Stores that issue coupons usually have a hard time retaining business. I wonder why?

Like Kira said, franchise stores usually carry the cheapest parts and hire mechanics that care less about customers. Repeat business is not their mantra.

So, if you want to save money, DIY. An oil change requires a new filter, crush washer, a wrench, a pan to hold used oil, and a 5 quarts of new oil. A piece of cardboard to lay on and paper towels are nice to have.

Flushing the tranny takes 30 minutes and no crawling under the car. But you will need 10-12 cans of ATF, a clear plastic tube, a few used gallon plastic jugs and a tranny long neck funnel.

Rotating the tires is a piece of cake. When you jack the car up at the jack point, both wheels lift off the ground. Just put the front on the back and back on the front. It would be nice if you had a $25 Sears torque wrench to tighten the lug nuts to 82lbs.

If you can drive down the Eisenhauer or Kennedy at 60, take your hands off the steering wheel and still go straight, an alignment is probably not needed. Most shops charge around $100.

Klaus
--
Praying for Cynthia Amendt, heaven bound

Not sure Ive seen service coupons, you might check with your local dealer of better yet, look for an indie.

The alignment is the other thing that cant be done in your driveway, if you are really wanting to keep costs down. I bet you can do the oil, transmission flush for less than 150. The dealer will want ~350 or more I bet. Most shops charge over 100 for a transmission "flush" which involves then draining the transmission and filling it back up, in other words, not a real flush.