Both of our cars were long overdue for oil changes, so, with little time today, but some fear and trepidation on my part that I was working hard to suppress, we took our cars to Jiffy Lube.
Note to self: in the future, listen to my fear and trepidation. Words to live by: Jiffy Lube Sucks.
First they explained to me that my car was out of oil and so would need a 'complete engine flush'. Not just low on oil, they insisted, but completely, bone dry. This seemed unlikely for two reasons: (1) I had checked the oil last night before driving to the city, and I had plenty. (2) the car moved, on its own power, to Jiffy Lube. Cars that are completely out of oil do not typically drive very far. Certainly not without horrible grinding noises, which somehow I had failed to observe.
I finally told them to pull the drain plug and see how much oil came out. Wow, look at all that oil. "Well, it's ... it's pretty black. You should still get an engine flush." Mmm hmm... no thank you.
At least Meredith's car wasn't "completely out of oil". Instead, it took them fifteen or twenty minutes to figure out how to get to the oil filter. Perhaps they don't see a lot of Passats? Actually, what seems likely is that most Passat owners are smarter than we are and don't take their cars to places like Jiffy Lube.
Here's something amusing, though. Their web site suggests: "Give a Jiffy Lube gift certificate! It’s the perfect Valentine’s gift for calorie counters! Show someone you care by giving them a Jiffy Lube gift certificate." A Valentine's gift??? Maybe this would be a good Valentine's present for someone you would like to soon make your ex.
Update: See June 3 follow-up...
Posted by Mike at February 15, 2003 02:34 PMHello,
I am sorry that you had a bad experience at one of the many Jiffy Lubes in the country. One thing that you may have missed is that Jiffy Lube has thousands of employees, and some may be as bad as a used car salesman. I do work for Jiffy Lube and I pride myself on being an honest human being. I do know that in America that we have a love/hate relationship with our cars and there is nothing more frustrating to us than to turn the key and nothing happens. The oil in your motor is like the blood in your body it must be maintaned to keep it healthy. I do feel for the customers that have to deal with people such as the ones that you had to deal with, but not all of the people working at Jiffy Lube are such people. Remeber that some of the employees at Jiffy Lube care about the customer and want them to come back to us.
Thank You,
Glenn Brown
Klamath Fall,OR
we took our 4 1/2 month old toyota rav4 to our local jiffy lube. They went ahead and changed the oil and not 5 miles from jiffy lube the car stalled. Turns out they put (the managers own words) the wrong oil filter on the car. Which in turn blew our engine. They made us pay for the rental car and when the tow truck came they called for us it was told the them we would pay!!.
We just found this site and wanted to put in our 2 cents. We agree JIFFY LUBE SUCKS.
P.S. If any one has had a problem with jiffy lube especially in the Raliegh,Durham and Chapel Hill N.C. area please feel free to e-mail us your experience. to us. thank you.
Posted by: Mark Browning on May 18, 2003 03:21 PMI have had Jiffy Lube change the oil in my Nissan Maxima approximately every two months (3000 miles) since I bought the car. A few days ago I went in for my car's regular oil change and was told that my oil was black and that I needed an engine flush because my engine contained sludge. I did not have the engine flush done but have been worried ever since I was told that my oil was black. How is it possible that my oil could be black when I change it so often? I'm afraid that I was either lied to in order to try to sell me an expensive service OR, worse yet, I've been paying for oil changes and they go through the motions and don't actually change the oil causing it to get black. I agree- Jiffy Lube sucks and they have lost me as a regular, long-term customer.
Posted by: Celia on May 31, 2003 01:35 PMTwo years ago I was visiting my Mom in California while my husband was away on a training mission for the army. Durring that visit it was time to get an oil change in our Van. So I went to jiffy lube. I had them do the whole enchilada with checking all the fluids on the van. A few days later the van started making funny noises, so I stopped driving it until my husband could look at it. Well it turns out that they put oil in the transmission fluid and ruined the transmission in our Van. I agree...Jiffy Lube Sucks.
Posted by: Sheri on June 5, 2003 03:25 PMI daughter brought her car to the Jiffy Lube located on Ramsey Street, Fayetteville, NC. She was charged for a complete oil change. When I looked under the car several days later, I noticed the old oil filter was still on the car. They lost my business forever!
Posted by: Cliff Jones on June 16, 2003 01:52 PMThis is to the man who asked about the engine flush. If you look in your car manual you will see that all car manufactures recommend that you have an engine flush done after the first 50,000 miles (or so). Being a Mechanic my self I can tell you that having your oil changed is just that Changed not cleaning out you oil pan or engine. After an oil change your then clean oil runs back through the same dirty engine for 3000 more miles and keeps doing that after each oil change. More and more dirt,sludge and all kinds of nasty stuff gets added to the already caked sides. Sooner or later the oil is going to come out black and blacker as the time goes by.
I am really sorry to hear about all the bad jiffy lube experiences everyone has had but I know that the jiffy lube in my town is ran by 2 master Mechanics 100% of the people that go in there have been coming back for years and years. I take my cars there just because I dont have time like the rest of you. What that guy had said was true like with any place you have bad,good and the best. I just wish that people would respect that and understand that.
Thank you and God bless!
Posted by: jess on July 13, 2003 07:50 PMAn Engine flush is a service-center-only circumstantial-recommendation. there is not one single car manufacturer that recommends an engine flush as part of the preventive/scheduled maintance. its only recommended by a service technican as a result of someone who SEVERELY abused their oil like changing the oil at 15,000 miles ( like if you loaned someone a car? or lost a job and couldn't visit the service center ) or say your car overheated and left some harmful deposits. its there to provide the best protection/performance. using an engine flush consistantly will actually decrease engine life as it CLEANS and does not thoroughly lubricate. An engine flush is a oil with concentrated detergents that is run thru the engine for 5 minutes then drained, and the oil filter replaced, i actually think it is a great product incase u have an engine/oil thats been abused. but fix it and treat it right, its as if you got lung cancer and kept smoking? whats the point of getting a surgery? if you don't quit doing the wrong thing? ...
well anyone feel free to email me if you have any questions i am a jiffy lube employee (unforutnately) w/ strictly the customers best interest in mind,.. they don't pay me hardly enough so i rather keep my conscience clean and i still manage to keep a job get bitched at alittle more for no "sales" but hey, thats life, my first job what can i expect :).. i'm sure all business has its corrupted parts.. :( well.. take care and beware/careful/informed..
Sincerely,
Mike
I have to agree that Jiffy Lube sucks big time. I took my car (an Acura Integra) there a few weeks ago. I was first told that I needed a new air filter. I told them I would wait and get my regular shop's (an Acura specialist) opinion on that. (The Acura shop later said the air filter was fine.) The Jiffy Lube "technician" was shocked because it was "recommended" and I was refusing his advice.
Then he told me that my oil was "pretty dirty" and that if I got a $125 engine flush, I would get a free oil and filter change. He said this "flush" was "recommended by the manufacturer". I handed him my Integra shop manual (which I keep in the trunk), and asked him to show me where this was "recommended". He was speechless.
So they did the oil/filter change and nothing more. Even though I told them the coolant level was fine, they overfilled the radiator and left the radiator cap loose. Apparently they don't know about adding coolant through the overflow tank.
They "checked" the tires, which I had checked a couple of days before. I had a flat tire the next morning, because they had managed to loosen the valve core in one of the tires.
I would never go to these imbeciles again.
A shop that specializes in your make of car is always a better bet than JL, and chances are it will cost less. You don't really need to pay for their vacuuming and window "treatment".
Best of luck,
Lee
Posted by: Lee on July 16, 2003 12:45 PMI was so happy to find out about this web site.
Well, I live in Vancouver Canada and the legend continues North.
On Thursday Aug 08, 2002 at 5:45 PM I came to Jiffy Lube Kingsway to have my SUV, 95 Toyota 4Runner, serviced: change oil & filter and lubricate differential, as I was planning to travel on Saturday to Oregon, USA. This trip was going to be a long drive and wanted to have my car checked and make sure everything is working correctly.
I was driving on the I-5 Interstate Highway in Washington State with 120Km/h or 70Miles/h when I noticed that the ‘’Oil Temp High’’ warning light on the dashboard was on. I though that maybe the engine was overheating, since it was a hot day. I started to change lanes to the right in order to reach the far right emergency lane. I pulled over and stopped. I opened the engine hood and looked under. The engine was extremely hot. I looked under the car and noticed that oil was gushing out from underneath the engine but couldn’t determine where from the oil was leaking from. I pulled out the engine oil dipstick and it was dry. No sign of oil. I looked behind the car and there was a trail of oil spill. From what I could see at the time, I thought that either an engine gasket had blown out or the oil pan was cracked and leaking.
I found a mechanic and he came back out with some tools and went underneath the car again. In a while he rolled out and said that the oil filter was not put on tight enough and the oil was leaking from it. He tightened it and filled up the engine with oil.
Upon returning from vacation I called Jiffy’s shop manager Grant and gave them a change to make right what they did wrong. I asked him to do a complete service on my car: change oil& lube, transmit ion oil, air filter, clean fuel injection system etc, as a compensation for the hardship I experienced, as a result of their poor job. He invited me to come to the shop and said that there wouldn’t be a problem and to bring my receipts from the trip. When I drove in the shop and met Grant, I realized that he was the same person who actually performed the oil change on my car. He then took a look under the engine and said that there was no sign of oil leak and it was dry around the oil filter area. He declined to perform any service for me and said that he had to cover his butt. I then asked to speak to the owner and he gave me Terry Park’s number and head office numbers as well. I called the owner and explained what had happened. He asked me to come back to the shop and he was going to take a look at it again.
I also called Jiffy’s head office and left a message for Mike Fataekerel.
A few hours later, terry Park and I met at the shop to discuss the matter. He basically said the same thing as Grant: no sign of oil leakage and gave me all those theories about filter oil leak. He told me that I was basically mistaken and that there might have been oil residue from the oil filter but no leaking at all. He then started to give me examples with his own car and that when he had bought it, the warning oil light was on for months. At the end he said that he would perform the complete service I had asked fo,r but I would need to pay 50% of the total.
It is ironic that on Jiffy’s bill of sale it says: “ Honesty is the best policy. Your business is appreciated. “ It certainly didn’t feel that way.
As a result of this, my car engine was damaged and the life span of the engine has been shortened extensively, since it was running at high RPM without oil in it.
I have spent a lot my nerves and many days and hours of my vacation time, over this terrible experience. My time is valuable and Jiffy’s poor craftsmanship is not my responsibility.
UNFORUTNATELY every where you go today you will get bad service wheather it is fast food, walmart or a resturant.If you stop going to every place that you had a bad encounter with you will be left going no where in life and that would suck.Who ever made sites like this one really needs to get a life of his or her own.I have been employed with JIFFY LUBE for about five years and have been a manager for about two years and i like my job and we try to give the best service possable but sometimes humans make mistakes please keep that in mind and take a deep breath and hope for the best. GOOD LUCK!!!
Posted by: joe on July 22, 2003 06:56 PMJiffy lube sizucks!!!!!!!!
I thought i used to be too busy to take my toyota tacoma 4x4 into a specialized shop, but after my last expireance I realized i dont have time for jiffy lube technicians. It was a run of them mill trip. Drop off the car, tell them not to bother me with all the things wrong with it, and walk to starbucks next door. This trip had one small variance than the others...I was also getting my tires rotated. Well long story short, im out on my weekend romp through the wilderness and i get out of my truck to manually switch my front tires to 4x4 mode. To my displeasure, i saw that the Tech at jiffy lube had put the cap from the rear tire on the front tire on the passenger side, thereby making it impossible to turn the switch on the hub since it was under the tire cap!!! i went back to
the jiffy lube and told the greeter tech what they did wrong. He didnt get it. I had to baby step him through what 4x4 trucks looked like and how they worked. I couldnt believe it. I am wondering, what training do these people go through. I ask you jiffy lube employees, what do you have to do to get a job there? I must say i have learned a lot from this thread. Always mark your oil filter and tires, be obvious about it. You might have the inclination to be discreet so you can say AHA! but that only wastes you time. If i had to have an arm amputated, believe you me i would make it known wich arm to amputate with a big magic marker. I feel just the same about my truck. Always take a few minutes to make sure the radiator cap is tight, and so forth
walk around your vehicle and make sure things look right, especially if you have a 4x4 and you just got your tires rotated. As mad as i am, It was expected. Just like I expect the salesperson at walmart not to know anything about a TV exept what it costs. Re-evalute just how busy you are, you will find that with a little forethought and planning you and your car will breath a lot easier if you never have to see
the inside of a Jiffy lube waiting room again
Make sure they put the belly pan on the Passat correctly. If they couldn't handle the oil filter, I don't know if you should trust them to put all the screws for the belly pan back in. Every month or so there is a horror story on the internet of all some mechanic that didn't put a belly pan on right and it rips off.
