Why Jiffy Lube is very bad

TeamSpatula

TeamSpatula

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2005
Location
Hickory
I would hope that most people on here don't use Jiffy Lube, but just in case you have parents or friends who do, let this be a warning:
An older friend of mine of mine, who doesn't work on cars, had been taking his Montero to the local Jiffy Lube (The one on Western Blvd, for those in Raleigh) for years to get their Premium Service, which includes a check of all fluids, filters, etc. A couple months ago his transmission grenaded while driving. He took it to the dealer, as it was still under warranty, but their examination showed that the transmission fluid was 1 1/2 qts low, and very dirty. They denied the warranty, so my friend sued Jiffy Lube, and in this case Lucor, the franchisee who owns most of the Jiffy Lubes in this region. He was only asking for $2300 or so, to cover the new transmission and installation - nothing unreasonable.
So we went to court yesterday (I went as a witness) and they showed up with a lawyer, and an expert witness, who went on and on for an hour about how the transmission probably failed because there was an inherant design flaw in that model of transmission.
Their lawyer got the judge to throw out all the signed affadavits from the dealership and warranty investigation, and so the case got dismissed...
That in itself sucks, but it was the smug smirks on their people as they walked by us on the way out that really pissed me off...
they admitted they were wrong, admitted they didn't perform the service, and lied on the reports, yet once again, the lawyer wins...
It sucks all around...
so for more info on Jiffy Lube sucking, check out
http://jiffylubesucks.tharmon.com/
and
http://www.jiffylubeproblems.com/
or just google "jiffy lube sucks"
And please remind friends, family, etc not to let anyone take their cars there.
 
It's still the owner's obligation to check the fluid levels in his vehicles.. That's why the dipsticks are so easy to get to. Diff fluid, t-case, etc. OK, I can understand. But engine oil, trans fluid, PS fluid, etc... No reason he couldn't and shouldn't check it.

That they didn't change the fluid is certainly their fault, but my money says it's the level, not the condition of the fluid, that burned up the trans.

Wait.. you said it "grenaded"? Low fluid level would typically rob the trans of what it needs to transfer the power, making it slip like crazy until there wasn't enough pressure to engage the required bands and clutches. Seen it.

Still doesn't change the fact that Jiffy Lube (and the like) suck big hairy gorilla balls, though.
 
Yeah, certainly keeping up with your vehicle's condition is something that I, and many others, consider to be important. However, lots of folks don't have the knowledge or the motivation to do so. My mom falls into that category - she would be perfectly happy never opening the hood of her Toyota. She, and many others, trust that these places are going to take good care of the vehicle, service it properly, and if nothing else perform the services that they are being paid to perform.
I agree that most folks working there aren't the best. A friend of mine took a temporary job at one of those places to pay the bills while looking for a real job...and he had all sorts of horror stories about the other people working there...rampant alcohol & drug use, theft, using the wrong parts, and general apathy.
I think the part that bothers me the most is that these companies portray themselves as the caring guardians of your vehicle, selling you the peace of mind of not having to worry about anything other than adding gas. To me, this is a flagrant violation of that trust, and then to top it off they bring in the big lawyers to avoid even having to suffer any consequesnces for their arrogant wrongdoing.



Rich said:
Still doesn't change the fact that Jiffy Lube (and the like) suck big hairy gorilla balls, though.
Click to expand...
no question!
:)
 
I've got two "I hate Jiffy Lube" scenarios to share:

1) Friend asked me to replace her oil pressure sensor because the oil light was staying on, even though Jiffy lube had just changed the oil. I checked the oil, nothing on the dipstick. Turns out it was 4 quarts low. That's right - EMPTY. Jiffy Lube drained it and never re-filled.

2) I notice my friend's auto transmission is acting weird, going into neutral when stopped, and slamming into gear when he hits the accelerator. He says - oh no, it should be fine, I just had the trans serviced at Jiffy Lube. I checked the fluid, and we ended up putting 4 quarts of ATF in it. They had not refilled it.

I will personally never use Jiffy Lube, and am glad I can do most of my own maintenance. When I don't do it myself, I have a shop I trust, and that's the only place that works on my junk.
 
BIGWOODY said:
you get what you pay for....period
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That makes no sence dude....jiffy lube cost more than a dealer and by far more than any mom and pop shop.

I drove up there once and just could not believe they wanted that much for some oil. I laughed and they got made. I went to a place down the road.

I normally change the fluids in my vehicles but if I do go somewhere to get anything done I always make sure and watch every little move they make.

