Colorado Springs, CO
Oil Change & Fluid Service
An oil change is the cheapest service on the car and the one most often used as a way into selling you other things. Here it is an oil change. If we spot something while the car is up on the lift we will tell you about it and show you - but being told is not the same as being sold, and a clean inspection is a perfectly good outcome.
(719) 630-8377What you might be noticing
- You are at or near the mileage or time interval in your owner's manual
- The oil-life monitor or maintenance light has come on
- Oil on the dipstick is very dark, gritty, or below the minimum mark
- You cannot remember the last one, or you just bought the car used
- A drip on the driveway where you park
How we do the job
- 01
The right oil for your engine
Viscosity and specification are not interchangeable. Modern engines with variable valve timing and tight tolerances are specific about what they want, and using the wrong grade to save a few dollars is a genuinely bad trade.
- 02
A real filter
The filter is doing the actual work between changes. It is a small part of the bill and the wrong place to economise.
- 03
Look while it is up there
The car is on a lift with good light - it is the natural moment to check the other fluids, look at the belts, glance at brake and tyre condition and see whether anything is leaking. You get told what we saw, whether or not there is anything to sell.
- 04
Check the other fluids properly
Coolant, brake, power steering and transmission fluid each have their own condition tests. We check them rather than topping everything up and calling it service.
- 05
Record it
What was done and at what mileage, so the next interval is based on a record rather than a guess - and so you have a service history if you sell the car.
What it costs
A conventional oil and filter change is one of the most predictable prices in the shop. Full synthetic and larger-capacity engines cost more because the oil costs more. Fluid services are quoted individually, and only when the fluid actually needs doing - call with your year, make and model for a number.
Common questions
- Every 3,000 miles, or what my car's manual says?
- Your manual. The 3,000-mile figure is a holdover from older oils and older engines, and modern synthetics in a healthy engine go considerably further. Follow the manufacturer's interval and the oil-life monitor if your car has one.
- Do I need full synthetic?
- If your manufacturer specifies it, yes - it is not optional on those engines. If your car was designed for conventional oil, synthetic is a reasonable upgrade but not a requirement. We will tell you which category your car is in.
- Does Colorado's climate change anything?
- Cold starts are harder on oil than steady running, and winters here deliver plenty of them. Short trips in cold weather also stop the engine reaching full temperature, which lets moisture accumulate. If most of your driving is short winter hops, the shorter end of your manufacturer's interval is the sensible one.
- Will you try to sell me a flush?
- No. If a fluid genuinely needs replacing we will show you why we think so. If it does not, you will hear that instead - which is the whole reason people have been coming here since 1990.