Vic Smith wrote:

The only effect these stories have had on me is to make me pull over
after *anybody* changes my oil and make sure nothing is screwed up.
Since I don't crawl under the car, even that won't help with a
hand-tightened plug, which is a time bomb.

I prefer to go to a competent mechanic who has the experience and
attitude to do things properly. This eliminates the need to check that
everything was done properly.

You can't see if everything was done properly with an oil change easily.
Did the mechanic leave the old oil filter gasket stuck onto the engine,
a fairly common occurrence? Did he replace the oil drain plug gasket?
Did he use the proper oil (something that even the dealer sometimes
doesn't do)? Was the filter tightened sufficiently, but not
over-tightened? Was the drain plug tightened sufficiently, but not
over-tightened.

My mechanic now even stocks factory oil filters for his regular
customers so you don't have to bring our own. He doesn't try to sell you
unneeded services such as the Bilstein Wallet Flush, etc. Oh, and he's
about $10 less for an oil change than Jiffy Lube. I'd go there even if
he wasn't my brother-in-law!