Paying it forward at Jiffy Lube...

[Capt Steve]

Had some fun with the Jiffy Lube folks this morning. I use them for simple oil changes but not much else. They send me lots of junk e mails but one caught my attention. Their so called "Early Bird" special, just go in between 7 and 10 {no appointment needed}, and they will knock $15 of their regular price.

There was a young guy there and when they totaled up his bill it was about $70 with the few extras he had requested. When the guy behind the counter went out into the bay I showed him the coupon on my phone. He thanked me and requested the discount which they honored. A few minutes later a couple of other gentlemen came in - same thing. I showed them the coupon, they spoke up and all four of us went out the door with an extra $15 in our pockets.

Got my oil changed in half an hour for $32 and had some coffee and a little fun. All in all not a bad morning.

 

[chief38]

With all the really BAD things Jiffy Lube has done (actually documented on hidden cameras in many different locations) I would not go there if they offered to change the oil for free! I've seen on camera that as soon as a customer walks away, they take the new oil bottles away, do NOTHING and charge the customer. I am sure there are honest Jiffy Lubes, but who knows which ones?? What's really in the bottles of oil being poured into the engine?

I not only enjoy changing my own oil, but I also use Amsoil Signature that has proven to be one of the best oils on the market. Even if you don't buy into the Amsoil thing, there are still plenty of really good oils like Mobil 1, Penzoil, etc. and the benefit is at least you know exactly what is going into your cars engine. When I am too old to do it myself, I will go to my local guy whom I can trust. I even go there now sometimes in the Winter when I don't feel like laying on the garage floor. He is also an Amsoil Dealer, carries Mobil 1, and other quality oils. At least I know he is giving me what ever I ask for.
YMMV

 

[Salty RI]

I went to Jiffy Lube once when they first came out around here, there was one near where I worked, we were going to Va the next day and I decided to get my oil changed so I stopped at Jiffy Lube, when we got back from Va I checked my oil and my filler cap was missing so was my dip stick and the plastic knob that held down the air cleaner, I went back and of course they said they didn't do it, I took it to the Dodge dealer and they checked the nut on the pan and it was rounded over and they couldn't get it off, it was put on with an impact wrench, the dealer replaced everything including a new pan and fresh oil, I asked how much I owe, they said nothing, we are going after Jiffy Lube for it.

 

[dben002]

$32.00 with a $15.00 discount coupon ????????????

Wow....glad I don't live where you do......Can get a complete service here for $30.00 and that's from the dealership !!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[gman51]

Best thing to do at any oil quick change franchise is before you even start your car after an oil change is to pop the hood and pull the dipstick to check the correct oil level. If they forgot to put in the oil now is the time to find out and also if the oil looks clean because like the above said they might have just not actually changed the oil.
A friend of mine had his transmission destroyed on his new 4x4 car because the quick change artist drained his 4x4 gear box and didn't tell anyone he screwed up. The next day the gearbox was making noise and he took it to a dealer for warranty. That's how he found out the gearbox had been drained of oil. He got a new gearbox from the lube shop.

 

[oldman10mm]

I'm retired and work part-time for a few hours in the morning at a Tuffy automotive center. My life since high school has always been 'gearheading'(among other things). My responsibilities are cleaning up from the previous days' jobs,oil changes,and bringing cars in to be lifted. We're located right next to a Jiffy Lube. Not unusual for a car to pull out of Jiffy Lube and pull immediately into Tuffy to fix what Jiffy Lube had done.

 

[straightshooter1]

When Jiffy Lube first came to this area of Florida, I went in a feww times and was very satisfied with their service. They changed the oil and filter, and did the other things they were supposed to do.

Never tried to sell me anything else, just acted like any regular, old business.

I stopped using them not long after I started since I bought a new Pathfinder (over 20 years ago IIRC) and I liked the Dealer's service.

My wife did not like her Dealer (Mazda) and she started using Jiffy Lube about a year after I stopped.

She'd come home and complain about how they tried to sell this or that to her. Needless to say she got tired of that and stopped going there, eventually taking her Mazda PickUp to my Nissan Dealer where she's been as happy with their service as I have been.

