NOLN @ twenty-five years ~ special commemorative feature

A Pair of Sixes:
A Half-Dozen Things That Have
Changed in the Lube Biz in the Past
25 Years — and Six That Haven’t
by Garrett McKinnon ~ NOLN Staff Writer ~ garrett.mckinnon@noln.net

T
 he nature of our world is that things uniforms to bays that are scrubbed clean rectly lead to our next biggest change…
change over the course of time, regularly, lube shops have improved mark-
sometimes dramatically. The fast lube
industry, like any other, is not immune to
edly in their appearance.
4 Services Offered
change, and during the past quarter-cen-
tury we at National Oil & Lube News have
charted quite a few changes in the industry
2 Waiting Rooms
This might go hand-in-hand with appear-
With the assis-
tance of the vast
library of tech-
(besides just hairstyles!). ance if it weren’t so important in its own nical informa-
right. Time was when many lube shop tion available on
There are, however, certain things that have waiting rooms consisted of no more than modern comput-
changed little, if at all. That’s why when we a rock-hard vinyl couch and a few ancient er systems, fast
look back over the course the industry has magazines. But today? Many shops offer lubes have vastly
taken these past 25 years, certain things waiting rooms that are utterly luxurious, expanded their
jump out as having changed a lot, and oth- with soft leather chairs, free Wi-Fi Internet, service menus in
ers strike us for having changed very little. complementary coffee, tile floors and even the past 25 years.
Join us as we take a look at the six things play areas for the kiddos. This has lead to
that have changed the most during NOLN’s increased ticket
time covering the industry, and those that
have changed the least. 3 Computers
A quarter-century ago, most lube shops
averages and
higher sales, even
as car counts have
A Texaco Xpress Lube runs a
special for a $9.95 oil change
didn’t even have computer systems. Today, declined in more during its grand opening in
BIGGEST CHANGES most operators can’t imagine running a recent years. 1986.

1 Shop Appearance/Cleanliness
We’re not saying the typical lube shop circa
shop without one. Point-of-sale and back-
office computer systems have revolution-
ized the way shops do business, and the vast 5 ServicE Equipment
1986 was dingy information they’re Remember having to perform a coolant
and dirty, but let’s able to store has di- flush the old-fashioned way? Drain. Rinse.
face it: shops have Fill. These days,
come a long way in (left) The Oil Xchange machines exist
their appearance in 1985. for just about any
in the last 25 years. (below) A “brand new” automotive fluid
three-bay Jiffy Lube in
Today, operators service, allowing
1976.
and managers lube technicians
know that con- to tend to oth-
sumers demand er duties while
more than just these mechanical
great service, they marvels do much
also want a pleas- of the work for
ant atmosphere, and by and large to- them.
day’s lube shops provide that in spades. Technicians service
From a clean restroom (especially im- a trio of vehicles in a
portant to the ladies) to tidy employee lube shop in 1991.

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 NOLN @ twenty-five years ~ special commemorative feature
6 Automotive Technology
I doubt few operators around 25 years ago
2 Lube Bays
Step inside a modern lube bay and chances
would have ever dreamed that they’d see
(and service) cars that plug in to electrical
outlets, much less cars that use motor oil
as thin as 0W-20. Fortunately for lube op-
erators, advances in automotive technology
have not been able to eliminate one very
important fact: all vehicles need routine
maintenance. And the lube industry is still
a very important part of the market that
provides automotive maintenance to mil-
lions of drivers.
A Lube Center 10 Minute Oil Change in 1978.
The company eventually became known as Lube
Pro’s.
Things That Haven’t Changed
1 Fast Lube Construction
3 The LOF Process
While there have been great advances in 6
The advent of the “pit” for servicing beneath other types of automotive fluid service, If we’ve heard it once, we’ve heard it a
a vehicle dates back to at least the 1930s (it’s
been used for trains since the 1800s), but it
was only in the 1970s that what we think of
as the “traditional” fast lube concept came
to fruition. Basically, that is a three-bay,
roll-in/roll-out building (typically cinder-
block construction) with a full basement
and catwalk/lube pit system for checking
the undercar systems on a vehicle. While
there have been some advances in design
(namely the use of brick, stone and other
more expensive
materials), the
typical brand-new
fast lube still looks
remarkably simi-
lar to what it did
a quarter-century
ago.
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are very good you’re entering an area that
has changed little in the past 25 years. With
the exception of bay computer workstations
and the small minority of shops that use
shallow modular pit systems developed in
recent years, you’re still likely to find a lube
pit (covered, we hope); oil, filter and other
parts storage racks along one wall; and sun-
Lube shop bays have largely remained un-
changed, as attested by this 1990 photo.
dry other tools needed for oil change ser-
vice arranged within easy reach of the lube
technician.
CustoMers
little about the basic oil change service has
changed in the past 25 years. It’s still essen-
tially a “drain and refill” process that very
much resembles what it did a quarter- or
even a half-century ago!
4 The Fast Lube Business Model
Service as many vehicles as possible as
quickly as possible. Try and perform as
many OEM-recommended maintenance
services as pos-
sible by educating
Customers line
up outside a new
Valvoline Instant Oil
Change in this 1992
photo.
customers about what those services are
and why they’re important. Keep labor-
costs as low as possible. Simplistic, we
know, but that pretty much sums up the
fast lube business model as it exists today
— and as it existed in 1986.
5 Lube Techs
Just like they did 25 years ago, most lube
operators rely to a great extent on gener-
ally unskilled or
entry-level work-
ers to perform the
tasks associat-
ed with automo-
tive maintenance
on customers’ ve-
hicles. For many
lube techs, it’s their
first job, which is
why training is
as much a key to-
day (perhaps even
more so) than it
was when NOLN
first began keeping Oil Can Henry’s lube
tabs on the indus- technicians model their
try. uniforms in this 1997
photo.
hundred times: fast lube customers want
convenience, value and the peace of mind
that comes from knowing their vehicle was
serviced by maintenance professionals. We
once heard someone (the source eludes
us) say the fast lube industry as it exists
in America couldn’t exist anywhere else
in the world, because Americans are the
only people in the world who value their
time more than money. We’re a nation in
a hurry, just as we were back in 1986. And
fast lubes exist to provide Americans with
a much-needed service performed quickly,
conveniently and in a professional man-
ner. Looking ahead, we’re betting that same
need will still exist in 2036 when we cel-
ebrate our 50th anniversary! S
5/19/11 10:31 AM