Jiffy Lube Busted!

[DaMaN]

http://mfile.akamai.com/12924/wmv/vod.ibsys.com/2006/0503/9152183.200k.asx

[nitro237]

That sucks.

[nexus_7]

documented countless times at places like that. your best bet in all reality LOCAL SHOP or Dealer for over priced service. Sad but true.

Never take your stuff to a large chain, or ANY quick lube joint.

One quick lube joint broke my Brancos squerter for the windows...Dont ask me how. Another replaced my friends AIR filter...by REMOVING it and not replacing it, others have removed them and just blown them out. Grandmas car had the wrong oil filter put on and ruined the car. Wrong brake pads is also very common.

Hell, i hate to change the oil on my Xterra only because it is so messy because of how it is designed. I bring my oil & filter in and go hang out in the garage with the guy working on my truck.

Your best bet is to become friendly with the workers at a local shop. Offer to buy the guy behind the counter Lunch one day or bring them a bottle of wine at Christmas. They will remember you and make sure you get great service.

[Pugsley]

I worked at one for a week and after seeing that first hand i quit. Its a scam and a half at thoes places. As much as i Hate doing it my self, it the only way to make sure it gets done right (to my satisfaction)

[Err]

I know this stuff goes on but 5/9 of the same chain is surprizing.

As for the fuel filter on the Jeep: I don't think you can change the fuel filter. On the three Jeeps we've had (97 Wrangler, 02 Liberty, and 07 Grand Cherokee), there wasn't one. There is only a strainer on the fuel pump.

[Executioner]

The Jiffy Lube in Hemet is a good place. I never had an issue with my truck going there for oil changes. They even changed my battery last year by plugging in another one via the cigarette lighter while changing it so I would not use my settings on the radio. My only complaint with them was giving me the extra 1/2 quart of oil that was left over. They said if its low, come by and we can top it off. I was using that special SUV oil that they sold in bottles.

Since then, I've switched over to a place called Master Lube. As long as I'm able to watch what they are doing, then I'm OK with them changing the oil or doing other minor maintenance items. I don't like taking it to a dealer, since you can't see what they are doing.

[EvilHorace]

I googled the Jeep FF Q and yeah, no way any lube place would ever do all that:
http://autorepair.about.com/library/faqs/bl696d.htm

..BUT as for the other BS, it's amazing that they'd be so dumb as to risk getting caught when they're out in plain view for anyone to watch.
As for ATF, usually ones older, higher mileage fluid looks dark and if flushed, is red again so that'd be easy for any customer to check.

What SHOULD happen to any employee getting caught doing that? It's technically stealing thus if the companies management has any scruples, they'ld fire those people.

[normalicy]

They're all crooks. Every one of them. I've been to national chains, local shops, & dealerships. Every one has either charged me for something they didn't do, overcharge by over 1000% on the labor, or just plain lied on what the vehicle needed.

I am a pretty good mechanic, but after my wife started complaining that I spent more time working on cars than with her, I told her that she could start just taking them to shops. Well, the stories I could tell ($350 for a $15 part & 10 minutes labor, replacing a control arm, when it was the bushing, yes, even not flushing the transmission). I now exclusively work on my cars, but am richer & they work better because of it.

I will say that what nexus_7 said is true. I worked at a few stereo shops in my time & whenever someone gave a tip before work started or brought in some good eats, we did our best work for them (not that I ever cut corners, but I did go further than required). It's not always a good idea to sit there & watch the guy working though, it does make them nervous & nervous people don't work too well.

[EvilHorace]

They're all crooks. Every one of them

Having been a tech for a living for thew past 30 yrs, I can tell you that that's simply not true. Most that I've worked with are honest and do what the customers paying them to do.

Stories like the one linked here often hurt everyone in the car business because many think that all techs are the same, which is ridiculous.
You could say the same about all others in all other lines of work too, whatever they do.

As for fixing ones own stuff, IF one can fine but most people really aren't very mechanical, lack tools, knowledge and/or the desire to learn. If I had alot of money now, I wouldn't fix my own cars or other things anymore either.
Whenever you're paying someone else to work for you, you have to trust the person you're dealing with rather than assume that you're being ripped off.

[normalicy]

The reason I said what I did is because I started out trusting them. I've tried multiple shops & have indeed found one that is trustworthy, however, my experiences in the negative far outweigh the positive. Maybe I'm just in the wrong area.

[EvilHorace]

I got into repairing my own car and other things because I didn't trust anyone when I was younger. My experience last taught me to think otherwise however.

One thing's for sure, no person who's dishonest in their work lasts at doing that for any period of time. Sooner or later, they're caught.

Places like Jiffy Lube have no requirements for their employees such as credentials or experience. Anyone can work there.

[FlyingPenguin]

There's absolutely no reason not to go to a dealer for an oil change (unless you do it yourself of course). Dealers charge about the same as a Jiffy Lube now, and they all promise to get you in and out in 30 minutes or less with no appointment. Even my Cadillac dealer only charges me $30 for my wife's car. I just did my Toyota at my dealer for $25.

You at least get it done by a tech who knows WTF he's doing (he's got to be certified to work at a dealer) - not some college kid who can't tell the difference between the tranny drain and the oil drain.

Moreover, the dealer mechanic is more likely to actually spot something wrong during the safety inspection.

I am not bashful about watching over the mechanic's shoulder while he works. He doesn't like it - too bad. He has know idea that I don't know much about cars, and I can at least make sure that he's actually changed the oil filter and not left the old one in.

I don't get right up his ass - you usually have to stand outside the door for insurance reasons anyway - and I'll usually strike up a friendly conversation before hand to put him at ease. I use the excuse that I rarely get a chance to look under my care for rust or other problems so I like to look under it when it's on a lift.

Hey, I don't particularly like it when people hover over me when I fix their computer but I understand - it's THEIR computer. So I deal with it.

[b-man1]

same here...i can get an oil change at my dealership for ~$25. the jiffy lube near me wants $20. for $25 at the dealership i get a free cab ride to work (if i choose not to wait the 20-30 min), free drinks/cookies, and a free oil change every 6th visit. this, plus the returning customer benefits (freebies on misc work now and then)...it's a no brainer.

[DoPeY5007]

I think for me to get my oil changed at a dealer it is in the $50+ range.


And all the quick lube places here don't even carry the oil I need.

Our car uses 0W20, hard to even find at the local auto part stores.

[normalicy]

I do agree that dealers are the way to go for the oil changes. I've met too many idiots at the oil change places.

I will say though that most of the people that have their vehicles repaired are mostly clueless & don't know to report the fact that the repair shop is dishonest. So, the shops will go for years that way. Actually, I don't believe that the dishonesty is really the mechanics all the time. I do believe that management & sales are even more to be watched. That's why I encourage making buddies with the mechanic of choice.