Thoughts On Lube Jobs And Seasonal Tire Changes

I have driven past this Mr. Lube location on Millwood Street in Toronto 10 times over the past few weeks, always meaning to get a shot of the Mr. Lube store, which has a new name and signage installed. But it’s always at five in the morning, and because I’m driving it’s hard to take a photo and also concentrate on the road. So, I got out of my car and shot a photo of the store and the new name and logo.

I find this to be an interesting artifact in the continuum of auto retail. I remember the “good ole days” of oil changes every 3mo/5k. We would see customers at our dealerships on average 4.25 times per year. Today, it would be rare to see a material number of dealership customers two-plus times. Typically it’s roughly 1.75 visits on average per year.

Gotta grow that to 2!

The oil change was always the trigger for the visit. Customers would get warranty work done while they were in, or we could “push it” to the next visit in three months. Now with synthetic and oil life sensors measuring the levels, that can be pushed out to every six months or 10k. Warranty work (per visit) is also down DRAMATICALLY across all manufacturers. It’s a new day, even with the advent of “over the air” updates to your cell phone.

The trigger today is tires. They still wear down and if you aren’t rotating them every 10k you’ll burn in the tread beyond the point of no return – especially on Toronto streets and especially with 3,500 pounds of battery now in some cars. At the same time, we also have seasonal tire changes. Winter tires are much different than Summer tires. They’re a must. In fact, some insurance companies provide a discount on your policy if you use Winter tires. Even if you don’t see snow, with daily temperatures ranging in the average zero to minus-7 Celsius range Winter tires can make a 100% difference in handling and safety.

People talk a lot about the impact of Electric Vehicles on the service departments of dealerships. Interesting to see the 20-year lag of enhancements in oil technology (e.g. synthetic, etc.) as well as the dealership’s realization that customer retention is DEFINITELY worth fighting for!

Nothing earth-shattering here I know. It’s been bouncing around in my head ever since I saw the Mr. Lube name change. I figure sharing is caring. Right?