After being hit with two polar vortices, my 7-year-old OEM car battery decided to call it quits. I researched different types of batteries on Consumer Reports and identified a recommended brand that is carried by Walmart. With enough research, especially in today's digital age, I could have installed the battery myself but I decided to give Mr Lube my business since they could get it done faster.
This particular Mr Lube is attached to Walmart. The garage doors are located right behind the Garden Center. You drive out back and enter through a door, which leads you to a sectioned-off portion of the work area and a door to the service counter. For battery installations, you first have to choose and purchase a battery from Walmart, then bring it back to the service counter. It's unfortunate that you can't purchase the battery at the service counter, since it's a long walk to the checkout counters and car batteries are heavy!
After a nice arm workout, I came back to the service counter and was told that car battery installation takes 10-15 minutes and costs $40 plus tax. I walked around for 20 minutes, came back, and was told by the tech that he dropped a nut inside the car, so it would take another 10 minutes. I come back and he hadn't retrieved the missing nut, so he told me he wouldn't charge for the installation. My car was ready to go within an hour after drop off.
I would have been fine with an hour wait since other places like Canadian Tire make you wait several hours. But it goes to show you how amazing the customer obsession is here. Of the four different car maintenance shops that I have used in the GTA, Mr Lube is at the top of my list in terms of price, convenience, and customer service. They could have left the nut rattle around the car, but the tech was very diligent and honest, which I value highly especially for auto maintenance shops. For regular maintenance, I wouldn't mind coming back to this particular Mr Lube location. read more