From Rhonda’s Desk
When Should I Change My Oil and Filter?
When I first began work at Evert Automotive, that's 30 years ago, we stocked and used mainly 10w30 conventional engine oil. Further, nearly everyone, with exception of a very few full synthetic users, changed their vehicles' oil and filter every 3,000 miles. Oh boy, things have changed!
We now use 10 different weights and types of motor oil and we recommend change intervals accordingly. While we strongly promote using the weight and type of oil recommended by your vehicles' manufacturer, we depart from those recommendations when it comes to full synthetic oils. Many manufacturers are recommending 10,000 mile change intervals for their full synthetic vehicles. Sounds like a good idea. Yet the reality is this: too often those long change intervals means we find little or no engine oil on the dipstick. This creates an oil starvation condition which very often leads to engine clatter, excessive wear and oil consumption.
So when I bought my 2018 Toyota, I chose a strict 5,000 mile oil change interval. My oil is still clear-ish and has remained normally full. Recently, a Redditor suggested the auto industry is out for a "cash grab" when we recommend more frequent oil changes. NOPE! Just ask any auto repair shop owner: oil changes do not pay the rent! They are, however, the smartest service we can offer to our clients in that fresh oil and a clean filter protect your very expensive vehicle and keeps experienced eyes on your car or truck. Like all of our services, we consider this to be a Win-Win exchange.
To Yelp or not to Yelp
That is the question…or to Google review, or to SureCritic review or to Facebook review. Seems we are constantly being asked to submit our opinions and experiences with every business we visit. It might seem like an inconvenience or an annoyance to “stop what we’re doing” and post to Yelp, or Google, or Facebook about our experiences at restaurants, doctors offices, auto repair shops…
However, as a consumer and a business owner, I have developed a unique perspective on all this social media activity.
As a consumer, I check on-line reviews just about any time I buy something or go to a new-to-me business of any sort. If the reviews are primarily positive, I am more inclined to try their product. Obviously, if the reviews are leaning negative, I am more likely to steer around them. And most of those reviews are honest and accurate - good or bad.
As a business owner, reviews offer an invaluable resource: consumer reviews tell us what we are doing right, and may highlight areas in which we need improvement. You can be assured I keep a close eye on what our customers have to say about us. We are blessed to maintain impressive reviews across Facebook, Google, SureCritic and Yelp. But as a business owner, I’d want to know if anyone had anything less than a positive experience here!!
So, what may seem an inconvenience or a waste of time is actually empowering to both the consumer and to the business owner. Everyone wins…
We thank you, our reviewers, for boosting our on-line presence with your kind words.
To those of you who have not yet reviewed us, we’d sure appreciate your honest feedback on any review site.
To those of you who have not yet visited Evert Automotive, we invite you to check out what our customers are saying about us…
