Valvoline Instant Oil Change in Albany

I appreciate the efficiency of the oil change service at this Valvoline location its quick and convenient. However, theres always noticeable banter among the all-male staff. While it doesn t reach the point of making customers feel uncomfortable, it does create an atmosphere that feels more like a soap opera than a professional service center. The service itself is solid, but perhaps a little more focus on professionalism would enhance the overall experience.

They Only Did a oil change They Never did the Maintenance check on my car which comes with the service bad service false Advertisement unacceptable

Super friendly, transparent and quick

Efficient, good price, and very informative! Anthony answered all our questions and even helped us with a recommendation of where to eat!

They always trap you in to not use your coupon!

Left cap off the tire. Other than that it was satisfying.

GREAT SERVICE VERY PROFESSIONAL ESPECIALLY WITH THE GUYS WORKING TOGETHER

No nonsense and quick!

Quick and efficient. A worker was arguing with a colleague which was uncomfortable but otherwise friendly and helpful staff.

Great service very informative put my wipers on and no extra charge Davante and Jason. We re very professional A+ service all the way.

So I went to this location two hours before close (8/27/24) for a inspection and the website says you don t a appointment yet I still got denied service

Great services

A couple of weeks ago I was treated very disrepectully by the valvoline oil change in Latham. I left and went to the Albany location and couldnt have been treated any better. Thats the first time I went there, but Ill be back because the crew that serviced my car were great guys and did a great job.

I called in the morning to confirm they would have someone on site to do a state inspection. They told me they would be in by 9. I waited 40 minutes then was told he wasn t coming in today. I could have gone to another location, but instead they wasted my time.

Good oil change but less than professional employees.

A comically bad Valvoline location. Came here 3 weeks ago for an oil change and inspection. It was 1030am on a Monday. Waited 10 minutes for someone to come over to my car. Dude slowly crawls out of the garage looking like he just woke up. He said our inspection guy is not here until later, sorry can t help you. Odd, because I also asked for an oil change but ok. Left and figured I d try again another time. Just went there again today for an oil change and inspection. Guy comes to my car and told me they don t do inspections on Fridays (what? Lol) and even if they did, they couldn t perform one anyways because his system is messed up and he s waiting for someone to come fix it. Again, didn t even offer me an oil change which is what I m there for, so basically that was the end of the conversation. I ll literally never come back to this Valvoline after being a 10 year customer. What an absolute joke of a location. Curious if this place even has a GM? Manager? Any form of leadership that monitors customer satisfaction & revenue?? Embarrassing for Albany.

The crew there is awesome. Very knowledgeable and friendly.

I went to get an oil change today. I had the pleasure of dealing with PJ. He was very pleasant. Explained everything to me and made sure I understood the importance of each items he explained. When my service was done he wished me a wonderful day . Thanks PJ for such great service.

Had been to multiple Valvoline in the past month with multiple vehicles. Very surprising on how the service differs from location to location

They had zero cars in line. Zero cars in the garage with two employees available and they told me they only take cars by appointment. They wouldnt service my car. When I went to the next valvoline I sat in line for 45 minutes just for the mechanic to come out and tell me that he is going to lunch and he would take care of me in an hour if I came back. Needless to say. I didnt get my car done.

Very disappointed, been taking all my vehicles to Valvoline for the last 20yrs and was told for the first time that after waiting an hr that they didnt have time to do an inspection, and that I would have to make an appointment. When I asked about he appointment policy, I was told that they have been doing that for the last 2-3 years, which is funny because its the first time Ive ever been told that. But if I wanted to do the oil change they could do that. I know they dont make much on inspections, and that it takes longer to do it, but seems its all about profit and not customer service. Ended up going to a competitor who while just as busy was able to complete the inspection and oil change without any excuses. If your going to have an appointment is necessary for inspections, then perhaps you should put it on your website. Not sure if I will be returning as a customer.

Got there early- quick service. Was done in a half hour. Service was good.

Is near a Hyundai dealer. Got engine flushed. Theyre good for that and fluid changes

Service was very good. But again did not have air filter for my truck

The service was pretty good, except I felt I kept getting hit on.

While the service was great and the employees were friendly and curious, they refuse to give me the AARP discount of 20%. They did give me a 10% discount.

