This is topic Jiffy Lube scam in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 08-28-2006, 02:06 PM:
 
Normally I would post this in the random videos thread, but for anyone doing business with Jiffy Lube, you probably would be interested in watching this.
 

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Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 08-28-2006, 04:54 PM:
 
That Los Angeles NBC4 undercover/investigative guy has done a lot of reporting on local scams, filthy health conditions in restaurants, and consumer rip-offs.

It's ALWAYS the same reply from the corporate of the scamming POS companies that get caught with their pants down and fucking the bent-over consumer: "We're totally shocked and will investigate and take appropriate action". HA!

I'm surprised that reporter is still alive and has not been "retired".
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 08-28-2006, 05:41 PM:
 
I'm glad I don't go to Jiffy Lube, I get stiffed at the dealer instead, dammit!
 

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Posted by Frank Dubrois (Member # 3042) on 08-28-2006, 06:28 PM:
 
I never go to those damn places, and now I never will. I pay a little more for my local mechanic to do the work, but at least I know its getting done. I don't like waiting 45 minutes for an oil change, but now, I don't mind so much. I never understood how these places can get all the bad oil out of your car, change the filter, put in new oil, and get you on your way in 10 minutes. It takes at least that long for all of the old oil to completely drain down into the pan after being run through your car.
 

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Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 08-28-2006, 06:44 PM:
 
I worked in several gas stations while in high school.

When a car that has been driven until it is good and hot pulls up onto the oil change bay, the first thing we do is remove the drain plug. The oil is HOT and thinner than when cold. Grease the front suspension, and check the rear axle grease. Once the crankcase is down to a drip, replace the plug, and remove the oil filter. Its a really quick job. No, I never worked at an oil change place.

I couldnt see the entire video, but I heard it. The vid froze up on the anchorman. I hope the bad guys fry.
 

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Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 08-28-2006, 06:55 PM:
 
Bruce, when I was 15, I too worked at a gas station and did the same things you mention. We were honest and did all the work for the $.

Of course regular gasoline was 29.9 cents a gallon back then too...

It's really a shame that now there are so many dishonest assholes. Buyer Beware!
 

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Posted by Will Kutler (Member # 770) on 08-28-2006, 07:17 PM:
 
Many, many years ago my Dad took the car into a local transmission shop (big chain) just to have the fluid and tranny filter changed. And he always made it a point of keeping his eyes peeled. Anyhow, the old fluid was drained into a filthy drain pan, filled with metal chips and debris. Dad cought them just as they were about ready to dump that crap back into the transmission! They suffered the wrath of his temper!!

I don't see why people make such a big deal out of changing or servicing oil!? And any auto supply store chain (Pep Boys, Checker, Auto Zone, etc, etc, etc) will recycle your oil at no cost. Unfortunately, they do not recycle filters!

I did go into a quick lube (national chain) once for a quick oil change, as my time was limited. Well, I ended up leaving that place in a hurry and did the change myself. The stupid min wage kid was unfamaliar with the correct filter for a small block Ford and was going to literally jury-rig a filter to fit! But I nipped him in the bud an prevented him from proceeding!
 

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Posted by Chris Hipp (Member # 1788) on 08-28-2006, 08:45 PM:
 
I change my own oil too. I buy it at walmart when I am buying groceries. It costs me about $10 and takes less than 15 minutes. It would take longer to drive to the oil change place than it would do do it myself.

I will never take any vehicle to pep boys again. I took my truck in for an alignment a few years ago and they used up half a tank of gas, which is about 100-125 miles.

I do just about everything myself, but if I ever have to take it to a mechanic again I will make sure it only has enough gas to get me back home when they are done with it.
 

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Posted by Charles Greenlee (Member # 3856) on 08-28-2006, 08:57 PM:
 
I just recently had my oil changed at one of our local Jiffy Lubes. I don't think I'll ever go back after seeing the video, but I'm pretty sure they did a good job on this trip. I could see them drain the old oil, and take the filter off and set it to the side. A guy went over to the wall o' boxes, and grabbed a box, cut the tape on it, and handed it down to the guy in the pit area. He pulled out a new oil filter, drew a bead of oil over the seal, and put it on. While another guy was going over to a big drum of oil with one of those flip valves, like on a commercial tea pot, and dispense my "High Milage" oil into a jug, and went back and filled my car with it. The others were busy around checking my washer fluid, topping off my antifreze, etc. They almost resembled a Nascar pit crew. However, the video has persuaded me to stick with the guys over by me.

I would change my own, but the apron (air dam) prevents me from using the ramps we have, and my e-jack, is a standard crank style scissor jack. It's waaaay too much trouble to do it myself, for now.
 

