What's Wrong At Jiffy Lube?

[115] Mac In Los Angeles, CA:  Transmission

June 05 I took my 1999 Chevy Suburban in for a routine oil change and transmission flush (aka T-Tech transmission flush) to the Jiffy Lube #1803 in West Los Angeles located on Overland Avenue.  The T-Tech machine used on my Sub was faulty, dumping all the old red transmission fluid all over the engine compartment. I requested that they clean up the mess and they obliged, but it made my truck smell strong like oil.  I drove less than 500 miles when I took my truck to my Chevy mechanic and complained about a strange noise and smell.  He checked my red transmission fluid and said that I should take my truck back to Jiffy Lube to remove the excess transmission fluid they put in.  I went to Jiffy Lube and they removed 2 QUARTS of fluid.  The next day my Sub would not shift out of first gear.  I took my Sub back to my Chevy mechanic. My transmission was still overfilled, but now the transmission fluid was BLACK.  I notified Jiffy Lube and after they examined my truck and I refused to let them take it to a mechanic of their choice to fix my transmission, they offered to pay $1400 of a $2766 repair.  My total cost was close to $4000 because I had to rent a car while my Sub was being repaired.  Jiffy Lube has not taken any responsibility other than I have kept all of my receipts, taken pictures of the fried transmission and held onto the letters from the corporate office in Los Alamitos California which in one of the letters it states that their own investigator found there was still too much fluid in the transmission even though 2 quarts had been removed the day prior to the complete failure of the transmission.  The avenues that I took were to file with the BAR (Bureau of Automotive Repair) which accomplished ZIP.  The people of the BAR contacted Jiffy Lube and Jiffy Lube refused to pay any more that what they offered. I do believe that posting this site will eventually catch someone's eye that will publish this to notify the general public.  Too bad you cannot rent a billboard over the corporate offices of Alamitos Enterprises, LLC (aka Jiffy Lube) listing just this web site. Today I will be filing a small claims action against them. The words of advise that I have gotten through the grapevine is that you need to take Jiffy Lube to court to recover your money from their faulty workmanship.  In the mean time, a customer that is satisfied will pass on their satisfaction to at least three people, a customer that is dissatisfied will pass their stories of being dissatisfied to an endless list of people. I'll let you know the results of the small claims action.

[114] Jen in Kingsport, TN:  Car Wash

I went to my local Jiffy Lube #700 in Kingsport,TN on Oct.31st for the standard oil change service. Before leaving I was asked if I wanted to go thru the car wash, and told only to " move your side mirrors in". I went the short distance home and the van was still a little wet when I went inside. Later my wife came home and saw the van outside in the sunshine and asked "What in the h*** happened to the van"? It was unbelievably streaked, at first glance it looked as if the brushes had scratched the paint and the windows. It took a lot of work but I was able to get the windows clean but the paint was covered in a greasy film that would not wash off. I called the shop and was told "we've had some trouble with the car wash and it seems to affect cars with a good coat of wax worse", which made no sense. I asked " If you've had trouble, why in hell did you not shut the car wash down instead of letting me take a $28K van with 15,000 miles on it in there to screw up"?They sent me to a local detailing shop, that washed and waxed the van for $45. I was reimbursed for the bill, but offered nothing for my time, trouble, or gas, not mentioning having to leave work to take care of this.

[113] Patricia in Lampeter, PA:  Radiator

My husband, Brad Rudy, took our vehicle for it's regular oil change. Because he frequents Jiffy Lube he has received personally addressed coupons in the mail. He uses the Jiffy Lube @ 2607 Willow Street Pike, Lampeter, PA. On Monday, November 7, 2005 he had an oil change and asked to check his anti freeze. The next thing all his coolant gushed out of the radiator.

After quite an expensive repair at our local Ford Dealership (over $100) it was discovered that the radiator plug was wearing out. We take our automobiles to Jiffy Lube because they represent themselves as professionals. If they are professionals then they should know to check this plug on older model vehicles ( 1994 Ford Areostar)before they service the radiator.

The local Jiffy Lube will not in any way help defer the recent repair bill. So much for professionalism and customer satisfaction.

[112] Chip in Raleigh, NC:  Check Engine

Jiffy Lube Service Center #1108
4804 ATLANTIC AVE
RALEIGH, NC 27604-7604

PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED:  I took my nice F150 Lariat in to Jiffy Lube on Atlantic Avenue, in Raleigh, NC for an oil change.   This was on a Saturday in March 2005.

