Isn't having your oil changed supposed to be easier than doing it yourself? Ugh. My car was 800 miles overdue for an oil change. Normally I'd do it myself, but the Evo comes with a free "PitPass™" maintenance contract which includes oil change (with Mobil1 Synthetic, which is better but significantly more expensive than dino oil), tire rotation, 27-point inspection, car wash, and vacuum; so I figure I'll make use of that as long as I have it. Also, there was a service bulletin pending on my car so I needed to bring it in anyway.
So I got up early on Friday (about 1pm) and called the dealer. I explained that I have an Evo with the PitPass thing and asked how long the service should take. She said, "Is that an oil change? About 15 minutes." But I fell for that ruse 3000 miles ago, and I know that since it's more than a simple oil change, it actually takes an hour or two. But that's OK. I head in around 2pm (they close at 4pm) and take a big book and my MP3 player.
However, when I arrive, she says, "No, we're too busy today, you'll have to bring it in Monday morning when we open at 7am and leave it for the day." I felt this was a significant addendum to what I was told on the phone, one which would have been useful to know before braving traffic to drive out to the dealer. Also, that means I have to arrange for someone to go with me to drop it off and bring me home, and then take me by again later to pick it up.
But OK, fair enough, I return home. 7am is too early to ask my parents to wake up to take me in, so we make plans to take it Tuesday afternoon and leave it overnight. I would take my dad's car to work that evening.
So with five hours of sleep, we head to the dealer on Tuesday afternoon. As I hand her my key, she says, "We're closing soon, you'll need to bring it in tomorrow morning and leave it for the day."
"It's OK, I don't need it back today," I explain. "I'll just leave it overnight and pick it up tomorrow."
"You'll need to bring it in tomorrow morning and leave it for the day," she explains helpfully.
"But I'm already here, and would really rather leave it overnight."
"We open at 7am, but people tend to start arriving around 6:15am to make the line. You could come in then," she offers. I appreciate her generosity. So we return home once again, and my dad agrees to wake up early on Wed. morning to meet me at the dealer at 7 (I get out of work at 6am and the dealer is on my way home).
Wednesday morning I arrive at the dealer under cover of night and take my place third in line. I glance about nervously, as it is, after all, an uninhabited industrial area in what feels like the middle of the night. As I read my book and ignore the burden of wakefulness, the sky slowly lightens. The service techs arrive at 7, and I make my way to the front of the line, unreasonably excited about the prospect of getting home and going to sleep. But you see a few paragraphs below this one, so you know that was not to be.
They ask for the coupon for my PitPass service. I don't know what they're talking about. They describe the coupon book that should have come with my car. I've never seen it in my life. Splendid. They explain that the service costs them $180 and they need to verify that Mitsubishi will reimburse them without a coupon. Mitsubishi opens at 8am. She offers to call me once she has spoken to them, to tell me whether or not they are allowed to work on my car. Also, the service bulletin does not apply to my car. I go home.
By 9am, they haven't called, so I go to sleep. I get a phone call around noon, but the caller hangs up as soon as I answer. My parents awaken me at 3pm to go pick up the car before they close. Apparently they did in fact get authorization. Hooray! I am overjoyed.
And I'm also sure that I'm changing my own oil next time around.