Woman Sits In Line For An Hour At Take 5. Then They Say They Don’t Have Her Oil Filter—And Ask Her To Do Something That Shocks Her

A woman took her car to Take 5 for an oil change. What happened next left her stunned.

Ashton (@clockedin.withAshton) went to Take 5. After waiting for her turn, she says the techs gave her some bag news.

“My oil level is so low in my car my sensors are literally telling me the car is about to blow up,” she says. “And I just waited an hour in line at Take 5 for them to tell me they don’t have my oil filter."

“What do you mean you don’t have my [expletive] oil filter? They told me to go next door and buy one and come back and wait in line," she continues. "Yeah, guess what, you can get [expletive]."

“She Drives 10k On Conventional”

Throngs of people who commented on Ashton’s video didn’t believe her harsh words for Take 5 were warranted. Many remarked that her low oil level was indicative of poor maintenance habits on her part.

“Your oil level being low is absolutely your fault, when your engine blows up you can only blame yourself,” one person wrote. A second agreed, writing, “Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency for them.” A third wrote, “An oil change ain’t gonna save your car bro.”

Others said they believed Take 5 did have the parts to change her oil, but whoever was working there decided not to.

“Oh they had your filter, they just said that so they didn't have to work on your car, I can assure you of that,” one wrote.

Someone who said they work at Take 5 suggested it wasn't out of the ordinary to wait an hour for an oil change when they're busy. They also rattled off several reasons why a filter would not be in stock. “So I work there, unfortunately if your car is an import we might not have your filter! Or supply does run out before we order more! Also, if you pull up to the take 5 and there are 6 cars in the bay, it’s gonna take an hour! Hope this helps! Change your oil on time next time."

Take 5 Filter Trouble

Ashton wasn’t the only person who said they visited a Take 5 oil change establishment only to learn that they didn’t carry their filter. Unfortunately for this 2004 Jeep Liberty owner, they only discovered this bit of information after the Take 5 worker had already completed the oil change.

Before selling the car to a neighbor, they performed a final oil change themselves and say they noticed something was off with the filter. “It was much smaller than every other oil filter change [they’ve] … done over the 234k miles,” they wrote. They said that the techs at Take 5 didn’t have the particular filter for their car in stock, “so they just grabbed a random filter off the shelf and installed it on the Jeep.”

Filter Changes Are Included

According to Take 5’s website, they offer “quick, convenient, and thorough” oil changes that “take around 10 minutes.” The business states that its “certified technicians check the manufacturer’s specifications” for the vehicles they service. And that the oil changes they provide also include “a complete oil and filter change” and “fluid top-offs, tire pressure checks, and … inspection to ensure your vehicle is in good condition when you drive off.”

One person on the askcarguys Reddit advised against bringing import vehicles to Take 5.

“I would not take the BMW I own there if I was not able to change my oil as there are specific oils needed and oil filters for German cars,” they wrote. They also opined that newer Toyota Camry models that use 0w16 oil would be best suited to avoiding Take 5 service. That’s because, according to the them, Take 5 would have probably substituted it for ow20, which could affect that car’s performance. There's no evidence this is true.

Many speak highly of Take 5 and other quick-lube shops, however.

But not everyone's a fan. One person on Reddit urged people to “find an independent shop. They will be more or less around the same price. Those quick lube shops … replace a lot of engines."

Motor1 has reached out to Take 5 via email and Ashton via TikTok direct message for further comment. We'll update this article if either responds.