Took 2 hours for a oil change they promote 15 min it s a lie like 10 cars left because the wait is extremely long and unnecessary I could of dropped my car off somewhere else I m so mad

Website says 15 min oil change no appointment needed. Show up to be told its by appointment only. Foh. Love how your website lies. False advertisement is illegal.

This particular location is the busiest, and the guys here have a lot of expertise.

Dont go! They keep getting worse! I went on my 30 min lunch break which is normally fine, but this time it took 2 fkin hours to get me in and out; 30 min of waiting before my car even pulled into the bay. THE WORST PART is after they finished the oil change, they fixed my A/C but didnt included it in the bill or mention a price. I had no idea it was going to be charged afterwards or even how much it was going to be. They surprised me with a $183 charge on top of my $125 oil change. So I unexpectedly spent over $300 for a 2hr instant service on my 30 min lunch break. DONT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY.

Got me right in bay 3, and made sure I was leaving with a perfect oil level since my vehicle has no dipstick.

I paid $21 only for my inspection. This was the first time. It felt wonderful. Service was great! The inspector even rotated my Tires.

Needed my A/C recharged thankfully I had a very helpful young guy go out of his way to help me. He was also honest which I take into consideration when letting anyone near my car. He explained everything so that I understood what he was doing. Overall experience was definitely 5 star ty

Slow, over priced, and didnt do my tire rotation. They said come back in the morning.

Very good attention

They need to check that the names of their customers match what they have in their computer. I received an emailed invoice with my name, address and phone number on it, for a car I no longer own and haven t owned for over two years. Which means they never took the new owner s information and just kept mine in the system and gave out my personal information to the new owner on this invoice.

Honest workers. You can trust them

The workers are always so nice. Always a joyful experience!

Love bringing old Betsy here for oil changes, quick and reasonably priced. The techs are always pleasant and don t mind answering questions. Best part is you can always find a discount code online.

I got an oil change for my wife s car three weeks ago. Last week the check engine light came on and subsequently the car started to leak oil. We took it to the mechanic to get it checked and the problem was a loose oil filter that wasn t tightened well enough by the people at Valvoline. The car engine was almost completely out of oil which could have damaged it permanently. I had to pay the mechanic to get the oil redone. When I went back to Valvoline they told me they will refund me the money for the oil change but not for the repair because their policy is that you have to bring the car to them first to check it. They refuse to acknowledge their mistake and keep making excuses that maybe it wasn t their mistake even though I have a receipt stating that it was a loose filter from the previous oil change. How does it make sense that I bring back the car to them as if I knew automatically when the check engine light came on that it was a loose oil filter ?

Nice work being done there. Thanks.

First time here and had an incredible experience! My brake lights were suddenly out so I called ahead to make sure they had the bulbs in stock (corporate customer service was very helpful).. They dont take appointments so I was nervous I would be waiting for hours or it would cost a ton, but it was a breeze from the moment I drove up!.. They greeted me outside, directed me to the correct door and were replacing the lights within 2 minutes. I never had to leave my car. The total cost was extremely reasonable and exactly what they quoted me when I called ahead (under $40 TOTAL for two lights). The techs were super nice and very professional. Thank you Tommy and Shawn! You saved me a lot stress during the holidays.

Going to keep it short and simple. No sound or anything before I went in for an oil change. Everything done, drove out and started hearing thump on my passenger tire. Drive for 10-20 second more until I got out and found out there was a big nail in the tire. I know for a fact I got it right in the shop because I drove all day no thump but as soon as I got out the shop I started hearing it. Just keep the place a little cleaner so other customers won t have to deal with it like me pleas.

always system for inspection off

Professional service very courteous. The manger know how to treat customers even when very busy. My props to Anthony Walters and Tommy inspection technician.

They overfilled my truck with oil a couple weeks ago big repair bill heading my way. Thanks for that

Caring staff

Quick, efficient and good service.

I don t even have words for how awful my experience was here. Go to a legitimate and professional mechanic. That s all I have to say.

I stopped going die to the increase in prices. I now get my oil change done at a dealership for much less than they charge

Definitely not first come first serve I have my tire rotation pushed to the end of the line why I don t know but I can guess a oil change brings in more money

Came in for a synthetic oil change on a busy Saturday. They got it done in just over 20 minutes and were very friendly and professional. Its nice to have a positive experience at every Valvoline in the Capital Region.