Posted by: Bill Wu on July 28, 2003 10:34 PMI've been in the same boat as most of you for the past year. JL never changed n=my oil or filter but charged me for the top of the line package and cashed the check. Upon leaving the store the car began smoking and would not go over 35mph. It turns out the tech added 5quarts of oil and never removed any old oil. The engine blew after they tried to correct the problem and told me to drive it to burn off the remaining excess in the exhaust, (so much oil was put in it was pouring out the exhauset). They told me to have the car towed and get a rental all of which I ended up paying for. Then they said because the car was older that it was not worth much to begin with, mind you this was a year after jerking me and my laywer arround. Any one int the triangle of NC area contact me PLEASE, because now I have to go to court and the more evidence of their poor trade practices the better. MY e-mail is ljisme66@hotmail.com, all help will be welcome. Mr. Mark Browning please contact me as well.
customers beware!!
this is to all of you stupid fuckers, i work at jiffy lube, and all of you guys are dumb pieces of shit, you say your car siezed up and your tranny blew up, you guys bring your nice cars to a fuckin lube and oil filter place, ran by kids, you think kids are gonna want to do a good job on your fuckin cars when all we want is to go home, but all you guys come in 2 minutes till 6 to get an oil change, we just want to go home, and then you complain,, you got it coming you dipfucks!!
Posted by: Derrick on August 13, 2003 10:08 PMI HAVE ALLWAYS GONE TO JIFFY LUBE BUT, NO MORE. THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO CHECK YOUR DIFFERENTALS ON YOUR 4X4. WELL,,,,,,, I JUST FOUND OUT THAT MINE ARE BONE DRY! AFTER MY FRONT ONE IS BLOWN UP! I CANT EVEN CHECK THE LEVEL IN THE BACK ONE. IT'S JUST TOO TIGHT. NOW WHAT DO I DO? JIFFY LUBE SUCKS..........
Posted by: Kelly on August 14, 2003 08:42 PMThere's good people and there's bad people. Jiffy lube is not exempt from that truism. I'm a jiffy lube employee, and I do feel bad when i read all this crap my company may or may not be responsible for. But for christ sake, the trouble you gave yourself complaning, you could have changed you oil yourself. We do the dirty work... Not all of us are as perfect as you.
Jiffy Lube Rocks!! you suck.
Posted by: Dan on August 20, 2003 06:56 PMI too had a couple of bad expereinces with Jiffy Lube of Jacksonville, NC located on Western BLVD. I went there for an oil change and after they pulled my husbands truck into the garage they pulled it out again and said they didn't have the filter for it and told me to go to Advanced Auto parts and they would take off $3 from the oil change. I thought that was a bit too low since I was driving Our car back to the garage once I got the filter. Well, the person at Advanced Auto looked at the engine of the truck and decided which was the best filter for the truck. I went to Jiffy lube and they said it was the wrong filter and to go get the right one. I could have screamed at this point. I took it back to Advanced Auto and then took the truck to Nissan where it was in and out again in less than 30 mins.!! A few weeks had gone by and our daughter said that she wanted to ge her oil changed and I thought that possible Jiffy lube would have there act together this time being it was a different car. What a joke! We took the car there and the same thing happened again. They didn't have the filter!! I talked to the manager of the store and he could have cared less!! They have lost our families business! They suck. They can't even run their business the way they should. As John Stossle says, " Give me a break!"
Posted by: C.Bock on August 21, 2003 01:41 PMWe have taken our clean Aries-K (30k miles) to Gypy Lube twice and they have failed 100% of the time. The first time they failed to put the aircleaner/vacuum lines back together and the second time they over-filled the transmission and coolant; A LOT!
The car is in my driveway and is not driveable. The transmission is hurting and might be damaged now. I will adjust the fluid level and hope for the best. If the tranny needs any kind of work it will be beyond economical repair (a total).
If that is the case they will have a nasty lawyer at the counter Monday asking questions they don't want to answer. I have friends...
GYPY LUBE SUCKS!
all you people who say you are getting ripped off and think that 27.00 is to dahm much for a oil change are a bunch of fucking idiots!!1!
FIRST OF ALL IF IT IS SO BAD WHY DO YOU COME AND IF IT IS TO MUCH DO IT YOUR SELF YOU CANT BECAUSE IF YOU COULD YOU WOULD AND JUST TO LET YOU KNOW IT IS IN YOUR MANUAL OR DEALER THAT THE ENGINE FLUSH IS DO YOUR FIRST 50,000 MILES!!
SO TO ALL YOU PEOPLE WHO HATE THE JIFFY LUBE AND CANT STAND THE SERVICE. SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND DO WORK ON YOUR OWN CARS YOU WILL NOTICE WHAT WE SEE EVERY DAY PEOPLE DRIVING 30,000 DOLLAR PIECES OF SHIT JUST GETTING DRIVEN INTO THE GROUND AND THOSE 1,500.00 CARS RUNNING LIKE A TOP BECAUSE THEY TAKE THE TIME TO DEAL WITH THE FACT THE CARS DONT MAINTAIN THEM SELVES. AND BY THE WAY YOU THINK JIFFY LUBES RIPPING YOU OFF WE DO ACTUAL COMPLETE FLUSHES ON YOUR TRANSMISIONS AND RADIATORS NOT JUST DRAIN AND FILL LIKE YOUR DEALERSHIPS YOU SAY ARE THE ONES DOING YOU RIGHT SO BACK OFF AND GROW UP BECAUSE BY READING YOUR LETTER'S IT'S OBVIOUS THAT THERE SOME MOMMAS OUT THERE WHO RAISED A FLEET OF FOOL'S AND JIFFY LUBE DOES OFFER DISCOUNTS TO FLEET MEMEBERS AND IT IS ONLY 20.99 WHEN YOU COME IN AS A GROUP!!!!
This Message is for Gil Garcia, who says that Jiffy Lube "sizzucks." First off, I'm sorry to hear that you shop at Wal-Mart for TV's. I understand that if you go to your hairdresser and he gives you a crew cut instead of a mullet, it can be frustrating. But any person with half of a brain understands that the center caps can easily be taken off and switched around. Any 4x4 made after 1982 doesn't have to be manually put in, that's what the transfer case is for. So if it makes you feel better to return to Jiffy Lube and condescend the Technician and make him suffer for something another technician did, it's unfair. It's like you put pickles on my burger that I didn't ask for, and I went back to Burger King where you work, and bitched at the other Fry Guy. Basically what I'm trying to say is....SEE YOU IN 3000 miles!!!
Posted by: Dirk Neuwitsky on September 3, 2003 12:06 PMI work at Jiffy Lube as well. I really don't mind if customers come in late, but they're gonna be pricks to us, even after the fact that we are gonna be there after closing because of the fuckin inbreds, fuck them. We also aren't here to fuck up your car. Sure, it's a little up there in the price, but there are plenty of pussy yuppies who wouldn't be caught dead lifting up their dirty hood. If it cost too much, there's probably a Lube center for alot cheaper down the road. We aren't trying to sell you services, we are just reminding you of what is in your owner's manual, in case you were too fuckin lazy to read it. You think we make commission off of this shit??? Fuck no, but if we are caught by our managers not recommending this stuff to you, we lose our job. We are only doing our job. Also, bring your fuckin coupon with you, it's a fuckin coupon, we don't care if you been going there, because alot of other people have been going there too. Just to let you know, an oil filter costs about 2 dollars, and a case of regular oil is about 10 bucks, and that equals 12, so for about 12 bucks, you get exercise, a learning experience, and you get your pink collar hands dirty. Plus, your wife or girlfriend might find you sexy because you changed your own oil! So next time you complain about the price or about the service, realize it can be done by yourself for 12 bucks.
Posted by: Jiffy Tech on September 3, 2003 12:21 PMBased upon some of the comments here from people admitting they are Jiffy Lube employees I will not take my car there again. Listen bud, just cause I can afford to have you do my dirty work doesnt mean you should think I cant do it or wont know when you did it wrong. I can tear apart a 350 in a weekend and put it back together. But "I" went to college after high school and now I can afford to have someone change my oil so I dont have oil drip out onto my driveway (damn Explorers), a trip to the auto parts store to buy the oil and filter. And if I had a bay to crawl down in or a lift that would help too. So I am so "sorry" we keep you at work where you are earning your pay. Good luck in the real world when you get out from under the hood.
Posted by: South Florida on September 11, 2003 03:00 PMI am a former employee of jiffylube. I can tell you first hand that the dishonesty is wide spread. That is the main reason I left. They show fluids to customers which is not proper. They lie about the reason for an engine flush. I have heard an employee tell a customer that they need an engine flush on the first oil change because there is metal shavings in the break in oil. What an absolute lie. They use scare tactics like if you dont change your transmisson fluid now it will blow up in three days. They lie about checking gear boxes. Sometimes they dont change the oil filter, they just wipe it off. It is a damn shame to see this. Not all the jiffy lubes are like this. I know of several that are honest but they are also chastized for not having large sales. Hopefully they will not give in and start the dishonest approach.
Posted by: tom sizemore on September 12, 2003 03:38 PMI took my car in for a transmission flush and to change the transmision filter.. It took about 45 min .The manager came out and told me everything was done and ready to go. So I got in the car and drove to the stop light it sounded kinda of funny
when II went to take off from the stop sign the transmission was slipping. At first I thought there might be some air in the line...Well it continued to get worse..So when I got home it was about 2 miles from the Jiffy Lube,, I checked the transmissiom fluid it was not even on the stick They did not put enough transmission fluid .
Jiffy lube sucks!!!
Took my Viper - Jiffy Lube's job added an addition 12 RWHP (rear wheel horsepower). I was running low 11's all day at the track. Jiffy Lube rocks!
Posted by: Sly on September 16, 2003 10:13 PMi work at jiffy lube in canada. i think it is an excellent company. you should try our location if you are ever in lanley, b.c.
thanx
THIS FORUM ONLY TEACHES PEOPLE TO LEARN TO DO AN OIL CHANGE ON YOUR OWN. MY TRUCK-2002 TOYOTA TACOMA 4X4. ITS NICE TO TAKE A FEW HOURS ON A SATURDAY,SIX PACK OF BEER, CONTAINER OF
WAX/POLISH AND ROTATE TIRES. IF YOU CAN DO THIS YOU DONT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT PLACES LIKE JIFFY LUBE RIPPING YOU OFF. BY THE WAY IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE THAT DEFENDS JIFFY LUBE BESIDES THERE OWN EMPLOYEES. THAT SAYS IT ALL!
Having worked at a JL for the past three months, I've come to know that John/Jane Q Public has almost NO idea of what's involved in changing your car/truck/SUV's oil.
I've seen customers complain about the price ($29.99) but have the money to buy a $30,000 SUV with leather seats and in-dash CD players. A few posts up, the individual talks about the price of oil & filters. Conventional oil runs on average about $1 per quart. The basic oil filter for your run-of-the-mill car is about $3. A smallish car (Geo) takes about 3.5 quarts of oil, jeeps & explorers take about 5-6, and most diesel heavy-duty trucks can take anywhere from 10-15! So bare minimum for an oil change is going to run about... $7 - $10.
The time necessary to do it yourself is going to be about 10 minutes to locate your oil drain plug (if you've never done it yourself before), the proper wrench to remove it, and the oil to drain out. Nevermind the fact you may have to jack up one side of your auto to gain access to it. Did you keep a hand or fingers on your drain plug? Or did it slash down into the container you put underneath to catch your oil? You DID put a container there, didn't you? Oooh, too bad! Did you put it directly underneath, forgetting that gravity will force your oil out of your pan in a stream, much like blowing liquid through a straw! Did you put down old newspapers or rags to catch splashes of oil? No? Now you've something to do later - clean up your hazardous waste spill!
