Valvoline Instant Oil Change

Reviews

• JP

  Joey P

  4 days ago
  2.0
  If I was aware that the oil change was $140 , I would’ve went somewhere else . Prices should be posted or customer should be made aware ahead of time .
• MC

  marc cone

  Aug 24, 2026
  3.0
  Prices went up without being informed d in advance
• AT

  Andre Tacen

  Aug 19, 2026
  1.0
  CRITICAL OPERATIONAL, COMPLIANCE, Avoid this Bergenfield facility entirely. On Saturday, August 15, I took my 2019 Toyota Highlander here for a routine oil change and a rear differential service. The initial phase went smoothly. However, I explicitly asked the technicians if they stocked the correct Pink antifreeze required by Toyota’s factory specifications. The technician looked at me and confidently said yes. Once the engine oil change was completed, they had me pull the vehicle forward to complete the rear differential work. Once they claimed the entire job was finished, I paid my bill. It was only after they printed my invoice. $5 charge for antifreeze onto the bill, but instead of using the required specialized Pink Valvoline brand (Zerex Asian Vehicle Red), they pumped an incompatible generic universal multi-vehicle fluid from their bulk lines into my system. To cover their tracks in the corporate database, they fabricated a completely fraudulent note on my invoice stating: "SLUDGE BUILDUP NOTICED PRIOR TO SERVICE." This was a blatant lie designed to shift the blame onto the consumer for their chemical non-compliance. When I immediately challenged the technician about mixing universal fluid with Toyota's specific loop, he was dismissive, telling me "nothing would happen" and that it was "okay to mix antifreeze" because he was a "certified mechanic." I demanded to speak to the store manager, who repeated the exact same lines. I refused to let them jeopardize my engine and told them I would personally go shop for the correct fluid myself. After a few minutes of back-and-forth, the manager agreed to do a complete coolant flush but stated he would charge me a retaliatory $60 labor fee. Left with no choice while stuck inside my vehicle in their service bay, I accepted under extreme duress. I went to Advance Auto Parts and bought 2 gallons of PEAK Original Equipment Technology Asian Red Pre-Mixed Coolant out of my own pocket. The manager performed the flush, and then forced a completely separate, secondary invoice charging me an unauthorized $60.00 "Miscellaneous Labor Charge" plus $3.98 tax. Making a customer pay a predatory labor fee to fix the shop’s own deceptive mistake is completely unacceptable. To make matters worse, the manager executed a completely deficient system purging and "burping" process, leaving massive air pockets trapped inside the engine block. By Sunday morning, the engine cooled, the vacuum pulled the remaining fluid down, and my expansion reservoir was left completely BONE-DRY. The vehicle was entirely unsafe to drive on the highway. I had to pay out-of-pocket for emergency Uber rides and an additional gallon of PEAK coolant just to top off and naturally clear the air pockets from the cooling loop in my garage. I immediately initiated a corporate claim. When Corporate Customer Care routed me back to local management, the manager tried to excuse the predatory billing by arguing that I "had agreed" to the labor charge. I told him straight out: I only agreed because your staff left me with zero options to save my engine. Once the manager realized the severity of his operational and administrative failure, he tried to bribe me with a "free oil change." I flatly refused. I will never step foot in this facility again. Before I do any maintenance on my vehicle, I do my research. Corporate case file CS3346947 has been fully documented. This entire file—including the consecutive invoices, receipts for external parts, alternative transit logs, and photos of the dry reservoir—is being formally submitted to the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs for a full investigation into deceptive commercial practices and billing fraud, as well as to my bank to finalize the dispute for the predatory second invoice. The District Manager, Tom, has actively ignored this case and chosen to disregard my formal written timeline, demonstrating a complete lack of professional accountability. Verify your fluids, and audit your receipts before you pull out of this shop.
• JB

  Jesse Bayer

  Aug 18, 2026
  4.0
  overall good experience. would have a appreciated a better price declaration per add on. Everything was reasonably priced but it would have been nice known along the way.
• DR

  Dakotah Romeo

  Aug 6, 2026
  1.0
  I told them I only want an oil change and they were trying to sell me things I didn’t need. I replaced my air filter 7 months ago they said it needed to be replaced. I just flushed my motor oil a year ago they’re saying it’s sludgy. Stop trying to get commission to rob customers.

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