Q: When is an oil/filter change not an oil/filter change?
A: When you go to the Jiffy Lube featured in this video. They leave the original filter in the car! (They mark the old filter with a smiley face.)
Gahh… watching this video pissed me off even more because I just went to Jiffy Lube to get my oil changed. And I although I used to always check the dipstick to make sure the oil is at least clean, I haven’t recently. And I never thought they might not even replace the filter!
It looks like this video was taken from the NBC 4 newstation in LA (Thanks RK). More videos there. I like how this is the third time in 3 years Jiffy Lube has been caught doing things like this.
Now I’m just going to have to watch these guys the whole time (and use a Sharpie.) I can’t wait until I get my own driveway to start changing my own oil!
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What a world we live in!! Its happended to me and it sucks. This year I made a pact with myself not to get screwed over by businesses and corporations. And I am proud to say that this year my first incident was for a hard drive I bought from CompUsa manufacturer–> “Acomdata” there was hefty rebate I mailed the form on 1/11/06 and it said you will receive the rebate in 4-6 weeks till date I have yet to receive anything! I contacted them and they gave me the run around to ignoring, dropping my calls and emails. I complained with the FTC and BBB and guess what! I got an email Monday from Acomdata that my rebate will be here in 7 days…
I never go to Jiffy Lube or any of the other “quicky” oil change places. I’ve found that the actual dealer is about the same price and the technicians are FAAAAR more trained. Not to say they wouldn’t do something like this, but i think the chances are less.
I abandoned Jiffy Lube a long time ago when my friends told me a similar story on TV. Perhaps car dealers and WalMart are the ways to go.
another company from Houston.. what else can i say.
I think this happens a lot with big companies/franchises. I work for a large, well-known clothes retail store and we are constantly being pushed to convince customers to open the store brand credit card. I am morally and ethically against it and I do it as frequently as possible, especially since this is in a low-income community. Word got around that I don’t ask customers and management has been on my case. They claim that by getting credit cards, I will have the opportunity to have more hours (if im scheduled for more hours I make more money, etc.). I think that it is bullshit and again im against it. What is the RIGHT thing to do?
I’m also feel liked I get ripped off every time I get work done on my car. I should learn more about cars to stop being robbed.
I always get it done at either Honda service center or firestone. I could trust Honda service little more than firestone. I am sure such violations occur at all the places including firestone.
Well, well, well. I have always been suspicious about any work a car shop does to my car. Years ago, when I was living in Nashville, TN, I did the same thing: I marked my oil filter before I took my Altima to Action Nissan for oil change. I still have a habit of checking clean, new oil after my car was sent to a car shop for oil change. It?s so much one can to protect ourselves.
I go to Express Oil Change franchise shops personally, they are fast, and show you the dipstick and you can stand and watch everything. (about $33 per oil/fluid change.)
Firestone here in Huntsville, Alabama is the rip-off place. I’m sure they have a quota as well since they present you with hundreds of $$$ in recommended services whenever you get oil changes there, even services that you have just had done that week at another place!
Changing your own oil & filter is cheaper than taking it anywhere AND takes less time. You can do a complete oil change yourself in 30 minutes, 45 if you’re slow. The skills required are minimal. By doing it yourself, you know it’s done right. Doing it yourself gives you an opportunity to notice anything going wrong (such as new leaks, etc). If you don’t want to get messy at all, get something like the MityVac 7201 that sucks the oil out through the dipstick tube.
I agree with Blake.
The last time I had an oil change from Jiffy Lube, they left one of the two drain pins out of my oil pan (most cars only have one) and then drove it over 30 miles without knowing that oil was slowly leaking from my car…
They tried to deny the fact that they were the ones that left the pin out, but since the work was done only an hour prior to me calling them, they had little ground to stand on.
Since then I’ve changed the oil in all of my vehicles. I buy oil in bulk at Sam’s and buy filters wherever I can get them cheapest.
Dito on being able to spot potential problems yourself early on…
Funny how businesses are getting all kinds of negative… movie clips!
-Grant
all quick lube places are rip offs. . . as well as places like “Brake Masters.” NEVER get work down at these places (not only is the work substandard/questionable. . . but, the parts are frequently the cheapest they can buy. . . and they mark them up to the normal prices paid for similar parts of much better quality). Brake franchises are NOTORIOUS for using crappy, substandard linings (that cost them something like $2.88). . . then charging you $40 for the part, not to mention labor/installation fees.
You can find plenty of horror stories (and even some managers/technicians confessing to shady practices) at the following site:
http://ripoffreport.com/
Plus, that $10 coupon you get in the pennysaver for an oil change = there for a reason! To entice ppl to come in, and then they screw you in some way, shape, or form. Whether it’s cutting corners (or not even doing what is paid for), or convincing you to have needless work done. . . they are all crooked. Caveat emptor!
