I got my oil changed this morning and had a somewhat different experience. Usually there is some guy there that rattles around a bit under the hood…tries to sell me batteries and coolant system flushes and all the rest of that stuff. Today, this was not the case. I had perhaps the nicest and most attentive oil change guy (OCG) that I’ve ever had. OCG was so nice that I thought at first that he was being sarcastic in his politeness…I end up thinking this sort of thing a lot which I suppose is more a reflection on me than on them. At first, I was a bit put off by the whole thing as I couldn’t judge the sincerity but by the end I think he in fact was really excited about changing my oil…when I think back, who wouldn’t be? Anyways, he really made me feel good about myself in a validating kind of way.
OCG: “Sir could you start up the engine for me?”
Me: “Sure” (I start car)
OCG: “Nice job…that’s excellent”
Me(internal monologue): “Gee whiz, thanks OCG…I’ve been practicing…at least twice a day.”
It went on like that for some time with him asking me about every little detail and if there was anything else they could do. He even mentioned that I had picked, “The perfect time to come in.” So in case you are wondering, the perfect time to get one’s oil changed is 8:28 AM…don’t go spreading that around, I found out from an expert. He even offered to rotate my tires until the other guy there told him they couldn’t do that because they didn’t have a lift…I think my OCG might have been new to the job. None the less, I appreciated the offer of usually unavailable services. Luckily, I didn’t take him up on his offer because it probably would’ve cost me $20 and they couldn’t have done it anyways…that would have been embarrassing. He even commended me on my choice of tire pressure,
OCG: “Do you have a preference on your tire pressure this morning.”
Me: “Yea, 33 P.S.I. please”
OCG: “Good choice, that’s exactly what the manufacturer recommends…you must be on the same page.”
Me(internal): “Yup, the same page of the owner’s manual where it lists that sort of thing.”
As I was driving out, he gain said I had done a great job. I’m not sure if he was referring to the part of me sitting in the car the whole time and answering simple questions or if my ability to drive in a straight line was the best he’d seen in weeks. Either way, I felt pretty damn good after leaving. The lesson we learn from all this is that if you are having a down day…go get your oil changed at the shrewsbury valvoline station. The second lesson is that you should never be extra nice to people like me or you might find yourself the subject of an unfortunately sarcastic blog post. I’m already feeling guilty…but not that guilty. Patrick OUT!!!
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I have had similar experiences at the Marlborough and Hudson Valvolines. I've never had an "OCG" quite THAT nice, but they're always very friendly and informative. It makes me feel like they're not screwing me over like any other place I go.
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