So the guys was cool but at the end of my oil change, I asked the guy to reset my oil light. He walks away and comes back and says. Let me guide you out. I said no. I need this oil message reset. Another guy comes over and says we will we just need to to pull out. While Im arguing with these people. I did it myself. My point is I paid for a service, that includes resetting my oil message. Dont try to kick me out to get the next person money. DO YOUR JOB 100%. Im GIVING THEM 3 Stars because they was respectful but Im not going back..I want all of what I pay for.

I love this drive through location, its so convenient. Great customer service. The team works quickly & professionally. They explain things with out looking at you like your crazy. There is not a bunch of personal conversations going on, having you worried they are not paying attention to your car, like other places. Even when the line is long, the crew communicates and lets you know how long you have, were you should move. Remember to tip!

Great service

Always fast, friendly and always does a complete job.

Very helpful quick service, great prices!

Poor communication. The manager looked like he didn t care

Fast oil change

They need better supervision

The guys are very honest and willing to help make your experience good

I went for a oil change on 08/ 06 of this year and they never put my new oil sticker in the window and they never reset my oil censure and today i went back because my oil light and check engine light came on for them to reset it only to have a thing reading my DVD censure isnt working to only get turned away and they told me to take my car to autozone when they are the one who messed my car up it was fine before i took it to vavoline plus i heard the manager reply oh my god when he seen me returning. Ms. Naquan is his name

They changed my oil!!!!

Fantastic and thorough, very helpful and focused a lot of attention on helping me even with an unrelated car thing. Great service every time. Also helps that the services are convenient and fast as well.

I just recently been here. Used to go to one way down on Central. I love how detailed oriented they are. They even send the full report of everything they find on your vehicle, with pics included, I might add, in a text message to your phone. This is great for me. Cause Im a little slow to pic up on everything all at once. So with the verbal instructions at the counter plus the detailed text showing everything, it gives me time to ponder on what work I would want them to do first. It awesome service! Thanks guys

Always a great experience at the Central Ave location.

Had an oil change done I was in and out very efficient will be returning

Went during early morning hours which worked out great. Going in the afternoons and evenings after work has resulted in significant wait times. Always do the job well, however.

I recently got an oil change here and I was charged $145 for an oil change. Apparently oil changes should not be that expensive, but since I was a young woman there alone they took advantage. The worker convinced me that I needed to get my oil cleaned out which added an extra cost. After comparing prices to other car service places I feel scammed. I wont be back here and if you are a woman dont come here especially alone without a man. Plus the wait was long.

Fastest oil change ever. They even ordered a rear windshield wiper for me because mine was missing from my rear window. Will be visiting again when I need an oil change.

No wait. Guys did a GREAT job. Very professional.

Great

They serviced two other customers first, who arrived had after us... even though we checked in and were waiting in the front of the line. We eventually left without being helped.

I have a car that has 154000 miles on it, went to valvoline on central and Colvin Ave. I wanted to get oil changed, I go there all the time. When they pulled me in to the bay . I told them I wanted conventional oil change, and he told me he cant do it because it called for synthetic oil and I told him I get conventional oil all the time when I go there never had a problem before. The reason they would not do it is because the car manufacturer recommended synthetic of course , synthetic cost 90 dollars and conventional cost about 35 dollars. They said they dont cant do it, but they did before, ITS ALL ABOUT THE MONEY , I WANT TO KNOW IF THAT IS VALVOLINES POLICY. OR EMPLOYEES DECISION. I WILL NEVER GO THEIR AGAIN. YOU DISGUST ME AND I HOPE PEOPLE READ THIS. (JERKS)

Good service

Super busy but very kind staff

They did not reset after oil change, put wrong miles on sticker never refilled washer fluid, never properly checked coolant, never go there I swear! My company now has a car down , bad for. Business

Those gentlemen are extremely

A little slow but they get the job done.

Great Crew, thanks.

Oil change was done as stated however the oil filter that was installed was overtighted. Upon bringing my vehicle to another shop for an oil change, this resulted in other shop having to cut off oil filter and use a specialty tool to remove oil filter. The end result was a costly repair for something that could be avoided. Please DO NOT overtighten oil filters. Oil filters should not need to be cut off.

Came here three times. All three times I was told they were short staffed and couldn t do my tire oration. THREE different Times I went there. Had the guy on this third time say that I can wait for more staff to come in or wait until there s no cars being serviced . Lol what a joke. Services

Replaced my headlight bulbs for decent price. Showed me how to do it, so I can do it myself next time.