The oil filter is another problem entirely! Several manufacturers (Honda springs to mind) use the same filter on 95% of their vehicles (which makes it real easy to change), and they locate the oil pan and filter in roughly the same spot. Most OTHER manufacturers seem to add the filter as an afterthought - "Hmmm... there's room to put it ... There!" - right next to the engine block, half-concealed by the hot radiator hose, inches away from the white-hot muffler assembly! Are you able to remove your filter? Is it attached to your engine incredibly tight? Does it feel like it'll take Superman himself to loosen this filter? Welcome to our world! The dealer likes to replace his filters in such a way that only he can remove it! This way he guarantees his future business and livelihood! And if you own a diesel truck and try to remove your filter - ha! ha! ha!
Once you've drained your oil and successfully changed your filter (avoiding burns in the process), you'll spend time replacing your oil drain plug (WITH GASKET), hoping your oil gasket ISN'T rubber/plastic and falling apart at the seams - which of course means finding a ride to the store to get a replacement. And as you're replacing your oil filter, please remember to wipe a small amount of oil upon the new filter gasket to create a better seal and to make it MUCH easier to remove the next time you change your oil. A dried (non-lubed) gasket will indeed bond with your engine block, requiring you to purchase a tool known as a band-wrench or filter-pliers in order to remove said filter.
Now you've got to know how much oil to replace into your engine. If you're wise, you'll have researched this fact before beginning your oil change, or at least have a marked catch-container so you'll know how much came out. Did you remember or catch the fact that a certain amount of oil is contained in your used oil filter? How much was that? God forbid you might be burning oil and don't have a full amount drained. Or your engine has leaks and you're not sure how much you've lost vs how much belongs inside!
For that matter, do you know what type of engine oil is required by your automobile? Lucky you! It's written on the add-oil cap on top of the crankcase! No? That sucks! Probably in your handbook! There it is! No, wait - it says "Please have your oil changed by a professional mechanic." Darn! Your oil is out of your engine! What now?!?
Okay, having added the required amount of oil into your engine, and having replaced the cap (!), you're good to go! Wrong! Did you tighten your oil drain plug down all the way? Was the gasket on the plug? Did you tighten the filter down all the way? Did you make sure the old gasket from the old filter is present upon the old filter? NO? So it's still stuck to the side of the engine block? Meaning you do NOT have a complete seal between your engine and the filter? Meaning that when you start your car for the first time, oil will proceed to spray in every direction imagineable?
So now you've cleaned up what spilled oil you can, and you hope you got most of it off the outside of your engine block (where it will smoke nicely when your engine heats up). And since you've lost some oil that you've added previously, how much do you need to replace? Did you buy just enough to replace the amount you drained? Or did you purchase an extra quart or two?
So how much time have you actually spent changing your oil? Fifteen minutes? Probably not. Granted, after the first few times, it gets easier. So what are you going to use to clean your hands (and maybe face)? Soap & water? Don't make me laugh. Now that the oil has had a chance to seep into your pores, soap doesn't work well. More soap? Keep trying. A scrub brush? That helps a little, but who wants raw, reddened hands? (Mostly surgeons - are you a surgeon? Why in the HELL are you changing your own oil?!? Get back to the hospital now!)
Granted the majority of us working at JL are not master mechanics who know the inside and out of your vehicle. If presented with someone else's car, would *you* know how to change their oil given their handbook and ten minutes time? Probably not. How many car manufacturers are there?? How many models do they have?? How many years have they been in operation?? That adds up to a veritable SH*TLOAD of cars. We cannot possible carry EVERY filter, EVERY type of oil, and cannot know EVERY little detail about EVERY car that comes our way. If we did, we'd be GODS. And would we be working at JL as opposed to our own shop? Hmmmm...
*What we DO know is oil changes.* And while there will be some bad apples in the bunch, a large majority of the employees at JL know what the heck they're talking about (concerning oil). So cut us some slack for being human, and being able to make mistakes.
FLAME AWAY.
Posted by: Chris G. on October 3, 2003 07:16 PMI also work for jiffy lube and for the idiots that like to bitch at us jiffy lube tech's need to calm the fuck down. we DO NOT know everything there is to know about your car. For stupid ass ppl asking how much it is to replace a power steering pump, HELL IF WE KNOW we change oil, go to a damn dealer and find out. and for you dumbfucks that like to speed into the bays like a bad out of hell need to calm the fuck down we do stand in front of you do you feel like hitting us and us sueing you go for it asshole see who wins. and customer's complaining about prices hell we don't make them if you want to bitch and complain then call corprate and bitch at them not us, we just work there. in all reality the customers need to have more respect for us.
Posted by: bob on October 8, 2003 06:19 PMJiffy Lube and It's employees BOTH SUCK. I hope that they go out of the lube biz.
Posted by: Kelly on October 13, 2003 06:04 PMI can tell from the grammar and spelling of all the said Jiffy Lube employees why they are jiffy lube employees!
I worked at a competitor to JL for a year and I will tell you first hand What a rip off. the filter you get is worth about .25c no protection to the engine and all the guys earn commission, why else would the push you to buy other services, they never check rear ends differential's.they all are just a bunch of looser's looking for a easy job so they can have cash to fix up their Hot Rods.. oh wait I have never seen one parked in front of a jiffy lube..... Jiffy Lube Sucks!
It is unfortunate to read all of your bad experiences at Jiffy Lube. I have to agree, there are plenty of idiots working at Jiffy Lube locations around the country. But there are alot of experienced professionals working at Jiffy Lube locations around the country too. I have managed the Busiest Jiffy Lube in Phoenix for over 2 years, and I have never had a major problem. How you might ask, can I service over 50,000 cars in that period and never damage a car? Because I retain good employees. My advise to you, go to a Busy JIffy Lube, the more business they get, the more they can afford to pay, and therefore have better help. I can also agree that I have had crappy service and work preformed at many "Specialized" dealerships. The employees there make flat rate, and have to cut corners to make any money. Face it people, every type of business has bad locations, does not make them all bad. If you had a problem with one GM dealer, would you be on here posting that GM sucks and no one should ever buy a GM vehicle or get it serviced at a GM dealer? That is just being narrow minded, and that is what all of you are... Narrow Minded.
Posted by: Jason on October 29, 2003 09:09 AMI am also a Jiffy Lube employee. I am 17 years old. I first started at jiffy lube as a courtesy tech. Which is the entry level position. I have now worked my way up to a cashier. I want to be a hood Tech but i am too young. but anyway... getting back to the point. i am reading all these comments from people damning jiffy lube and i think it is ridiculous. people are saying that jiffy lube employees don't know what they are doing... beleive me there are many tests both written and hands on that we have to go through. I know because i have personally went through it.There may be some JL's that arent honest vbut where i work we totally are. I have never seen a lie told to a customer let alone something done or not done to a vehicle with out that customer knowing. Every vehicle is 100% maintained and every customer is 100% informed. and for the person who was complaining about the oil or air filters whatever it was... think about... sometimes businesses may run out of stock... Some places do make mistakes some may acknowledge the mistakes and some places may not. Jiffy lube #2497 which is where i work is completely honest with a customer. If something is wrong we tell them.. if we mess something up we are willing to fix the problem. What i am getting at is. Not all jiffy lubes are horror shops. It all depends on the employees. I Pride myself working at jiffy lube. i do not plan on working there all my life. but the time i have spent there is very enjoyable. and i wouldn't have it any other way
Posted by: Darron Kain Jr. on October 29, 2003 12:52 PMand for the lady who is saying that jiffy lube employees make commission on their sales. This is absolutely false. And people do make typo's and take shortcuts and abbreviate words to make for less typing. I work to help my mom and support my family. I don't know why you choose to make stereotypes. I personally do not know you, but to put people down just shows me your ignorance
Posted by: Darron Kain Jr. on October 29, 2003 01:07 PMI find that Jiffy Lube charges for at least one extra quart of oil over what the manufacturers say the crankcase capacities call for. Something has to be done about this
Posted by: Terry Faber on October 29, 2003 10:46 PMTo all Jiffy Lube employee's, Bring your Girl friends or wife's to me and I'll give them a lube job that they will never forget. Jiffy lube SUCKS.
Posted by: Kelly on October 30, 2003 01:48 PMto the person that says jiffy lube employees are not on commision is correct. what he is not telling you is that the managers and assistant managers are on a bonus program. the greeters are given a piece of the action if they make the quotas. the pressure is so high that many resort to scare tactics and or high pressure sales. in some cases they just plain lie to the customers. if the greeters do not make the quotas, the management does not make bonus. they are doing whatever they think they can get away with to make the numbers.
Posted by: tom sizemore on November 2, 2003 08:03 PMNBC news in Los Angeles just did an undercover sting on Jiffy Lubes in California.Jiffy Lubes in California will soon be shut down and company fined millions! EZ Lube also exposed.All victims around the country should contact their local TV stations to expose these theives. They can't function too well in the "spotlight"!
http://www.nbc4.tv/automotive/2615014/detail.html
This is the funniest thing I've ever seen. You've got the well-to-do complainers vs the blue collar JL tech (and manager). This is rich. I suck, you suck, everybody sucks....Jiffy Lube....LMAO
My 5 year old daughter helps me change the oil in my cars. She could probably run her own Jiffy Lube one day, eh? Get a life.....all of you.
Posted by: Oily Mitts on November 9, 2003 03:52 AMA couple of facts;
1) Jiffy Lube performs far more oil changes than its nearest competitor and has very high return customer percentages - They must be doing something right.
2) The "come back" rate, that is stuff that gets broke in the shop, is far lower than in auto dealerships, like .0001%. Many car dealerships typically have 20 - 30% returns.
3) Few if any JL's pay off commission, although commission is the standard form of pay in the auto repair industry. In a car dealership, if you don't sell - you don't eat. Do you expect people to work for free??
4) JL employees are taught to recommend services based on what the vehicle's manufacturer recommends at specific mileages. If you don't want to take car of the vehicle, just say "NO".
5) Many people still believe they can drive 7,000 - 15,000 miles without changing their oil because the car manufacturers say its ok. When you finally do change the oil, sludge has sometimes built up, and can brake away after an oil change, blocking oil return lines and oil pump pickup tubes. Result: one blown engine several miles after leaving JL and it's of cource JL's fault. Remember, car manufacturers want you to buy a new car every few years.
JL employees are like those in any other profession, there are good ones and bad ones.
Posted by: PatTexas on November 14, 2003 10:13 PMAny customers of Jiffy Lube interested in adding their name to a Class Action Lawsuit please e-mail your name and e-mail address to calawyer@aol.com. Once we get enough names to get it certified you will be sent notice of the details.
Posted by: Terry Faber on November 14, 2003 11:55 PMjiffy lube doesnt suck. whoever doesnt get their recommended services done is stupid and ignorant
Posted by: ral on November 15, 2003 07:12 PMAll the people who write these idiotic comments do not know anything about cars but only that they turn a key and it goes. jiffy lube is only trying to educate the consumer about their autos.Hence if a person has nothing good to say about jiffy lube then do the obvious and dont go so people as common as you wont have to put up with consumers that are to lazy and dumb to change their own oil.If a consumer would pay attention to what jiffy lube does then they could change their own damn oil. Human beings work their not robots have some appreciation for the workers that get paid minumum wage to change your oil.jiffy lube does not suck the consumers are the ones who suck.
Posted by: jake on November 15, 2003 07:25 PMhey jake- you are absolutley right that jiffy lube does more oil changes than any of its competitors. but to say that they have less waranty claims than the dealer?????? name me one jiffy lube that is running a .0001% claim. god must be running that store. where did you get your figures of 20-30% returns on dealers. they would go out of business at that rate. jiffy lube wants their employees to recommend services based on milage, but thats not happening at a lot of them. jiffy lube puts so much presure on the management to perform, they do what they have to and to make things worse, if the numbers are good, upper management turns a blind eye to the dishonest acts. also ther is not car out there that the factory recommends changing the oil every 15000 miles. you are also right that if someone doesnt want a service done all they have to say is no. but that doesnt pay the bills and you sales are to low you can lose your job. that is sad because there are many good and honest employees out there. why should they be thratened with there job if they are doing it right. everybody has there off days. it dosent mean force them into doing something dishonest to get the numbers.
