‘Let’s be real…’
A man is going viral after trying what he says was an experiment to see whether quick oil change chains are actually doing the work customers pay for.
In one of his recent videos, @powerstrokecentral documented a visit to Jiffy Lube after intentionally going in with fresh oil already in the vehicle. He says workers even commented on how “light” and clean the oil looked before servicing the truck anyway.
The creator said he disclosed that the oil was fresh, but the shop still completed the service.
Afterward, he broke down the receipt in the video and questioned the cost. He pointed to what he described as an “upcharge” for five quarts of oil and said the oil filter alone cost $29.24. Altogether, he said the visit totaled $320.81.
“Absolutely the most expensive,” @powerstrokecentral says.
He also criticized the wait time, saying the stop at Jiffy Lube took about 45 minutes. “Longest one so far.”
According to the creator, he had previously used Take 5 Oil Change with the same oil but a different filter and wanted to compare the results.
After driving the vehicle for a few miles, he inspected it himself. He pulled the dipstick and said the oil still appeared clean, which he took as a sign that fresh oil was in the engine. But he claimed the system had been overfilled.
He also said he noticed a small leak near the oil filter and heard what he described as a “typewriter tick” coming from the engine—something he says the truck normally doesn’t do.
As of this writing, the video has more than 43,700 views.
Overfilling engine oil might not sound like a huge deal, but it should be addressed immediately and can cause problems if left unchecked.
That’s also why some people notice white or blue smoke, strange noises, or rough performance after an overfill. Excess oil can end up where it’s not supposed to be, including inside the combustion chamber. If enough of it burns off, it can even damage parts like the catalytic converter over time.
The severity usually depends on how overfilled the engine actually is, which you can monitor by checking the dipstick. A level barely above the line may not cause much trouble, but a significantly overfilled engine can cause expensive problems.
That’s probably part of why @powerstrokecentral focused so much on the dipstick in his video. He claimed the truck was noticeably overfilled after the service, and paired that with the ticking sound and small leak he said he noticed afterward.
Quick oil change shops have long faced customer complaints—not just about overfills but also about cheap parts, amateur technicians, and unwanted services that squeeze as much money as possible from customers. Mistakes can happen at any shop, of course. A lot of it comes down to how carefully the work is being checked before the vehicle leaves.
The video sparked a familiar debate in the comments, with some viewers using it as another reason to avoid quick-oil-change chains altogether.
“They NEVER put the oil in that they charged you for. They put the cheapest crap in and charge you for top of the line,” one person wrote.
“Let’s be real,” another added. “Who’s taking their diesel to a quick lube place?”
Others chimed in with alternatives they said they trusted more.
“Mercedes only charges $149 for my e550,” one commenter wrote. “Plus, they wash the car and detail all the [brake] dust off the wheels.”
Not everyone agreed with @powerstrokecentral’s conclusions, though. Some pushed back on the idea that one experience reflected every quick-lube shop.
“Most Take 5[s] are franchise and are independently owned, selecting their own preferred oil and filters, so each one is different,” one person pointed out.
Others questioned whether the issues shown in the video were actually signs of a serious problem.
“Tick is normal, and the oil filter will get oil on the top outside the o-ring, then run down the filter,” another viewer said.
“That’s not way high,” another added, responding to the service price that @powerstrokecentral criticized.
A few people also took issue with how he checked the oil level in the clip itself.
“How are you getting a true reading on oil level, holding up the dipstick like that?” one person questioned.
“I’m going to have to say that’s not the most accurate way to check oil holding it that way,” another wrote.
Motor1 has reached out to @powerstrokecentral via a direct message on TikTok and to Take 5 and Jiffy Lube via email. We’ll update this if we hear back.
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