My own Mr Quick Lube
One thing I’ve learned to hate in my life is having to get the oil changed in my car. I know this is just a routine thing that every vehicle owner deals with every 3 months or 3,000 miles and so what’s the big deal? Just take it to a quick lube, 15 minutes later you’re on your way. But somehow in my 10 years of driving, the routine oil change has become an unbearable annoyance to me. A volcanic forehead pimple on prom night. Ten thousand fucking spoons when all you need is one damn knife.
Pathetic Alanis references aside, I really do hate getting my oil changed, and I have gone to great lengths to avoid doing it and to pawn the responsibility off on someone else. Anyone else. Once I let my little sister’s punk boyfriend change it in his garage. When he mentioned he had trouble locating the oil filter, I knew I probably should have visited a professional, but this way at least I didn’t have to figure our when or where else to go.
Another time my youngest sister, who had just gotten her license and maybe shouldn’t have been trusted alone behind the wheel quite yet, mentioned that she was going to the mall. I actually paid my sister to drive my car to the mall, 30 minutes away, because she agreed to get the oil changed on the way. I HATE getting my oil changed. Hate. It.
So when my odometer spun around to a number almost a thousand miles higher than the sticker in the corner of my windshield indicated, I begged desperately for Brad’s help. The last few times I’ve gone, he has kindly accompanied me to lessen my burden. But this time I didn’t want to have anything to do with it. I was ready to throw my car away before I faced the burden of yet another oil change. What I really wanted was for him to take my car away from me one day and bring it back all oil changed and 20-point inspectioned, no questions asked. I was even willing to pay him (in whatever form of currency he preferred) to do this for me.
And bless the boy, that’s exactly what he did. He traded vehicles with me today, got the oil changed in my car AND got it washed, and he didn’t even ask for payment. Although, there may be a special treat for him later tonight.*
I don’t think he realizes how much of a help this was. I can’t explain why oil changes are such a sore spot in my life, there is no good explanation. But to have that burden and responsibility lifted from me, at least for another 3 months or 3,000 miles, has somehow made today seem a little brighter and a bit more bearable.
Thank you hon. No seriously, have I said thank you yet? Because thank you. I mean it. Thank you so much.
*Ice cream
January 25th, 2007 at 8:39 pm
I abhor the oil change process myself. Mostly because I hate having to ward off the “up sell.” “You should really think about rotating those tires ma’am and you’re brake fluid is low and you’re windshield wipers could use a smooshing and there are cooties in your gas tank and….” I used to have a company car and they only recommended changing the oil every 5000 miles. I figure if it’s good enough for their fleet company cars… then it’s good enough for me!
January 25th, 2007 at 11:05 pm
First of all..Brad is awesome! Seriously…I’d keep him, and actually..can I borrow him because my oil change is long overdue!
I completely agree with you though. I hate getting my oil changed, but my biggest annoyance in life is getting gas. I HATE getting gas…its such a waste of time, and does your gas light ever come on at a convenient time? I don’t think so. In fact…Tara and I have recently figured out that we can drive to and from work 3 times total with our gas light on.
January 26th, 2007 at 9:22 am
Too funny! I do the exact same thing. I always ask Andy to get the oil changed on the vehicles and shamefully “forget” to get gas in one of the vehicles so that the next time he drives, he has to get gas. Apparantly I’m just too lazy!
January 26th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
I hate it too. And my father-in-law is a mechanic. In my many years of driving, I have only taken the responsibility of getting my oil changed once. every other time I left it to Kevin, or allowed my father-in-law to drive my car to work, and leave his truck. I too hate it… and I dont’ have to do anything.
January 29th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
I don’t mind, so much, getting an oil change. This may be due to the fact that my dad made all three of us girls learn how to change our own oil before we could ever take it anywhere to have it done. Having a familiarity with what’s actually going on and all the things that they may be trying to sell me, I guess, gives me an easy feeling about the process. And…I’ve seen first hand what happens when you don’t change or check the oil. It’s not good.
Although there are times that I just don’t want to spend that extra $20 to get my flipping oil changed. It beats doing it myself though.
What I love about my car, now, is that the owner’s manual only requires an oil change every 5,000 miles. That’s awesome! Espeically since I drive over 20,000 miles a year.
January 29th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
Fortunately I don’t worry too much about what else they might try to “sell” me. I just say no to everything.
I just hate the process, the incovenience, the requirement of getting it done. I’ve never actually changed my oil before, but I’ve seen it done and think I could figure it out if I was ever inspired. But I’m never inspired. I hate oil changes.