u/Shady_cx - how much is billed for the oil change? and what were you normally expecting is the cost of an oil change? How many miles and time has it been since your last oil change?

I ask this because you might be chasing a technicality on billing but in reality the shop was probably do you some really good work out of a great abundance of care.

If an oil change would normally cost you $50 to have a shop do it with parts at your usual shop… and this guy charged you $50 or + $20 more than your usual shop… I’d say this is with in reasonable limits (numbers are just for illustration).

If your car requires oil changes every 1 year or 10,000 miles and it’s been 1+ years and 5000 miles… I would say they did the right thing for you, don’t beat them up unless they are raping you on the price of the oil change. Because over time you get fuel and water building up in the used oil and you want to remove that stuff because of time.

If your car maker recommends an oil change at 10,000 miles and it’s been 5000+ miles, I would say anything beyond the 50% mark of manufacturer recommended is actually a reasonable time to change the oil. Case in point my 2008 e90 BMW 335xi has a 15,000 mile OCI but I have never let it go beyond 7500 mile and most people recommend as low as 5000 mile oil changes on 7 qts of fully synthetic motor oil. oil and filters are CHEAP! changing fluids early is HIGHLY recommended to minimize changing parts and having problems with the car. This also goes for all the other fluids too:

• Coolant flushes
• Brake flushes
• transmission flushes
• Transfer case flushes
• differential flushes

If the mechanic actually fixed your problem or had a reasonable answer on why they proactively changed your motor oil and they used the correct oil type and correct oil filter for a fair price… I would not beat them up about it.

With all that said, technically, if you were not given a verbal or written estimate for work to be performed… then technically you could chase after them for this. But an oil change is small money, you would rather benefit from building a good relationship from a service provider who can fix your issues. I personally ask for a verbal estimate for small stuff and let’s say they say $60 for an oil change… I’ll pay the mom/pop shop in cash (so they don’t need to pay credit card fees). Then ask if they can skip the sales tax… then I will give the person who actually did the oil change work on my car $5 or $10 cash as a tip after everything is all done. Next time the guy will remember me and try to help me. I always pay service providers a little more than what they ask of me (in cash). When I come back again for more work… they always do right by me with great service and very honest answers. You get what you pay for 🤷🏽‍♂️

Did the shop fix your problem? Did someone from the shop explain why they did an oil change? If it’s part of the diagnostic and/or repair for the problem you reported then yes, they can charge you for it since you authorized the work.

The variable valve timing system (VVT) on an engine operates using oil pressure. If the oil is oil or has any sludge, that can cause the VVT system to not run properly and set a trouble code. Many times, you can fix that by cleaning the filter screens on the mechanisms and changing the oil. In fact, if the shop suspects the oil is the cause, changing it is the recommended procedure.

So ASK the shop if that’s whey they changed the oil before you go off the deep end and start accusing them of screwing you.

Maybe it’s the diag fee

I don’t think most shops even make money on oil changes. It would be different if they did new brakes and charged you $400 when you came in for engine trouble

What work was done? Some work warrants an oil change, like if you had a leaking fuel injector and it washed out the cylinder and fouled the oil, or something had to be removed that got some coolant in the oil.

If your car was sputtering they oil change might have been one of the first things they did, to make sure it wasn’t an issue with oil pickup or old oil sludging up the valves or creating to much resistance in the engine, Shops don’t make any money on Oil Changes so if they did it they probably had a reason to do it, I’m also sure that the paper you signed had a line in it saying it’s okay for them to do “fluid changes if deemed necessary” unless they’re charging you $150+ for it I’d just pay it and thank them for looking after my car

Only if its part of the diagnostic and repair process, not because “hey! we saw you were coming up on an oil change so we changed it for you.” Thats illegal (at least in Ohio).

I took my riding mower in to a shop for a belt. They also changed the blades. Guess who got free blades?..lol (I had already used the mower not realizing they replaced the blades I didnt ask for).