Grease Monkey

I took my VW van in for an oil change a few days before I had to drive to Portland from Seattle on Friday. In Portland, I noticed an oil leak. It was coming from the oil drain plug. I looked under the van and saw a bunch of goo around the plug. I was NOT told or shown that I had a bad oil drain plug at the time of the oil change. I took the van back on Monday and the tech who worked on it said he told the tech who wrote up the work receipt that it was bad. I was told nothing. When I have been in before to get an oil change with my other vehicle, if a part was bad, I was shown the part. So, did the tech who changed the oil strip the plug and tried to hide it, or was there a true communication failure?? Either way, I was NOT going to take my van back there to have them try to fix it as I do NOT trust them. I took the van to a VW shop and they fixed the drain plug. I called the manager to find out the procedure to get the work paid for by Grease Monkey and Scott told me I had to call the district manager. After 2 calls to the district manager, Mark, called me back. I was told that they would not pay for the fix because it could of been stripped by the last tech who changed the oil, which was not Grease Monkey. I told him it was a trust issue. I do not know if it was stripped prior, but I did NOT have an oil leak prior to going into Grease Monkey in Ballard. I told him I do not trust his tech to fix it and I wanted a VW shop to fix it. The district manager told me that the only thing he could do was fix the drain plug there. With a VW van, I was told by more than 1 shop that the new plug may have to be re-threaded. I did NOT trust a Grease Monkey tech to do that. So, he said they would NOT pay for the fix. I am deeply upset with their customer service. If my engine had blown up on the drive to and from Portland because the 'goo' did not hold the plug in, I would be faced with paying for a new engine with Grease Monkey saying, I am sorry, it must of been stripped before you came in there is nothing we can do. more

I took my VW van in for an oil change a few days before I had to drive to Portland from Seattle on Friday. In Portland, I noticed an oil leak. It was coming from the oil drain plug. I looked under the van and saw a bunch of goo around the plug. I was NOT told or shown that I had a bad oil drain plug at the time of the oil change. I took the van back on Monday and the tech who worked on it said he told the tech who wrote up the work receipt that it was bad. I was told nothing. When I have been in before to get an oil change with my other vehicle, if a part was bad, I was shown the part. So, did the tech who changed the oil strip the plug and tried to hide it, or was there a true communication failure?? Either way, I was NOT going to take my van back there to have them try to fix it as I do NOT trust them. I took the van to a VW shop and they fixed the drain plug. I called the manager to find out the procedure to get the work paid for by Grease Monkey and Scott told me I had to call the district manager. After 2 calls to the district manager, Mark, called me back. I was told that they would not pay for the fix because it could of been stripped by the last tech who changed the oil, which was not Grease Monkey. I told him it was a trust issue. I do not know if it was stripped prior, but I did NOT have an oil leak prior to going into Grease Monkey in Ballard. I told him I do not trust his tech to fix it and I wanted a VW shop to fix it. The district manager told me that the only thing he could do was fix the drain plug there. With a VW van, I was told by more than 1 shop that the new plug may have to be re-threaded. I did NOT trust a Grease Monkey tech to do that. So, he said they would NOT pay for the fix. I am deeply upset with their customer service. If my engine had blown up on the drive to and from Portland because the 'goo' did not hold the plug in, I would be faced with paying for a new engine with Grease Monkey saying, I am sorry, it must of been stripped before you came in there is nothing we can do. more

I had a coupon for a 19.99 oil change. I said I wanted the standard 19.99 oil change, nothing special. The manager who was helping me said it is normally $12 more for 4x4 (which I have), I realized that it was mentioned on the coupon that 4x4s are more, so he wrote off the $12. I was a bit surprised to see the workers smoking while working on my car (no where near the interior). Overall, they are a rough looking crowd of workers, but very professional and nice. I am a 23 year old female who had gone in by myself and they did not try to sell me anything extra. Additionally my oil change only took about 15 minutes. Ill be back! more

I take my car here for the 3,000 mile oil change. They are quick and very convenient. It's easy to drop the car, go grocery shopping and come back to a finished maintenance check. There are also coupons in the local mailers all the time that give you pretty affordable options for full service and basic visits. Other major repairs not to be done here, but the basic stuff is great! more

At the Grease Monkey I can always count on great service in a very promt and timely manner. No waiting around all day for service. They do an especially great job on oil changes and tune ups. Excellent prices and quick reliable service. I trust these guys to the fullest extent and have always been satisfied. more