An oil change is the cheapest maintenance you will ever buy and the one most likely to be put off. Old oil loses its ability to carry heat away and to hold contaminants in suspension, and the damage that follows is gradual enough that most drivers never connect it to a missed service.
We match the oil grade and filter to what your manufacturer specifies rather than to whatever is on the shelf, and we check the fluid levels, belts and tire pressures while the car is up. If something needs attention we will tell you what it is and what it costs before we touch it.
Interval advice has moved a long way in twenty years. Full synthetic in a modern engine goes far further than the 5,000 km rule most drivers still carry in their heads, and the number your manufacturer prints is the one worth following. Short trips, stop-start traffic across the Lower Mainland, towing and long idling all shorten it — the oil never gets hot enough for long enough to boil off the fuel and moisture that collect in it.
What the drain plug tells us matters as much as the oil we put back in. Oil that comes out milky points at coolant getting where it should not be. Metal glitter in the filter media points at wear happening somewhere it should not. Neither is something you would see from the driver's seat, and both are far cheaper to find at an oil change than at a breakdown.
What the service covers
- Oil and filter replaced to manufacturer specification
- Fluid levels topped up
- Visual check of belts, hoses and tires
- Old oil disposed of responsibly
Signs you need oil change & lube
- The service reminder or oil light has come on
- You have passed the interval in the handbook, or lost track of when it was last done
- The oil on the dipstick is black and thin rather than amber and slippery
- The engine sounds louder or rougher on a cold start than it used to
- You have just bought the car and have no service history for it
What affects the cost
Every job is quoted before we start. These are the things that move the number — call the shop and describe the car and we will give you the figure for yours.
- How much oil the engine takes — a four-cylinder holds roughly half what a large V8 does
- The grade the manufacturer specifies: full synthetic costs more than conventional and is not optional on most engines built in the last fifteen years
- Whether the filter is a spin-on canister or a cartridge that needs the housing opened
- Anything the under-car check turns up, which is quoted separately before we start
Oil Change & Lube questions
How often should I change my oil?
Follow the interval in your owner's manual — on most modern engines running full synthetic that is somewhere between 8,000 and 16,000 km, not the 5,000 km figure many drivers still work to. Shorten it if your driving is mostly short trips, heavy stop-start traffic, towing, or long periods idling, because that kind of use stops the oil getting hot enough to clear the fuel and moisture out of it.
Do I have to use synthetic oil?
Use whatever grade and specification your manufacturer lists. On most engines built in the last fifteen years that means full synthetic, and it is a requirement rather than an upgrade — turbocharged and direct-injection engines in particular run oil temperatures that conventional oil is not formulated for. We match the oil to the specification for your vehicle rather than to what is open on the shelf.
What happens if I skip an oil change?
Old oil stops carrying heat away and stops holding contaminants in suspension, so they settle out as sludge in the galleries and pick-up screen. The damage is gradual, which is exactly why it goes unnoticed: by the time it is audible as a top-end rattle or shows as low oil pressure, the repair is an engine job rather than a service.
Do you check anything else while the car is up?
Yes. With the car on the hoist we look over the belts, hoses, tires and fluid levels, because that view is free while the car is already lifted. If we find something, we tell you what it is and what it would cost before doing anything about it.
Do you take walk-ins for an oil change?
Call the shop on (604) 727 4831 before coming down. We are open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:30pm at 12876 85 Ave in Surrey, and a phone call tells you whether there is a bay free rather than having you wait for one.