Best place for lube and oil change service?

[Numo]

What Bixby said.

[spearmint]

Racer X, Tranny fluid needs to be changed every 50-75,000 miles but everytime you go into some of these places they said you need it. I had a Cressida that the manual did not even mention transmission fluid much less change it. Sure enough I found out too late. It did not even have a drain plug. I know you can vacuum it out but if it is so difficult it's probably a signal the manfacturer is not concerned. I just got rid of a dented up Buick with 165,000 miles with no trans fluid change ever and it was running fine.

[rexrzer]

I look at routine services as the time where your car should get checked out for more serious issues, as well as doing the lube and oil change. Only a qualified mechanic is capable of doing that. I avoid the chains like the plague. The only guy who touches my Mercedes 230C Kompressor sedan is the same guy who's been doing my services since 2003, when the factory warranty ended.

For our two Hondas, a 2004 CRV EX, and a 1990 Accord DX coupe, they have one Honda specialist who does everything. My CRV has never seen the dealer I bought it from since it was new; the Honda specialist is a former Service Manager/Shop Foreman at a large Honda store in SoCalifornia and he's the one we trust.

In short, stay away from the chain stores, and find a reputable mechanic who'll look after your new baby the way it needs to be looked after--with long term health being the goal.

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[Racer X]

technically, if the auto trans fluid temp is low enough, it never needs changing. max life is at roughly 180 F, and that is around 100K. Every 10 F change is a factor of 2.

But with new cars running 205 thermostats, and running the fluid through the radiator to "cool" it, which actually heats it as far as I am concerned. So at 205 F, fluid life is around 18K.

There will always be cars that can get away with never changing it. there are FAR more that fail prematurely even when changed as recommended.

I managed a Jiffy Lube for 2 years, and looked at a lot of really bad ATF. You can hook up a trailer and ruin your ATF in 30 minutes, and the entire tranny in an hour.

And many, if not most manual transmissions don't have drain plugs. I think that is idiotic. Same with auto transmissions. But more and more import auto trannys do have drain plugs now.

Honestly, if a chain is following their own company policy and procedures, the oil change should be fine.

[Carm]

I remember changing the tranny fluid on my first car. It did not have a drain plug. Very messy.

I change my tranny fluid every 24k miles. It only has had two fluid changes. The oil gets done every 3k as a habit.

Carm

[sscutchen]

This thread reminded me of one of my favorite cartoons of all time. It was in Playboy. This gal in a convertible is stopped at a gas station, and the driveway guy is just going to town on her chest. Boss is standing behind... "Luke! She said she wanted a LUBE job!"

[Anthony]

Not Midas...

[Gyrene]

Lube job? Do any cars now-a-days have grease fittings? My 1988 Toyota 4X4 has grease fittings on the drive shaft. I remember when cars had grease fittings for the suspension, but I've not see any in a very long time. Any out there?

[Racer X]

some. But any replacement parts (read aftermarket not from the dealer) usually have Zerk fittings. The parts from the factory are "lubed for life" which means lubed for the life of the part, which isn't nearly as long as lubeable parts. It cuts out at least 2 mechanical steps and a fitting on every part that gets made to not be serviced. That saves money on every car built.