The last two times I got an oil change here, I pulled into their bays at 8:05 and was out by 8:15. Truly professional and efficient work...highly recommended.

Great, fast and easy service

Fast friendly service, very good prices

They did my oil change over filled my engine with about 5 extra qtrs of oil and almost ruined my car. I called and wasnt satisfied with the response I got they made it seem like it didnt happen. I spoke to a supervisor but I wanted to speak to a manager they said he wasnt there I just never called back. They tried to offer free oil change but they must think Im a fool if Im going to take my car back to the same people. They need better training

Quick and professional service. This is my go to oil change spot. No bs, no waiting for hours for an oil change. I recommend this location.

Bad place to change ur ur oil . I paid 120$ to get best oil . But They told me oil only last 3000 miles . They use bad oil for customers let s why only last 3000miles. Better go to the dealer . They even charge cheap price and better Serives

Fast professional friendly convenient AWESOME STAFF!

Guy was very nice and it was quick

Quick service and great staff.

The service was as quick as it could be for a lines out the door Saturday. Very courteous staff... Just lost 1 star because when I pulled in there was concern that a car that arrived there before me was falling behind but then I watched the two other cars behind me leave first before reacting similarly to me.

They are the best

No New York State inspection!!! everybody was polite and I didnt go there for any other service Thats the only reason why they got one star

Courteous, polite, fast!

Long wait but worth it. Super nice and understanding people. Let me know what was up and didn t push anything. Great service totally recommend.

Mechanic told me to switch lines and two people who arrived after me were serviced before me. Ended up waiting 2 hours for an oil change.

Awesome team. Quick service.

They were friendly and professional.

It was amazing. I had taken my car some place else for my last oil change. They made a mess of things. But the guys at Valvoline found the problems, fixed them and I left a very satisfied customer. They were fast friendly, knowledgeable, and that exactly what I needed.

I like these guys but wish they were faster

Friendly staff. Came in for an oil change and an air condition treatment was recommended, which I appreciate. I would have never thought of getting it and my car is a 2014 and never received this type of treatment. Nice group of people.

How can you be called an instant oil change and take over an hour to change 2 vehicles? You guarantee 15 minutes and not only did it not take twice that long it took 4times as long with only one car in front of me. This is beyond unacceptable. Worst Valvoline I ve ever been to.

I went just for an oil change and to get air in my tires. I was waiting for 30 mins okay that s fine but I get in and I m told I need an engine flush because the oil was too dark okay I understand the upsell in service I went with it . But they were so busy upselling me they failed to put air in my tires for me . Soon as I drove off the my air pressure light came on . I guess the moral of my story here is just worry about what the customer wants first then worrying about the customer paying more. Now I have to go back in the Morning to put air in my tires.

The guys who work here are always homies!! Great vibes!

Extremely slow. Instant oil change can take well over an hour. Sad.

Worst customer service Extremely rude person Gary, he argue with customer for a question asked. Very unprofessional Negative Professionalism

Over priced, if u go here get a Groupon

1 car in-service ahead of Me and I still waited an hour. Too many lazy folks working here.

They have a great group of guys now. Super thorough lights, tire pressure, topped off the antifreeze and more! Thank you so much!

after an hour long wait i had a nice suprise 109 dollars for 30 dollars worth of oil and filter then tried to say I needed over 600 dollars worth of repair if you dont know cars I recommend elsewhere

Store policy on appointment only for car inspection needs to have fexlbity. Pulled up at least 4 staff people working one other car in service was told no cant help you for a week. Really. Where did customer service go?

I went for an oil change, the person who serviced my vehicle was very nice, checked all of the air filters and changed them without asking if I wanted to get it changed. Once the oil change was done I paid $164 for all of the things that were done including what I really came for. It wouldve been nice to ask before installing anything.

Excellent, diligent, friendly service

So much for a 10 minute oil change. 2 hours later not only did I have to Google the torque of my oil drain plug for the tech but I also had to had to convince him my truck was a rear wheel drive.... trust me I travel the country in my work truck so this place is by far the worst oil change place ever... Im just glad I got it all on my dash camera.

The guys working were nice enough, but the service was really slow. There was only one person ahead of me in the bay when I arrived, and somehow the whole thing still took a full hour. They seemed to have trouble getting the oil level right too. And they now seem to have combined the conventional and mid-priced full synthetic options into some kind of conventional/synthetic blend , cheapening already basic service. I usually will give a business two tries but there are so many other options for oil changes in the area. I m sad to say I m likely done with Valvoline after my experience today.

