Search Reviews

“allows users to tailor searches to its over 40 million consumer reviews for over 4 million products from 1,011 retailers like ebay, Sephora, Walmart, Amazon and Zappos. User reviews are increasingly becoming akin to a form of UGC advertising and SearchReviews is attempting to take advantage of this by launching what is by far the largest searchable review hub available to consumers.” [Source: TechCrunch]

Better Deal

Decide.com “has a twist on those popular apps [with the Better Deal App for iPhone and Android]. A “crystal ball” for shoppers, helping them decide on whether they should buy a new laptop, TV or set of headphones at the big box retailer, the corner electronics store or at a cheaper location online.” Naturally, this works just as well with any vehicle maintenance items, including oil change coupons, wipers, fluids, etc. [Source: GeekWire]

Coupon Sherpa

“Coupon Sherpa is an iPhone app that is exactly as it sounds – a program filled with coupons. Coupon Sherpa does the dirty work of looking through coupons on the Internet and bringing them to you. You can create a list of favorite stores, email coupons to friends, and coupons can even be scanned by optical scanners.

“It’s not the coupon motherload, but you’re sure to save some money. Another bonus: Coupon Sherpa is currently free.

“If you’re looking for another free coupon app, an honorable mention goes to Yowza.” [Source: Mashable]

Walmart

Walmart for iPad offers the same free ship-to-store options as the regular website, and also includes oil change specials, discounts, and special offers on automotive accessories and car care supplies. Currently, however, the app doesn’t include access to Walmart’s local ads. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, since they do offer nationwide auto care details, including oil change discounts and discount tire offers. [Source: Appolicious]

What apps have you used to save money?

So don’t avoid these small tasks or calling in the pros when necessary. Keep things running smoothly so that you don’t have to worry about unexpected and expensive breakdowns. Embrace the maintenance suggestions …- you won’t be sorry!

Full article

You’ll see a lot of options in the motor oil aisle. There are a few things you’ll need to know before picking one. Conventional motor oil is derived from crude oil. It usually is cheaper than synthetic oil but synthetics are made to make your engine run more efficiently so you’ll get better gas mileage and more horsepower. And now, there’s something new on the motor oil market. Valvoline is one of the first major manufacturers to offer motor oil made from 50 percent recycled oil. And, this motor oil works just as well as any synthetic variety. You can use it when you change the oil yourself or you can take it to one of Valvoline’s oil change centers and ask for it.

Full article at Seattle Times

Oil Can Henry’s, which operates 88 service centers in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, has earned its reputation as “The One You Can Trust” by involving customers in the service and educating them about their vehicles. “Our customers remain in their vehicles, where they can watch and listen as our trained technicians perform the services they request,” said John E. Shepanek, chairman of Oil Can Henry’s. “We also help them understand their vehicles’ maintenance needs by explaining the vehicle manufacturer’s recommended service schedules and how preventive maintenance services can help their vehicles run better and last longer.”

Oil Can Henry’s is committed to reducing impact on the environment by recycling used oil, antifreeze and other items from customers’ services. “By offering ECO ULTRA®, we’re helping our customers attend to the needs of their vehicles and the needs of the planet,” Shepanek said.

The U.S. produces approximately 1.3 billion gallons of used oil each year, but only 10% of it is re-refined. The overwhelming majority of used oil is either improperly disposed of (damaging the environment) or burned as an industrial fuel and gone forever. Dedicated to reversing this unnecessary waste, Universal Lubricants produces ECO ULTRA® recycled products, which when used for an average four quart motor oil change, reduces the national need to import two barrels of imported oil, every time. Additionally, by being part of Universal Lubricants proprietary closed-loop process in which it collects, re-refines, blends and distributes its own motor oil–never losing guardianship within the chain–ECO ULTRA® products safeguard our Nation’s waterways, as it only takes the used oil from one engine change to contaminate one million gallons of fresh water.

“Oil Can Henry’s educates its customers, who in turn make educated choices for themselves. Understanding the numerous benefits of premium re-refined motor oil, we’re seeing thousands deliberately choosing to be active stewards of the environment and to promote America’s shift towards greater energy security by asking for ECO ULTRA® by name,” said John Wesley, chief executive officer of Universal Lubricants. “So when it comes to something as simple and routine as an automotive tune-up, know that you too can take a stand against avoidable pollution and foreign oil dependence. You too can ask for ECO ULTRA®.”

For more information about Universal Lubricants’ ECO ULTRA® products, visit www.ecoultraoil.com .

About Universal Lubricants

Universal Lubricants is one of America’s oldest, most trusted used oil collection, re-refining and new oil distribution leaders. The company operates 28 facilities in 14 states and operates one of the world’s most technologically advanced re-refineries in Wichita, Kansas. Utilizing a tightly controlled closed-loop process, Universal Lubricants collects used motor oil from across the country, processes it through their advanced refinery, and then blends the re-refined oil into high quality API certified motor oils and lubricants that meet SAE requirements and current OEM specifications. To ensure performance and reliability, the company’s finished products go through rigorous lab testing and are real world proven for the most demanding driving environments. Universal Lubricants employs 380 American workers and is a Pegasus Capital Advisors portfolio company. For more information, please visit www.universallubes.com .

