Jiffy Lube - Rip Off warning

[pixiewings71]

I think many places will try to do work that doesn't need to be done when they see a woman.

I took my car in for an oil change and free inspection. I use a different place for my brakes-had used it for many years. The place that did the oil change tried to tell me I needed new brakes and that it was dangerous for me to drive the vehicle. I drove the car home and made an appointment at the brake place for the following weekend. I dropped off my car early in the am and called later to see what needed to be fixed-nothing! The brakes were fine.

A few days later I arrived home and got a call from the oil place wanting me to do a survey. I told the lady I would make time to do it. I told her the entire story and said that I will not recommend the company. A short while later the place was out of business/moved. This was a major company up here in Canada.

I get new blades for my car's wipers at the dealership. I think it was about $5 per blade. I was told when I went to a new Honda owner meeting at the dealership that this was cheaper than replacing the wiper. Also told us tips about getting the moisture out of the car.

My price was $30 something for just the blades........seriously, they are super expensive......no clue why but they are......

 

[MMitchell29]

To the original poster. Trying to "upsell" auto repairs is the norm. This applies to men and women customers

I had our 2003 explorer in for warranty work (rear differential went out) and the service writer called to tell me that I needed front brakes and the vehicle was too dangerour to drive. Well, I am an engineer by trade and mechanic by hobby. I have rebuilt 5-6 engines in my life.

I told him thanks, I would get right on that. He continued to push, and I declined. So I tell my wife that on Saturday I was doing the front brakes and not to make any plans. I pull the tires and inspected the brakes and they were practically brand new. See, disc brakes generally have about 5/16" wear material when new, mine had 1/4". I usually replace mine when they get down to 1/16". I drove another 20k miles before I needed to replace them

Back in 1997 my wifes Taurus was in for warranty work and the dealer told her she needed a new water pump (which wasn't covered), which I knew was true. They wanted $600. I told them I would do it myself, they told me I couldn't. They said they had to practically pull the motor to get to the water pump. I walked over to the dealers parts department and they quoted me $97 for a new water pump. I took the Ford part number and ordered the pump (exact part number) online with delivery for $32
I told my wife I needed all day to the replace the water pump. I started at 9am and was done by 10:15am. That included stopping and going to the parts store to pickup some gasket sealant.

My hubby and I do exactly what you did. If we need a part on any one of our vehicle we get the part number from the dealership and search for it online. you would not believe the saving. I'm talking about hundreds of dollars. here's an example :

we needed another key for our 2003 nissan maxima and the dealership wanted 119.99 for the key and another 100.00 to program it. I was like are you kidding me? So I got online on ebay and found the exact nissan key for 12.99 with the chip in it and had it cut and program for 20.00 at a local car place here in town.

Talk about major mark up. same thing happen when I wanted an extra key for my mini van I paid less for it right around 6.00 and it came with programming instructions that only took me 3 minutes to do. I just had to get it cut at ACE hardware for 1.00

to the OP I feel your pain. You can buy those exact wipers at walmart install them yourself. they do have instructions on them. You can also get 3.00 off coupons on the brand RainX.

 

[ssawka]

While I'm not particularly supportive of Jiffy Lube, this statement contradicts itself.A tad overdramatic, perhaps? Nobody was going to assault you for refusing an offered service; aside from that, it makes no sense to pay anyone twenty dollars to top off your oil. You could have asked to purchase a quart of oil (and kept the receipt if there were concerns about overcharging), or simply thanked them, left, and let a different shop resolve any mechanical issue.

As for your first comment, I'm talking probability here. If you knew something was dangerous a large percentage of the time, would you trust it? Trust has nothing to do with saying that they are all unscrupulous. There is a high probability that if you stand in an open field holding a metal pole during a lightening storm of getting hit by lightening. Does that mean it will happen every time? ...No! But, would you be willing to take your chances?

As for the "No one was going to asault you" I was not taking my chances. I've also never pulled into a JL when they told me to stay in the car. It was just a really uncomfortable situation and I was not about to take my chances. It's easy for anyone to asses a situation without being in the situation.