Good quality

After sitting outside the building 25 minutes to get inside, I then sat for 30 minutes while 2 different managers called to figure out what oil goes In my truck. After calling there internal people who also do not know what oil goes in a Ford F-250, they called a Ford dealership, the whole time I am telling them what oil to use. After all of this they then inform me that they do not have the oil they needed. At one point the employee had told me they had already drained my oil because I was asking to leave, now all of a sudden they have not drained my oil. 1 hr at Valvoline and left without an oil change, hands down the worst experience I have ever had at any oil change company and I will NEVER use this company again.

Quick service makes thing easy.

These people dont have any knowledge to service your car. Please DONT GO TO THIS PLACE.

Got here around 5:15pm, its around 5:40pm and Ive been waiting for an oil change. Asst. Manager with the name patch Grant is really manager material. Hes young but very respectful and you can tell he cares about the people. I was worried I wouldnt make the cut off for 5:45pm but he assured me I would stillll be seen and they were short staffed today. I really appreciate how considerate he is, it gives Valvoline a great rap!

Great service. Nice guys!

I could not be more pleased... After having relocated from the midwest to Albany, I needed to have an oil change. I chose Valvoline because my car was serviced by a Valvoline shop where I had lived. So, it was a familiar place. First of all, I was impressed with the management at this store. This is a friendly, very efficient, and well-managed place. The second thing that impressed me is that they hooked me up, literally. While it is true that I went there for an oil change, the diagnostic information from the machine that theyd attached to my car was imvaluable. It pulled up the service history of my car with Valvoline from their nation-wide data base. Some things that they found could be repaired at the store, but some of the things they did not handle. For me as the car owner, it was good to have all of the information about my cars health. Which brings me to the third and most important thing there was never a hard sell. At no point did I feel pressured to have a repair done. I had the information and was free to decide what I wanted to do with it. I appreciated that as well. So, as a new resident of the area, this Valvoline is my go to place to have my car serviced, and I could not be more pleased. I just wanted to share that with you.

Stopped for flat tire issue, they dont have full service but they took care if it by inflating them!

Very professional , curious and informative..need to send management to McDonalds. Lol Thanks again I will continue to use your services...

There was a little bit of a wait. But once in the bay, it was smooth sailing, the tech really knew what he was doing, most of the time they have a problem with screws and the oil filter, this guy was done faster than any other tech thats worked on my truck. Well done Valvoline.

Fast and informative!

The manager broke ( strip a screw ) on the brand new vehicle and than tried to to deny it meanwhile he also broke the latch on another customers vehicle and was rude to both her and I for his wrong doing I wouldnt suggest this establishment to my enemies

Dont trust them at all. But they can replace the filter on my oil components. In my volvo. So I like that.

Great service,good people.I had an appointment with them for a NYSI.they got me in amidately.

Its great services and very quick

Great team players and super courteous. Will be going to Wal-Mart for future oil changes - same oil but cheaper price. Valvoline inspectors are fast, knowledgeable and courteous as well. Ill continue to return there for vehicle inspections.

Very good workers nice to the customer

They really had me in here for an hour for an oil change, just sitting here. This was by far my worst experience. Ill have to find a different spot

The service was quick and very efficient. The manager and staff were friendly, informative, and very helpful. The customer service was AMAZING! The tech walked me through the whole process, explained everything in detail, did not pressure me to purchase additional services, and gave me honest feedback on what I truly needed for my car. Im so happy I went there and will definitely return! I will definitely recommend! Thank you Scott and the management team! You guys are awesome!!

WASTE OF TIME . Called before hand to make sure they had the correct oil and filter before I came, they said they did however when I arrived I waited an hour before getting serviced just to find out they didn t have the filter I needed..

Very good

I usually go there to get my oil change Today I went up there to get a inspection they dont have time to do an inspection only had one car in the Bay so I will not be using them again

Great customer service and they gave me helpful insight about my vehicle.

Always the same

Went to Valvoline at 924 Central Ave and was denied service because this particular branch does not perform inspections on Sundays. Not sure where this falls in with company policy, but I will not return to Valvoline for any services.

The wait was ridiculous. The mechanic was good The prices a little to high