Instead, find a nearby reputable mechanic/garage where ASE certification is the norm, rather than the exception (a lot of brake franchises purport to have ASE trained technicians on hand. . . but, normally, the expertise is limited to one person. . . and, it’s frequently only in one area of automotive service).
Sure, you might pay $30 instead. . . but, if the shop is good (and you can trust the mechanic not to rip you off. . .) = the peace of mind is worth it. Of course, finding such a situation is difficult. . . so, as other commenters posted, this is a good DIY opportunity.
That is why I change my own oil. I do it for about $8 in 20 minutes.
I too change my own oil…funny that I’m about to change it in a few minutes. I also change my own brakes. The brake places are good for the “bait and switch”. They advertise $99 brake changes and then tell you that you need new everything so a $99 brake job can be come a $300 brake job. It’s easy to rip people off whe they are totally ignorant to the subject but yet have a serious need to have whatever it is work correctly.
I’ve actually seen video of a shop tearing a car up…and telling the customer it needed to be fixed!!!! It was awful, the guy actually took a hammer to parts of the engine…and it was all caught on tape (atleast that time).
It’s not only oil change, and it’s not just Jiffy Lube.
I marked my tires with chalk and took the car to Midas for a tire rotation. Guess what?? Yeah, they didn’t rotate anything. Was it probably because I used a coupon for a free rotation?
God I wish I had it on camera.
It is hard to find a good repair shop. I needed new brake discs and pads in the rear. Some random repair shop specialising in Japanese cars (I have a Mazda) quoted me $690, the Firestone place across the street quoted me $530. So then I went to my Mazda Dealership, and guess what: $280. They were very professional and I never felt like I was being ripped off. Just a few weeks ago same thing. I had problems with my automatic transmission. That japanese repair shop quoted me $800!!! Brought it to the Mazda dealership and it cost me $145. But for some reason the japanese repair shop is always packed. All these people must be getting ripped off.
Gonzalo,
Funny that you mention marking your tires with chalk before a rotation. I do the same thing and caught a Saturn dealer not rotating at all and a Toyota dealer just rotating one side.
I have had a similar experience with Midas in Arlington, VA. I was told that my gear/clutch box or something of the sort was broken and was charged alomst $1000 to have it fixed. In a matter of days I had the same problem and went back there only to be told that it was something they could not fix. I went down the road to a private car repair place only to be told that whoever did my previous repair did a terrible job and that I needed to go back to have it redone. Midas refused to redo it because they said the only reason someone could have detected that was to tamper with the equipment and that they cannot be held responsible when a third party tampers with their installations.
Another personal car ripoff story:
I needed an inspection and figured there wasn’t anything that my car would fail for. I took it to Merchant’s because they were running a special offering a free tire rotation (that’s how they get ya). Then I got the call. I made sure to tell them not to do any work and picked up my car that afternoon. Here is the estimate they wrote up (for $1175.57)http://filebox.vt.edu/users/chmeade/bmw/estimate.pdf . Long story short, I replaced the rear brake pads myself for $25 (a $175 savings). The parking light they wanted to replace wasn’t actually broken and neither was the tie rod. Then I took it to a reputable mechanic who passed the car with flying colors.
Moral of the story, never take your car to a franchise repair place. NEVER!
This happens at quite a few dealers as well! I was told by the BMW dealer in Poughkeepsie,NY that my 2001 BMW 525 with 50,000 miles had a coolant fluid leak and needed a new water pump and thermostat, at a cost of well over $1,500. I then took the car to two independent BMW shops – neither could find any evidence of a leak! They advised that the Dealer was probably doing “preventative” maintenance, since the thermostats and water pumps consistently fail on BMWs due to use of plastic parts!
Maybe we should start a blacklist of rip-off auto shops.
The very same thing happened to me at an EZ Lube in Hollywood, CA. I marked the oil filter before I took the car in, and they didn’t change it. There were also 9 points in the suspension they were supposed to lube, and they only did 4. Just disgusting what these people get away with, because most people don’t verify that the work has been done.
I don’t have any place to change my own oil, as I live in an apartment in the city.
I simply buy oil from Costco and bring it with my own filter to whatever oil place I have a coupon for.
I watch them pour my own oil in and check that they changed the filter before I leave.
Even if they do change the filter for you, they will install the cheapest one they can stock in bulk. I would advise you put a better filter in your car anyway.
Also, you should read your owner’s manual to determine what kind of oil is best for your car. Never trust their computer, as it is almost always wrong for both mine and my wife’s vehicle.
Finally, I always waive the inspection, as I could care less what some kid with 30 mins of training think is wrong with my car.
These are all the reasons that I use the 2 neighborhood mechanics that know me, my wife, my kid and our dog by name. If they can’t do the work (like the AC recharge I needed last month), I take it to who they reccomend.