I caught a Monroe Muffler once trying to pull some wires and cut them. They lied and said I needed about 600 bucks worth of work. One of which was 300 bucks for new plugs and wires.....well, i just changed them about three days before that. He swore up and down they were bad....but they never even pulled one. I was pissed and said something to the effect of we are leaving. I saw the two guys that work there give each other the eye. I ran to the car and the guy had a set of wire cutters in his hand. I just about beat him down. When I confronted him (nice way of putting it) he said he was just going to trim a zip tie down. YEAH RIGHT.....

I ended up having three of the 4 staff members that were there that day fired. I spent a lot of time and money to get this done but it was worth it. I now go there to get everything done. I was told the manager was stealing too. They are a pretty good place now.

The best part. My wife and I both can get 4.99 oil changes for the rest of 2006....:flipoff2:
 
And who said it's bad to let crack heads work on your junk?

Back when I was a teenager, most of the quick change places were staffed with motor heads... the large majority competent to rebuild your SBC, much less change your oil/filter correctly.

Now they're staffed by anyone with a bus pass that can skirt a piss test... :shaking:
 
BIGWOODY said:
you get what you pay for....period
Click to expand...
That's the funny thing - he's been having it serviced by the Mitsubishi dealer since then, and they're actually cheaper!
 
TeamSpatula said:
That's the funny thing - he's been having it serviced by the Mitsubishi dealer since then, and they're actually cheaper!
Click to expand...
so why not go there in the first place? I'll give this advice as a shop owner, find someone that somewhat specializes in the type of car you own. I get to do more "clean up " work from hacks at a service station or "chain repair store" that have basic knowledge of auto repair, but not specific info and experience working on Mercedes. What usually happens is they end up spending twice as much with these places than if they just brought it to a specialty shop to begin with. I wouldn't take it to the dealer either, why you ask? Guess where all the good independant shop owners and employees usually come from, the dealership.I've witnessed someone working at the dealer for less than a week ,with no experience doing head gaskets on a car under "loose" supervision. From working at the dealer I have seen some first class ripoffs go on. The service advisor only know what the technician told him, the majority of the time the service advisor has none to limited knowledge of actually worknig on the cars. The techs. (at least most every dealership I know) get paid by comission, so you can imagine when Joe the tech. needs to make a big paycheck that week to pay bills, "gravey jobs" are sold to you the customer. For those not knowing what gravey is: easy jobs that take less time to do than flat rate pays ie; a water pump paying 5 hours can be done by the tech in one hour, however the customer is billed 5 hours. I don't have a problem with the tech. getting paid the 5 hours and only actually working for an hour (hey do you get paid for what you know or what you actually do?) the problem comes when suddenly lots of cars need water pumps becuase the tech wants to make lots of cash. end of rant...
I still stand by my statement, I've never heard anyone anywhere say "I take my car to Jiffy Lube because they are competent and do a great job." It's $70 to get your oil service at my shop and $120 if sythetic is used, if I had a dollar for everytime someone said "jiffy lube is a lot cheaper" I'd be a weathy man.
As a last point, I've also witnesses (at the dealer) tune up parts going in a guys tool box and not being replaced on the car...numerous times form numerous people.
 
The moral of the story is...... Find a good auto tech who looks out for your best interest, and always give them your business, even for the little stuff.
There is nothing better than references from a happy customer.
 
jeepercreature said:
I caught a Monroe Muffler once trying to pull some wires and cut them. They lied and said I needed about 600 bucks worth of work. One of which was 300 bucks for new plugs and wires.....well, i just changed them about three days before that. He swore up and down they were bad....but they never even pulled one. I was pissed and said something to the effect of we are leaving. I saw the two guys that work there give each other the eye. I ran to the car and the guy had a set of wire cutters in his hand. I just about beat him down. When I confronted him (nice way of putting it) he said he was just going to trim a zip tie down. YEAH RIGHT.....
I ended up having three of the 4 staff members that were there that day fired. I spent a lot of time and money to get this done but it was worth it. I now go there to get everything done. I was told the manager was stealing too. They are a pretty good place now.
The best part. My wife and I both can get 4.99 oil changes for the rest of 2006....:flipoff2:
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Soooo, when did this supposedly happen???
 
i work at a dealership (mitsu) and we have people come in all the time cause there car/truck/suv whatever is messed up by jiffy lube or joes oil shop or whatever it is messed up. most of the time ive seen little to no oil or they didnt change the filter or they got a flush service done but the fluid is still dirty and old as hell (never done at all). i say always take it to a dealer yeah it may cost a lil more now but u get a warranty by them most of the time and like everyone always says "you get what you pay for"