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SIDE NOTE: At the same time, my girlfriend had her Taurus in for a check, as the oil was extremely low, and come to find out,  her oil fill cap was loose from the last change at the same store location.  This had happened to her once a few years ago, at a location in Waterbury, CT, so it’s obviously a common recurring problem.  (How hard is it for a service technician to understand the concept of a locking oil cap, turn until it clicks!)?
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When  my truck was done, they had it out front and parked it with the key in it.    I went ahead and Okayed the overpriced wiper blade change out, but turned down the air filter, etc.  I paid at the counter, and walked out to my truck.   As I started to make a right turn out the driveway, I noticed a red oil light was on.   I turned around and immediately went back.

When I went in, I asked the junior space cadet manager “What the hell was going on here??”.   He looked at me like I was crazy.   I was an angry ticked off customer, you bet.     I told him the problem with my truck and also what we found to be the problem on my girlfriends car.    He had a strange response, rather than seeming to genuinely care about my having a problem, he broke into this lawyer mode of speech and response, with some sort of defensive agenda.

It seemed as if he had been trained (brainwashed?) to “fog” or exhibit no care for the customer.    He pulled the truck in and checked it over.   He went to some sort of book and read me a canned script.   He told me the oil pressure sensor was broken, by one of their technicians, while changing the filter.   He told me he had checked the level and that it was full and that I could drive the truck until it was repaired.

(Funny, the mechanic at the Ford Dealership thought it would be bad to continue driving it with no way of detecting a loss of oil pressure, which could result in a damaged or destroyed engine.)

At this point, you have to ask yourself, with the highly touted “team” approach, with its checklist, it’s obvious they had to know that the system light was on and there was no oil pressure.   If you recall, they always start the vehicle up, and check the oil pressure.   Then when its all done, they start the vehicle up and pull it out.   So there were two chances to check or notice there was no oil pressure reading on the dashboard.    Both Jiffy Lube and the Ford Dealer mechanic said the sensor was snapped cleanly off, that there was no way it could even intermittently display pressure.  So how you ask, did the technicians not notice there wasn’t any oil pressure.   Simply put, COVER UP your mistakes.

Ignore it and hope the customer leaves and not notice.  I was told by Jiffy Lube, that the problem would be faxed in to Ryan, at their corporate franchise office in Raleigh.  I was told I would be getting a call from him Monday morning.   I never got a call, ever, from Ryan.  

(Note: Ryan R., return your phone calls.  This is almost identical to Mike’s complaint in Experience #24 about not being contacted! LUCOR is on the march to acquire more stores and delivery their version of service to more victims)

I had to call them, and leave a message, and finally my call was returned on Tuesday. I was told to have the vehicle repaired and then they would re-reimburse me once I sent them the receipts. The part had to be ordered, so I ended up making several trips to the Ford dealer.

When I finally got the truck repaired and faxed Jiffy Lube the repair bill, I was then offered “coupons” for two free oil changes, as compensation for my trouble. I told them that wasn’t’ acceptable, as I wouldn’t be trading with them any further. I did get them to cover the cost of the oil change. (Big deal).

At no point was I ever told they were sorry I had this experience, that they would counsel their employees, or look into doing their work better.   The end result, is that they have an air of indifference.   I they lose a customer, no big deal, there are plenty of “suckers” out there waiting to drive in and be “had”.   

[111] Loft in Santa Fe, NM:  Transmission

The Jiffy Lube operation in Santa Fe, NM, flushed and replaced the transmission fluid in our mini van.  Problem is, they didn't reconnect the transmission fluid line to the radiator. After we had to pay $3,500 to replace the transmission and tow the van to a mechanic, Jiffy Lube made a lame offer (including $300 in gift certificates to Jiffy Lube who we are just so excited to use again!) but refused even to put this offer in writing.  In less than a week, three friends and co-workers have told me of similar experiences including one who blew her engine because Jiffy Lube didn't screw on you oil filter properly.  I got a lawyer and I'll let you know what happens.  What's up with this company?

[110] Amy in San Antonio, TX:  Oil Plug

I have always taken my vehicles to Jiffy Lube, but in the last year or so I have had quite a lot of trouble.  Sometimes the store doesn't have the right oil filter or the right tool to change the oil. 

Saturday, Oct. 30, I went to the Jiffy Lube on Bandera Rd, in San Antonio, TX (78238), and after they had worked on my car for about 10 minutes the technician told me they didn't have the correct tool to change the oil.  He showed me what the "socket tool" looked like and advised me to go to another Jiffy Lube close by.  I went to the store on Grissom & Tezel, in San Antonio, TX and they too worked on my car for about 10 minutes.  The technician then told me that the threads on the oil plug were stripped and he couldn't remove it.  He said to contact the manager at the first Jiffy Lube I went to, but I have not called yet - I am too disgusted from wasting my time.
 