SOURCE Universal Lubricants

oil change coupons

Another benefit of online participation in group discounts is the proliferation of online review sites, where auto owners can look at extensive reviews and ratings from past customers. In this day and age, it is even increasingly difficult for discount oil change vendors to skimp on service or details.

All of this benefits you as a consumer. Of course, it benefits your car too!

You can schedule your oil change online

Online Oil Change Special from SEARS:

$26.50*

*We regret that because of the variance of filter sizes and pricing, oil filters cannot be included in the online purchase and will be purchased in store.

Still a great price, and the convenience of scheduling it yourself online. There are no disposal or shop fees for your vehicle maintenance.

The Oil Change service includes the installation of:

• Up to 5 quarts of conventional oil featuring Valvoline (Oil Filter price added in store)
• Lube of the chassis if needed
• Reset of oil light if needed
• Proper inflation of tires
• Topping off of the following fluids: windshield washer and power steering fluid.
• In addition, SEARS will perform a complementary check of: lights, brake fluid level, air filter, belts, wiper blades, antifreeze, tires and shocks/struts.
• In addition SEARS offers a copy of the Maintenance Service Interval (MSI) for your specific vehicle.

I looked around the web for an average review. I was surprised to see that many high end vehicle owners utilize Sears. One BMW forum had this comment:

I’ve used the nearby Sears for Oil Changes for years. They let me bring my choice of filter (they don’t stock most euro oem brands), and Valvoline is far from the worst oil out there. Personally I’d choose sears over an unknown indy shop, and you can always watch them do it. I’ve even used them for alignments – especially since the alignment tech could recite the correct procedure for my volvo 855 from memory and did a fantastic job.

Schedule your Sears Oil Change with the special online price.

Walmart is one example. They do not have any oil change coupons at this time, but most Walmarts will match other coupons.

Again, this is usually on a location-by-location basis. So, you should call your local Walmart to see if they will match a competitor’s coupon and then get the best coupon price from other local oil change companies, or use a deal site online to search for oil change coupons.

Check your local Wal-Mart for details.

Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood, and every pint donated could save up to three lives. All donors at the September 13 Rochester Community Blood Drive will receive a coupon for $7 off their next oil change.

Motor oil, antifreeze and other car fluids all need to be changed on a regular basis. Many vehicle owners turn this routine maintenance into a do-it-yourself (DIY) activity.

What you may not realize is that if car fluids are not recycled or disposed of properly, they can easily make their way into our water supply and other natural habitats. Check out Earth 911’s tips on handling your fluids responsibly.

Both antifreeze (also known as engine coolant) and motor oil can have negative impacts on the environment. Let’s go more in-depth on each product.
Motor Oil

Check out these facts:

* One gallon of oil can contaminate a million gallons of water
* Used motor oil is insoluble, persistent and can contain toxic chemicals and heavy metals
* It is slow to degrade
* Oil can stick to everything from beach sand to bird feathers
* It is a major source of contaminated waterways and polluted drinking water

Antifreeze

Consider this:

* If discarded into sewers or storm drains, antifreeze will eventually make its way into bodies of water
* As antifreeze biodegrades in large quantities of water, it lowers the level of dissolved oxygen and kills aquatic life
* Antifreeze tastes sweet (take our word for it), which makes it enticing and potentially deadly to animals and children

Another thing to consider is that these resources are also made from non-renewable resources. This makes recycling them even more important, because it preserves the resources to produce them.

Both state and local agencies have set up recycling locations for automotive fluids. To find an automotive recycling center near you, use Earth 911’s recycling locator.

Most manufactures recommend that you change your vehicle’s oil and oil filter every 3 months or every 3,000 miles, whichever comes first.  You should consult your owner’s manual for the exact specifications for your vehicle or ask us for a Free Manufacturer’s Scheduled Maintenance Guide for your vehicle.  Some newer vehicles are programmed for up to 6,000 miles under “normal” driving conditions.  Your owner’s manual will have “normal” and “severe” recommendations.  Severe driving conditions include driving in stop-and-go traffic making frequent short trips (less than 5 miles per trip), lengthy high-speed trips, driving in extreme temperatures (over 90*F or below freezing), and towing and hauling.  The average driver probably considers his or her driving conditions normal, but the truth is that most of us drive under severe conditions far more often that we realize and should time our oil changes accordingly.

(For more information read our article Do You Really Need To Change Your Oil Every 3000 Miles?)

Personally, genuine positive reviews carry more weight for me than genuine negative reviews. It’s always easy to complain about cost and if someone was “rude” (when in reality they might have just been really busy). It seems rare that someone will go the extra mile to write a positive review. Online review sites seem to be a breeding ground for negativity and half-truths.

I take this in mind when reading reviews of oil change centers and, like Midas, I was impressed with the amount of genuinely positive reviews by real people.

Tuffy has lots of useful car care information on their website, printable in PDF format if you so desire. They seem to take an unusually high amount of care in making sure their customers are well-informed and up-to-date on the necessary care required for their vehicles.

As usual, oil change coupons and a dealer locator are available for their customers on their website, and are also obtainable at various sites on the web.

OilChangeCouponsList.com rates Tuffy as “Highly Recommended”