Valvoline Instant Oil Change in Albany County

I recently got an oil change here and I was charged $145 for an oil change. Apparently oil changes should not be that expensive, but since I was a young woman there alone they took advantage. The worker convinced me that I needed to get my oil cleaned out which added an extra cost. After comparing prices to other car service places I feel scammed. I wont be back here and if you are a woman dont come here especially alone without a man. Plus the wait was long.

Went during early morning hours which worked out great. Going in the afternoons and evenings after work has resulted in significant wait times. Always do the job well, however.

Had an oil change done I was in and out very efficient will be returning

Always a great experience at the Central Ave location.

I just recently been here. Used to go to one way down on Central. I love how detailed oriented they are. They even send the full report of everything they find on your vehicle, with pics included, I might add, in a text message to your phone. This is great for me. Cause Im a little slow to pic up on everything all at once. So with the verbal instructions at the counter plus the detailed text showing everything, it gives me time to ponder on what work I would want them to do first. It awesome service! Thanks guys

Fantastic and thorough, very helpful and focused a lot of attention on helping me even with an unrelated car thing. Great service every time. Also helps that the services are convenient and fast as well.

I went for a oil change on 08/ 06 of this year and they never put my new oil sticker in the window and they never reset my oil censure and today i went back because my oil light and check engine light came on for them to reset it only to have a thing reading my DVD censure isnt working to only get turned away and they told me to take my car to autozone when they are the one who messed my car up it was fine before i took it to vavoline plus i heard the manager reply oh my god when he seen me returning. Ms. Naquan is his name

The guys are very honest and willing to help make your experience good

Poor communication.The manager looked like he didn’t care

Very helpful quick service, great prices!

Always fast, friendly and always does a complete job.

I love this drive through location, its so convenient. Great customer service. The team works quickly & professionally. They explain things with out looking at you like your crazy. There is not a bunch of personal conversations going on, having you worried they are not paying attention to your car, like other places. Even when the line is long, the crew communicates and lets you know how long you have, were you should move. Remember to tip!

So the guys was cool but at the end of my oil change, I asked the guy to reset my oil light. He walks away and comes back and says. Let me guide you out. I said no. I need this oil message reset. Another guy comes over and says we will we just need to to pull out. While Im arguing with these people. I did it myself. My point is I paid for a service, that includes resetting my oil message. Dont try to kick me out to get the next person money. DO YOUR JOB 100%. Im GIVING THEM 3 Stars because they was respectful but Im not going back..I want all of what I pay for.

Came in for a synthetic oil change on a busy Saturday. They got it done in just over 20 minutes and were very friendly and professional. Its nice to have a positive experience at every Valvoline in the Capital Region.

Definitely not first come first serve I have my tire rotation pushed to the end of the line why I don’t know but I can guess a oil change brings in more money

I stopped going die to the increase in prices. I now get my oil change done at a dealership for much less than they charge

I don’t even have words for how awful my experience was here. Go to a legitimate and professional mechanic. That’s all I have to say.

Got here around 5:15pm, its around 5:40pm and Ive been waiting for an oil change. Asst. Manager with the name patch "Grant" is really manager material. Hes young but very respectful and you can tell he cares about the people. I was worried I wouldnt make the cut off for 5:45pm but he assured me I would stillll be seen and they were short staffed today. I really appreciate how considerate he is, it gives Valvoline a great rap!

After sitting outside the building 25 minutes to get inside, I then sat for 30 minutes while 2 different managers called to figure out what oil goesIn my truck. After calling there internal people who also do not know what oil goes in a Ford F-250, they called a Ford dealership, the whole time I am telling them what oil to use. After all of this they then inform me that they do not have the oil they needed. At one point the employee had told me they had already drained my oil because I was asking to leave, now all of a sudden they have not drained my oil. 1 hr at Valvoline and left without an oil change, hands down the worst experience I have ever had at any oil change company and I will NEVER use this company again.

The guys working were nice enough, but the service was really slow. There was only one person ahead of me in the bay when I arrived, and somehow the whole thing still took a full hour. They seemed to have trouble getting the oil level right too. And they now seem to have combined the conventional and mid-priced full synthetic options into some kind of conventional/synthetic “blend”, cheapening already basic service.I usually will give a business two tries but there are so many other options for oil changes in the area. I’m sad to say I’m likely done with Valvoline after my experience today.

So much for a 10 minute oil change. 2 hours later not only did I have to Google the torque of my oil drain plug for the tech but I also had to had to convince him my truck was a rear wheel drive.... trust me I travel the country in my work truck so this place is by far the worst oil change place ever... Im just glad I got it all on my dash camera.

I went for an oil change, the person who serviced my vehicle was very nice, checked all of the air filters and changed them without asking if I wanted to get it changed. Once the oil change was done I paid $164 for all of the things that were done including what I really came for. It wouldve been nice to ask before installing anything.

