Dipstix has always been my go-to for oil changes, and honestly, it's the little extras that kept me coming back -- keyword: kept.
What They Still Do Well: The service is fast and the staff is courteous. No complaints there. And they do offer a 10% discount for educators and students, which I appreciated -- except that $51.99 after the discount, for a standard conventional motor oil change, is hard to swallow.
The Value Question: Let that sink in -- $51.99 with the educator discount applied, for regular motor oil. Not synthetic. Not full-service. And gone are the days when that price felt justified. The complimentary car vacuum, the free car wash, the coffee and popcorn in the lobby -- those amenities made Dipstix feel like a premium experience worth every penny. Now the extras have disappeared but the premium pricing hasn't budged.
What's Changed -- And Not For the Better: The car vacuum is gone. The free car wash? Also gone. The coffee and popcorn that made the wait feel welcoming? Disappeared too -- possibly a COVID casualty, but it's been long enough that it's hard to keep using that excuse. To top it off, the lobby area is unkempt, which doesn't exactly inspire confidence when you're trusting someone with your vehicle.
Fast and friendly only goes so far when the value simply isn't there anymore. I'll be shopping around for my next oil change. Dipstix, bring back the extras, tidy up the lobby, and take a hard look at your pricing -- your loyal customers are noticing. read more