The Big Stir

Whether you're a Master Technician or just off the street, following a few simple "Lube/Oil/Filter (LOF) Commandments" might help you prevent the big oops that could stain your reputation and severely injure your wallet.

Getting Started

It's essential anymore, for liability reasons, to pull the dipstick and record the oil level and condition before starting an LOF service. When you take the oil filler cap off, place it on the hood latch. The worst case now is that you forget to replace it and slam the hood, smash the cap and have to purchase a replacement cap – for about $15. I always place the cap on a red shop rag because that's a lot more visible.

After you pick up the drain plug to re-install it, do not stop to answer a call or do anything else until the plug once again is snug in the pan. It should never be left finger-tight for longer than it takes you to grab your wrench. After tightening the drain plug, roll the oil drain pan out from under the car so you can instantly look and tell what step you're on should you get called away. Oil drain gone = drain plug is tight.

Apply a wipe of oil to the seal on the new filter immediately after you take it out of its box. If it's still in the box, it should be dry. If it's out of the box, it should be ready to install.

Quickly compare the old oil filter with the new one. Make sure the old seal came off with the old one. Make sure the filters are the same shape, size, and/or part number. Inspect and/or wipe off the oil filter mounting boss, making sure there's not an old oil seal stuck to it.

Hand Tightening

Put your under-car tools and filter wrench away after you tighten the drain plug and install the new oil filter. This way, if you get interrupted, you can look down, see that all your tools are put away and know the next step is to add oil. Tools gone = ready to add oil.

Using manufacturer recommended oils is becoming more and more critical. Variable-valve-timing engines may not run properly and even set codes if the incorrect grade of oil is used. Many European vehicles have very specific oil requirements that are different than domestics. Many models with oil change reminders on the instrument panel require full-synthetic oil. Simply installing 10W-30, or 10W-40 for summertime, is no longer "good enough." Check the owner's manual for recommendations.

Final Checks

It's time now to write up the window sticker. Remove your gloves or wash your hands if they're dirty, since you're about to climb into the customer's car. You also want them clean so you can shut the hood without leaving greasy fingerprints.

Apply the window sticker on the windshield and start the motor. Watch for the oil light to go out or the oil pressure gauge to come up. Let the engine run at least 30 seconds to be sure the filter gets fully filled. Listen for unusual noises at this point.

Allowing the customer's engine to run until it fully warms up might point out some other issues to you — a belt that screeches, a radiator fan that doesn't kick in, a high idle that doesn't kick down, burned out daytime running lights (DRLs), strange noises and so forth. While it idles, you can be completing the work order, checking the other fluids and tire pressure, topping up the windshield fluid and so on. Hearing or noticing other repairs that need to be made is one of the primary benefits to your shop of performing LOFs. As an experienced technician, you'll notice them long before the customer does, hopefully before they become expensive to repair — something customers always appreciate.

Lube Service

The "L" in LOF service has largely gone the way of dinosaurs. Front suspensions with a dozen or more Zerk fittings are rare creatures these days. They've similarly disappeared from most U-joints and many other components.

Even so, especially on trucks, some vehicles still have grease fittings on ball joints and other components that need attention. Fresh grease needs to be pumped into the Zerk until a small amount squirts past the seal. Unless you see grease starting to come out, how do you know any is actually going in?

Techs need to wipe the Zerks clean before attaching the grease gun and make sure grease is actually being pumped. Zerks can clog or break. It all boils down to this: Are you going to be proud of the job you do lubing a vehicle and hit every Zerk, or only the easy ones?

Competing Effectively

LOF service is both a necessary evil and a tremendous opportunity for an auto repair shop. It is a necessary evil because it's difficult to compete with quick lube shops. Their stores are designed and laid out to be as efficient as humanly possible at providing this type of service.

Yet LOF service is a tremendous opportunity, because it gives the tech the chance to spot other needed services — legitimate upsells. It will also bring new customers into the shop, something every shop needs. But if the quick lube vacuums the mats, empties the ashtrays and cleans the glass, and your shop doesn't but charges more, why would you expect a customer to come back?

Your shop might be more conveniently located than the quick lube shop. Or your customer might have had a bad experience at a quick lube shop or believe they use inferior oil. Good customers often like to have the same shop, even the same tech, do all the work on their vehicle, so the shop is familiar with their vehicle and knows its service history. It's often a matter of trust; they trust you and your techs.

Busy shops sometimes limit LOF appointments to existing customers or a single bay. Both are ways of limiting access to a service that is often priced as a loss-leader.

Limiting the number of LOF services performed per week is another viable method. There's no reason not to allow exceptions for prospective new customers, regulars or those customers who arrive during slack periods. Other shops, quite honestly, limit the number of LOF services they perform by not offering better, cheaper or faster service than the quick lube shops.

Here's a question your service advisor should ask every LOF customer: "Normally we check the air filter and wiper blades when we check the oil. If they need replacing, do you want us to go ahead and do that?" This can save having to call a customer back later when the air filter is found to be filthy or the blades torn or hard as rocks. It also provides immediate feedback on this customer. If they decline something as basic as air filter replacement, what's the point of inspecting their vehicle for other, more expensive-to-repair items? Truly, some customers want nothing but the oil replacement and filter at a low price.

Checking the service history on the vehicle is one of the easiest and most profitable aspects of performing an LOF. If a vehicle hasn't had a 60K or 90K service and needs a timing belt, fuel filter, fluid flushes or other services, these are golden opportunities for upsells. Often they're the only justification for performing LOFs.

LOF service needs to be — in fact must be — priced higher than what the customer would pay at the quick lube shop. If a customer doesn't want their vehicle to receive the attention of a professional technician for this basic but important service, then they don't belong in your shop.

Conversely, a shop must be committed to exceeding the level of service the customer would receive at the quick lube shop. Perceptions count: a clean ashtray may mean more to the customer than the fact that you inspected his or her vehicle for unusual tire wear, unless you note on the ticket that you performed such an inspection on their behalf. And this must be pointed out to them when they pick up the vehicle.

The goal of any shop is to make money. LOF service needs to make money for both the technician and the shop, even if it's priced as a loss-leader. If a shop performs too many LOF services, it risks cannibalizing more profitable repairs it could be performing. If it refuses to perform LOF services, then it might lose customer goodwill and upsells like timing belts. Expecting a tech, however, to perform a complete LOF service while only paying three-tenths of an hour is unrealistic and a recipe for shortcutting. An override for upsells resulting from LOF inspections is one way to compensate a tech for any "loss."

Can you honestly say you are proud of the quality of the LOF service you provide your customers? Do they actually get more for their money than they would at the quick lube shop? Are they so happy with your service, the cleanliness of your waiting room, the entire service experience, that they're telling other customers that the best place in town to get their oil changed is at your shop? If not, why not?

Wade Nelson is an electrical engineer who has worked for GM, Motorola and a mobility van conversion firm, and has taught Automotive Electronics at San Juan Community College. He has also written service and wrenched. Continually learning and writing about automotive electronics technology is his passion.