Valvoline Instant Oil Change

I have never had a bad experience at this location! They are friendly, helpful, quick, and knowledgeable! I highly recommend them!!

⭐ Absolutely Horrible Experience – Avoid Valvoline Around 4:30 PM on Tuesday, I went into Valvoline in Millersville for what should have been a simple oil change. I was talked into a radiator fluid replacement upsell that I did not even want, and that decision turned into a complete nightmare. After the service was already done, the technician Chris (training to be a manager by the way) casually tells me the machine was having problems. My car had no heat, so he flushed the system three more times. Still no heat. His solution? “Take it for a drive and maybe it’ll kick in.” I stupidly listened because my son—who was with me—had a doctor’s appointment at 5:30, literally 10 minutes down the road. I didn’t even make it that far. As soon as I stopped at a light, my car instantly started overheating and the temperature warning light came on. I shut the car off, waited for it to cool, and cautiously drove it straight back. I told Chris it was overheating. He flushed it again and again, then openly admitted he was going to YouTube it. Yes. YouTube. After that, he called the store manager Chaela (or something close)—who had been there when the problems started but chose to leave. Carelessness? Lack of communication? Either way, unacceptable. I filed a claim with corporate. When I called the store again on Thursday, Chaela told me she had sent my car to a third party shop. Without my permission. They sent my vehicle to a third-party shop without even asking me. I called the third party place myself. They told me they didn’t think it was an air pocket and claimed the thermostat was sealed shut and needed replacement. Convenient. Then Cora from Valvoline corporate calls to tell me Valvoline will not be held liable because “it’s the thermostat.” Excuse me? My car worked perfectly fine before I came in, and the moment I agree to an upsell I didn’t want, my car overheats and suddenly it’s “not their problem”? Later, Carrie from corporate called with Ebony, the area manager, on the line. Ebony actually said they are technicians, not mechanics, and therefore not liable. Then why are they offering services that can clearly cause mechanical issues? Here’s the kicker: It WAS an air pocket. A simple 15-minute fix. So Valvoline wrecks my cooling system, sends my car to a third party shop without consent, that shop misdiagnoses it, and corporate washes their hands of responsibility. It felt less like customer service and more like shady businesses trying to pass the buck and squeeze out a sale. I wouldn’t trust Valvoline in Millersville with anything—not even an oil change. Learn from my mistake and take your car somewhere that actually knows what they’re doing and stands behind their work.