Shady activity from a shop and use of Lucas

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Regarding a 2012 RAV4 2.5 with ~30,000 miles:

My good friend called me to ask about service she received at a local shop. After being quoted $65 for an oil change, she was charged $79.36, which included an "oil additive" that she did not request nor authorize. I found out later on that it was Lucas Oil Stabilizer. $&@%. They told her that it's necessary for hot weather... in Pennsylvania.

I typically service the vehicles of friends that live nearby, but she lives several hundred miles away. Previously, she had been going to Sears, which I'm generally opposed to; the high cost of service is propping up their failing retail operation. To that end, I scoured the Internet, searching for a trustworthy local shop who could maintain her vehicle in my absence. Monte and Sons in Philadelphia was one of several that I suggested based upon the Yelp reviews.

So, back to today's incident. I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt regarding the additive. If a Lucas distributor convinced them that it's necessary for summer use, I can give some leeway there. It's snake oil, but I can't say that they knew it beforehand. Shame on them for not at least looking into it, and for adding it to a vehicle that's under warranty.

Charging her for this item without first asking her consent is another issue entirely, and completely unacceptable. I don't think anything more needs to be said about that.

When called back, the mechanic claimed that Lucas is good for high mileage vehicles, and that he heard a tick in hers. I call malarkey. He told her to stop by on Tuesday for a refund of the additive, and I told her to stay away from that place in the future.

It was only $14, but I feel that this behavior is dishonest and likely indicative of how they operate in general.

Heck, they may not have added anything at all, and just charged her an arbitrary amount for being female.
 
There needs to be a scientific study done of an engine running xx miles on plain oil and then the same xx miles running the same oil plus Lucas,and see if there is actually more engine wear.Seeing as how its only thick oil with no additives (Moly/Sodium...etc) you would think it would cause more wear...and then where will Lucas's claim that "oil alone is not enough" be then?? I would think that STP/Motor Medic with Zinc in it would be more beneficial than Lucas.
 
Just another shady shop, looking to screw over gullible customers.
I wouldn't give them any leeway on that lucas additive [censored], they know darn well the car didn't need it and the usefulness of the product is very questionable at best.

I wouldn't be surprised if the yelp reviews were given by the shops family members. Happens all the time.
 
Yelp is a scam. A friend was told that with a higher higher subscription level that the Yelp people could "deal" with any negative comments.
 
When I worked tire/lube the snake oil was 12 oz of kerosene dumped in and run for a few minutes to "flush". It did come out blacker and stinkier. It was also about a ten buck upsell and you better believe they pushed it.

I'd take walmart 10w40 over bulk 5w30 "plus lucas".
 
Originally Posted By: JTK
$65 for an oil change on a Rav4? Good Lord.
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This is the one time you hope they charged you for the oil additive and you did'nt really get it.
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I'd look at the oil cold and see if it looks/ feels really thick, like the lucas was in there. If it makes you sleep better
( and i would) drain that out and put a known oil in it.
 
Yeah. Are there any BITOGers out there that can recommend a good indie shop in Philadelphia, preferably in the Manayunk area? I wish I lived closer so I could do the work myself.
 
I feel for you. And shops wonder why I won't let them do oil changes for me, even for free. If they think Lucas or other such things are a good idea, they obviously don't know enough to be changing oil for me.
 
Originally Posted By: Neely97
I would recommend the Toyota dealer, I have found them to be way above any other dealer.


That was going to be my suggestion too. That way she will know it gets what Toyota specs and if there are any warranty issues, they have the whole service history.
 
Wow, definitely don't go to that place.

Of all the oil additive upsells they picked Lucas? And think pouring it in a 2012 model year engine with 40K is a good idea? The ONLY time I have used Lucas was when I did oil changes and a customer brought in their own. And then it would be noted on the ticket that customer supplied Lucas was added at the customer's request. That goop has no place in a properly running modern engine.

Also if they actually used 5 quarts of oil and the full bottle of Lucas, that engine is overfilled by at least a quart. I'm sure that's their minimum charge for this service though.

Not every $80 oil change is a rip off, but this one absolutely is.
 
That's frightening.

Most of the time at the shady places, it's not even 0w-20. Everyone gets 10w30 regardless of what they ask for..
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
When I worked tire/lube the snake oil was 12 oz of kerosene dumped in and run for a few minutes to "flush". It did come out blacker and stinkier. It was also about a ten buck upsell and you better believe they pushed it.

I'd take walmart 10w40 over bulk 5w30 "plus lucas".

The previous owner of my Focus did one engine flush as well, at 22k miles... I'm sure it really needed it. Oh well, I guess regular changes of iffy lube oil is better than no oil changes at all.
 
I just had the 10k service done on a 2014 rav 4 with the regular 4 cylinder engine. There is nothing special about this engine, regular 4 cylinder.

I have toyota care, and it is a lease so it was free.

Otherwise it would have been $72 for the oil change and tire rotation.

0w20 full synthetic is what Toyota is recommending for this vehicle also.

This is a 10k drain interval guys. So take that 72 dollars and cut it in 1/3 if that were a 3k drain interval.

They are reducing the total cost of ownership by putting full synthetic oil in these cars, and changing it less often.

Also probably better for the environment, less oil and less filters used.

I guess if you do the job yourself, and your labor/time is worth zero dollars, then you could buy Mobil 1 for $26, then a filter for $10, with associated gaskets and do it yourself to save $20-$30.

As for the Lucas, I don't see any need for this in a modern engine with low miles. It may do something for your 20 year old car with a million miles but a new toyota just needs proper viscosity oil changed per the book.
 
Wow.. so assuming they put a 0w20 synthetic in there.. they then turned around and completely screwed it all up by adding Lucas to it? They may as well have just dumped some generic 10w40 dino in there.
 
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