Your service center Reno Northwest Mae Anne Avenue(775) 787-1000
4.7 stars · Serving Northern Nevada since 1983Hours vary by location: find yoursFind a location CouponsMy Garage
The Mae Anne Avenue service center drains and refills front and rear differentials with the gear oil the manufacturer specifies, for pickups, AWD SUVs and the many Subarus on this side of Reno. Manufacturers typically list 30,000 to 50,000 miles under severe service, which towing, gravel and grades all trigger.
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Northwest Reno is Subaru and pickup country. The driveways in Somersett, Mogul and along Robb Drive hold all-wheel-drive wagons, half-ton trucks and the SUVs that run the Mount Rose Highway all winter, and every one of them has at least one differential full of gear oil that almost never gets looked at. This page explains the service as it is done at 6100 Mae Anne Ave, when the makers say it is due, and why the roads around here shorten that interval.
The service center sits at about 4,900 feet (USGS 3DEP) with Peavine Peak behind it, and the dirt roads up Peavine and out past Verdi are a weekend habit for a lot of customers. Gravel, towing and steep grades are the standard severe-service triggers, and Reno's 65 or so days at 90 F or hotter (NOAA 1991-2020 normals) heat the gear oil on the long pulls up to Tahoe. A boat trailer to Pyramid Lake or a camper over Donner Summit counts as towing, even if it is only a few times a summer.
Mogul is about 7 minutes from the bay, Northwest Reno about 8, Somersett about 10, Caughlin Ranch about 11 and Verdi about 13 (OSRM free-flow drive times, 2026). Households in Mogul average close to three vehicles (Census ACS 5-year 2024), and the third one is usually the truck.
A differential service is a drain and refill of the gear oil in the differential housing: the technician removes the fill plug first to be sure it can be refilled, drains the old lubricant, inspects it for metal and water, cleans the plugs and refills to the correct level with the viscosity and type the manufacturer specifies, including limited-slip additive where required. Four-wheel-drive trucks have a front and a rear differential; many Subarus and AWD SUVs have a rear differential plus a front unit shared with the transmission. Transfer case fluid can be checked at the same time on request.
The old oil is shown to you. Clean amber gear oil means you were early; dark, gritty or milky oil means you were on time or late. What we do not do is open the differential for bearing or gear repair; if the drained oil suggests that, you hear it straight.
Manufacturers of trucks and AWD vehicles that tow or see gravel typically list differential service at 30,000 to 50,000 miles under severe service, with longer intervals or inspection-only schedules under normal use. The owner's manual decides, and the technician checks it with you. Differential fluid is on the multi-point check on request, so ask during an oil change if you do not know when it was last done.
Mae Anne Avenue runs Monday to Friday 8 to 5 and Saturday 8 to 4, no appointment. Come in off McCarran or Robb Drive and pull up to the open bay. If the truck tows, the Subaru has passed the mileage in its manual, or the rear end has started to hum on the freeway, drive in today and have the gear oil checked; see vibration at highway speed for the other things that noise can be.
Great honest service. I brought my own oil and filter (I use Shell Rotella). Guys were honest and efficient. They did not try to up-sell; when I asked them to change the air filter, they showed me the air filter and did not need changing. I do my own oil changes, but time and other forces were against me. These guys did quality honest work.
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Any full-service oil change, conventional, synthetic blend or full synthetic, with the multi-point maintenance check.
Most vehicles. Up to 5 quarts; extra oil and special filters may add to the price. Present this coupon on your phone or printed before service begins. One coupon per vehicle per visit. Cannot be combined with other discounts or promotions for the same service.
Nevada emissions test while you wait at our Reno service centers.
Test fee only; the Nevada DMV certificate fee is set by the state. Present this coupon on your phone or printed before service begins. One coupon per vehicle per visit. Cannot be combined with other discounts or promotions for the same service.
Show the coupon on your phone when you pull in, or print it. Terms are on each coupon. All coupons and how to redeem.
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Straight answers
Still have a question? Call your service center or drive in; there is no appointment to make.
Yes. Most have a rear differential with its own gear oil, and Subaru publishes an inspection and replacement schedule in the owner's manual. We follow it.
Yes, front and rear, plus the transfer case on request, each with the fluid the maker calls for.
No. The transmission has its own fluid and service; see the transmission fluid service page for Mae Anne Avenue.
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