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Posted by Frank Dubrois (Member # 3042) on 08-28-2006, 09:38 PM:
 
I used to do it myself, but my mechanic only charges $16. For 5 quarts of oil and a decent filter, I'd only be saving a couple dollars. I didnt like the hassle of crawling under the car, busting my knuckles taking the filer off, then hauling the oil to a place to dispose of it properly. Its worth a few bucks for them to do it, then when their under there, they look for leaks or other problems. money well spent.
 

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Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 08-28-2006, 10:26 PM:
 
These scams are nothing new. Back in the 80's it was Firestone Auto Centers. Before that it was Sears. It's the same old game. Just change the name.

When my car needs an oil change I often do it myself if I have the time and if the weather is good. I don't like working on cars in the winter even inside the garage. (Not attached, unheated garage.)

If I took it to "Wags", my usual mechanic and asked him to change the oil he'd laugh at me. He knows I can change it myself and he doesn't want to waste the time.

There's a Wal-Mart where I know a few of the mechanics. If I take it in for an oil change I'll take it there because I know those guys don't fool around.
 

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Posted by Will Kutler (Member # 770) on 08-28-2006, 11:43 PM:
 
Frank spoke about busting his knuckles with filter removal? Why?? Several easy-to grab and inexpensive filter wrenches on the market today. And there is no reason to torque the hell out of the filter.

Cheers

Kutler
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 08-29-2006, 12:41 AM:
 
I fully agree with all of these statements as well. For, I've always done my own oil/filter changes as long as I've been driving..until recently I became aware of something that can be a "Catch-22" in all of this:

Didn't happen to me, but a friend of mine got stiffed buy the dealership-and this wasn't due to not doing the oil change and paying for it, it was called warranty issues.

He bought a new car and is a self made Saturday mechanic as I am in taking care of his own vehicles. And it had to happen: engine started to use oil like mad. First, he thought that the PVC valve had gone bad,thus he replaced the valve. Unfortunately,this didn't work to stop the oil consumption.

Being under warranty, he took the vehicle in for the classic checkup - shop told him that the valve seals went prematurely, plus two oil rings have gotten weak. Suddenly, the dealership crys failure of proper oil changes and durations. Yet, he told them that he was faithful in the changes-even showing them the after market filters that is being used.

But,with him doing his own changes, there were no "paper trails" to document the changes by a service center, they wouldn't garnish a warranty repair on the vehicle. He fought that one out clear to the factory and did eventually win the case, but it was a hard lesson for him to learn - to have documentations available esp with warranty issues.

Thus, I take our 02 Saturn (which we purchased with an extended warranty) in to Jiffy Lube and watch them VERY CAREFULLY as they do the service on that vehicle. Yes, they have screwed up one time by not putting the filter cap over the cartridge case (Saturns don't use spin-on filters, but the old cartridge type) tight enough and I leaked oil like mad and did take it back to show them and they put in a new filter and replace the cap with a new one.

Yes,they also try to sell me into extra stuff, but I simply refuse.

As for doing transmission flushes, yes, I've seen the "T" thingey there at their locations. I had them do a tranny flush on my neighbors car a couple of years ago, but as always I watch them VERY CAREFULLY as they are doing all of this..

I do agree with Will - why bust the knuckles on the filter? If it's so super tight on there, get a good sized leather or rubber compound strap wrench to do the job to spin that sucker off..

-Monte
 

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Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 08-29-2006, 08:32 AM:
 
Hey Phil:

Since you worked at a station, like me, did the guys around you take the time to show you the ropes on how to do different kinds of service work?

The guys I worked with had an average of 25 years each in the business. This was around 1974. Our station was voted the 'Model Service Station' several years in a row. It was never filthy, and was thoroughly steam cleaned every night.

And the Lord help you if you put a tool back in the wrong drawer!

I have always worked on my own cars. This past weekend, I did an oil change on my '83 truck. Its the first work I've done since last fall on anything. I enjoyed the experience.

My filters are never knuckle-busters either.

Before I got sick, last summer, I removed and rebuilt the transmission in my '83 Ford truck. Had never rebuilt one before, either, but, followed the directions to a 'T,' and kept everything totally clean. It is working and shifting like new. Its also good to have a friend that has a transmission puller hoist that I have free access to...

Anyway, I'm sure with all the locations of 'instant oil change' places that are on every corner these days, there is crap happening that never gets caught. The last oil change place I went to stripped my rear axle grease plug out, and I had to have a piece of steel welded to it so I could get it out to replace it. Of course, the lube place denied that they did it.
 

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Posted by Dominic Espinosa (Member # 2122) on 08-30-2006, 12:28 AM:
 
It's crap like this that makes me want to do all of this stuff myself. I did an engine swap and a lot of other work on various cars but being an apartment dweller kind of limits ya

Buddy of mine was once told by Jiffy Lube here (after they lost the o-ring on his oil plug) that they're all like that (no o-ring) and most Toyotas leak oil

My favorite annoyance was when I took my cousins old car in to Sears (they're by my moms place) to have the brakes done. I tell the counter help I need the brakes done and will need rotors in the front cause they're grinding.
2 hours later they call me up and tell me I need my brakes done, and the fronts are worn past the pads, which is causing the grinding sound...Being that it took them 2 hours to do this it was too late to get the parts that day.
 

