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+--- Thread: Jiffy Lube or Do It Yourself? (/showthread.php?tid=118997)
Re: Jiffy Lube or Do It Yourself? - Mike Johnson - 06-21-2011
It's not an either/or. Not all oil change shops are Jiffy Lube. I use a locally owned place, http://autolubecare.com/ , and they're fantastic. They can put pictures of their crew on their web site because they don't have a lot of staff turnover. Every time I go, it's the same guys. The guy in the pit calls out what he's doing and what he's seeing, so you can follow along if you want. And they've never tried to sell me an air filter I didn't need. When they do find something, like a burned out brake light, I happily pay them to fix it for me -- I can change a bulb, but I'm happy to throw them the business.
Now if I could just get them to change the oil on my boat...
Re: Jiffy Lube or Do It Yourself? - mikebw - 06-21-2011
Last time my wife went they berated her on how dirty the car's interior was, (which they are supposed to clean for free) and then refused to honor the coupon they gave her on the previous visit. That was 3 years ago.
Re: Jiffy Lube or Do It Yourself? - Racer X - 06-21-2011
Don't go bashing all Jiffy Lubes for the sins of a few. I managed one for 2 years, and trained a great staff to do the job right the first time.
At that time, there were policies/procedures that required a member of management to personally watch the lower bay tech check the tightness of the drain plug, and show the QC tech that the oil filter AND the filter gasket were changed, and the right part number. The QC guy also personally checked that the oil filler cap was present and tight, and that the oil dipstick was present and at the proper level. Transmission fluid level and dipstick were checked if an AT vehicle. If other services were done, similar checks were conducted as well.
Problems were caused by staff not following established procedures. They were there for a reason, dummies.
Re: Jiffy Lube or Do It Yourself? - mikebw - 06-21-2011
Racer X wrote:
Don't go bashing all Jiffy Lubes for the sins of a few. I managed one for 2 years, and trained a great staff to do the job right the first time.
No, I can't speak for them all. This was just the one about 1 mile from our house, which we have vowed never to solicit again. (and yes we tried escalating but nobody cared). Driving to the next closest one didn't make sense so I just change the oil in her car when I change mine, which I have always done anyway.
Re: Jiffy Lube or Do It Yourself? - OWC Jamie - 06-21-2011
mikebw wrote:
[quote=Racer X]
Don't go bashing all Jiffy Lubes for the sins of a few. I managed one for 2 years, and trained a great staff to do the job right the first time.
No, I can't speak for them all. This was just the one about 1 mile from our house, which we have vowed never to solicit again. (and yes we tried escalating but nobody cared). Driving to the next closest one didn't make sense so I just change the oil in her car when I change mine, which I have always done anyway.
The f**k-up and rip-off tales would involve the local Goodyear here.
Re: Jiffy Lube or Do It Yourself? - GGD - 06-21-2011
Mike Johnson wrote:
It's not an either/or. Not all oil change shops are Jiffy Lube. I use a locally owned place, http://autolubecare.com/ , and they're fantastic. They can put pictures of their crew on their web site because they don't have a lot of staff turnover. Every time I go, it's the same guys. The guy in the pit calls out what he's doing and what he's seeing, so you can follow along if you want. And they've never tried to sell me an air filter I didn't need. When they do find something, like a burned out brake light, I happily pay them to fix it for me -- I can change a bulb, but I'm happy to throw them the business.
Now if I could just get them to change the oil on my boat...
I go to a similar local family owned business that has been at the same location for decades, very honest and FAST, even have video cameras in the pit and a screen on the wall so you can watch what they are doing. When it's done, they show you the old filter and the dipstick with clean oil on it. I pay $34 and it's done from start to finish in less than 10 minutes of my time. No upselling or BS, just consistent quick service by the same team of people.
They don't have a website but lots of Yelp reviews.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/nine-minute-oil-and-lube-palo-alto
Re: Jiffy Lube Yourself? - RAMd®d - 06-21-2011
WTF?!
Oh, I misread that.
I am well past the desire to do an oil-change. Just a big hassle. The local Hutch's Car Wash has a Lube Bay and they do a decent job. Just not worth my time.
If it was SOP for such places to do a lousy job, then I'd *consider* the dealer. My mechanic also does oil changes, charges a little more, and there's no free car wash.
But that's still better than me getting on a creeper and recycling old oil. I did enough of that with other cars and bikes.
Re: Jiffy Lube or Do It Yourself? - DinerDave - 06-21-2011
The Jiffy Lubes are franchises, and like any business, management and owners MUST be involved and keep them in line.
Like Racer-X and PizzaGod, I COULD do it myself, I choose not to. What we do for our 4 cars in the family is, we have a local shop in town that we will go to if other mehanical work needs to be done at the same time. If not, our local Jiffy Lube has not done us wrong in 20 yrs or so. Yes they upsell almost to the point of being annoying, but just be aware of what you really need, and say no. I go on their Crazy Tuesdays, $14 off. For me it's worth it.
Dave
Re: Jiffy Lube or Do It Yourself? - Psurfer - 06-21-2011
Funny you should bring this up.
Just the other week, I got some new tires from a big local tire/service chain. While there I also decided to have them change the oil. How could they screw that up? I said to myself.
Here's how: They disconnected a wire to the alternator in the course of the oil service, and neglected to reconnect it. Today I've been spending my time trying to figure what is supposed to be connected back on there, and whether I need a new alternator or not, as my fairly new battery needed a jump over the weekend...
I've wasted more time, aggravation, and my car's future lifespan on bad mechanic work than I care to recall.
Re: Jiffy Lube or Do It Yourself? - Wailer - 06-21-2011
The profit margins are too thin at JiffyLube, Qwik-stop, or any $20 oil change place. The workers seem too rushed, underpaid and overworked. I think upsell is their business model and they'd all be out of business if everyone only did the oil change.
I'd rather take it to a trusted independent mechanic (and pay a bit more) or to the dealer with a coupon. I generally abhor dealer mechanics, but the dealer has a lot more to lose if they eff-up your car, they have deeper pockets, and they are definitely more willing to please you; you already bought 1 of their cars, so you're more likely to buy another. Plus I eat and drink about $20 worth of their coffee and pastries when I get my oil changed.