I have very disappointed in the quality of workmanship at Jiffy Lube.  I am a single mother and have been a customer for over 10 years.  I hope the service improves or I will have to find another alternative.

Thanks for listening.

[109]  Janice in Aurora, IL:  Windows

I recently had a horrible experience with the company-owned Jiffy Lube in Aurora, Illinois.  My first indication that there was a problem was when they told me they couldn't check the filter on my Mark VIII because they didn't have a screwdriver long enough.  What??
 

Then, when I went to get in the car, my window was stuck down. I questioned the employees who said it was Jiffy Lube policy to roll the windows down to wash the windows.  I stated there was an existing problem with the door handle, so I deliberately left the window down about 8 inches so it was easy to reach in and grab the door handle from the inside.  The window actually would have had to be forced down.  When I insisted the get the window back up, this really turned into a nightmare. Apparently, the mechanic had absolutely no mechanical experience.  He got the window up, but then insisted that some rubber strip prevented it from going down and that was that.  When I go! t in the car, none of the working parts of the door (door locks, passenger window, mirror control) were nonworking.  He then had to take the door skin panel off again and reconnected them. By this time, it was an hour after closing and no one was eager to help. The windows were never washed.  The door skin panel was not reinstalled correctly.  And my window remained in the stuck up position.
 

The next morning I called and asked to speak to the manager.  I was told that the manager was actually the same guy who had worked on my car. I then called the 1-800 # for Jiffy Lube and learned that the Aurora shop was a company store and someone would call me back.  It is now 3 weeks later and I have yet to receive any type of return call.

This is terrible customer service.  I will never take my car then again, but instead will utilize a local mechanic who knows what he is doing and where there is customer service.

[108] Stan & Beverly in Wichita, KS:  Pricing

On 10/21/05 we had a serpentine belt replaced by Juffy Lube in Wichita, Kansas.  They charged us 89.00 for the belt.  We had one (that we forgot about) in the glove box of the truck that cost us 21.99.  Guess that is what we get for being brain dead and having sucker stamped on our forheads.

[107] A Manager:  Employee

It's truely unfortunate that people have these kinds of problems! As for me, I was a manager of one of Shells Million dollar Jiffy Lube stores. People need to understand that the large Quick Lube facilities are DOLLAR DRIVEN and it's not just Jiffy Lube. Shell cared more about the customer than the bottom line. Sure we had to give manufactures recommendations at the greeter station but, one of shells CSS questions to the customer was Did you feel pressured? When it goes to the franchise side LOOK OUT. That's why I left.

Now we could post all these complaints on the internet or we could do something about it. Let's figure a way to regulate the Quick Lube industry so they can not rip people off. Name me one manufacturer that recommends an engine flush. Unless you're ASE Certified you should never be allowed to touch any major component of someones car other than oil change and air filter! Hell, some of their people can not change wiper blades without damageing the windshield.

I'm going to look into getting better regulation! Want to help?

[106] Daniel in San Diego, CA:  Fuel Filter

     I have been going to Jiffy Lube for oil changes since the first week of 2000 without any problems or complaints. In fact, I was one of those that would defend J-L whenever someone would complain about them.

     In April 2005 I went in to the Jiffy Lube of Poway, store #1565. I needed an oil change and fuel filter replacement. They charged me about $120 or so for the service. Seemed to me like it was no different than any other time I'd gone there. All was well until September 20, 2005 when on the way to work I smelled gas, the gas pedal wouldn't depress and the RPM dropped to zero. I had my 2003 Ford Focus (65,000 miles) towed to the nearest Ford dealership. They diagnosed the problem as broken clips on the Fuel Filter Outlet Pipe and the bracket was missing. How this held for 5 months is beyond me but I swear I only had my car serviced by Jiffy Lube. I trusted them. They'd never done me wrong until now.

     So I call Troy at the Poway store. He was the manager. He told me to bring it in and he'd have a look. I told him I was in Encinitas and there was a store just up the street. Could I take it there? Sure, he said. He'd call the manager and let him know to expect me. So I called the Encinitas, CA Jiffy Lube and spoke to the manager there. He agreed that he would fix the problem and apologized for the inconvenience.

    When I arrived, he showed me exactly what the Poway guys did wrong. Apparently the old clips could be pulled out slightly to loosen the pipe so it could be removed. The new ones though, which I had, were pushed in. Pushing on the clips loosened the prongs at the ends and loosened the pipe. The guys thought they were the old clips and pulled them out, thus breaking them. They replaced the clip hoping it would hold and apparently it did. He said he'd replace the pipe with a new one and that would fix the problem.

