Oil Change

I went to Jiffy Lube yesterday and asked for an oil change and a new air filter (it had been awhile). While they worked on my car, I knew that moment was coming where they would tell me my vehicle is falling apart and I need them to flush the engine, give me a transmission transfusion, and all the other mythical car repairs I don't really need. Once, they told me they have a unicorn that gargles power steering fluid. "See this liquid? It's pea green. It should be mint chocolate chip green with a hint of lime Gatorade. I don't want to push you, but if you don't buy the unicorn, you might find yourself in a fiery wreck. Don't say I didn't warn you."

As I mindlessly paged through Parents magazine in the waiting room, I was formulating my response to their sales pitch. Hmmm. Should I act like a crazy guy and scare the hell out of them, or should I pretend like I have Tourettes? Maybe I should just act like I'm a mechanic that's too lazy to do my own oil change. "No, that's OK, I'll flush my own transmission when I tweak the flux capacitor. I think I have a unicorn lying around in my own shop. I picked one up on eBay from a guy in Middle Earth."

The guy called me into the garage and said, "We changed the oil and you need a new air filter, but other than that, everything looks good."

Whoa.

I was all prepared to stick to my guns and say "no thanks" to all the extra crap. They didn't even ask me.

Is it weird that I'm a little disappointed? Or maybe I'm just a sucker for getting an air filter.

By the way, you don't need an oil change every 3000 miles. Read your owner's manual. I'm serious. Here's what Consumer Reports says about that:

Myth: Engine oil should be changed every 3,000 miles.

Reality: Although oil companies and quick-lube shops like to promote this idea, it's usually not necessary. Go by the recommended oil-change schedule in your vehicle's owner's manual. Most vehicles driven under normal conditions can go 7,500 miles or more between oil changes. Some models now come with a monitoring system that alerts the driver when the oil needs changing. Depending on driving conditions, these can extend change intervals to 10,000 or 15,000 miles.