Valvoline Instant Oil Change

I’ve never had such thorough service from an oil change place. Really impressed and would even drive out of the way to use this location again.

This is the first time I’ve ever had my car check started before I even pulled in the garage! Fantastic service with almost military precision. I’ve been using these guys for two years now and have always been impressed. Keep up the good work guys!

So, I am no car afficianado. Does that exist? I want my oil changed because it needs to be done and I don’t want to do it.
I haven’t been in the city for too long and I do not have a trusted mechanic here. I’ve been to this Valvoline a couple of times and they do a good job.
I don’t know what the waiting room is like because I always wait in my car and that ambiance is just how you would expect it to be. I do love the smell of a garage.
They work quickly and efficiently. However, on occasion there is a wait but they will let you know and keep you updated.
They probably aren’t the cheapest and they do try to sell you more but whatevs. Sometimes I take the pitch sometimes I don’t.
All in all this place, well this particular location, has always done me right and I still come over here even though we have moved.

Getting my oil changed is a lot like flossing. I do it far less than I’m supposed to do it, and I’m guessing most of you are the same way. If you’re not, I kind of feel sorry for you.
There are three things I hate about getting my oil changed. 1. Spending money when nothing is actually wrong with my car. 2. Being told things are wrong with my car when nothing actually seemed wrong, and then being pressured to spend money. (It would be like going in for your annual physical every year, being told you have Cancer, and then told if you don’t have a lung transplant you are going to die.) 3. It takes so much freaking time. That’s an hour and a half of my life I will never get back!
So when I saw something about «instant» and «oil change», I knew this place was geared for a girl like me. Their basic oil change starts at 39.99, which makes me want to vomit. They honor competitor coupons «up to ten dollars», which means the cheapest you could get one is 29.99, except in my case I was able to find a Valvoline coupon for 19.99, but I think that’s pretty rare.
You drive in and they get you in pretty fast. They so kindly «include» checking all of these random things on your car for the sole purpose of then trying to up sell service to you. I fiercely screamed NO at them when they said hello to me, in anticipation of the pressure. Even if something were wrong with my car, I would never get it fixed at a place called «Instant Oil Change». I figured the fewer filters and things they were taking off, the less chance of a screw-​up, too.
I had to choose between «conventional» and a «green» oil option, and I really really just wanted to conventional, because «green» sounds inferior, but there were other people in the waiting room, and I didn’t want their judgment, so I let him give me the green option, which I’m sure is really going to help the environment…
I sat and watched him do the most amazing sales song and dance for another chick in the waiting room where he showed her the air filter next the a new air filter to show how dirty it was. She ate it up and agreed to like hundreds of dollars extra of service. I was trying to send her telepathic messages not to do it, but she was smitten with this blond and greased up sales guy. I kept coaching myself on how I would say no when my time came. I got more and more nervous.
Their waiting room blows. Even though it’s a fast oil change, I still had to wait 30, and all they had were classified ads for cars and HIGHLIGHTS. I swear to God. I kind of wanted to die. Please, for the love of God, get some newspapers or magazines in that shit!
All said and done, I was out the door in 30 for less than 20 bones, and no pressure for up sell once they saw I was seriously not gonna have it, and so far nothing has fallen off my car. Fingers crossed.

I’ve been here many times with my Jeep Cherokee, primarily for oil changes and also for additional service.
The staff — very friendly, accommodating, and informative.
The joint — clean inside. It’s basic — it’s an oil change waiting room after-​all.
The shop — clean floors. Cleaner than I expected.
The staff is always informative and never pushy for service recommendations. They will let you know what service for which your car is due and provide no dirty looks as you respond that you’ll ‘think about it’.
I have returned on 2 occasions for additional service to my 189k mi Jeep — a coolant system flush in 2012 and a fuel system cleanse in 2013. Both services had been suggested to me during oil changes by the staff. Both services had also been on my to do list for my Jeep.
Each was done quickly and professionally by the technician who was very familiar with the work. He even explained to me what he was doing. What puts me at 5 stars is the fuel system flush today…
It was 95 degrees as I pulled up at 5:30pm. I had recently had my oil changed here and wanted the fuel cleanse. As a constant vehicle tinkerer and mostly self-​maintainer, I also wanted to watch. Brent, the technician, was more than happy to explain to me what he was doing. *If it were me on a sweltering St. Louis summer day, the last thing I would want is some guy asking to look over my shoulder as I did my job… but, he had a smile on his face, explained everything he was doing, and was quite pleasant. The work was done very well and on schedule.
Thank you, Brent and Shea, for being kind, courteous, and accommodating — even to a random guy on a hot afternoon who was curious how fuel systems get flushed.
I’ll be back.

It’s been a long time since I have been here, but this is one review based on one experience from about 3 years ago. Everyone I’ve encountered working there is very nice. However, one incident led to the score above.
On Thanksgiving weekend, I got my tires rotated after 10,000 miles and the technician forgot to tighten the lug nuts back on. I drove for about ¼ of a mile and found that my car starting swerving out of control. My tire flew off and my car crashed into the curb bending the axle and doing a number to my paint job.
I changed the tire, drove back to the valvoline and they ultimately took my car into their shop to get it checked out and compensated me a rent a car (although i had to pay for insurance out of pocket). Ultimately, they said they just «bent the axle back» and the shop said I would have to talk to valvoline regarding any exterior work. At that point, I was so sick of dealing with it; and being in medical school as a student did not allow me much time to deal with the mess.
I hope and I am sure it’s better now.