FYI - my mom got screwed by Firestone, so watch out. i didnt do it cause she said she needed it done then and there and i was at work and couldnt :(
 
i took a friends v10 ford f-250 in to the local jiffylube and they put my name in the computer and no longer than it took me to say my name and walk the 20 feet to the door the truck was rolling off the line. I'm pretty sure you can't drain all the oil, replace the filter, and fill it back up and do all the curtesey checks all in about 30 seconds..i just paid them and left with the receipt, i didn't feel like arguing.
 
greg slade said:
Just curious, but which is it???
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Uhh boss man

I dont know anyon in this debate but I think you should re read his post.

Im not saying the story is or isnt true, but he says they pulled/cut wires and then said the plugs were bad without pulling one of them. That was sort of a misquote by you, I believe
 
My jiffy lube story - When the wife moved in she insisted on taking it to 'them' as they have 'always done it' (last few times on new car ).. After some discussion the wife insisted on them doing it (was her car before we got married, i think she didn't want me 'owning' her car :D) So she took it in for a 'premium oil change' 2 days later we had a bad storm w/ hail rolling through and I put the car in the garage for the night... Next morning i pulled car out to find a 6" round oil spot..

Hmmm. At that point I put it up on jack stands and became familiar with the underworkings of the car. To my surprise the tranny drain plug that is only about 4" from the oil drain plug, was FINGER tight and had just started to drip out. I spun it 1/2 turn tighter with my finger and went to get the correct size wrench..

I was so at a loss of words... After explaining how much a tranny would have cost and the fact that the dealer would likly have NOT covered it, Val now understands why we will never use a quick lube place again..


Oh ya this other time i was getting an inspection on the car and saw a guy spend 10min convincing a lady her air filter needed to be changed and explaining all the benifits to having a $50 filter installed by them.. Then 5 min later after realizing they didn't have 'that one' in stock... explain to the lady how it was now 'ok' to reuse that air filter again..
 
ShyHiK5 said:
That was sort of a misquote by you, I believe
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I stand corrected.

You have to understand, When I read something negative about one of my stores I tend to take it very seriously. Then when I read on only to find out and out BOLD FACE LIES. I TEND TO GET IRRITATED!!!

So because JeeperCreature can't elaborate on his truly fabricated story, I am going to tell you the facts as I know them. Now if there is something I have left out or am not aware of, I urge Jeeper to contact me so we can sort this out.

Jeeper first came to my store in sept of 03 for our free brake inspection and oil change. He left in his 99 Jetta 18 bucks poorer with a fresh Valvoline LOF and a brake estimate for front pads and rotors on a vehicle that had 96k miles

He then returned in Dec. of 04 in his 4-runner with 75k on the clock. He received another LOF and was charged the same 18 bucks.

Fast forward to March of 05, we see his 4-runner with 79k for another LOF, this time its just under 22 bucks.

In July of 05, Jeeper brought us two vehicles, one right after the other. He was concerned about the vehicles' tune up requirements stating one of the vehicles had a miss. First we saw his TJ with 91.5k and did a fuel injection cleaning. He then returned an hour and a half later with his 4-runner (85.5k) to have the same service done along with a tire rotation and a LOF. He reuested that we check for tune uo needs on this vehicle.
At that time we wrote him another estimate to do the front brakes and tune up. We reccomended Plugs (Dbl. platinum) and wires on that vehicle. My tech tells me that he remembers the vehicle to have the cheapest replacement components possible on it.

New does not mean good, just new. Remember "you get what you pay for". Advance and Vato zone sells 6-10 dollar wire sets, you just shouldn't use them for anything.

Anyway, we saw the 4-runner again late in october of 05 for yet another LOF with 90k on the clock. This Lof was comped for some reason, I do not know.

Since then Jeeper has not been back to my New Bern store for anything. no free estimates, no oil changes, nothing. I have a total of 6 invoices dating back from 03 to today.
 
jeepercreature said:
One of which was 300 bucks for new plugs and wires.....

I ended up having three of the 4 staff members that were there that day fired. I spent a lot of time and money to get this done but it was worth it.

I now go there to get everything done. I was told the manager was stealing too. They are a pretty good place now.

The best part. My wife and I both can get 4.99 oil changes for the rest of 2006....:flipoff2:
Click to expand...