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Posted by Chris Hipp (Member # 1788) on 08-30-2006, 02:27 AM:
 
I love how no matter what is wrong with your car the mechanic will ALWAYS tell you, "it is a good thing you brought it in when you did!" I don't which are worse, mechanics or doctors.
 

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Posted by Dave Williams (Member # 299) on 08-30-2006, 02:58 AM:
 
I have had a bad doctor before, it turns out that he was under instruction from the insurance company to burn me out until I didn't know which way was up, then fail my case. He is being sued by nearly a dozen different patients.

Never go to a doctor the insurance company makes you go see.

My new doctor is great. He was Dean of Medicine at the University of Utah Medical School for nine years, and is highly recongnized as a premier expert in his field.

I have never been treated human by a doctors office before, but the entire staff knows your first name when you walk in, and you are seen when you are scheduled to be seen. Totally wierd.

I had Jiffy Lube change my oil last month and my wipers were worn, so I had them change them, and one of them FELL OFF while driving. Jiffy Lube claimed that "it happen's a lot on Buicks, it's a defect by the factory". They wouldn't replace it. Goodbye Jiffy Lube.

Ciao
 

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Posted by Brian Michael Weidemann (Member # 2243) on 08-30-2006, 05:35 AM:
 
I'm a regular customer of one of my local Jiffy Lube locations. I've had some of their services done, for instance that Transmission Fluid Flush. I always see the computer screen when their system "recommends" the services based on mileage, and I agree to many of them. I make it a point never to have my car out of my sight. I watch them hook up stuff, if it's involved. If they want to replace the air filter, they show it to me, and I see them put a new one in. Occasionally, they recommend it, but don't have the right size one in stock, so they tell me I can pick up one on my own, or get it done next time. They've never pressured me into repair services. They just point out the services my car is due for.
 

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Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 08-30-2006, 12:31 PM:
 
You know, if someone walked into a store and grabbed as much as a six pack and ran out, if a cop saw him, he be nabbed and halled off to jail right there on the spot. So how's this any different? Why aren't these bums handcuffed and taken off to jail? How do they just get to say, "I don't know why I did it" and get to walk away? If these guys knew their sorry asses would get them a ride in the paddywagon and maybe a segment on COPS, they would be a little less anxious to make a buck off honest people. Then again, push an honest person hard enough, and one of them might just drive his car at 50mph right thru the front of that big Jiffy Lube office window.
 

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Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 08-31-2006, 07:30 AM:
 
I had some pretty politically incorrect thoughts when I read the title of this thread - in Britain, Jiffy is a brand of condom...
 

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Posted by Rick Raskin (Member # 1561) on 08-31-2006, 03:36 PM:
 
I had a service manager tell me that unless you have been changing transmission fluid every 20K miles since the car was new, don't start now. He said that when they get high mileage, changing the fluid can cause the clutches to fail because of detergent in the new fluid. I don't know if he was right but I've followed his advice and haven't had any problems. However, I do periodically check the fluid to make sure there is no particulate matter on the dip stick.
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 09-01-2006, 01:59 AM:
 
Rick - he doesn't know anything about automatic trannies.

Big thing is the required change of tranny fluid is 35 to 50k miles depending on driving habits - doing a lot of towing will require more frequent changes being that the fluid get so hot even with the tranny cooler. Stop and go driving is hard on tranny fluid as well to where a 25k service doesnt hurt none. But highway driving is the easiest on the fluids since the tranny is at a constant speed and turning weight.

Yea, keep an eye on the fluid. If it starts to go a dirty raspberry color and smells a little funny, get it in for change since fluids DO wear out in time by losing its viscosity and weight - why the recommended 35 to 50k changes.

-Monte
 

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Posted by Jim Ziegler (Member # 86) on 09-02-2006, 08:30 PM:
 
I've been using Valvolene for my oil changes and haven't had an issue.. But, like a lot of people have said, I watch them work.
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 09-03-2006, 03:12 AM:
 
Yea, when I goto the Jiffy Lubes, I sit by the window watching them as they do what is needed to be done. I see then do the filter change, oil drains, detail cleaning, et.al. - all of the stuff for a Signature Service. So far,they've been good to me (but,when I get home, I pop the hood and dbl check what has been done and required).

But, I can understand of these scams in the very large cities where to get ahead requires corruption as the key.
 

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Posted by David Buckley (Member # 2600) on 09-04-2006, 12:02 AM:
 

quote: Leo Enticknap

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I had some pretty politically incorrect thoughts when I read the title of this thread - in Britain, Jiffy is a brand of condom..

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