“What an insult.”
Unfortunately, when you pull up to an oil change spot, you have to be ready to knock down attempts to upsell you left and right.
While we respect the hustle if there’s an actual problem with the car, when it’s just making replacements for the sake of a sale, that’s more likely to lose you what could have been a loyal customer—or at least deeply irk them.
Here’s what one customer did when a worker seemed to falsely state he needed to change out his air filter.
In a trending video with more than 24,000 views, content creator Skyler (@skylerstjohn) criticizes an experience he had at one of the major oil change chains.
Skyler explains that customers like him get there, expecting to pay between $80 and $100 for an oil change, only to hear that their engine air filter or cabin air filter also needs attention.
Skyler says the shop he went to quoted him $59 to replace the cabin air filter located near the glove box. He says he declined since he’d replaced it within the past few months.
Then, he says, the employee offered to reduce the price to $29. That’s a $30 price cut just like that.
“What the f—?” he asks.
Skyler theorizes that the shop would not offer the service for $29 unless it could still make money at that price. (So $59 was a huge upsell.)
“If a business is charging $59 for something, and then you say ‘No.’ And they say, ‘Well, we can knock the price down to $29.’ They wouldn’t be offering it to you if they didn’t make money at the $29,” he says.
For Skyler, the exchange was enough to make him reconsider ever going back.
“What an insult,” he says. “The fact that a company is taking advantage of people like that means we shouldn’t be supporting businesses like that in the first place.”
Both the cabin air filter and the engine air filter have “air filter” in the name. But one protects the people in the car, while the other protects the engine.
According to Capital One, the cabin air filter cleans the air entering the passenger compartment. It catches dust, mold spores, exhaust, and allergens before they blow through the vents. The engine air filter catches dirt and other particles before air reaches the engine for combustion.
Neither filter lasts forever. Capital One says cabin filters may need replacement every six to 12 months. Engine air filters are commonly changed every 12,000 to 15,000 miles. But those are general ranges, not a countdown clock. The right interval depends on the vehicle, where it is driven, and what the owner’s manual says.
Capital One put the average cabin air filter replacement cost between $85 and $114. An engine air-filter replacement averages between $75 and $96.
This is also one of those jobs some drivers can handle at home. A replacement filter can be purchased from an auto parts store. But difficulty varies by vehicle. Some cabin filters are easy to access. Others require part of the dashboard to come apart. Engine filters are usually located under the hood. In other words: Check the manual before buying the part or assuming it’s a five-minute job.
To be fair, a shop can find a real problem while changing your oil. But just because they recommend something doesn’t mean you need it. Edmunds confirms that air-filter replacement is a classic quick-lube upsell.
The easiest way to avoid an unnecessary add-on is to expect the upsell, which is often phrased as though you already agreed.
You don’t need to debate the salesperson. You can just say something like, “I’m not interested at this time” and hold strong.
Motor1 reached out to Skyler via TikTok direct message and comment. We’ll be sure to update this if he responds.
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