Store policy on appointment only for car inspection needs to have fexlbity. Pulled up at least 4 staff people working one other car in service was told no cant help you for a week. Really. Where did customer service go?

after an hour long wait i had a nice suprise 109 dollars for 30 dollars worth of oil and filter then tried to say I needed over 600 dollars worth of repair if you dont know cars I recommend elsewhere

They have a great group of guys now. Super thorough lights, tire pressure, topped off the antifreeze and more! Thank you so much!

I️ went just for an oil change and to get air in my tires. I️ was waiting for 30 mins okay that’s fine but I️ get in and I’m told I️ need an engine flush because the oil was “ too dark” okay I️ understand the upsell in service I️ went with it . But they were so busy upselling me they failed to put air in my tires for me . Soon as I️ drove off the my air pressure light came on . I️ guess the moral of my story here is just worry about what the customer wants first then worrying about the customer paying more. Now I️ have to go back in the Morning to put air in my tires.

How can you be called an instant oil change and take over an hour to change 2 vehicles? You guarantee 15 minutes and not only did it not take twice that long it took 4times as long with only one car in front of me. This is beyond unacceptable. Worst Valvoline I’ve ever been to.

Friendly staff. Came in for an oil change and an air condition treatment was recommended, which I appreciate. I would have never thought of getting it and my car is a 2014 and never received this type of treatment. Nice group of people.

It was amazing. I had taken my car some place else for my last oil change. They made a mess of things. But the guys at Valvoline found the problems, fixed them and I left a very satisfied customer. They were fast friendly, knowledgeable, and that exactly what I needed.

Long wait but worth it. Super nice and understanding people. Let me know what was up and didn’t push anything. Great service totally recommend.

The service was as quick as it could be for a lines out the door Saturday. Very courteous staff... Just lost 1 star because when I pulled in there was concern that a car that arrived there before me was falling behind but then I watched the two other cars behind me leave first before reacting similarly to me.

Bad place to change ur ur oil . I paid 120$ to get best oil . But They told me oil only last 3000 miles . They use bad oil for customers let’s why only last 3000miles. Better go to the dealer . They even charge cheap price and better Serives

They did my oil change over filled my engine with about 5 extra qtrs of oil and almost ruined my car. I called and wasnt satisfied with the response I got they made it seem like it didnt happen. I spoke to a supervisor but I wanted to speak to a manager they said he wasnt there I just never called back. They tried to offer free oil change but they must think Im a fool if Im going to take my car back to the same people. They need better training 😤

Went in for a radiator flush Tuesday April 20, 2021. The previous two times I did oil change at this location, I was recommended to do the radiator flush, which I finally decided to do this week. The first mechanic came to my car and asked me about the oil change, I said this is for the radiator flush, then they brought another guy who also asked me if I wanted to do an oil change, and again, I said Im doing a radiator flush. Lastly the third guy came and asked whether or not Id like to do an oil change, and I said Id like to do a radiator flush since Ive been recommended twice already. He went to work for a few minutes then I heard a loud pop and water/steam coming out the hood, and then he told me I had an existing "leak", I didnt. There were zero problems when I brought this car in for a radiator flush, and after a few minutes of working on my car he told me to bring it to Pep Boys or some auto care center to take care of the leak. I wasnt charged for a service that wasnt performed and sent on my way. 3 minutes later on the road, smoke comes out of my engine bay and long story short, we had to replace the entire radiator that was blown, a $1,200 fix at Pep Boys. Thanks for nothing Valvoline, you ruined me financially. A cautionary tale to anyone who goes to Valvoline, stick to the oil change and avoid any other service or do so at your expense, like what happened to me.

The last two times I got an oil change here, I pulled into their bays at 8:05 and was out by 8:15. Truly professional and efficient work...highly recommended.

The service was quick and very efficient. The manager and staff were friendly, informative, and very helpful. The customer service was AMAZING! The tech walked me through the whole process, explained everything in detail, did not pressure me to purchase additional services, and gave me honest feedback on what I truly needed for my car. Im so happy I went there and will definitely return! I will definitely recommend!Thank you Scott and the management team! You guys are awesome!!

Great team players and super courteous. Will be going to Wal-Mart for future oil changes - same oil but cheaper price. Valvoline inspectors are fast, knowledgeable and courteous as well. Ill continue to return there for vehicle inspections.

There was a little bit of a wait. But once in the bay, it was smooth sailing, the tech really knew what he was doing, most of the time they have a problem with screws and the oil filter, this guy was done faster than any other tech thats worked on my truck. Well done Valvoline.