Posted by: tom sizemore on November 16, 2003 06:41 PMTom;
I have over 10 years dealership experience, and am a BMW master technician as well as ASE master.
Been there done that.
JL nationally has about a 1 in 1000 complaint ratio, which I guess would put the figure at .1%, sorry.
I have talked to folks who have had new car salesman tell them don't worry about changing oil every 15,000 mi.
There are of course good guys and bad guys everywhere - be they in dealerships or Jiffy Lubes.
Posted by: PatTexas on November 18, 2003 07:08 PMI have worked in this industry for 10 years and I am a Regional Manager for Jiffy Lube. There are alot of customers out there that try to BLAME Jiffy Lube for Items already wrong with their vehicle. Too many times people have come in for an oil change and after they leave all of a sudden something is wrong with it and It's our fault even though they knew the problem before they came. There are ALOT of scam artists out there. I here alot of complaints on Jiffy Lube but, nothing on EVIL consumers. Most of you don't know that Jiffy Lube strives on making the customer happy even I'f that customer is RUDE. We value our customers as If they were family. And just like family there are a few BAD apples. For every one customer ther is three satisfied customers. Usually people that COMPLAIN are the one's we could'nt make happy no matter what we did. It all boils down to If your not satisfied with Jiffy Lube then your probably someone who hates life and everyone around them. Therefore, I really feel sorry for you. I on the other hand ENJOY life and express that to my customers and I have alot of friends(customers) that LOVE JIFFY LUBE!!! Remember PLEASE and Thankyou go along way!!!
Posted by: Mo on November 29, 2003 07:47 AMTerry Faber. Some manufactures base their oil capacities without the filter. Hence why EVERY ford will always require more oil than whats recommended. My Mustang Cobra calls for 6 qts, but why is it always a qt low when I add 6 and it perfect once the 7th qt is added? Why is a 6.0 L powerstroke deisel call for 14 yet takes 1 qt in the filter and 14 in the engine? They go off of the disptick AFTER they start the engine being once the filter is added it may effect the oil level.
I do know that some JL managers will pressure their greeters to increase the ticket average. Why? because Jiffy Lube solely bases their bonus program for ALL employees(its called the lube tech bonus, where the General manager gets a different bonus). Yes many will sell things you don'tneed for your engine or car. Now how many dealerships don't do that? I can tell you they do being I have seen it at both Jiffy lube and the dealership I worked for.
I am a very honest person and take the time to educate my customers. I have also told a customer he did not need this service done or that one. I have also informed customers that I rather not perform a service being it could cause more damage like a trans flush over 100k miles and it's never been flushed. Just like any other business in corporate America, there are the good and there are the bad.
Another thing many people Like Tom is not realizing is that how many dealerships do not have the parts nor the proper tools to fix something they did? It happens MORE OFTEN than you realize. All they have to do is walk 25 feet to parts grab a part and replace what was broken. Ta da its all fix and mr. customer wont know it. How many Jiffy Lubes have the parts and tools to fix a car onsite? NONE!
Posted by: PW on November 29, 2003 06:12 PMI worked for JL for 3 months, made some decent money in the process. I walked out on the job after being constantly harassed by a coworker and seeing my managers (who pulled practical jokes on me almost every day) stand by and watch, grinning. The day after I left, I discovered that one of my managers had gotten fired for stealing, and another quit because he had a feeling that he was next.
I agree fully that the place sucks. A lot. It's really just a chain set up to sell Pennzoil-Quaker State products. Knowledge about cars is not a prerequisite for working there; at the time I started, I didn't even know cars had to HAVE their oil changed. I probably would have stayed if I'd actually been trained, but I had to learn as I went along. Then a new manager got hired, and since he was an anal-retentive SOB, I discovered a TON of new safety procedures and regulations that nobody had bothered to tell me about, and I had to learn the process all over again.
Here's my Jiffy Lube rap sheet:
-Accidentally hosed a car down with automatic transmission fluid, even getting some in through the open window. We had the customer go to a carwash and we paid for it.
-Filled a Saab with oil, not knowing that the old oil hadn't been drained yet. The guys downstairs were still trying to get the drain plug off. Eventually they gave up and we called a tow truck, because the car now had 8 quarts of oil in it. Paid for the tow truck.
-Left a rag under the hood of a Mazda, which caught fire 2 miles down the road and cost $110 to fix (which we also paid for). A coworker of mine did the EXACT SAME THING a couple of weeks later.
-Stripped the lugnuts during three tire rotations, all of which the store paid for.
-Forgot to change the oil filter on at least one car (which makes all the car's new oil dirty), and didnt bother to change it on a couple of BMW's because we didn't have the right filter (never bothered to tell the customers).
The bottom line is, stay away from stupid chains like JL, Expressway Lube, Minit Lube, and the rest of them. If you're too lazy to change your own oil, you're too stupid to go to your dealer or find a decent mechanic to do it, then you deserve what you get. What would you rather do, spend $20 on new oil and do it yourself, or spend $40 to have your car worked on by a complete stranger who probably doesn't know anything about cars, let alone yours, and is mostly interested in getting the job done as fast as he possibly can?
Posted by: Imus on November 30, 2003 09:06 PMI worked for a rival of JL over the summer (ExpressWay) and contrary to most of your gripes, our store was VERY honest. I mean sure, we tried to get people to get stuff done to their cars but we never fucked with their shit or didn't change a filter or whatever. One of the managers that subbed for ours said that the people at his store were real scumbags and kept dirty rags and dipsticks with nasty looking fluids on em to scare the customers into buying stuff.
I remember we did stuff STRICTLY based on mileage. If the car didn't have the amount of miles reccomended on it then we didn't even bother with it. If it did though, then we'd get on it honestly and professionally. I was the only kid at the shop (17) so our shop wasn't "run my kids" as alot supposedly are. We had one master mechanic in the shop and another as the manager so if something went amiss they knew how to fix it and how to do it fast. Although assholes coming in 2 minutes before the store closed really pissed us off Steve may have punched some peoples mufflers we still did the job as it was supposed to be done. But I guess it's just a miracle we never screwed anyone over....Especially on a Saturday.
But that's Expressway....The hell do I know about Stiffy Lube?
Oh yeah and to a comment made months ago by some know-it-all saying "All trucks after 1982 have transfer cases". You mean, SOME did. My dads 87 Bronco II had manual-locking hubs as do some cars made nowadays believe it or not.
Posted by: Chris on November 30, 2003 09:24 PMI might as well add (for ranting purposes the most aggravating customers of all: The dipshits who bring in classic cars for an oil change.
WHAT THE FUCK MAKES YOU THINK JIFFY LUBE IS GONNA KNOW HOW TO CHANGE OIL ON A FUCKIN 1972 TRIUMPH?!?!?!!! NOR WILL WE HAVE THE RIGHT OIL FILTER FOR YOUR RELIC!! YA KNOW WHY? CAUSE EVERYONE ELSE WHO HAS A CAR LIKE THAT ISN'T SO FUCKING SCARED OF GETTING HIS PRECIOUS YUPPIE HANDS DIRTY THAT HE CAN'T CHANGE THE OIL IN IT!!! IT'S CALLED REALITY, LOOK INTO IT!!!
Posted by: Imus on November 30, 2003 09:32 PMTo all who have been wronged by Jiffy Lube, my condolences go out to you. I've been a general manager for the company for three years and have seen many upset customers. The hardest reality I have to accept in this position is that human errors will always exist. I'm the only person ultimately responsible for the performance of my staff and I strive to keep improving the level of customer care and overall quality.
The problem with the quick-lube industry is that many of the employees are low paid and undertrained. Unfortunately it is very difficult to locate a talented employee that can move fast and think quick for our average hourly wage. I have seven employees that have the talent to perform the service the way we promote it and my store for the most part is a joy to run. The toughest task this gerneration of Jiffy Lube employees has is to overcome all the stereotypes. Our store was built in 1978, the seventh Jiffy Lube in existence. Many of our customers have been coming back since we opened. I hear stories of how bad it once was and how great it is now. Some folks say that we are the best we've ever been! The bottom line is that we all have sucked at one time or another, it sometimes just feels good to dislike the enemy. What I've learned over the past few years is that humility goes a long way in this world and I have to keep my ego in check every day. Some of my customers are not happy people, but they return every 3,000 miles. I just keep my mouth shut, listen always, and offer my best to every customer that enters my bays.
I will agree that Jiffy Lubes upper management places a huge emphansis on their staff. I have seen store Managers, not assistant Managers, but the General Sales and Operations Manager charge a customer for a service he never performed. Like a T-Tech transmission service. It was never done but he added 1/4 qt of Detron 3 to the trans.
Another on is when they are OUT of filters and the car already has a jiffy lube filter on it. I have seen them NOT TURN THE CAR AWAY BUT CHANGE ONLY THE OIL AND LEAVE THE OLD FILTER ON. Yes this was also done by a Store manager. All do keep the car count going so they can get their bonuses and the DSO, and RSO wont harp on him.
99% of the people at my shop including the Manager do not even look at a cars undercarriage before they lift it. The other night the car was lifted and what was holding it on the lift??? The damn exhaust.
If there are honest Jiffy lube shops I would love to know because I am fed up with them now and moving on to more money and better shops that perform honest work, and not worried by how many cars they have.
Posted by: pw on December 4, 2003 01:49 PMI think so many of you people are too paraniod and think everyone in the world is out to get you and rip you off. why don't you quit whining and get a tissue and wipe the snot off your face. have a nice day.
The problem with Jiffy Lube is that it’s a fancy way to say good clean and well preserved grease monkeys. I have more respect for the guys in the no name oil shop over these bone heads any day. My first and last experience with Jiffy Suck was when I took my freshly painted 98 Mustang Cobra for a “professional” lube place. My biggest mistake ever I usually change the oil my self but since it had a fresh paint job and it was supper clean I thought I’ll have it done by the supposed pros. NOT ! Not only did they scratch my new paint on both fenders with their greasy and old mats. Those bone heads in there attempt to speed my visit draining the oil with the car on! Can you believe that these god forsaken idiots ran the car to drain all the oil total stupidity? That COBRA engine is hand assembled and hand tuned. The engine alone is worth more then those grease monkeys make in a year. Even the lube places in skid row no one turns a car on with no oil in it to flush the existing oil in the crank case. When I said what the hell are you doing. There is no oil in the car they said don’t worry we do this all the time!!! If I had machine gun I would have used it there so they would not do this to some one other then me. When I asked them about the scratches on my paint they just blew me off saying that the scratches were already there. Try explaining that to an idiot trained to deny all commonsense issues. For all that is in my power where ever I go who ever I meet I tell them NEEVER, NEEVER GO TO JIFFY LUBE. Unless it’s a rental and you could care less about the car. Any time you see the EXPRESS in any oil or lube station run to the hills. All they are trained in is how to get you in and out as fast as possible regardless if they void your warranty or even worse do irreversible damage to you car. You will never ever see a dealer run the car with no oil in it to speed up the process. If you do get out of there….
Posted by: Edmond on December 18, 2003 01:29 PMP.S.
The general public is stupid this is why places like these are in business.
More cars come thru they bigger the bottom line. If people were empowered and had some simple car sense places like these would go out of business. And as far as I’m concerned good riddance to all who are in it to take advantage of people like our mothers and sisters and the elderly.
Wow theres alot of pissed people complaning about wrongful services. When are all you people gonna realize that its the American way, screw, or be screwed. Its how this great country was built. Its a great big conspircy theory didnt you know. If jiffy lube ripped you off big deal what are you gonna do bitch about for the rest of your life, if so i feel very sorry for you. Consider it a leason learned.
Posted by: Theres no such thing as FREEDOM on December 18, 2003 02:07 PMNot really I just stumbled on this sight by accident and it brought back some bad experiences. Ripping people off is not the American way it’s the crooked way. Just because I can commit fraud one dollar at a time it doesn’t mean its right. People are crooks there is no ignoring it. It’s not because your in America. There are allot worse places on this earth that make the crooks in America look like saints!
Posted by: Edmond on December 19, 2003 10:17 AMIVE BEEN A JIFFY LUBE EMPLOYEE FOR MANY YEARS AND AS A MANAGER I HAVE DEALT WITH EVERY TYPE OF CUSTOMER COMPLAINT YOU CAN POSSIBLY IMAGINE.AND YOU KNOW I HAVE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THERE IS SOME HONEST MISTAKES OUT THERE.BUT 92% OF THE COMPLAINTS OUR CUSTOMER'S WHO HAVE REAL SERIOUS PROBLEMS IN THERE LIVES.AND THEY COME TO US AND VENT OUT ALL THERE FRUSTRATION'S ON US.
