Beware of Jiffy Lube

[SOnotLayuh]

They have such horrible customer service! AND they messed up my car!


I had my oil changed by them before moving to a new city (I had been going to this place for years, and didn't have an issue with them until this point). Once it was time to take my car in for another change I took it to AAA Automark in my new city, and they were unable to change the oil because the last person to do so (Jiffy Lube) tightened some part so tight that it was stripped and cracked. They would need to break it in order to get it off, and therefore would need a part from the dealership. I'm sorry I'm not more specific - I can't remember exactly what the part was. It's something to do with my oil filter and getting in there to change it. They drained out the old oil and put some new in so that way I could still go down to Disney (which I was leaving for the next day). I live in NC.

Well, I called the district manager of Jiffy Lube and he said that they would fix it, they stand by their work, etc. Great! I was glad they were going to take care of it, and that it would be no sweat off of my back. Boy was I wrong!

A week later I had still not heard back from the DM with my information for where I they are sending me to get this fixed. I called him, he called corporate to see what was taking so long, and corporate called me back. I just got off of the phone with the nice corporate fellow - he spent the entire time yelling at me that I messed up my own car's (whatever the part is), and that I was lying to them to just try and get them to cut a check. He wouldn't let me even finish a single sentence, and when I pointed that out to him, he just said "now, you just finished that one, didn't you?".

It looks like I will just have to cough up the money to get the part from the dealership. I don't know how much higher than corporate I can go.

Looks like I need to learn how to change my own oil

 

[sand2270]

Or find a mechanic you can trust. I get you...I was going down that road of I need to learn to do this on my own too after too much crappy service, shoddy work and sales pitches at the dealership and Jiffy Lube type places. I used to get so stressed going to Jiffy Lube knowing everytime they were going to pressure me to buy things I didn't need. I would always call my brother afterwards who used to be a mechanic and ask him. He always told me no that I didn't need that stuff...or I didn't need it for what they wanted to charge me.

Ask around, my stepdad has a family friend who owns a shop. I started going to him and have not taken my car anywhere else since. Small shop...no amenities like internet or a shuttle, but they fix my car right the first time and do not rip me off or try to sell me things I don't need. To me that is worth the price of a taxi fare. I have found people are more than happy to let others know about these "good" shops and send business their way.

 

[NotUrsula]

What you need to do in future is to instruct ANY shop that changes your oil to tighten the oil pan drain cap by HAND. Make them put it in writing on the service ticket.

What they did was use an air wrench to tighten it, and about 30% of the time that overtorques it and cracks the oil pan. It happened to DH and I in the same week once, at different shops. Even dealer mechanics have been known to do it. Good luck getting them to pay for the new oil pan; I've never known anyone who was able to get that reimbursed unless it happened at a dealership that had the pan there and handy to replace.

 

[WDSearcher]

It looks like I will just have to cough up the money to get the part from the dealership. I don't know how much higher than corporate I can go.

You might want to just call back and see if you get a different customer service rep. It's unlikely you'd end up with the same guy. It sounds like everyone up to this one rude guy has been helpful and trying to get you what you need. Sounds like this is less a Jiffy Lube thing in general and more a "this guy" thing in particular. I'd call back before you cough up money for parts.

 

[PrincessNevaeh's Mom]

I would get in contact with the Regional Manager, or the person who is in charge of the RUDE district manager. Is that what they call customer service??

 

[merryweather20]

The same thing happened to my friend at a BMW dealership, and he had to take the car there for warranty purposes. This could happen anywhere. Frankly anymore I'm surprised when I get friendly sane people to at a store or place of business.

 

[bumbershoot]

Keep going up the chain to have them reimburse you.

Contact the BBB; you are almost bound to get immediate results from that.



