remember, the question shouldn’t be “how much am I going to save this time.” It should be, “How much am I going to save over the long haul?” And THAT question is were having the backing vehicle manufacturers helps the local dealer service.
Both GM (aka Chevrolet) and Ford (aka Ford!) offer HUGE incentives to bring your car back to your dealer. Remember, their thinking is, if you bring your car back for an oil change, then you MIGHT go back for something a bit more exciting. I assume Toyota and company do likewise, though I don’t work for a Toyota dealer, so I can’t say.
Anyway, both GM and Ford offer something like a Dillons Plus card. And everyone knows that the Plus card is good for two things. It saves a little bit each time you buy. And it saves A LOT if you buy a lot. Dillons is willing to take the hit on some costs if they know that it’ll bring you back later. Ditto on Ford and Chevy. Both offer massive money on later work, if you spend money on current work.
For example, if you got 4 oil changes from Lubbers, the 5th one would be free. That’s not a secret. Heck, that’s probably not even unique to Lubbers. I’m willing to be that any dealer around Wichita has the same or a very similar deal. But think about what that means.
Price Difference after 2 years
Walmart after 2 years: $180 to $300
Lubbers after 2 years: $150 to $240 (possibly even less)
Essentially, you can save 30 to 60 or more dollars, because GM and Ford are willing to pay for your loyalty.
Of course, all of this is just oil change talk. The numbers may and probably do play out differently for different services, so definitely feel free to call around. In fact, PLEASE call around. And, as always, feel free to agree, disagree, or whatever in the comments.