IT IS ACTUALLY COMICAL.THIS PAST WEEK A LADY CURSED ME OUT FOR TELLING HER I WOULD DRIVE HER VEHICLE INTO THE STORE!!!I MEAN COME ON JUST LET US DO OUR JOB.WE DONT GO TO YOUR JOBS AND TRY TO
REVISE YOUR SERVICE PLANS!!!JIFFY LUBE IS THE BEST.AND ALL YOU PISSED OFF PEOPLE WILL EVENTUALLY COME BACK.REMEMBER ROMANS 3:32[FOR ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALLEN SHORT OF THE GLORY]
WE ALL OUR NOT PERFECT.BELIEVE ME IF MY SHOP MAKES A MISTAKE I PERSONALLY WILL ADDRESS THE PROBLEM ACCORDINLY AND MAKE YOU A EXTREMELY HAPPY CUSTOMER..
Edmond, I am sorry that you think your Cobra engine is worth more than what a Jiffy Lube employee makes. Actually the motor is worth about 4500 which includes labor as well.
I just never agreed with the fact in order to meet a car count they will do WHATEVER it takes. Now if that means they are out of filters and you have a JL filter on it, guess what? they did not change it. They can be hinest, but 75% of the time they are not. hell I get about 25% of my work from Jiffy Lube so I do thank them. I enjoyed working for them. I just did not agree with how they treated customers, and I rather make an honest living, not rip people off because my car count is falling.
Posted by: pw on December 23, 2003 05:06 PMI JUST WANTED TO ALSO SAY THAT PEOPLE DO MAKE MISTAKES.SO SHOULD WE AS AMERICANS BLAME THE WHOLE JIFFY LUBE ORGANZATION,OR SHOULD WE MAYBE BE BLAMING THAT PATICULAR STORE OR THAT ONE EMPLOYEE.THIS WHOLE WEBSITE IS VERY RACIAL.I MEAN THATS LIKE SAYING 'HEY THAT BLACK GUY IS A BAD PERSON'SO DOES THIS MEAN ALL BLACK PEOPLE ARE BAD??I THINK NOT..SO WHY DO PEOPLE PUT DOWN JIFFY LUBE AS A WHOLE.MAYBE JIFFY LUBE DONT SUCK MABYBE ITS JUST CERTAIN PEOPLE THAT GO TO JIFFY LUBE THAT REALLY SUCK.YOU CAN'T JUDGE A WHOLE CITY BY ONE PERSON'S ACTIONS.FROM WHAT I HAVE READ HERE THERE IS SOME REAL MISTAKES THAT COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED WITH THE PROPER TRANING.AND YES ITS SAD THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT
HAD DO GO THROUGH A WHOLE LOT OF GARBAGE,BECAUSE SOME OF THESE EMPOLYEES WERE NOT TRAINED PROPERLY.BUT DONT JUDGEALL OF US.YOU PEOPLE ACT LIOKE WE ARE A RACE OF PEOPLE WHO ARE SO BAD.AND THAT WE ARE MINORTY'S.I DONT KNOW ABOUT YOU BUT JIFFY LUBE PAY'S PRETTY GOOD LAST YEAR I GROSSED
A WHOLE LOT OF MONEY.
All of you should consider using Mobil-1 Synthetic oil and give up oil-changes. I do change my filter at the recommended 7500 mile interval. The last time I changed the oil in my car was at 143,000 miles. I have 163,000 miles on it now. My oil is amber in color with no odor. This is my second car that I have extended oil change intervals. When starting with synthetic, I do change more often (about 10K) since non-synthetic mineral oil is still present. My last cars transmission died at 193K miles (my motor oil was amber with no odor). I went over 40K miles with no oil change. I wish I had used synthetic transmission fluid or changed it more often. It was my fault that it bit the dust.
For more information, see “Synthetic Automotive Engine Oils” (ISBN 0-89883-110-5). See NY Taxi Cab fleet test (100K miles no drain) Sludge and varnish measurements.
As a Jiffy Lube employee and knowing what goes on behind the doors I must say "Stay away!". Especially with the recent news investigations about the integrity of the company, Jiffy lube denies the use of monthly quotas. This is a lie. I work at a Jiffy Lube in San Diego county which is part of a larger franchise. Each month our manager is given a paper with the amount of money made last year, and what we are expected to earn this year based on those numbers. What ends up happening is our customer service representatives are pushed to sell as many services possible, even if the service isn't necesarily required. As a hood technician, it is impossible for me too tell you how many times I have replaced an air filter, performed an engine flush, exchanged radiator coolant or installed a PCV valve when it is NOT needed. In the past I used to decline the service that was recomended and explain to the customer why. However, after missing several monthly bonuses because I failed to reach the expected ticket average, I no longer question the Customer Service Representatives recomendations. JIFFY LUBE IS NEITHER HONEST NOR CUSTOMER ORIENTED... IT IS ALL ABOUT NUMBERS. I hope that when my job searching is finished I will have found a position that will allow me to be honest and at the same time afford the cost of living because jiffy lube has not.
Posted by: DM on December 25, 2003 07:02 PMI have decided to take my cars to dealerships and/or reputable mechanics from now on. As several of you have pointed out, I was stupid to buy a new car and let a company like Jiffy Lube work on it.
Most of the employess in these threads seem to be saying "We don't get paid well, we don't get trained enough, and customers suck cause they don't change their own oil."
Morale at Jiffy Lube is high.
My most recent experience with my local store in Elkridge, MD is even more humiliating because the same location failed to tighten the fasteners on the bottom of my Dodge Ram transmission. Leakage and slipping were the result. I didn't learn.
I thought to myself stupidly, "Self... maybe if I just have them do the signature service from now on they won't muck it up."
I did that. 6 or 7 times I did. Things seemed to go ok until the first oil change on our CRV. My wife was about 1 mile from the JL when she saw a little smoke following her. A momment later cars were dropping back behind her to avoid the plume of smoke growing behind her. She had to quickly pull over. This meant the smoke was all around the car now and comming out of the hood. She ran around, grabed my two year old son, and got him the heck out of there. She wasn't sure if the car would catch fire or not. It didn't. It was inconvenient and messy. Hopefully no permanent damage done. Getting the car checked out on Monday. Brand new car. Stupid old me....
Jiffy Lube is a joke. Their service people are just a bunch of dumbass kids making min. wage. Expecting something as simple as an oil change to be performed properly is asking WAY too much of these people. I've seen more horror stories from Jiffy Lube than I could ever relate to you here. My best advice to you all: do it yourself, as I have since I was 14. Use a good quality synthetic oil and an OEM filter, and keep plenty on hand. There is NO WAY I would ever let some pimple-faced 18 yr. old dufus anywhere near my Mustang GT, for any sort of repair or maintenance. Only a fool would allow an unqualified person near their expensive vehicle.
Today I went to a local Jiffy Lube to get the oil changed in my wife's car. While I was there, they said they could change my transmission fluid and flush my radiator (Toyota 45K recommendations).
I figured that it would be a time saver to do it while I was there on the weekend rather than screw around with this during the week at my local mechanic and have to drive her car to work and drop it off, pick it up afterward, etc. So, I said OK, change the transmission fluid and flush the engine coolant.
I should have known something was going to happen when the guy installing my oil filter had to be shown that you have to apply oil to the filter gasket.
The transmission fluid replacement went OK, if you don't count the spraying around of transmission fluid that happened when he was filling the fluid-changing machine. To change the transmission fluid, they have a cool machine that has a visible movable piston in a vertical cylinder. The piston is initially at the bottom of the cylinder with new fluid above it filling the cylinder. There are two lines connected to either ends of the cylinder. The bottom line is connected to the transmission line that feeds the transmission cooler. The line connected to the upper end of the cylinder is connected to the return connection on the transmission. The engine is run and the transmission pumps the old fluid into the cylinder and the piston is displaced upward and pushes the new fluid into the transmission through the return line. After about 15 min, the fluid comes out of the transmission clean and red and it's done. (The wonders of modern technology).
While this was going on, the guy in the next bay needed his car pushed out of the bay backwards for a reason I didn't determine. The Jiffy Lube guy at the steering wheel held the car door open and was looking backward while the car was pushed through the narrow opening in the rear of the bay. (Do you see where this is going?). The owner of the car was in the parking lot behind the car and started yelling "WATCH THE DOOR, WATCH THE DOOR" to no avail. CRUNCH and the car door was history. Upon reflection, I think yelling stop would have been more productive. He started yelling that he was going on vacation the next day and I guess that got sorted out between him and the manager. I gave him my name and phone number as a witness and lost interest in that source of amusement.
Meanwhile, the Lexus in the next bay was getting it's tires rotated with a neat lift that raises the entire car far enough off the ground that the tires can be removed and replaced and the guy in the pit can still work on the oil change. There are four large rubber blocks placed between the lift and the car at the four corners of the lift. After the car was finished, one of the guys drove the car off the lift without remembering to remove the large rubber blocks. The car bounced high enough to bottom out the suspension hard (twice, he kept going after the first one). That was kind of exciting.
Then, they went about flushing my cooling system. For this, they have another machine that provides a reservoir of fresh coolant and a couple of hoses to connect to the radiator return hose (top) and the upper radiator hose connection. The car is again idled and the old coolant is pumped out of the engine and into a tank and new coolant is sucked out of the machine and into the radiator. (This had promise). The guy who connected it to my car was mumbling something about hating this old machine and only liked the new (broken) machine.
I decided at this point that it would be prudent to monitor the temperature gauge in the car while this process proceeded. Sure enough, bubbles started rising into the new coolant reservoir and the enging started overheating. I shut if off and took stock of the situation. Sure enough, he had connected the output hose of the machine to the output connection of the engine and viceversa. Once I showed him the error of his ways, he reversed the connections and it actually went well after that.
After the process was completed and the coolant lines were disconnected from my car, he was ready to start working on another car when I asked him if it would be advisable to start the car and check the coolant level in the radiator. He thought it over and another guy talked him into it before he had time to think about it too much. When the engine started, they put another quart or two of coolant into the radiator and finally got the coolant to where I felt comfortable driving away.
After I left, I felt I would have been pressing my luck to return to there and get the sticker with my next oil change mileage that they forgot.
I think I was lucky to have escaped with my life.
Posted by: Brian R. on January 4, 2004 04:30 PMWOW Brian that story almost had me in the fetal position about to commit suicide.
I thought my experience was a bad one. I think this one takes the cake. All that destruction in less then 8 hrs of work at just one Jiffy Jackoff. Imagine all the other poor soles. This last post should be the mother of all warnings to any one even considering using one of these places.
And if I read another Manager or owner giving that same old sob story that “Oh we are all victims here this doesn’t happen in my shop customers are a bunch of complainers.” And to finish quote the Bible to top it all off. That is a bunch of malarkey to anyone with bad experience and conmen sense. Just calculate the statistics you’ll find that the Three Stooges will give a safer and more viable work environment.
TAKE IT TO THE DEALER OR DO IT YOUR SELF. JUST ABOUT EVERY AUTO ZONE AND PEP BOYS OR EVEN YOUR MUNICIPAL RECYCLING CENTERS TAKE IN OLD MOTOR / TRANY OIL WITH FILTERS.
I am so mad!! I have not been to Jiffy Lube in YEARS because I distrust them, however, they are OPEN later than some other businesses. So, I drive to Jiffy Lube, arrive at the store at 6:45 (they close at 7pm) and they refused to service my car, and made no attempts to apologize or work out anything. They had already cleaned and were not taking other customers and the manager argued that his clock said 7pm. I called their customer service and issued a complaint, but I am still so MAD! This is why I never go there!!!!!!!
Posted by: Erin on January 16, 2004 04:20 PMJust wanted to comment on the poor hourly wage Jiffy Lube pays to its employees. I work at
Jiffy Lube and work on approximately 60 cars a day non-stop (sometimes I can't even get a break)
and make only $6.00 per hour gross. After taxes, etc. my take-home is hardly worth it. This Jiffy Lube takes in at least $100,000 per month in revenue and over $1,000,000 a year. How the upper level takes care of themselves..... Hope to be
quitting soon.