JL has been horrid for decades. I took my car into them in the late 80s for an oil change. They did something with the rear axle, I guess they were changing fluids in it? I was going on a road trip...left Tacoma, got into rural Oregon just before 5pm on a weekend...something blew from below the car. I limped into this tiny town and just barely managed to get to the service station, and he knew the autoparts people. He called over there, let them know we were coming. We walked there, got two parts (weren't sure which was the right size), the mechanic put the quick-fix part on and refilled the axle, and he took the part back (the store only charged us for one, knowing they'd get the other back).

After the road trip, my dad came up. Bought an axle from a junkyard, installed it himself to make sure it was done right. Oh, turns out there were metal filings in the axle, from the few minutes of having NO fluid in it as I drove into the town. As he was waiting at JL for reimbursement, he was told that they were glad it was for so little (around $400), because they'd just done the SAME THING to a lady's brand new Cadillac, and had the pleasure of replacing the car for her.

Of course my dad wasn't too bright, and took that refund in the form of coupons...which I NEVER used, as I've NEVER gone back to them, and tell my story as often as I can.

Keep on going! They are angry because they have to do this SO OFTEN. Don't let the rep get to you (that snark about finishing sentences is just cruddy and NEEDS to be reported above his head), just keep on going up the chain!

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Oil filters and the drain cap both need to be tightened by hand, they expand when heated up. DH changes the oil in all our cars but the new one (life time service contract) Anyway, I help him change the oil and he's always told me they both need to be tightened gently.

I would call one more time but honestly you probably aren't going to get anywhere with them especially if you've already had the part repaired.

Did the new guy happen to save the old oil pan and filter?

 

[Jennasis]

Or Walmart.

My dad took his car to walmart for an oil change and the bozos there didn't put new oil in (or any fluids after they drained it all). Engine seized, car ruined. Dad sues Wally-World but they show up to court with an armada of lawyers and dad gets squat.

 

[DebbieB]

A coworker got her oil changed at one of the 10 minute places, not positive it was JL but her cap came off while she was driving on the highway and her engine burned up. She fought with them for some time and did get a small settlement but had to buy a new car, wasn't worth replacing the engine.

 

[DeluxePrincess]

I gave up on them years ago. I used to go to them when I had my first car because it seemed like the easiest place to go. When I moved, there wasn't any Jiffy Lube near me so I went to a family type mechanics shop. He informed me that whoever was doing oil changes on my car wasn't doing it right. I haven't been back since. Plus, every other place I've gone to has been way less expensive.

 

[tvguy]

Sounds like they damaged the oil filter adapter. Automakers often use the same engine on different model cars. The front suspension often is shaped differently on different models, and they need to change the angle the oil filter is at so the filter clears all the suspension pieces.
Jiffy lube bent the oil filter adapter on my mom's car. I didn't even bother asking them to pay for it, just didn't go back. Well went back once, was shocked they wanted $39 for an oil change when the dealer normally charges only $29, and often has a coupon for $19.

Now, honestly, even the best mechanic can make a mistake, HOWEVER, good mechanics take care of you when they make a mistake. They carry insurance for major mistakes.

 

[kirstenb1]

I had always gone to them. About a year ago, they told me I couldn't leave the lot during the oil change. Ridiculous. I'm not sitting in some plastic chair for 30 minutes, so you can upsell me on every little part of my car.

I now go to a local mechanic for everything. I should have done this years ago, but got used to being able to drop my car off in the morning and pick it up after work. No more.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I quit going to them back in the mid-90s. I got tired of the upselling. They were ALWAYS trying to get me to buy additional services. Now, not such a big deal until one day they brought me my "dirty" air filter. I had my car serviced a couple weeks prior for an a/c issue and at that time, thy changed the filter. My filter still looke brand new. They showe me the filter and wanted me to buy a new one because it was so dirty. It was all loose debris, so I pointed to the trash can and asked him to dump it and that it was a brand new filter and I wouldn't be buying that day.

That was my last oil change with them. Funny that through other companies, I've never had a mechanic attempt to pull such an obvious fast one.