Uncle Ed’s Oil Shoppe

My trusty chariot manages to navigate the pothole-​strewn streets of southeast Michigan with only minimal demands upon me. Regular feedings of gasoline, the occasional tire balancing, and she gets me on my way. She also occasionally needs a fresh infusion of oil, and in this area, we are spoiled for choice on where to go.
Uncle Ed’s frequently wins out for me due to convenience and cleanliness. The Clawson branch is also conveniently located next to Del Taco, which makes a compelling argument when I know I will be sitting around in the car for forty minutes waiting for the techs to finish topping off oils and various fluids that keep me safe and happy.
Some people have a phobia for greasemonkey garages. If you are the sort of person to judge a book by its cover, a waiting room by tidy magazines, and an oil change place by visible leaks and spots of oil, take comfort knowing this meets most exacting standards. Bright lighting leaves little place for those nasty spots of unnamed lubricants to lurk, and you could probably have a picnic given how well swept it is.
They hire for geniality and friendliness, without a doubt. Expect the techs to talk to you and walk you through the steps of replacing your cabin air filter, your current and previous oil levels, and other basic maintenance instructions. I’ve never driven away ignorant about my vehicle’s condition on that front. A+ for making sure I am informed consumer and aware of any minor issues or flaws.
On the downside, Uncle Ed’s is not cheap. Whatever they advertise, the average oil change seems to run around $ 35 – 40 for normal and $ 75 for synthetic oil. This did not include a new air filter. I’ve kept track of my receipts and cringed at the variation. Always search their website or online for coupons; discounts via their newsletter frequently knock at least $ 5 to $ 10 off, so it is well worth the effort to search on your phone while you wait. Direct their online newsletter to your junk email, however, because they send out far too many marketing materials. Or do what I do: sign up right before an oil change and unsubscribe promptly afterwards.
Another unfortunate fact of the business, you’re going to have unwanted services pushed at you. Do you need new wiper blades or headlight bulbs? How about another air filter? Your transmission fluid needs changed in the next 25,000 miles, why not do it now? Stick to your guns and say no, with a smile. Unlike other places, at least at Uncle Ed’s they ask nicely, but it still bothers me they nag to add a few dollars.
Verdict: 3.5 stars — good service, knowledgeable; expensive, and their pushy upselling business model with a smile grates on my nerves.

I’ve been here once before and found prices and service to be reasonably good. It turns out that’s more the case if you watch out for their coupon books in the mail or something. Maybe I’m way off base, but in my head, an oil change shouldn’t cost $ 64 — unless it comes with an oil change, a new kitten, and a dozen roses. I could have sworn last time it was something like $ 25. They don’t even do tire rotations at this location, so it wasn’t possible to bundle prices, but I’m so overdue for an oil change I didn’t think it wise to keep putting it off. Huge downside of spending more than 2.5 hours a day commuting =no time to price compare, drive around, clip coupons, etc. I don’t know, guess I’ll come back if they send me more coupons.

If I could give them zero stars, I would. I’ve been patronizing this establishment for a little over 2−½ years. I always ask for Mobile 1 oil and oil filter. Therefore, I am paying about $ 100 for every oil change. I’m not necessarily complaining about the high price, however, make no mistake, these are high prices. What really, really angers me about these people is the «bigger hammer» mentality of the grease monkey’s banging away on vehicle. They are always pushing a hundred bucks for an engine flush (which the manufacturer does not recommend). Or trying to peddle cheap, over-​priced air filters and windshield wipers. Needless to say, I decline. Today was the final instance in which they will ever lay hands upon my vehicle. So, I am patiently sitting (more than 35 minutes for the oil to show up) and I feel the vehicle begin to rock and hear an awful shrike as the person below my vehicle is wrenching lose some fastener under my vehicle. After a few moments the manager one by and I ask him what’s up? He say «hang on». They had removed my rear differential welch plug and had put a drop of fluid on a piece of paper and said here in smells burnt, you should replace it. I declined and said I’d have it done at the dealer. What my major issue/​complaint is remains them preforming tasks I did not request, but more importantly that they just went ahead and did, without my knowledge or authorization. What is they stripped or ruined the threads in the housing? I’d have a multi thousand dollar repair job. Never again will I give them the opportunity to potentially damage my vehicle. I cannot recommend them under any circumstances. Stay away!

Listen, first thing you need to know coming into this is they are going to try to sell you everything under the sun. If you refuse, they will «see what they can do for you» and quote you for it at a lower price. Say. No.
Secondly, it’s not a 10 minute oil change. I’ve been here 45 minutes. I downloaded Unilocal,made an account, and began writing this. My oil isn’t changed yet.
I’m not upset. It’s too nice outside to be upset. I’m going to the damn zoo today, so they can’t bring me down.
However, they do seem very knowledgable and friendly. So they can have a couple stars.
Hope this helps.

Excellent service. Steve was very knowledgeable, and also very nice. They showed me what they were doing and when. I really appreciated all the information as I’ve had bad experiences in the past with oil change establishments. I think they’re great! A little pricey, but I think it’s worth it.

