Valvoline Instant Oil Change

Amazing, can’t get any better then this place. My oil change took literally 6 minutes, they checked everything and more. They will check you lights, turn signals, fluids levels, brake lights, tire pressure, all for free with the oil change. They will show you your air/​oil filters and ask if you want them changed (they don’t pressure you). You sit in your car the whole time and you pay right out your window.
Also, it might be a little confusing on how it works if it’s your first time. Just drive around the the garage entrances (there is 3), drive up if theres an empty one, they will open the door right when they see you (its all glass). You just pull in and they will do the rest.

I’ve been to this location a few times and the staff are always friendly and quick, but thorough. I’ve never experienced the aggressive up-​sell described by another reviewer. They even went the extra mile and recommend a local garage for an unrelated repair that I needed!

These guys (and girls) do incredible work! No appointments either, just show up and get in line. Every single time I come here these guys are on too of their game! I highly recommend this Valvoline location! A+ 5 stars!

So I finally had to suck it up and find a place in Pittsburgh that did oil changes (I always had it done when I went home to visit). Happen to see this place a while back and kept it in mind if the need arose, in which it did.
Service was quick and courteous and the girl, (yes, you read that right) covered everything with me that had been done. They even showed me the oil dipstick after they changed the oil to show me that the oil was to the fill line.
I’d go five stars, but because it was my first visit, I will wait until I go again.

I love getting my oil changes done here. It’s very fast (10 – 15 minutes when they aren’t busy… even when they’ve been really busy I’ve never spent more than 30 minutes) which is so much better than making an appointment and sitting in a waiting room for what seems like forever at other places.
They are quite expensive ($ 39.99 for a conventional oil change) but that’s the price of convenience and they do send out decent coupons or have them available to print on their website.
They will try to upsell for the better oil, new air filter, wipers, etc like any other oil change chain but never push if you say no. And really their prices are not too bad, they told me I needed a new serpentine belt and actually priced out lower than Monro & Goodyear.

Relatively quick and easy… but beware of the upsell.
I went to get my oil changed here because I hadn’t had it done for over 11,000 miles and a LivingSocial deal that got me half off was about to expire.
The process is easy enough – and very fast. You park your car behind one of the bays and wait until the employees are done with the car in front of you. Upon being directed, you pull your car into the garage over the changing platform and roll down your window. An employee asks you a series of questions while you remain seated in your car. Other employees inspect your headlights, taillights, and brake light, and then proceed to top off your fluids.
While a bunch of shouting is going on around you and your oil is being changed underneath, the first employee tries to upsell you on a new engine air filter, higher-​grade oils, an automatic transmission flush, new wiper blades, and other services I don’t remember (some of which are very expensive).
I requested synthetic blend oil right off the bat – even before being asked – so I knew I would be paying more to begin with. I also needed and wanted to get my driver’s side headlight replaced, which I had Valvoline IOC do with a bulb I supplied them. (I had already replaced the passenger’s side bulb on my own almost two months ago but couldn’t easily get to the driver’s side bulb because of its placement behind the battery of my car.) I happily paid $ 5 for this service.
However, I fell for the employee’s air filter gimmick, which set me back $ 22. I hadn’t been to one of these quick-​lube places in several years, so I unfortunately wasn’t prepared for the aggressive upsell. Engine air filters are supposed to be cheap and easy to replace yourself, and they don’t need to be switched out often. Mine wasn’t too dirty and probably didn’t need to be replaced for another 10,000 miles or so. Peering through the windshield at my air filter that the employee was holding up for me to look at, I was already skeptical… but I went with it anyway. (D’oh!)
The good news is that I didn’t fall for any more gimmicks. That first one kept me wary and on my toes. Even though the employee espoused all the benefits of each subsequent upsell, I refused to budge and told him straight up the only services I would be willing to pay for. The only other thing I said ‘yes’ to was Valvoline’s NextGen MaxLife oil (a «green» blend made partly of recycled oil) that wouldn’t cost me any additional money over the standard product.
I drove out of Valvoline IOC yesterday with a $ 46.25 hole in my wallet (even more after pumping gas at the Costco next door), but it could have been worse. The total amount I spent for the oil change and additional services was around $ 65, $ 19 of which I had paid months before on LivingSocial. (I remember spending around that much at Jiffy Lube a few years ago – having fallen for the air filter gimmick there as well.) If I hadn’t had the LivingSocial deal, I would have spent upwards of $ 86 yesterday – which is too much for an oil change, synthetic or not.
I’m giving Valvoline IOC 3 stars, not because my experience was «A-​OK” – as Unilocal characterizes its 3-​star reviews – but because it wasn’t terrible. Yes, I felt ripped-​off, but these quick-​lube places all play the same games. Valvoline IOC got the job done, so I don’t think it would be fair for me to give them a lower rating.
Would I go back? Yes. With this experience under my belt, I know next time to be more prepared to say ‘no’ from the get-​go.
If you need a fast and convenient oil change and like the idea of not having to leave your driver’s seat, take your car here. Just make sure to bring your poker face with you.

I’m not a car guy, but I do know (having learned the hard way) that changing your oil only every year and a half is an excellent way to need a new car. In order to avoid replacing my current one, and owing to my local mechanic’s recent changeover to «weekdays only».. . I took my car to Valvoline Instant Oil Change to have.. . my oil changed.
They changed my oil. BUT.. . they also topped off fluids, explained the process, changed my air filter, checked my lights and much much more.. . in about fifteen minutes.
I didn’t call ahead. I didn’t sit in the «waiting room» leafing through old Cabella’s catalogs and 2010 Hot Rod magazines. I just sat in my car, drove up to the garage doors.. . and let the magic happen.
And it is magic to me.. . cause I’m not a car guy. If you’re not a car guy either.. . good place to know.