A driver was stunned at the upcharges for additional services after she used an oil change coupon. Tara Conlin (@taraconlin) posted a viral TikTok showing off how she accrued a nearly $400 bill of service after agreeing to the extra work.
Numerous folks who replied to her video thought she got hosed.
Drive-thru oil change
Conlin’s video begins with her sitting in her vehicle at an auto service center. The hood of the car is popped open and she begins to pan her camera lens around the shop. She shows off a screen in the shop which delineates a list of work being performed on her car.
Up top, the business says it’s charging her $116.99 for radiator fluid replacement. According to Kelley Blue Book, this usually costs anywhere from $131 to $209. According to Robo Race, a vehicle’s coolant should be swapped out between 30,000 – 100,000 miles or every two to five years.
Furthermore, the shop also hit her with an automatic transmission fluid replacement for $206.99. KBB states that this job ranges between $165 – $290. Car Fluid Guide says that different vehicles require flushes at different intervals. Generally, Car Trouble Shooters recommends performing a transmission flush every 30,000 to 60,000 miles of driving. Additionally, if your vehicle is experiencing “rough shifting, slipping gears, unusual noises, or burnt smells,” a flush could solve these problems.
Next on the list of services the shop performed on Conlin’s vehicle was a $36.99 conventional oil change. Finally, the shop charged her $2.99 for a fluid waste fee. After taxes, her grand total came out to $395.04.
This was not what she was expecting to pay after heading into the business, however.
$20 off oil change
That’s because, in a text overlay of her video, the TikToker penned that she was trying to use a voucher to get a discounted oil change.
“POV: you go to get an oil change. Because you had a cute $20 off coupon. And next thing you know your car is overdue for everything, and you’re $400 in the hole,” she writes.
As she recorded the shop’s POS screen listing the charges, audio from a Kardashian-themed social media account plays: “I am feeling like I want to die and that this is complete torture. And I don’t know what I did to somebody to make me sit here and do this.”
In a caption for the video, Conlin indicates that she was having her work performed in a Venice Beach Valvoline location. She was also stunned at the amount of work she was instructed to perform in such a short amount of time. “Like, how did that all just happen in a matter of 30 seconds?!” she wrote.
Is upselling common?
Upselling in auto service centers isn’t an uncommon phenomenon. Oftentimes, these businesses will rely on consumer ignorance to perform work that may not be necessary. Moreover, companies have been caught intentionally upselling drivers by swapping out parts that don’t need to be changed.
On the other hand, regularly maintaining one’s vehicle is integral to ensuring that it performs adequately for long-term use. So how does one ensure that they aren’t getting finagled?
Referring to your car’s owner’s manual for recommended maintenance tips can help keep you abreast of protecting its drivetrain. Knowing when to perform different fluid changes and flushes in terms of mileage/timing is vital. Engines and transmissions are some of the most expensive parts of a vehicle to care for, so these should take priority.
Furthermore, some swaps can be easily DIY-ed, such as cabin filter replacements. Meaning there’s no reason to pay someone else to do this. Simply order the part yourself online, access it from inside your vehicle, and perform the swap on your own.
On schedule
There are also online resources, like Driver Side, that sport compendiums of recommended service schedules for numerous vehicles. Simply plug in the information of your car, and it’ll populate a list of suggested maintenance variables at which mileage markers.
This can allow drivers to ensure they aren’t missing any important work they should be performing on their vehicle. It can help you to pre-plan the work you’ll be getting done to your car. Additionally, drivers should look at reviews for local service shops via Google or Yelp. This way, they can see what local customers have to say about the quality of the work performed by a shop.
Reputable businesses should have an established customer base. More importantly, you’ll know if they actually perform the services you’re being charged for. Also, you can call these shops up and see if they’ll use any specific products or parts you’d rather buy yourself. This way, you can just get quotes on labor.
@taraconlin Like, how did that all just happen in a matter of 30 seconds?! #oilchange #vavoline #carstuff ♬ original sound – kardashianicon
Viewers tell her she got scammed
Numerous folks who responded to Conlin’s video thought that she was bamboozled by the service center. “GIRL. they got you,” one person penned.
Another echoed the aforementioned sentiment, writing, “You gotta tell them ‘no’, you came for an oil change.”
Someone else thought that it was a bad idea to get a transmission flush at the business: “You’re doing a transmission service at a drive thru oil place?!? Brave man.”
One TikToker thought that she was being overcharged. “Damn girl it does not cost $200 to replace fluids,” they said.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Valvoline via email and Conlin via TikTok comment for further information.
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