I will never, ever return. Ever. Admittedly, my car is a high milage vehicle. However, I usually go elsewhere and get a good price, great oil change and it is fast. Well, I was in a rush so I went here and will never return. They were super nice, please don’t misunderstand that. The issue is that I was quoted approximately $ 64 for a high-​milage oil change. I was not happy with that, so he said he would take $ 10 off the price. Again, I was in a hurry so I said fine. They went through their deal and said I needed new windshield wipers, and he gave me a quote. However, when he came back he informed me I needed the more expensive ones because my wipers were longer than standard. Fine, fine, fine. I should have said no, but I did not. My bad. Then another gentleman came around the corner, showed me my estimate was $ 68 and change. Still more than I wanted to pay, but made sense relative to the conversations we had been having about costs. HOWEVER, when all was said and done and there was no turning back they then informed me the total was $ 83! I was floored! When I asked how we jumped from $ 68 to $ 83, they said they had explained it to me. I’m not an arrogant elitist, but I have a Ph.D. and I routinely perform my own biostatistics, so I can do basic math and I’m sorry but the numbers did not add up. I informed the gentleman assisting me that I would never, ever return. I do not appreciate being told one thing, even shown something on one of the tablets for an estimate, and then end up paying substantially more. What a con.

I recently got an oil change at this Uncle Ed’s in Clawson.
Ive been here 3 times in the past few years, and each time I keep saying this will be the last time and I believe its true this time.
First things first. I don’t need you to check the tire pressure and wash the windows of my car after I said not to. Listen to your customers. I also know if my turn signals are working BTW… I am not a car guru by any means but I can tell.
One time I had the manager looking under the hood and ask me who the idiot was that put the headlight mounting in like this. I said it was me, and he totally shut up after that. No wonder they always have the now hiring sign out front. That’s another thing that is going to keep me from returning. I don’t want a rookie always working on my car.
Secondly, they try to sell you on every preventive maintenance issue your car could possibly need. I will take my car to a repair garage for things like a transmission or coolant flush.
They also completely talk down to you regarding the regular maintenance of the car as part of their required script — along with mentioning their coupons a bunch of times. I wouldn’t need a coupon if you weren’t the most expensive oil change place around.

I realized I had a few extra hours off this afternoon and decided to pull in to get an oil change as I’ve been delaying it for awhile. Very friendly staff, made note of a small lump in my front right tire (thanks Michigan potholes!), made sure I was satisfied with all the work done, and even found a coupon for an extra $ 10 off. If you’re looking for a high quality crew to help keep maintenance on your vehicle, I wouldn’t hesitate recommending the boys here.

overall good experience but they are aggressive about up-​selling. if you dont know anything about cars, youll probably leave here with a $ 200 bill to change your oil. be careful.

Don’t know anything about cars and hate dealing with car maintenance but these guys made it painless and super easy! Plus they are really nice and professional. Not the cheapest but definitely a value.

Uncle Ed’s always offers great service. I’ve brought my cars, foreign and domestic, there for years and have had no complaints. They will try and upsell sometimes, but I’ve found them trustworthy. One time they even patched the skid plate on my sister’s Audi for free. Great service!

Such a great place. Stopped in for a quick wiper change and coolant top off, ended up with an education on radiators and a bunch of friendly conversation. Luke and Jeff helped me out, and one of them even ran across the street to get a radiator cap for me when he realized mine didn’t hold any pressure. Great guys, great service. Will definitely be back.

Great service. Quick education lesson and honorable people. It’s hard to find people like this in this industry.
Their car wash is great too.

So great! The customer service is outstanding, they are speedy and I have never had a bad experience. I highly recommend this place!

Excellent overall. Friendly and professional. A bit more expensive, but worth it.

This review is for the carwash that (I assume) the Oil Shoppe owns since they’re on the same lot. This Autobath America carwash is touchless, efficient, and at a great location. What more do you need?

Uncle Ed’s — I want to pack you up and move you to Chicago. Super friendly and knowledgeable staff. They were more than willing to deal with my «What do you mean there is more than 1 kind of oil?» questions AND they were super nice about it AND they didn’t try to sell me things I didn’t need. They perform a courtesy inspection as part of the oil change as well; checked my lights, tire pressure, etc. I was in and out of there in about 15 minutes, and frankly that’s only because I played 20 questions about what kind of oil I should be using. This place is seriously the best.
Note to self: remember to get oil change when home at parents’ house, or suffer through yet another dreadful car-​related experience in Chicago.

This is by far the best oil change I have ever had. Everyone here is so proficient and really understands what they are doing. I don’t live in the area however I would recommend this place. Excellent customer service.

My good buddy… my little red toyota, was in need of an oil change for the winter. I happened to be driving down 14 mile and saw Uncle Ed’s. The first impression that I got from this place is that it was actually inviting! I’ve never seen a clean oil change place until today. The staff was extremely courteous and professional. They showed me the oil and fluid levels before doing any work. He even showed me the oil filter for my approval before installing it. The pricing is quite fair. They did attempt a few up-​sells. But hey, all places do this. They inspected my lights, tire pressure and even cleaned my windshield. I’m used to oil shoppes in Chicago where the staff can’t be trusted to wipe their own noses. This place was great. I will definitely be returning.