I recently was desperate for an oil change, didn't want to wait in the Canadian Tire waiting room for hours, and couldn't perform my own since my car cannot go on standard ramp?! Anyways, I decided to try a local Mr. Lube.
- I rolled in without an appointment and was taken right away.
- The technicians were very curtious and seemed methodical. They performed several operations that even my dealership does not normally (lubing the door for instance without even asking).
- All was going exactly as advertized, until the technician checking my air filter, pulled out my air filter in a manner that it could not be reinserted (it was deformed and no way to put it back from where it came); I'm not saying that it was not due for a change. The technician told me, not that I had any choice at that point, that had to be replaced. Obviously! So he went and pull one from inventory, installed it in literally 1 minute.
- And I was done.
Then I got my bill.
$46.99 for the Oil change, checkup (fuilds, battery, …)
$89.99 for the air filter!
Not knowing any better, I paid. I figured maybe it was a specialty item from the manufacturer.
As soon as I got home I decided to check up the part, here are a few links I pulled (sadly over the years many links no longer work):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LUBER-FINER-CAF1848P-Cabin-Air-Filter-/260858277533 ($8.04US)
http://www.autopartlookup.com/partdescription.asp?m=LBF&p=CAF1848P
Nissan Altima Cabin Filter ($7.98-$15.70)
http://www.amazon.com/TYC-800107P-Nissan-Altima-Replacement/dp/B002E5BW74/ref=pd_sxp_grid_i_0_0 ($13.05)
http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/mmp/nissan~altima~acc_cabin_filter~parts.html ($8.56)
http://www.nextag.com/nissan-altima-cabin-air-filter/shop-html ($4.93-$22.95)
http://www.buy.com/prod/2007-2008-nissan-altima-cabin-air-filter/217600565.html ($17.49)
As you can see, the air filter can be purchased for anywhere between $5 and $30 (on the very high end of things), with an average price of about $12-15. A hell of a long way from the $90 charged by Mr. Lube. That makes a markup of anywhere from 200% to 1700%, on the average it would be a markup of about 650%.
All of this to say, you can be sure that Mr. Lube lost a new customer today.
You make your own judgement call on whether or not you wish to do business with Mr. Lube. For me the decision is clear!
Update 2012-Feb-29
Well, I was contacted by a representative from Mr Lubes head office in BC about my complaint. Basically, I was informed that the price also included an installation fee! Come on really! So according to Mr Lube, a 7.95$ filter costs 82$ to install. Now since the installation took no more than 5 minutes to install, that translates into a rate of 984 $/hr. I'd also ask, why aren't parts and labour separate on the invoice, like any ordinary mechanic's shop? With cheap explanations, should I say excuses, like that it quickly becomes evident the type of business Mr Lube truly is. Hey, I have nothing against making a profit, but 82$ to install an air filter is simply ripping-off your client! Nothing more, nothing less! They appear, in my experience, to be more interested in excuses, than customer satisfaction. Their intervention did nothing but to reinforce my initial impression of their business!
Update 2012-Mar-10
CBC's Marketplace had a segment on their April 6th, 2012 show regarding Mr. Lube which brought to light their dubious cabine air filter prices, etc… See:
http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2012/busted/statements.html
http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/includes/2012/episodes/busted/08_mrlube_statement.pdf
You may also want to check out my review when I decided to go back again to Mr Lube to see if my first experience was atypical or not.
I was ripped off the same way I was charged $70 for a cabin filter, I live in Montreal, Quebec. The internet is full of complaints about Mr. Lube charging crazy prices for the services. They also offer $99 engine flush with 3 products, don’t buy that it’s completely ripp off. Avoid Mr. Lube at any cost, or if you go just ask them to do oil change and not touch anything else on the car.
Go OIL CHANGERS , never had problems with them,I don’t remember how much i paid for air filter bet not even close your price.
I would, but there are none presently in the Montreal area. Hopefully one day they will come out this way.
Hey why don't you chAnge your oil too? It's only $15 for parts . You could save yourself another $25. Maybe if your real desperate you can make your own burger and not go to McDonaldsand save yourself 3 bucks. All businesses make profit. It's called rent, lease, heat, wages, hydro water, franchise fees etc!!! Did you even know that you had a cabin filter? Then why would you replace it yourself ? Some people… Cheap cheap cheap!
Sadly, I can’t on this vehicle. I always changed my oil on my previous vehicles, but this one I cannot, as it cannot go up on ramps… As for making a profit, when you think Canadian Tire is making a profit at 36$, Midas 29.99$, Walmart 33.00$, but Mr Lube needs another 63% (46.99$) over and above! All have overhead, employees, rent, insurance, … I run my own business, so I know all too well about what it costs to run a business, but as my post indicated, even the CBC reported on Mr Lube excessive prices on interior Air Cabin filters and that was the main focus of this post. So I’m not the only one to think so. A simple Google search will return plenty of unhappy clients. Do I smell a trend! If you feel it is fine to pay 89.99$ for a 7.95$ part, then you know where to go now. If you think a business is good to have a 650% markup, then you know where to go now. If you think is acceptable to charge the equivalent of 984$/hr, then now you know where to go. At the end of the day, do as you please, the post is general information based on my experience at Mr Lube, it is factual, nothing more, nothing less. Do as you please!