I drove to the grocery store and noticed the oil light was on. That was weird because I had an oil change and service two months before. I called my husband and he told me to check the oil and add a quart if needed.

I called the dealership to get an oil change and have them check the oil light. Why would I get the car serviced at the dealership? When we moved to Arizona, the car was still under warranty and service was free. Not so anymore, but that’s where I’m used to going.

The appointment was 10 days out.

In the meantime, I decided to drive our other car. First time I drove it, the oil light went on. I called for an appointment at a local small mechanic, not a dealership. I had an appointment the next day at 8 a.m. I sat and waited until 12:30 p.m. for an oil change! They tried to upsell me and told me I needed a new battery and tire alignment.

While I sat and waited, I noticed every single customer was told they needed something more. One woman came in with low tire pressure. After she left, her husband called and asked why she was charged more than $100 for air in her tires. It turns out they upsold her, plus found a nail in her tire. They charged $50 to plug the tire.

I remember when that used to be free or up to $10.

Ten days later I went to my appointment at the dealership.

I also needed new tires. I could have gone to Costco and saved some money, but I was already going to be sitting at the dealership, so I opted to get it all done at once.

I chose to wait for my car that Tuesday because we live 30 minutes away. I brought my laptop and a book. They said they’d drive me home in their shuttle because it was going to be a long wait.

I got a call at 5 p.m. Tuesday that my car hadn’t been serviced. I got a call Wednesday evening that my car hadn’t been looked at. I asked how that was possible when I had an appointment 10 days out. I was told that it was because I asked for alignment of my new tires.

Thursday, my car was ready in the afternoon. As I drove home, I noticed the tire pressure was off. Two tires were at 40 psi, the other two at 29. They were supposed to be at 35. I called the dealership and they told me to bring the car back and they’d fix it.

Oh yes, the oil light? They said it was a bad sensor and it would cost $2,700 to fix it!

No thanks.

Hubby got the tire air pressure where it was supposed to be after driving to three gas stations to find working air.

Saturday we were driving to Costco and a warning light came on the dashboard. One tire was at 17 psi. We stopped for air and drove to the dealership. I think I was hyperventilating watching the dashboard and the tire pressure dropping as we drove there. My husband asked for a loaner car.

The snippy customer service rep said, “I can’t give you a loaner, sir.”

My husband blew up and said “You had our car for three days. We will go to Costco while you fix our tire pressure.”

The manager came out and gave us a loaner. We did our Costco run and came back for our car. It turns out that not only did they not check the tire pressure, a valve was loose and air was leaking.

I asked the manager what was going on, because I have had decent service before.

He said, “We don’t have technicians. Nobody wants this job.”

I guess that was the problem at the local mechanic I went to also.

Where do you notice a lack of service? What jobs do people no longer want to do?

How does that affect our future?