Don't know what happened to Jiffy Lube in the year between me stopping and my wife starting to use them, but it was enough for us to swear off them permanently.

Bob

 

[Sportsdad60]

I had a bad experience at one of those quick oil change places, but it was the Jiffy chain, forgot the name now...anyway I had a F150 with 140k miles on it and decided to let them change the differential oil, it was long over due and never had been changed.

Well, about two weeks later, I noticed some odd sounds in my differential. I popped out the plug and stuck my finger in there. Dry as a bone! They took the fluid out, forgot to put any back in!
GRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Now I do it myself or dealership. No chain ever again.

 

[BC38]

I have a pneumatic lift in my shop so I can change my own oil without even having to crawl under the vehicle. I use Mobile 1 that is $6 a quart and NO WAY am I going to give it to them trusting that it will actually get put into MY engine and not end up in one of their technician's cars.

 

[Capt Steve]

I can live with them for the simple stuff...

I stand there and watch them do their thing and have never detected a problem. Yes I have heard all of the horror stories/urban legends but they have been around a very long time and for a simple oil change they do just fine.

Frankly I was impressed with the way they check and double check each other to preclude the problems mentioned above. The oil does not come in bottles and hasn't for years. It is pumped from large tanks, far cheaper for them to buy in bulk. Using them does not void your manufacturers warranty so Detroit seems satisfied.

I don't buy any add ons, change my own air and cabin filters but don't have the ability to do an oil change at home as the HOA would have kittens. My time is worth something {not much actually}, so $32 less $10 worth of oil leaves me out $22 and thirty minutes of my day. If I ever have to start sweating 20's I'll just stay home.

 

[snowman]

. . .just go in between 7 and 10 {no appointment needed}, and they will knock $15 of their regular price.

Sir,

It's great that you were able to help some other customers, but the above quote seems to indicate that Jiffy Lube should have given the discount whether the early customers were aware of it or not. Am I missing something?

Regards,
Andy

 

[DeathGrip]

I get coupons in the mail for all sorts of stuff. If it's a good one I keep it in my truck until I have a reason to go to the establishment that sent it to me.

Depending on the deal I might not have use for them. Say it's 5 off a 50 dollar purchase at ALDI. I never spend that much in the place but I keep an eye out for someone that has a full cart and looks like 5 bucks could help. Usually a young couple with kids gets the coupon.

The best ones are the buy one get one fast food coupons. . If I have one and a working guy gets behind me I'll turn around and ask him if he'd like the same sandwich I'm having.

They always seem surprised and always thank me. Win Win.

 

[mtgianni]

When I bought my Fathers Outback as my parents went into a care facility I had a 500 mile drive and went to a Jiffy Lube. They changed the oil and showed me where the car was due for a 20K mile transmission flush on their software for $579. I passed, went home and found the manual which said the tranny flush was due at 100K miles. My last visit there ever.

 

[Salty RI]

There was another quick oil change place called Speedy, I never went there, they must have gone out of business long ago.

 

[carpriver]

We have a Mobil 10 min. oil change store a couple blocks from my house I have used it a couple times.The last time I went there I wanted and oil change of Motor-craft syntactic and the extra was a air filter. $78.00. At the dealer it's $29.95 and they will rotate the tires. So its the dealer for me, I get to read the paper and have a cup of coffee or visit with my salesman.

 

[Steve912]

Subaru changed out drain plugs on some of their manual transmissions, years ago, because quicky lube places were pulling them to drain the engine oil--leaving the transmission dry, and engines with a double dose of motor oil. The replacement torx style plug is large enough (T-80, IIRC) that most shops won't have the right bit on hand.

I met a guy who owned a franchise in Chicago for a few years. He told me all kinds of stories about goof ups (mistaking and changing a transmission filter that looked like an oil filter, etc) and didn't have much to say about the quality of the 'mechanics' willing to work there instead of a higher-paying dealership job.

Five quarts of Wallyworld full-synthetic and a filter for under $25 works for me.

