An Oil Change at Walmart -- or not

[Bill N]

Well I finally got my Walmart oil change.  I brought my own AC oil filter ($5.50) and they gave me a $2.09 discount for not having to use one of theirs.  BUT, whereas on my first attempt they had quoted a $29.95 price; yesterday the shop manager said he apologized but that the RV price is for $50 - which I paid.  BUT they gave it a real good job and even greased 13 zirks which I know other shops had totally skipped.  They put all my tires at proper air (they were cold from sitting in freezing air for a bit) and even offered to vacuum out the inside - turned that down.  When they pulled it out, the boss told me it would be ready in two weeks as soon as the guys came back from their vacation in it.......lol.  Note:  Not all Walmarts have the high door to accomodate RVs so if you want to use them, be sure to ask first.  I am happy with the service I got and will go back again.

Speaking of airing the tires I have noted a problem in that area.  Being a gas coach, I use the gas lanes at both truck strops and regular stations.  Most stations now (not truck) do not have air hoses at the pumps but off to the side somewhere and they do not go high enough to service tires needing 85-100 psi.  So I have to try a workaround at home by using my own compressor (small one) which takes two or three cycles of running or use a little jumper box I have for 12 volt jumps and also a small air compressor that does go to 100 psi.  I need to find a place where I can gas and add to  tire pressures at the same time.
Bill

 

[8Muddypaws]

If you have a generator get a 110volt high pressure compressor like this one.  That way you'll never have to worry about finding one, will the chuck fit your tires, is the gauge accurate etc.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Porter-Cable-6-Gal-150-PSI-Portable-Electric-Pancake-Air-Compressor-C2002/203162815

 

[John Stephens]

I heard a new one today when I took my 27 ft. motorhome down to the local Walmart for an oil change.

"Sorry.  We can't work on anything longer than 24 ft because they goofed when they built the pit.  Anything bigger than that is too heavy and will collapse the sides of the pit."

This was in Pahrump, NV. 

Lou,

I found the same thing at the Walmart nearest to where I store my coach in Florida. The mechanic said when they poured the concrete, they used a test weight of 8,000 lbs instead of 24,000. And the other Walmart by me doesn't have a pit. They use a lift and it will only hold 16,000 lbs. So I'm back to changing my own.

 

[Drifterrider]

So why are RV mechanics charging $100 more than this?

Because they can.  Wouldn't you charge more for your work if you could find someone willing to pay it?  I certainly would.

 

[Madcow]

I guess depending on class of MH we are talking about, but I would prefer to take a MH to a commercial heavy truck lube shop for an oil change.  At least when they have it over the pit, they do a complete underneath inspection, chassis greasing, etc  Costs a little more, but you get far more and the risk of a screw up is reduced.

 

[denmarc]

I guess depending on class of MH we are talking about, but I would prefer to take a MH to a commercial heavy truck lube shop for an oil change.

Finally! Someone who feels the same as I. I was starting to think I was all by myself on this one.
Back in the day, I was a state certified auto mechanic. OOPS...I mean technician. I almost forgot about the PC term for the occupation changing over the years.
Anyhow, I knew all about cars and trucks and what makes them tick. But not squat about anything bigger and/or heavier duty.
I got out of that trade when I started driving class 7 and 8 trucks. Over the past 38 years of driving the big rigs, I have learned that the place to take a vehicle for repair/maintenance is a place that actually knows what the heck they are looking at and working with!
You can take your chances taking your MH to a Walmart or other service station that tells you they can handle it. You may get great service too. But there so many differences between the type of vehicles they typically work on and what you are bringing to them can mean a mistake or two that may lead to more trouble later. If no mistake made, maybe a potential problem overlooked because the tech didn't know what to look for working on a vehicle he/she isn't trained for.

Yes it cost a bit more. And yes there are garages of the heavy duty variety that will do a crappy job and still take your money.
The trick is to find reputable shops that works on your type of vehicle on an almost daily basis. The techs that work on these heavier duty chassis should know what to look for and notice potential problems long before a novice Walmart employee gets their paws on your rig. As well as knowing the job you brought the rig in for was done right.

I'm willing to pay a little more for confidence.   

 

[SargeW]

I have learned that the place to take a vehicle for repair/maintenance is a place that actually knows what the heck they are looking at and working with!
The trick is to find reputable shops that works on your type of vehicle on an almost daily basis.

And that is really the hopeful result with any RV repair. But reputable and competent is the challenge. I will use WalMart for the Jeep oil change, no problem.  But for the Bus, it's going to the big boy shop.

 

[ChasA]

Well.  My last oil change was at Speedco in Kenly NC. When I stopped at my next fuel stop and restarted the engine I got a "check engine " light.  I stopped the engine and called Freightliner.  Rick at Freightliner talked me through getting the code. He then ,looked up the code and told me it had to do with the initial position of the EGR valve and I could continue on my way. So here I am in Miami Florida and just checked the oil. The oil is about 1/2" above the full mark on the dipstick. So I.need to drain a couple of quarts out.  Or get another oil change 900 miles from the last one.
So much for places that specialize in bigger vehicles.  I won't be using Speedco again.

 

[kdbgoat]

Which brings up my point about dipsticks. Don't blame Speedco, they may very well have used the amount the engine manufacturer specified.

 

[ChasA]

My dipstick is accurate. I blame Speedco. Or at least, the guy who did it.

 

[kdbgoat]

If your dipstick has been proven to be correct, the yeah, the guy at Speedco messed up. A respectful call to the shop foreman should follow.  May have been an inexperienced person, or a person that just bad work. Either way, if the foreman or manager knows, they can do something about it. They can't change things they don't know about.