I ve read every comment on this site. All I can do is express my jaw dropping awe. I manage a GM lube dept. While it does take us a half hour to change oil and perform an under car inspection, we offer transportation options, or whatever we can do to accomodate our customers, and we wash and vacumn the vehicles. We do make maintanence recommendations and note any leaks or other repairs that may be nessesary. We would, of course, like to see all of those be performed, but would never resort to scare tactics or dishonesty, to gain the sale. My biggest question to those who've taken their new cars to a JL is "why would you trust kids to service your $30k+ investment?" Take your car to the dealer who knows your vehicle better than anyone else. As for engine flushes...I ve never seen GM recommend an engine flush. If you need an engine flush your using the wrong oil! Most domestic vehicles require a few other services at 30k, 60k,& 90k such as trans service or flush (we suggest alternating flushes and filter changes) brake fluid flush as moisture in the brake fluid can damage expensive ABS componants, diff fluids, p/s fluid, transfer case fluids, ect. As for filters, air filters are at a as needed basis and fuel filters should be changed once a year. There is alot of maintanance that the general public is not aware of, with all of the 100k "no service needed" manufacturer claims. The idea that a vehicle can go 100k w/o being serviced is fine as long as 100k is all you expect to get out of a new vehicle. No service in 100k is in a perfect world, and last time I looked I didn t live in the perfect world.
My biggest piece of advise to the consumer is...build a relationship with your service center. only have them work on your vehicle. and listen to their recommendations, weigh them carfully, and see if the cost of a fluid change outweighs the cost of repair. In essence build your relationship on trust and then trust them. All businesses want happy, satisfied customers. It costs more to gain a new customer than to keep one happy. Remember a happy customer tells very few about your service but an unhappy one tells everybody!!!
Good Luck
JD
PS Our faciltiy has made alot of new customers and money as a result of JL mistakes
Mike, your a little bitch! What a whiner! You won't last long! that's why your wife is fucking 2 of your employees.
Posted by: Mikeuabitch on January 20, 2004 09:01 PMmore jiffy lube fiascos
Posted by: steve pacheco on January 26, 2004 08:17 PMLet's see, where do I start? There's so many points to pick on that it's almost comical. Almost.
First, to the idiot that says all 4x4's built after a certain year don't have manual hubs;
1) Yes there are 4x4's with manual hubs built after 1982.
2) Some people (mostly serious 4 wheelers who wouldn't take their rides to Jiffy Lube anyways) swap in manual hubs because of the unreliability of auto or switch activated hubs.
3) The transfer case DOES NOT lock your hubs. The transfer case TRANFERS power to the front differential. Some 4x4's may have an electronic switch that engages the hub locking mechanism when the transfer case is shifted into 4WD. These are prone to failure hence the reason some people opt to install manual hubs.
4) I really can't see the point you were trying to make. People who have older rides aren't allowed to go to Jiffy Lube? If a Jiffy Lube employee doesn't understand the basics of older cars then I sure as hell don't expect them to understand the intricacies of newer ones.
Next, just because I don't change my own fluids doesn't mean that I'm a yuppie that doesn't want to get my hands dirty. That's plain ignorance. I used to be in a financial situation where I had no choice to but to repair my own vehicles. I learned by studying the Chilton guides and figuring things out for myself and became pretty proficient. Now that I have more money I choose to have that kind of work done for me. I'd rather be enjoying my family and the fruits of my labor instead of raking my knuckles, having warm oil run down my arm, and having to dispose of the old oil. If I don’t like the food at a certain restaurant I don’t go into the kitchen to cook it myself, I go to a different restaurant. If no one else makes it the way I want, then I cook it myself. I don’t have to go into the fields a pick my own vegetables either, I guess that makes me a snob in your opinion.
Changing one's oil is a simple task so stop trying to convince people that there's much to it. You drain the pan, run a clean quart through it to flush out any junk (running engine while doing this is optional), remove oil filter (most mechanically inclined people already have that "highly specialized" $5 oil filter wrench), wipe a bit of oil over the rubber seal on the new one, install it and re-install the drain plug. Fill with the appropriate oil (again, not hard to figure out, just call your local dealer, they'll know better than the average Jiffy Luber) and you're done. It's not brain surgery. How these guys keep messing it up astounds me.
It sure seems these Jiffy Lube employees have something against people who can afford to drive nice cars. They seem to think they have it coming to them if they take their $30k car to Jiffy Lube. It’s not their fault; Jiffy Lube spends millions of dollars in advertising telling these people that Jiffy Lube will do a good job without the need for an appointment. While this is probably what happens most of the time it's obviously not what happens all the time. Blaming the customers for being whiners doesn't make the tech's incompetence any more justifiable. The customer expects and deserves exactly what they are paying for. It’s not out of line to request that you do your job. You don’t have to like, but you still have to do it. By the way, what the hell ever happened to the customer always being right? Doesn’t sound like that’s the case here.
I've personally experienced some high pressure sales tactics at Jiffy Lube. Once they insisted that my transmission fluid was old and needed replacing, also pointing out that it was recommended by the manufacturer. I had just replaced the transmission less than 500 miles before and the fluid was brand new. 3000 miles later they pointed out that the air cleaner needed replacing which was not true then they failed to put the filter back in right and close the housing. I know it's a bit of a pain to do since I'm the one who changed it last but that's no excuse for laziness. Again they said I needed to service my transmission. They also wanted to rotate my brand new tires that had less than 100 miles on them. The failure to notice the obvious was the last straw. If these guys can't tell that tires are new (still had plenty of the new tire hairs all over them, hell, you could still see the tire sticker material in between the treads) then I sure don't want them touching my cars again. This was the last time I've visited a Jiffy Lube and I'm glad I didn't have the horrible experiences that others have had. For the price I expect better.
Luckily I found good repair shop that I use now. They're cheaper and more honest than Jiffy Lube ever was. I can ask if my car needs a tune up and they'll check the plugs and rotor and tell me no, not for a few thousand more miles if they look good. I know, good shops are hard to find. I was referred to this shop by a tow truck driver friend of mine. He tows to all the shops and knows who's honest and reasonable and who's not. Dealerships are notorious for overcharging and finding phantom issues so I tend not to use them, even for serious repairs like new transmissions.
After reading the responses by Jiffy Lube employees (I refer to them as JiffIdiots) I feel I've made the right decision in not patronizing Jiffy Lube anymore. Yeah, patronizing is in the dictionary, that book with a lot of words, in case you want to look it up. Maybe that’s why they are working at Jiffy Lube, they can’t handle anything more challenging.
I went into Jifflube that was empty one afternoon thinking I would get it done quickly. For 80,000 miles I had taken my Toyota Avalon to the dealer and had the oil and filter changed every 4000 miles with Pennzoil 5W-30 at a cost of $26 with tax and disposal fee and a guarantee of a next free oil change if the job was not done in 30 minutes. The V-6 engine does not use one drop of oil. When I told Jiffylube to use 5W-30 Pennzoil, he told me NO. I showed him the oil cap and the owners manual say to use 5W-30 oil. He said the owners manual is wrong, 5W-30 oil is too thin and would ruin the engine. I told him of the consumer reports taxi fleet test which showed no difference in tax fleet engine wear or high temperature viscosity between 5W-30 and 10W-30 oil and he became very rude and snotty. I asked the moron high school dropout where he got his engineering degree? Complaints to Jiffylube and and his manager did nothhing - all I wanted was an apology and an admission that 5W-30 oil is right for the car. I will never go to a Jiffylube again. The real joke ---- it took just as long to get it done at Jiffy lube as it does at the dealer. And Jiffylube is about $6 more expensive.
Posted by: Paul on February 7, 2004 11:11 AMthis particular entry bothers me
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This is to the man who asked about the engine flush. If you look in your car manual you will see that all car manufactures recommend that you have an engine flush done after the first 50,000 miles (or so). Being a Mechanic my self I can tell you that having your oil changed is just that Changed not cleaning out you oil pan or engine. After an oil change your then clean oil runs back through the same dirty engine for 3000 more miles and keeps doing that after each oil change. More and more dirt,sludge and all kinds of nasty stuff gets added to the already caked sides. Sooner or later the oil is going to come out black and blacker as the time goes by.
I am really sorry to hear about all the bad jiffy lube experiences everyone has had but I know that the jiffy lube in my town is ran by 2 master Mechanics 100% of the people that go in there have been coming back for years and years. I take my cars there just because I dont have time like the rest of you. What that guy had said was true like with any place you have bad,good and the best. I just wish that people would respect that and understand that.
Thank you and God bless!
Posted by: jess on July 13, 2003 07:50 PM
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I am a Master Mechanic, I own my own shop, If you knew anything about anything why in the hell would you go get your masters in auto and go work for a fucking jiffy lube, that is just stupid people saying they are masters, they are not even certified, and if they are certifed in anything it is in something stupid that they dont even do to your car, anyone that thinks that master mechanics work for shit that actually know anything, that narrows it down a lot, work for an oil change place period are fucking idiots
Hey,
I was reading all about, how many of you have such bad times at jiffy lube. I have been going to jiffy lube for a long time any every time I go i have such a great experience. I love the people who work there, they are so nice. Maybe its because I live in a great state. New Hamshire.
Sorry for all of you who have bad experiences but mine every time is VERY GOOD!
THIS ONE TAKES THE CAKE!!!! (Over $1000 in damage to my car for an OIL CHANGE!)
Okay, so I figure I’ll take my car in during lunch at work yesterday February 17-th 2004 for an oil & filter change as well as state inspection. It is not February 18-th and I am in a rent a car! Read on to get the details…this is long!
So, I took my car in and I am standing there watching the guy check my oil before the oil change… well, he pulls out the dipstick, cleans it off, puts it back in and then pulls it out again to check it… only when he pulled it out the 2-nd time to check it the dipstick broke off and fell back into the dipstick tube of my 2002 Nissan Sentra. SO there is this guy, holding the plastic pull part of the dipstick and the metal part has fallen back down the tube (about 4 inches down). I hear him say “awwww shit” so I say “you gotta be kidding me” then the manager walks over and asks what happened, I told him exactly what you just read… but of course the “mechanic” says this “man, I don’t know what happened, I just pulled out the dipstick and it broke man, I think it was broke before” so I say “no, you pulled it out, cleaned it off, put it back in, pulled it out and it broke” he says “nooo man I never pulled it out twice man, it broke the first time” Finally the “manager” intervenes… I know he is the manager cause he is in a blue button up shirt without the grease stains. Manager says, “Did you EVER pull it out and it was NOT broken” the guy says “man, I don’t know what happened, it just broke”.
So, regardless, there is now a metal rode in the dipstick tube and they need to try to figure out how to get it out hahaha. Well, the bunch of monkeys put things down the tube to try to grab the dipstick (not a bad idea… much better then what happens in about 10 minutes) but they cannot get it out So, they stick it on another bay and get under the car, I go back into the “lobby” area and wait…I call Nissan while I am waiting and they tell me it is not covered under warranty… well, that blows hahah. So, after some time I hear banging and I see a guy with his hand on the tube and forcefully wiggling and waggling it to try to pry it free, while a guy under the car has a screwdriver and a mallet!!!! Before I can stop them the tube comes free and they take out the dipstick. Now, I am no master mechanic, but I know a mallet and screwdriver and brute force are not used to “fix” things.
Well, they show me that the tube is out and that the dipstick is free and now they tell me they are going to fix it while a guy drives over to the Nissan dealership and picks up a new dipstick (free of charge).
Well, the guy gets back with the dipstick they “fixed” the tube and finished my oil and filter change as well as my inspection. I asked them to show me the dipstick/tube and they guy opens up the hood and shows me that everything is fine. I go to pay and am only charged for the oil/filter and inspection. On the receipt, I get in writing that they broke the dipstick and had to get it out.
I drive about 2 blocks and pull into an auto parts store to pick up windshield wiper blades; while I am there I decide to look under the hood and pull up the dipstick… well, lo and behold the WHOLE tube comes out with it! And this weird putty junk is on the bottom of the tube.