Never underestimate the value of a good, trusted mechanic.
A friend of mine is a service writer at a dealership (has worked at a few), and, with the exception of his experience at Auto Nation, he would frequently share stories about how his manager would grant discounts for customers who are faced with unexpected major repairs, if those customers have a history with the dealership of bringing in their vehicle for scheduled service. He does not sell stuff people don’t need, and has great relationships with his customers. I’ve been going to the same dealership for 9 years, and sure I pay an extra $10 or $15 for an oil change, but I know that THEY know I’ve done everything I’m supposed to do, and when I needed my timing belt changed prematurely because of a gasket-something-or-other leaking from a gear-case-something-or-other, they did it for free. I believe the dealerships are busy enough already (not desperate for business) and attract the type of customers that respect maintenance schedules, that they don’t need to rip people off to make a decent profit, and those technicians are more likely to have experience on your specific make of car and I value that. The dealership will also be able to perform some repairs for free (the manufacturer will pay for them), like recalls, or other minor repairs they call “campaigns”, that the neighborhood mechanic would have to charge you for. I think the manufacturers only tell you about them in the mail if they are safety issues, because I’ve gotten a nice surprise before at the dealership where they replaced stuff for free even before it broke because the manufacturer paid them to do it. Auto Nation seems to be so profit-driven that they seem to have zero cash tied up in inventory, and customers have to wait unnecessarily for basic parts to be sent from across town for their repairs to be done. There are alot of Auto Nation dealerships out there, their website will tell you which ones they are, and they’re usually dumps, where you don’t want to spend any more time than you absolutely have to. Increases in labor rates do not trickle down to the mechanics. The family-owned dealerships I think are the best.
I would like to say that all Jiffy Lubes arn’t that bad. There are some good honest stores out there especially in the Tucson area. Unfortunately a few bad apples can spoil a whole barrel. I am employed by a Jiffy Lube and know we put great value on the integrity and service we offer our customers. So please don’t punish the good guys on acount of somebody else’s actions.
my morning started off with a trip to jiffy lube for an radiator flush, as the car entered the service bay one technician lifted the hood and proceeded with the usual taking off the plastic air intake for the vehicle as he tried to remove it he was unsuccessful so he called another technician he assesed the problem and he noticed that it had to be taken apart by wrenches to his dismay he directly hit the air intake as in disgust as i viewed that i informed the manager that if the technician had a problem with my vehicle then he shouldnt work on it so the manager removed him and placed him else where, so the cover is and know the fun begins the original technician loosened the hose clamp to the engine block with no problem the he moved on to the next hose clamp which was a spring loaded type the manager came over and assisted the technician both had a hard time removing it so once it was removed the manager which was mad at some point during the disassembly of the clamp and threw it in the garbage as he walked away. as i saw this im thinking why did he do that it was a perfectly good clamp. as time went on to flushing the radiator that went well now its time to install the radiator hose back. make this long story short during assembly of hose and clamps the technician tighten the hose clamb to the engine block and the he placed a regular screw type clamp as i saw that i directed my attention to the manager as why he no t putting back the original spring type clamp so the manager went to the technician and words was exchanged and then the manager came back and said there was no other clamp. so i told the manager that the bay manager threw it in the garbage then they both exchanged words and the bay manager retrieved the clamp and placed int back on the hose.
WHY WHY WHY WHY do i have to look over any one shoulder for a job that was shabby and made me disgusted on the care and abuse on my vehicle. then when the vehicle was ready to drive off i had to personnally inspect the vehicle for any known normalcy , what i found was the hose to the radiator reservoir was not in original poisition which it snaps into place the plastic cover to the air intake nuts was not installed so here i was spending another 10 minutes pointing out the mistakes they did which was simply an easy fix if the entire jiffy lube employees was on there toes and did there inspection before releasing the vehicle.
“he moved on to the next hose clamp which was a spring loaded type the manager came over and assisted the technician both had a hard time removing it so once it was removed the manager which was mad at some point during the disassembly of the clamp and threw it in the garbage as he walked away. as i saw this im thinking why did he do that it was a perfectly good clamp.”
a perfectly good spring loaded clamp? that has been on you vehicle probably since 1989.. no such thing…
the manager did the right thing by throwing it in the trash so no one would reuse it.
i have seen many people try and reuse “perfectly good” spring clamps. just to have them leak and blow up a car. because most customers are to stupid to stop driving when the temp gauge is pegged.
I agree on the spring Clamp issue, As an ASE Certified Technician (not an oil changer as soo many people refer to us as), those types of clamps are better off in the trash after a few coolant flushes. They tend to loose their tension and ability to to seal the coolant hoses (which are under high pressure while driving).