 

[chief38]

The whole idea of an "on the fly" quick change /high quality lube is a good one but unfortunately in the highly competitive world we live in many of the Franchises have found too many ways to cheat the public. Not only does this cheating bilk us out of money but it also causes irreparable harm to our vehicles engines.

Like I stated above, I am sure there are good Jiffy Lubes (and similar) out there but to the unaware public we have no idea which ones they are. Remember..... just because you watch them pour in bottles of oil does NOT necessarily mean the proper oil is actually in the bottles they are pouring. When they use the bulk tank and hose system who knows what oil os in the tank ? Too tempting and too easy to defraud the public IMHO and the hidden camera stings, customer complaints, exposes, and despicable reputation is certainly reason to NOT use them. I do feel sorry for the honest guys.

 

[Scrapper]

The whole idea of an "on the fly" quick change /high quality lube is a good one but unfortunately in the highly competitive world we live in many of the Franchises have found too many ways to cheat the public. Not only does this cheating bilk us out of money but it also causes irreparable harm to our vehicles engines.

Like I stated above, I am sure there are good Jiffy Lubes (and similar) out there but to the unaware public we have no idea which ones they are. Remember..... just because you watch them pour in bottles of oil does NOT necessarily mean the proper oil is actually in the bottles they are pouring. When they use the bulk tank and hose system who knows what oil os in the tank ? Too tempting and too easy to defraud the public IMHO and the hidden camera stings, customer complaints, exposes, and despicable reputation is certainly reason to NOT use them. I do feel sorry for the honest guys.

I agree but that's coming from someone who has never had a new car in his entire life and only bought older vehicles outright and did all my own work as a mechanic/machinist. I took one of my trucks to a shop once in 30 years and that was a "Midas Muffler" to have them bend pipe for a custom dual exhaust.

A few years ago I saved my mom from getting approx. 4K worth of unnecessary repairs and replacements the dealer tried to sell her. Geez the car isn't even worth that, lol.

I went to the dealers with a couple people (women) when they needed repairs to see how they operated. The car had a slow leak in a tire. So she asked if they could fix it. They said yes they could plug the tire. She said, "Ok can you also change the oil/filter and check coolant too?" She dropped the car off and was to pick it up when she gets a call from them.

A few days later they called so she went in. I was there too, in the back ground, keeping my trap shut. The service manager explains the charges and said they found a coolant leak at the manifold. I spoke, lol, and said "Can you show us how much the fix/repair is?" The manager said "It would be around $1200 but that's a loose estimate". So she pays without seeing the car and then the service manager takes us to the lot. We got out the door and from 100 feet away I saw the tire was flat. I spoke, lol, and said "the tires flat". He didn't notice it 'till I said something. He said "Ok I'll fix that".

So we waited 30 minutes while they fixed the flat tire. To finalize it the manager took us out and proceeded to show us the leak at the manifold. We didn't see anything and I asked "How much did you see leaking?". He said "It was significant". I think he said he put coolant in it but I don't know how much. I didn't see it itemized on the bill. I knew the coolant had some years on it but it didn't leak. I was the keeper of this car for many years before (experienced). We thanked him then left never to be back again and that was 3-4 years ago. The coolant system on the car has not leaked to this day.

Another time at another dealer it was the rack and pinion leaking. The service manager said it was seeping. It wasn't leaking and never dripped. It's not leaking to this day. I actually made production of parts for rack and pinion and have worked on them too. Moral of the story? You need to be in the know. These poor women would've been rooked for 3-4 thousand dollars over a one year period. Good Lord!

 

[Capt Steve]

Have your fun where you can find it....

Sir,

It's great that you were able to help some other customers, but the above quote seems to indicate that Jiffy Lube should have given the discount whether the early customers were aware of it or not. Am I missing something?

Regards,
Andy

You are not missing anything. I thought the same thing and frankly had I not told them I doubt they would have gotten the $15 off. Like I said in my original post "I had some fun".

 

[Tom S.]

Even when I was working and putting a LOT of miles on my truck, I rarely took it anywhere for oil changes, doing them myself. Gives you a chance to look around under the vehicle for possible other problems, plus I know the oil I put in was real synthetic and not some bulk reprocessed stuff.