I drive right back to Jiffy Lube and call the manager over who actually looks surprised to see me! He asks what is wrong and I open up the hood grab a hold of the tube and take it out and hand it to him. He says, “Oh, that’s not right”. He takes the car, pulls it back into the bay, and gets under the car and gets a phone book. He then calls a tow truck and tells me that the tow truck will be here in about an hour and a half and that I have to take it to a mechanic (obviously cause they are not mechanics!). And I can go to a place they recommend or the dealership… so of course I say dealership, and I call the dealership (about 5 minuets away, I had no idea there was one over there) and ask them if the car is safe to drive. They say yes, just get it over here. So, I tell Jiffy Lube to cancel the tow truck and to show me where the dealership is. They tell one of their employees to lead the way in her car while I follow. We get to the dealership and she talks to the guy there (nice dealership, a BMW/Nissan dealership) and tells him what happened and that Jiffy lube is actually going to pay for the repairs. She leaves, and I stay at the dealership… they do some checking, and come back telling me how jiffy lube screwed up the car and tell me it is going to be a major job to fix it. I tell them to do what they have to, because J-lube is paying for it (they did break it). About 4 hours later they tell me it is going to take longer then expected and I need a rental car. Well, Jiffy Lube pays for the rental car too and I leave the Nissan dealership at 6:00 at night (I went in for my oil change at noon) so, this has been a 6 hour ordeal up till this point.
And FYI, for all you Jiffy Lube lovers out there… know this… if I had not seen the guy break this dipstick in the first place, I am 100 percent sure, they would have never said a word, and then this bill would be on me.
So, there is my story, I hope you learn from it… AVOID JIFFY LUBE.
Posted by: Danny on February 18, 2004 09:40 AMI have just recently had a terrifying experience
with a Jiffy Lube in Chicago, Illinois.
I am a divorced dad and this Jiffy Lube experience now leaves me without a car
to even hold my 5 year old in my arms.
After all was said and done yesterday
it will cost me for a new transmission.
Yesterday I contacted the President of Jiffy Lube with my unresolved problem. A little over an hour later the Pep Boys mechanics had changed their stories to fall into line with Jiffy Lube’s two minute assessment.
It was then that I realized that Jiffy Lube’s parent company, The Shell Oil Company and the company that owns the majority of stock
in Pep Boys Automotive had a mutual stock interest in one another.
I easily surmised that one phone from the top of the food chain put me, Mr. Little Joe Consumer at fault !
The letter below was just faxed to Jiffy Lube’s President and Fred S. in Jiffy Lube’s Customer Complaint Dept.
This letter is a follow up to yesterday’s conference call at 3:13 PM.
With Fred S. myself and with the Pep Boys chief mechanic.
The first thing you should know about me is that I have been in the business world since 1976. I know how the business world operates above the table and also how it works under the table.
Over the many years I have been in business I have made many friends. Many are in the fields of local and Federal Law Enforcement, private
Investigation and Civil and Criminal Law.
I cannot put all the pieces together yet. But this is how I believe the events unfolded. I have kept meticulous notes since this Jiffy Lube
fiasco began on January 31, 2004.
I will not capitulate and I will exhaust every available resource, including National media venues until I am fully compensated.
I brought my automobile into Chicago's Jiffy Lube #593 on a very cold morning, January 31, 2004
at approximately 10:00 AM Saturday. As I pulled into the Jiffy Lube drive I realized there would be a significant wait due to all the cars parked in the drive and 2-3 deep at the stall doors.
I was waiting in my auto approximately 8 minutes when a young Jiffy Lube employee waved at me to get out of my car, that he would pull my car into
the stall. I thanked him and went inside.
There was nowhere to sit and the inside area was like a sardine can filled with people. The man at the cash register was conversing with one of the
young employees and he stated, “it was so slow during the week, now were getting hit hard”. The young employee smiled as he walked away.
At 10:14 AM a Jiffy Lube service tech inside the work area motioned for me to come over to him by his computer station inside the work area. He asked me what I wanted and I told him that I wanted an oil change using, “synthetic oil”. He went through the usual checklist, wiper blades, air filter etc and I said, “ok, change the
air filter too”. For now all I need is an oil and air filter change”. He said OK and
he hit the enter button on his workstation computer. It was now 10:15 AM.
I re-entered the sardine filled customer waiting area and the young man that had earlier been speaking to the man at the cash register about how busy it was, stated to me, “it won’t be long now. We are getting people in and out of here very quickly this morning.”
Just then my car was pulled into the work stall. I thought to myself, they are working very quickly.
My automobile was now to be worked on in the stall closest to the window that separates
the work area from the customer waiting area. Since I was told that they would be
finished quickly I decided to stand by and watch the service as it was being performed.
A young man walked up to my car and changed the air filter. I noticed he had a difficult
time closing the apparatus housing my air filter. He pushed, pulled and could not close it. He looked around as if to see if anyone was around to help him and when he didn’t see anyone he shoved harder and made it close.
At the same time there was a man vacuuming the interior of my automobile. I could see a work light moving around just below my automobile in the “pit area”.
It is at this point that I believe the damage process to my automobile began. I believe that the Jiffy Lube employee located in this “pit area” for some reason or another, maybe because he was nervous because he was told to work fast, loosened the plug of my transmission fluid reservoir. For what reason I do not know. Perhaps to check the quality of my transmission fluid as was done in previous visits to Jiffy Lube. (*See months earlier Jiffy Lube work invoice)
I believe that this Jiffy Lube employee located in this “pit area” either did not replace the drain plug or did not secure (tighten) it properly on my vehicle.
About 5 minutes later I saw the man that I had given my order to at his work station walk up to my automobile with 5 quarts of oil in gold containers.
He poured the oil in without a funnel. I watched him put five quarts into my automobile and then check the dipstick. He shook his head, walked over to his workstation and picked up another quart of the same oil. He walked over to my car and poured in the 6th quart. He pulled the dipstick and was satisfied. Then put the oil cap back on and using a small red rag tucked into his pocket he wiped away his oil drippage on the engine block.
A few minutes later the “work light” went out below my automobile and a very young man came out of the pit area. I thought he looked too young to be working at Jiffy Lube.This very young kid looked about fifteen or sixteen years old. He had his baseball cap on backwards as he walked into the customer waiting area to use the restroom. I couldn’t believe my eyes at how young the kid looked that had just been working on my automobile .
I was told by the young man that changed my air filter that I could go outside that my car
would be driven out of the work area in one minute.
I went outside, the garage door was lifted and my car driven out. I proceeded to drive the short distance from Jiffy Lube #593 located at 3630 North Elston Ave. to my home where I parked in front of my residence. *It is important
to note that later that same day a wet spot of transmission fluid was observed by myself
and others where my car had been parked earlier that day after returning from Jiffy Lube, # 593
Around 4:30 PM Northbound on 90/94 the Kennedy Expressway my car began to slow down. I began to step on the gas pedal the engine raced but the car kept slowing down.
A petroleum based smoke began to come up from underneath my hood.
With my five year old child crying in the backseat I pulled into the first “Emergency Site”
located just south of the Chicago downtown area. I used my cell phone to call a friend whom is a mechanic. I described the symptoms and he said it sounds like you have little or no transmission fluid. Luckily, I remembered that I kept emergency fluids in my trunk in case of an emergency. Power steering, brake and transmission fluid.
With my friend on the phone I checked my transmission fluid dip stick. It was an
eighth of an inch. My friend told me the reservoir needed fluid. I proceeded to
put transmission fluid into my automobile immediately. My friend instructed me
to let it drain in, wait about ten minutes and then test the automobile very slowly
within this emergency area. As I waited an Illinois Police vehicle pulled up to me
and asked if everything was alright. I told him I wasn’t sure but I believed I had some type of
transmission problem. An IDOT safety vehicle also pulled up asking me the same questions.
I waited the ten minutes and then noticed that I had the ability to move my vehicle.
My friend on the phone said, “good, good”. Then he asked me to drive near the
area I was first parked at as I put in the two quarts of fluid. He asked me to get out
of my vehicle and look at the ground for leaks. I told him there was only a few drops
on the ground. He said you should be able to get the six miles to your home. My friend
then told me to call Jiffy Lube as they surely must have loosened something for you to
be losing transmission fluid.
I pulled back onto the road and my automobile was handling fine. I was now confidant
that I would make it home. About two miles down the road the problem reappeared. Now I am in the center lane, smoke is pouring out of my hood I cannot see and I have no transmission. I get the car onto the exit ramp and it just stops ! Traffic is barreling up behind me. I quickly put the car in neutral, jump out and push like hell moving the car away from a very dangerous traffic lane. Fortunately, I am now at the Division Street Emergency site.
I used my cell phone to call my good friend the mechanic and he told me to “stay put” he would leave his job and help me out. I gave him the specs on the transmission fluid I needed him to bring and he brought ten quarts with him. When he arrived it was now after 7:00 PM Saturday night. He checked my transmission fluid level using the dip stick and he replied, “Mike, you are now bone dry”. He proceeded to pour up to six quarts of transmission fluid into my automobile. He said we need to let it drain deeply in so let’s just wait a little while.
We proceeded to talk and he noticed a huge puddle off the front passenger side of the car.
He loudly roared, “What the hell did Jiffy Lube do to you? You are losing all of your
transmission fluid. It’s coming out as fast as I’m pouring it in!”
Just then the same IDOT emergency vehicle pulled up and I told him that I needed a
Tow. He stated that it was a busy night and gave me the name and phone number of a towing Services. Forty Five minutes later the tow truck arrived and the driver recommended, “Pep Boys Automotive”. The driver charged me $100.00 and the tow truck driver parked my damaged automobile in Pep Boys parking lot.
My friend drove my daughter and I home. As we disembarked his automobile he pointed out the small puddle of transmission fluid at the place I normally park my vehicle. He told me to phone Jiffy Lube the very first thing in the morning.
Also, the damaged transmission in my vehicle is the second transmission to be installed on this car. The automobile’s previous owers, personal friends, had the original transmission go out on them in late summer of 2000. It was brought to a Ford dealership where Ford installed a “brand new transmission”. This took place in September 2000. I have now obtained the receipt of this.
From the morning of Sunday, February 1st, 2004 until Thursday, February 19th, 2004
I communicated on a regular basis with the chief mechanic at Pep Boys Automotive and other mechanics that work directly with him or for him. I have meticulous notes on these conversations. beginning with Chuck the manager of
Jiffy Lube # 593 and all of my conversations with the the Pep Boys Crew.
In each and every one of these conversations with Pep Boys mechanics prior to the “conference call of 2-19-04” that was initiated by Fred S. in Jiffy Lubes Houston Customer Service Dept. Each and every mechanic I conversed with, including the chief mechanic stated to me that my drain plug was completely missing. I was told by Pep Boys that the part had to be ordered from the Ford Plant in Michigan. When the seal ring damage was noticed each and every mechanic including the head mechanic stated that this was consistent with being burned away from the heat that would be generated from running the transmission without transmission fluid.
I kept in regular contact with the chief mechanic and his crew at “Pep Boys Automotive”.
They would call be daily or every other day with updates. In more than one conversation
the Pep Boys crew would state that getting my car fixed and out of their shop was their number one priority. They would nicely say, “It’s been here long enough”.
Reviewing my notes, in one conversation Pep Boys would tell me that a man named,
“Michael” from Jiffy Lube, maybe the #593 franchise owner was out with another guy looking at your car for just a couple of minutes today.
Recently the Pep Boys chief mechanic called me to say that a Jiffy Lube photographer quickly snapped a few shots of your car and left the other day.
I believe that “Michael” or whomever is the franchise owner of Jiffy Lube #593 put the pieces together about what happened to my automobile, along with the young kid working in his “pit area” that Saturday morning. This is when the CYA process was put into effect.
Yesterday, Thursday Morning Fred S. from Houston phones me to put forth his CYA assessment ofwhat “really happened” to my automobile. This assessment was completed with information obtained independently from the mechanics at Pep Boys that were servicing my car. Based on conversations with Pep Boys head mechanic and his crew at Pep Boys this information was obtained during an examination that took minutes, followed by a couple of pictures that took minutes to shoot. So, this assessment of Fred’s was
being based upon an exam that took minutes.
Fred places the blame on me, “the customer” that it was purely coincidental that this damage happened to my vehicle and that my vehicle happened to be in Jiffy Lube # 593. According to Fred my ring began to fail and leak maybe minutes or maybe seconds after I left Jiffy Lube # 593. That Jiffy Lube employees could not have possibly removed my drain plug. I replied to him that I wasn’t going to buy into his absurd theory.