While I have heard about the issues (and seen some video also), PLEASE don’t condim all quick lubes to be bad. Some of us take GREAT PRIDE in out work and customer service. I wish every business did.
If you have had a problem with one business, try out another. You may get a pleasant suprise!
To those who do it (change you oil) yourself, in todays society it is not cheaper to do it yourself. Time is money, and a quality quick lube can change your OIL AND FILTER in 10 minutes on most vehicles. Sure, some may take a little longer. By the time you get your oil, filter , tools, drail bucket, car ramps, and whatever else you may need, you have spent more than $25-30 bucks and you still have to take the time to do the job. So how much money is your time worth? Not only that, you’ll make a mess and need to dispose of the used oil and filter (it’s illegal to put them in the trash or landfill).
Chris, thank you for standing up for quick lubes. I’ve handled the promotional work for 25 years for a small, locally-owned two-shop outfit, and there are some keys to their success and their customer loyalty, to wit:
1) Their techs have been on the job an average of 15 years. This is no a company with the 18-month turnover rate that plagues most quick lubes. This company takes care of its employees, makes sure they’re well trained, and gives them decent pay for decent work.
2) The techs are not allowed to up-sell; if you ask for only an oil change, that’s what you get. But they will inform you of the condition of everything they inspect, so that you have an early-warning system about something that might need to be taken care of in the next visit or two.
3) A verbal call/command and response system is carried on between the techs in the bay and the techs down in the pit. It’s a verbal checkoff system, so that when the filter is changed, it’s confirmed; when the oil is filled, it’s confirmed; when the transmission fluid is checked, it’s confirmed.
4) The other confirmation system takes place between the bay tech and the customer, who stays in the car; the customer is shown a card with his oil/transmission fluid/other fluid on the card compared to the same fluid as it appears brand-new. The customer makes the decision.
5) The company not only recycles the used oil, but at its own expense, takes apart the used oil filters, separating out the paper core from the aliminum or steel casing, washes the componenets, and sents them out for recycling and reclamation. They NEVER throwed used oil filters, crushed or otherwise, into the landfill. They started this system long before any laws were passed regarding what goest into the landfill, and have never raised their prices to accommodate it. What do do-it-yourselfers do? They often leave their used oil and filters on the doorstep of my client’s shops on a Saturday or Sunday after hours.
So for those of you desperately afraid of being ripped off, here are some things to look for in a quick lube:
1) How long have those techs been on the job? Ask. How were they trained? Ask.
2) Is there a command-and-response system you can listen to or watch to know exactly what is being done on your car?
3) When you first drive in, quiz the tech who takes charge of your car. Ask what things are included in the basic service; ask to for your used oil filter to be given to you if they are not going to dispose of it in an environmentally-friendly way; ask how they normally dispose of thier used oil and oil filters. If they can’t answer your questions succinctly andclearly, go someplace else.
I have a Jiffy lube story myself. I went to jiffy lube to get a 19.99 oil change which I heard from the radio. When I drove up the luber told me it was 38 dollars. I responded by telling him I overheard the radio saying they were running a special, his response was you mentioned it you get it. So I was inside for about 5 minutes or so when the jiffy luber went inside to get me. He stuck out his hand and said have a nice day. I told him I needed to pay and he said it was on him. For the most part I found this strange. 2 days later practically all the oil dripped out of my car only to find out that the reason it was free was because one of them stripped the oil pan bolt. Unbelievable!! Frauds man.
response to ru stupid says:
the hose clamp has been on there since i retrived it from the garbage and still have the vehicle and it has not been an issue
thanks
cha ching
Gr88nes, ur a clown. If you knew anything about what youre talking about, you would realize that those spring loaded clamps suck and are very difficult to get on and get off. The screwdrive type clamps do exactly the same thing genius, just easier to work with. I bet you go and criticize your doctor for using the “wrong” type of tools when he does his job also, right? Im sure we all have horror stories we could tell about all businesses. Do yourselves a favor, continue to go the the dealer and get ripped off. Pay top dollar to have basic services done, and while youre sitting in the waiting room for 2 hours, your car is sitting there in the back, being finished for an hour, but because their “book” says a job should take 2 hours, theyll charge you that amount without doing anything to it for that last hour! Better yet ladies, crawl on the floor and change your own oil! Yeah, thats a brilliant recommendation. How about just using your heads and stand outside the bay area while your car is being serviced and you can watch everything thats being done! Wow, what a novel thought!
The Jiffy Lube in my neighborhood wouldnt accept the $15 off coupon and they sent it to me in the mail!It wasnt expired eiether so I left a voicemail with my number.Ill let you know if they get back to me before I dispute the charge on my credit card.That was my last purchase at Jiffy Lube.Also I dont think the techs like white people.
Jiffy lube in Clearwater, Fl off US 19….
DO NOT GO THERE FOR AN OIL CHANGE!!!!!!