 

[BIG JOE]

I took my 2007 Diesel truck into the Wal Mart  in College Station, TX once about 10 years ago was told they didn't do heavy vehicles like mine.  I found out I could take the oil and filter into our Chevy dealer and they would do it for $25.  As I get older, it gets much easier to let someone else do the work.

Larry

I hear ya Larry. I buy my Oil & Filter (fuel filters too) and have Ford do the OC. I've found by doing that, about every third OCI, is a Freebie, labor wise.. as I build up Service Points, between our Fusion and the F-350. The No Mess, No Oil disposal fees is nice, also.  )

Joe

 

[Bill N]

I didn't think I needed to add that the guy who ran the oil change at the Walmart and actually did the pit work on my coach worked as the shop manager of a commercial truck shop for 22 years until they went out of business.  The Walmart pit was longer than the motorhome and he told me he checked the entire length of the coach as he was greasing the zirks that looked like they had not been touched in years. I watched most of that procedure through the shop windows.  When my tranny blew two years ago the entire under side of the coach was coated with tranny oil.  I have had two lube/oil/filter changes since then yet not a single zirk showed any evidence of having been greased.  All were still nicely coated with tranny fluid and the dirt it attracted. So I fail to see how a commercial shop could have done me any better for a simple oil change on a gas coach.  Sad to see folks degrade an employee just because he works for Walmart. 

Bill

 

[denmarc]

I didn't think I needed to add that the guy who ran the oil change at the Walmart and actually did the pit work on my coach worked as the shop manager of a commercial truck shop for 22 years until they went out of business. 
Sad to see folks degrade an employee just because he works for Walmart. 

Good point. But some might find it odd that a shop manager of 22 years is now changing oil at a Walmart.
This particular Walmart may be very lucky to have this guy. I hope that is the case.
But one having the service done really has to wonder.

Like SargeW mentions...
It's a challenge.

 

[Bill N]

Good point. But some might find it odd that a shop manager of 22 years is now changing oil at a Walmart.
This particular Walmart may be very lucky to have this guy. I hope that is the case.
But one having the service done really has to wonder.

Like SargeW mentions...
It's a challenge.

Judging from his looks I would say he is also on Social Security and likes what he is doing. Not many shops are hiring senior citizens.

Bill

 

[denmarc]

Another good point.

 

[lynnmor]

I hear ya Larry. I buy my Oil & Filter (fuel filters too) and have Ford do the OC. I've found by doing that, about every third OCI, is a Freebie, labor wise.. as I build up Service Points, between our Fusion and the F-350. The No Mess, No Oil disposal fees is nice, also.  )

Joe

I had two free oil changes coming from my Ford dealer. 
Went for the first and when I got home the oil was way over the full line.
Took it back and they said now it is OK.
When I got home, it was still way over the full line.
Drained the oil and found it was still 2-1/4 quarts too much.
Sent an oil sample to Blackstone Labs, they said engine OK, but it is the WRONG oil.
Never went back for my second oil change, I can't afford it!

I drop off my used oil at an Amish farm, they use it to heat the barn.

 

[John Stephens]

Because they can.  Wouldn't you charge more for your work if you could find someone willing to pay it?  I certainly would.

No, I wouldn't. Gouging the public by charging more for something than it is worth is what drives up inflation and helps destroy the economy. If you charge more than you should, you're only being greedy and thinking only of yourself.

 

[Oldgator73]

Businesses charge what the market is willing to tolerate. Sure they take into account all of their costs; R&D, manufacture costs, marketing, transportation, then they tack on what their research tells them we will tolerate.

No, I wouldn't. Gouging the public by charging more for something than it is worth is what drives up inflation and helps destroy the economy. If you charge more than you should, you're only being greedy and thinking only of yourself.

Worth is an arbitrary number assigned to goods and services. Everybody has a different monetary number when thinking of worth. A great example of worth are RV's. IMHO RV's are no where near worth what we pay for them.  And almost everyone complains about the price and workmanship but we continue to purchase them.
Anybody with any kind of business acumen charges what the consumer is willing to pay. Maybe we should demand that prices on all goods and services be negotiable.

 

[John Stephens]

In most businesses, cost, labor and profit are the three items that must be considered when determining what your bottom line is going to be and how much you should charge for an item or service. You're right when you say that worth, or value, is arbitrary in the mind's of those having to pay it. For people with money to burn and that can afford a million dollar coach, paying a "little" extra profit will mean nothing. But for the people who have to watch every dollar they spend and still try to afford owning a coach, the mindset is quite different and the value of anything paid for will be examined much closer. Is this something I can find a better price on? Can I do it myself? When shopping for a better price, one may find a rather large disparity between one shop and another. Then, you must determine why the price is so much different. Is there less expertise involved that might make you think later that you only get what you pay for, or is the price different simply because one shop is greedier than the other? Not every business will charge the highest price they think they can get away with. Some people actually believe that honesty and helping out your neighbor is more important than making themselves richer faster.

A good example is the shop I used to frequent. The owner retired and left the shop to his chief mechanic that knows absolutely nothing about customer service or how to effectively run a business. When I took my coach into him to find out why my basement a/c wasn't working properly, he quoted me $1,000 just to diagnose the problem when I knew I could go to another shop and have the diagnosis performed for no charge. I went to the other shop and had the repair done for $1,800 when the first shop would have charged me closer to $3,000. That shop, prior to the old owner retiring, used to have an average of 65 RV's parked in front of it every day of season down here in Florida. Now, it has an average of 10-12 every time I drive by. Conversely, the shop I now go to is so busy from taking on the customers from the other shop, you have to book an appointment a month in advance. Honesty and fair pricing does pay off for those who try it.