At 12:17 PM I sent a four page fax to the personal fax machine of Mr. Larry Burch, President of Jiffy Lube International. This fax contained the details of my problems
sustained by damage caused by Jiffy Lube franchise #593. At approximately 2:00 PM I left a tactful and diplomatic voicemail message in Mr.Larry Burch’s personal voicemail. The message briefly stated the problem and Also informed him of the four page fax sent an hour or so earlier.
In my opinion it is simply beyond coincidence that I received a phone call from Fred S. in Jiffy Lube’s Headquarters at 3:13 PM with the so-called solution to the problem.
After nineteen days of Fred putting my problem on his “back burner”. After nineteen days of Fred not even returning half of my phone call inquiries. After nineteen days of Fred not communicating whatsoever with the Pep Boys Automotive, chief mechanic.
* A little over one hour after contacting the President of Jiffy Lube
International, Mr. Larry Burch by phone and fax. The solution to the problem
appears. In my book, this is beyond any and all coincidence.
As I have stated, I am in the Financial business. My contacts have made me aware of the business, or rather stockowner relationship/s that exist between the Shell Oil Company, parent company of Jiffy Lube International and the parent company of Pep Boys Automotive. Very convenient indeed !
Not only have I seen this done in my business, but I know it happens everywhere.
One convenient phone call is made at the very top of the food chain and the head mechanic at PepBoys facts mysteriously change or rather everything “falls into line” with the
official 2 minute Jiffy Lube assessment. A solution that releases Jiffy Lube from any liability whatsoever.
A little pressure on the Pep Boys Chief Mechanic from high above in the Pep Boys Corporation and it’s very easy to see how a man with a wife, children and home would get a “new revelation” on the facts and matters at hand.
Isn’t it amazing how every Pep Boys mechanic including the chief mechanic could have made the same mistake? How they all could have been so wrong when they were all looking at my vehicle on a daily basis.
How Fred S and his theory derived 500 miles away in Houston based on 2 minutes of examination that pinned the blame on me and relieved Jiffy Lube of any and all liability was right and each and every Pep Boys Automotive mechanic working on my automobile was wrong. As Fred S. in Houston chucked and quipped with the Pep Boys Chief Mechanic on the conference call, “even the best of us are wrong once in a while”.
“chuckle, chuckle”.
A rather tidy solution that turns a customer complaint into a problem caused by the customer. As the anecdote goes, “Hey, John you poked me in the eye”. “No Bob couldn’t you see that you poked yourself in the eye.
AND all of this occurring less than two hours of my making contact with the President
of Jiffy Lube International, Mr. Larry Burch. Playing hardball tactics with little Mr. Joe Consumer, Michael Popilchak.
The events that occurred on the road that Saturday, January 31, 2004 was for my five
year old daughter her first traumatic experience of life. She will remember this for
the rest of her life. This memory of this traumatic event is still very scary and
real to her. She has been having nightmares about this incident. So it should come as no surprise to you that I will not just let this go away. I will continue to pursue this matter until I feel totally compensated.
I will move forward, investigating further and pursuing legal action. I will also bring this story to investigative reporters within various national television news venues.
Sincerely,
Michael Popilchak
773-569-1042 cell
Posted by: Mike Popilchak on February 20, 2004 02:33 PM
My correct cell # is 773-569-1959
My e-mail is:
popilchak@yahoo.com
Posted by: Mike Popilchak on February 20, 2004 02:41 PMHi Guys, I work for Jiffy Lube... my poor soul. Unfortunately this job pay's my bills. Anyway, when I first started, I came in with a decent amount of knowledge about cars and I'm quite proud that the station I work at does a very good job of taking care of customers cars. There are, however, lots of things I hate about this company, for starters, the company itself. They care for nothing but how much money we can squeeze out of every single customer who drives into our garage to get an oil change. They want us to get at the very least $54.00 per customer even if the car is brand new. If there isn't anything that needs to be done, find something. That's where the window treatment, odor elimination, engine flush, Fuel Emissions Cleaning, Tire rotation (DO NOT DO A TIRE ROTATION AT A JIFFY LUBE-THEY WILL NOT SUPPLY US WITH THE PROPER TOOLS TO PROPERLY TORQUE YOUR WHEELS!!!! IF YOU WANT TO RISK THE LIFE OF YOUR FAMILY THEN GO AHEAD!!!), and god knows how many other bullshit services to make up for any vehicle that is not due for services yet. We either this or face the big guys. I could careless about stupid numbers or quotas, hell fire me if they want but there's no way I'm screwing anyone and I've been chewed more times then I could remember, I even got a pay deduction because I refused to sell unecessary items.
Besides all this, if we do a service, we do it very well atleast where I work anyway. All fluids such as transmission fluids, antifreeze, differential fluids, etc. will pretty much get nearly 100% of the old fluid replaced, if you want an approximate estimate, I'd say about 95-99.9% of the old fluid. Unfortunately, our store did have 1 major warranty in the years that I have been working there but we fixed it at no cost to the customer and that was from a faulty oil filter. That just goes to show how cheap Jiffy Lube is, they'll find the cheapest possible crap and put it on customers cars. Penzoil is the cheapest brand anywhere. The filters last... probably 100-200 miles at most costing Jiffy Lube 50 cents a filter and we charge $11.00 for them, then the cardboard "spring" breaks down and the filter bypasses all the used oil. The oil is so crappy (again made by penzoil and is about 10 cents a quart) WD-40 probably outperforms it. There's not much if anything that I could do... that is why I'm posting this here.
Unfortunately, we the Lube Techs get all the publicity. Things go wrong because Jiffy Lube hires a bunch of kids in more stores then one who couldn't tell the difference between a vacuum cleaner and a dipstick because they "know" people who are qualified to do the work will not settle for $6.50 an hour. Then Jiffy Lube covers their butt when the customers have problems and the Lube Techs get it up the ass. I don't mind, because if I was any one of you who had a bad experience, I'd feel the same way. If we all stood together and we are to blame someone, I think we should blame the damn assholes who are pulling all the strings. It's them who's making 2-300 grand a year by screwing us and the customers. If I meet anyone of them, I'd personally shove my feet so far up their ass, they'll be licking the soles of my shoes.
For those who pride themselves for working with Jiffy Lube, they are all in on it and it pretty much starts with the store manager and up, are getting a hell of a bonus. Hell, we get no vacation time untill we are employed full time for 1 whole year and we only get 3-4 days out of the entire year off. Christmas Day, New Years Day, and Thanksgiving. Benefits... what the fuck is that... it don't exist in Jiffy Lubes vocabulary. God I hate this company...
Posted by: Kenshin on February 20, 2004 10:05 PMI had to literally scream in a jiffy lube managers face to get money back, from over a week earlier, when one of the other shop monkeys charged me for someone elses car, he wrote void on the reciept and said it was charged back. Two weeks before that I had another car in another jiffy job, and the fuel injectors where cleaned, I get in the car after there done and the check engine light is on, so I go back in and ask the chimps about it, they say it will go off within 24 hours the computer needs to reset. That jiffy job was 50 miles away, was trying to get something done quickly while doing some work in the area, so a week later I had to take it back to another jiffy job to have the computer reset, even though I could have disconected the battery myself. jiffy job is nothing better then a tribe of primates, just think of a really stupid cornelous from planet of the apes when you walk into a jiffy job so you have a reason to smile while doing business with these packs of mental midgets.
I'LL NEVER BE GOING BACK!
Oh, and I called the CS and the rep was coming across as if it was my fault, what a dopey fuck he was.
Posted by: David on February 22, 2004 07:07 PMLike I said David, Jiffy Lube don't care about anything or anyone except filling their pockets with your money. Managers get $3,000 to $7,000 extra dollars a month ontop of their wages if they manage to get an average of $58 dollars on every car that rolls out the shop. Man I don't know why "ANYONE" would even go to a Jiffy Lube. I work there but I hate their guts more then I can explain. As for chimps working for Jiffy Lube, that's absolutely right, I'm a chimp for working there but I do get a check and that's why I'm still there. I can't wait till someone brings these good for nothing A-HOLES down.
Posted by: Kenshin on February 23, 2004 08:46 PMJust to let all of you know. The reason why the JL employees try desprately to sale stuff is so they can have a day off. These JL managers at least where I am at are working 8-7pm daily and if they dont meet their sales catagories then they also have to go to a metting on Tuesdays and Wendsdays. Thursday is normal metting day so after working 7 days a week, three of them untill 9:00pm and no days off they get desperate and try to sell stuff. No sales no day off. The pay is not great but when you have a family to support and the job market is not so well you have to try to keep your job. So thank you to anyone who purchased something extra that your car might have needed in the first place, you might have helped my son spend some time with his dad.
Posted by: wife of employee on February 24, 2004 10:44 AMI dont know what JL you are talking about but there are not any managers I know that bring home that much extra. My hubby brings home a measily 465 a week for working 7 days a week and going to meetings. They promice to pay you these bonuses but they never ever do. The managers get screwed more thatn anyone in this whole forum. Maybe if all of you people complained to the news stations to make jiffy lube pay more than they do then you would not be dealing with kids changing oil on your car.
Posted by: wife of employee on February 24, 2004 11:04 AMWell, in our district/region, Everyone who's a Manager and above makes a lot of cash, I'm an Assistant and I get part of it too, like 35 dollars compared to my manager who in august took home a 3.4k bonus check. Our stores sell like mad and we can't even clean the floors with degreeser, we can't even clean transmission pan's with a parts washer, they don't even give us decent hand soap. You know what we use to clean our floors? A gallon of Tide... which is to last us a "WEEK!!" To clean the transmission pans, well, we just have to wipe them clean with "DIRTY" rags. Get this, if we need tools, we pretty much have to get our own tools. That's how cheap the Jiffy Lubes I work at is. Not only that, me and the other assistant managers mostly open to close while the manager shows up for half days all the time and stay's clocked in the whole day. Worst of all, they pay us, even the assistant managers chump change for what we know and gives us a crew of kids who calls in sick half the time and when they are there, they don't know the difference between oil and anti-freeze. to wife of Employee, I don't mean to sound like I hate everyone working for Jiffy Lube, I just hate Jiffy Lube itself. Treating us the Employee's and the Customers as if both were nothing to them. I also hate the way they make us sell to customers, sure they say, sell only by milage but the quota they want per car is well beyound what the customer is due for. So we got to make up every single little lie we could possible think of. Just to meet our quota. For a few months now, I've been doing it the right way, I've been treatened to get fired but that's what I'm waiting for, then I can sue them for firing me because I don't sell customers services they don't need.
Posted by: Kenshin on February 24, 2004 03:57 PMobviously, these complaints are not jiffy lube specific..... check out complaints for all the other quick lube centers......its all the same...bottom line if a quick lube does 50 cars a day thats about 250 per week = 1,000 per month = 12,000 a year...ther is certainly going to be a % for margin of error...figure 2%? thats 240 cars a year that will possibly have issues.... maybe .5% could blow an engine because the plug wasnt tightened properly... thats still 60 cars a year..... it's gonna happen...most of these techs only make min. wage, hence likely no high school diploma.... you rarely see anyone write: they changed my oil, car runs fine, no problem! Again it isnt Jiffy lube, its common sense...come on people, no company is going to change 100% of everyones oil perfect for years straight..... i say the odds are in your favor, if you dont want to take the 2% risk, better get dirty! late
Yeah we are waiting for the same thing. My husband has not had a day off in 2 mths now. They took out his coffee machine because the coffee cost too much. Nor does he have a water fountain. I wish someone would expose Jiffy lube and let the customers know just how crooked Jiffy Lube is. Now he came home and told me that their new rule is that if the manager does not find a way to make budget that they have to go to a meeting that is about 30 min away in heavy traffic every week after working 7 days a week and going to their other meeting every week for not selling people enough windshield wipers/ repairs. And none of the meetings are paid. He works about 76 hrs. a week for 460.00 Oh but they did give him one of those bonuses like you were talking about for 20.00 for windshild repairs. They cut him a check, after taxes it was 6.00. And I do mean six dollars. He also had to paint his own store after work. I mean does anyone else see that this company cares nothing for their employee, and you think they are going to care for your cars! They just want your money.
Posted by: wife of employee on March 5, 2004 07:35 AM