I could not be more pleased...After having relocated from the midwest to Albany, I needed to have an oil change. I chose Valvoline because my car was serviced by a Valvoline shop where I had lived. So, it was a familiar place. First of all, I was impressed with the management at this store. This is a friendly, very efficient, and well-managed place.The second thing that impressed me is that they hooked me up, literally. While it is true that I went there for an oil change, the diagnostic information from the machine that theyd attached to my car was imvaluable. It pulled up the service history of my car with Valvoline from their nation-wide data base. Some things that they found could be repaired at the store, but some of the things they did not handle. For me as the car owner, it was good to have all of the information about my cars health.Which brings me to the third and most important thing there was never a hard sell.At no point did I feel pressured to have a repair done. I had the information and was free to decide what I wanted to do with it. I appreciated that as well. So, as a new resident of the area, this Valvoline is my go to place to have my car serviced, and I could not be more pleased. I just wanted to share that with you.

Our usual mechanic wasn’t available for an oil change, so I decided to give Jiffy Lube on Central Ave in Albany a try. Really nice experience! Jared, the Assistant Manager, was funny and informative. I told him I just wanted a basic oil change, and I was pleased that he didn’t try to up-sell. I may become a regular

Incredibly impressed! I came to Valvoline on a whim after going to 2 other shops to be told they couldnt inspect my car for various reasons. I showed up and they were able to bring my car in right away. Each person that worked on my car walked me through step by step what they were doing, even showed me the oil dipstick after they did the oil change! The level of customer service here is impeccable.

Great work, fast, and cheap. From the girl who answered the phone to the guys who worked on my car and Tim who cashed me out it was all around a great experience. The guys were all so nice, Tim was amazing and I was in and out in 15 minuets for an oil change and air filter replacement. I will definitely be coming here from now on.

Had a cracked windshield and over due inspection. The day I fix my windshield I went in to have my inspection done. Thankfully Hector there was knowledgeable and let me know the same day the windshield was replaced if my car was lifted it could cause damage to the windshield or binding agent used to secure the windshield. I went in the next day and was able to have my inspection done. The wait was minimum and the employee that helped me was polite. Great service. Ill be back to have future inspections done here. Only reason they didnt get 5 stars was because the tried to sell me cabin air filters. I understand Valvoline wants you to up sell things and run a 70$ ticket per car but selling cabin air filters to a smoker is pretty laughable.

I have never been here where I haven’t had to wait over an hour or 2 for an oil change. It seems to take them 30-45 minutes for each car which seems excessive. It’s quicker to drive to another town to get an oil change which is what I’ll have to do from now on.

Garbage place. Took my car there for an inspection, waited about an hour to get in but i guess thats expected for a first come, first serve shop. After about 15min into the inspection, the guy working on it starts looking around and not working on the car anymore, come to find out he was looking for the manager because he broke the stud right off the hub! The manager then shows me their torque wrench saying that they tightened how they should have but it still broke even though it looked like a newer stud. He told me it wasnt their fault and refused to do anything about it and started telling me about shops that could fix it. I left and did it myself, came back and they did nothing to try to get me in faster and ended up waiting for another 2hrs until i got into the shop. It was an all day ordeal when it should have been 30min. Save your time and money and dont go here. Fools.

They take advantage of people who don’t know much about cars. I went there for a simple oil change and the guy told me I had a leak in the car and he could put Lucas in it to fix it. Turns out there was no leak! I went back to the manager to explain this and was told although there wasn’t a leak, it’s damped and eventually there will be. That’s not what I was told though, I payed 20 extra so that they could put another Lucas oil to stop a nonexistent leakUpdate: it’s been over a month, and the company will leave a comment below your review if it’s a bad one to show they’ve done something but they don’t! After I contacted them and spoke with someone till this day nothings been done. STAY AWAY FROM THEM!

The personal there was very quick to let me know that they knew i was there - greeted within minutes after walking in the door with a friendly warm smile. The service was Great and their speed was too.....they answered all of my questions - the technician was very knowledgeable. I was treated like a queen rather than a number or just another customer and they were just there to make a pay check. They cared about what they did to each and ever one of the cars they worked on cause they live what they do.

Failed me for tires... after waiting 3 hours for an oil change and inspection. Didnt have my air filter in stock either. But, on the positive side, the dude that serviced me was nice.

Slowest oil change ever. I waited for over an hour when they said 15-25 minutes. And then once I was inside it still took them over a half hour for just an oil change. The staff seemed very unprofessional, and lacking of proper management. Im going back to doing it myself.

I got inspection done here. My experience was overall excellent. I was approached and checked in instantly by a knowledgeable employee who know a lot about the services and pricing. I did go in the middle of the day so there was about an hour wait. The entire inspection took about a half hour. My only complaint would be that the waiting area could use some work. Staff was professional and informed and asked my permission before they did anything. Overall an excellent company.