First your tune up estimate was $129.44 exactly, for double platinum plugs and premium wires installed.
.
Second, You did no such thing. you had nobody fired and spent virtually no money getting anything done. This never happened nor was there so much as a conversation between he and I, ever! You sir, LIED!!!

Third, you do not get anything done there with us presently. we have not seen you for almost a year. ALthough I appreciate your business I do not appreciate the false accusations that apparantly come with it.

Lastly, $4.99 LOF in 06. Again, you have not been to my store in 06.

I can only assume that nothing you say has merit and wont bother to address the part about cutting your wires. You sir are a LIAR.
 
jeepercreature said:
This happened I would say almost a year ago but still in 2006. I know because I got the deal for one year.
Click to expand...

My Crew has not changed in quite a while. Harry, The manager, has been there since Jan 04.
 
greg slade said:
I stand corrected.
You have to understand, When I read something negative about one of my stores I tend to take it very seriously. Then when I read on only to find out and out BOLD FACE LIES. I TEND TO GET IRRITATED!!!
So because JeeperCreature can't elaborate on his truly fabricated story, I am going to tell you the facts as I know them. Now if there is something I have left out or am not aware of, I urge Jeeper to contact me so we can sort this out.
Jeeper first came to my store in sept of 03 for our free brake inspection and oil change. He left in his 99 Jetta 18 bucks poorer with a fresh Valvoline LOF and a brake estimate for front pads and rotors on a vehicle that had 96k miles
He then returned in Dec. of 04 in his 4-runner with 75k on the clock. He received another LOF and was charged the same 18 bucks.
Fast forward to March of 05, we see his 4-runner with 79k for another LOF, this time its just under 22 bucks.
In July of 05, Jeeper brought us two vehicles, one right after the other. He was concerned about the vehicles' tune up requirements stating one of the vehicles had a miss. First we saw his TJ with 91.5k and did a fuel injection cleaning. He then returned an hour and a half later with his 4-runner (85.5k) to have the same service done along with a tire rotation and a LOF. He reuested that we check for tune uo needs on this vehicle.
At that time we wrote him another estimate to do the front brakes and tune up. We reccomended Plugs (Dbl. platinum) and wires on that vehicle. My tech tells me that he remembers the vehicle to have the cheapest replacement components possible on it.
New does not mean good, just new. Remember "you get what you pay for". Advance and Vato zone sells 6-10 dollar wire sets, you just shouldn't use them for anything.
Anyway, we saw the 4-runner again late in october of 05 for yet another LOF with 90k on the clock. This Lof was comped for some reason, I do not know. Since then Jeeper has not been back to my New Bern store for anything. no free estimates, no oil changes, nothing. I have a total of 6 invoices dating back from 03 to today.
Click to expand...


Sorry buddy, but some of this is true as far as work being done. I do remember a lot of those visits but the one that matter does not seem to be on your list....hmmm, maybe because of all the issues. I caught the dude red handed. You are more than welcome to contact me and I will show you the info I have in a file on my desk called "MONROE SCAM." If you are just pulling this from a computer than you have no idea what happened. If you were there than it is a little different. As far as the wires...EXCUSES...They were new and cost about 200 bucks. They were not cheap at all. Toyotas have to have a certain wire to make them run good. Cant remember the name but it was those. The point was he did not even pull a plug or a wire. So you are telling me by looking on the outside of the wire we can tell the plugs were bad? BS. get your fact straight and pm me with your address for a copy of all the crap I have. Why was I comped.....why do you think?
 
greg slade said:
First your tune up estimate was $129.44 exactly, for double platinum plugs and premium wires installed.
.
Second, You did no such thing. you had nobody fired and spent virtually no money getting anything done. This never happened nor was there so much as a conversation between he and I, ever! You sir, LIED!!!
Third, you do not get anything done there with us presently. we have not seen you for almost a year. ALthough I appreciate your business I do not appreciate the false accusations that apparantly come with it.
Lastly, $4.99 LOF in 06. Again, you have not been to my store in 06.
I can only assume that nothing you say has merit and wont bother to address the part about cutting your wires. You sir are a LIAR.
Click to expand...

Dude, I dont know where this comes from but you do not have the facts? I was told by someone from a 1800 number they have had issues and that they would be let go the same day. The people that are there sure look different from me. I had and oil change on the runner there since the date you showed. Not sure why you dont have a record of it. Where is the large heavy set guy that has no hair (not bald, I think he shaves it). I dont know about the quote but everything was brand new. PM SENT!
 
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