    Apparently I thought it was fixed. The car ran great for about 15 days. Then yesterday (Oct 5, 2005) on the way home the same thing happened. Lost power, smelled gas and the fuel gauge dipped to zero. I made it home and had it towed to Poway Ford. They diagnosed it as being the same problem. This time I had Ford fix the problem and I wrote a complaint letter to Jiffy Lube not expecting any answer. That was tonight. I don't think I'll hear back from them as many others have said they don't do anything unless you sue them and even then they will discredit you as much as they can. Dude, it's just $320. Freaking pay up. You won't miss me or the $320. Trust me, I won't be going back for even an oil change anymore. Ford did me right and I won't have anyone but them work on my car from now on.

[105] Trey in San Antonio, TX:  Transmission

I just had the transmission flush done at jiffy lube on bandera road in San Antonio. I have a 2002 Ford F-150 4x4 with around 45k miles. They took over and hour to perform the flush by claiming that Fords are more difficult. My truck had absolutely no problems before i went to jiffy lube. I believe they may have done something wrong and were trying to correct the problem. Now my truck is sticky in first gear and is starting to not shift right a day later. My vehicle also has problems when i engage reverse. It slips in reverse and the truck keeps trying to roll backwords when i engage to drive. I am definitely taking it back today and keeping a record for potential legal action if they do not remedy any of these problems. This is ridiculous.Any ideas of what they did wrong?

[104] Erick from Santa Maria, CA:  Employee

store 609 on broadway.  i was a jifffy lube employee.. yes, i was an "uncertified" grease monkey for nine grueling months.. i was the guy who pulled out your air filter without permission..  the day i quit was the day i posted this email..

the truth about jiffy lube is that for quality service you need time, time to see if every thing is correctly opperating.. jiffy lube does an average of 50-80  cars a day, there is no quality there.. its just too fast and too greedy...

i got told off every day from customers that thought it was way too expensive,, its true becouse thirty-six dollars sometimes even more for an oil change is like a senior citizen once told me "a f***ing rip off" this sweet lil inocent ol man said that and sent me to hell literally!.. also for air filters to be prices outrageously is a steal for jiffy lube.. the management is ridiculous at the store i worked in..

it felt morally wrong to work there becouse everyday i ripped off somebody sometimes everybody..  I cant remember how many time these "uncertified" grease monkeys didnt do there job right..  most employees at jiffy lube ARE NOT certified... those plaques on the wall are FAKE..  the coorperation need to be sued for all theyre money to pay these poor people that were lied to. I was once physically hit by the asst. manager which I will not state his name.. i could have sued the hell out of jiffy lube but the poor bastard is a coke addict and a drunk so i gave his sorry life a chance,,  there is alot of drama in jiffy lube 609 that you can make a soap opera out of it litterally.. the managers a raging racist, so is the asst. manager (not gus) and the managers pet which is a girl.

jiffy lube is wrong, they lie, steal and destroy peoples property just to get a quik buck, and never take the blame for messing up peoples cars.  im sorry if i served you at jiffy lube. It was my job, and you have no idea how many time i got ragged from the real mechanics for working at jiffy lube since the mechanics at santa maria all know my dad which is a mechanic, a damn good one too.. know i cant find a job at a real shop becouse of my work history at jiffy lube ... if you had problems with jiffy lube send your attorney to go yell at the managers and then go yell at the district office.

all i have to say to conclude this offence to JL is for the customers to pay a lil LESS to go to the dealer for an oil change or regular maintenane.  it actually costs a few bucks less for a dealer service and you get quality service with responsibe outcome if the car breaks.

[103] Kartik:  Transmission

I took my 2000 Chrysler Concorde for a regular 3000 mile service on 8/22.  They serviced my car in less than 17 minutes - I was surprised, but happy to spend less time in the waiting area.  I drove my car out, no problems.  Then for the next three days, I drove my car for around 130 miles - 20 miles to work and back home.  On the fourth day, while driving on Route 3 south, my engine stops suddenly, leaving me rolling at 70 miles per hour with no control on my steering-wheel or breaks (as they are power controlled, and once the engine and ignition stops, they stop responding!).  I survived - luckily no one was behind me and I was able to safly pull over.

Then I tow my car back to Jiffy Lube, they said "yes, it could be a problem with our parts or service".  The oil had drained out, locking my transmission and shutting off my engine.  The Jiffy Lube store manager asked me open a claim with Jiffy Lube service department, which I did.  Then I had to tow my car to the Chrysler dealer for a engine/transmission repair.  Jiffy Lube sent an "independent" inspector out at the repair shop, and after 7 wasted days, Jiffy Lube sent me a snail mail saying that they do not "feel" responsible for the damage, and now I will be responsible for $6000 for transmission replacement!  In addition to this, I ended up paying about $1000 bucks for car rental and another $1300 for inspection.

My car never ever had a problem with engine or transmission.  I have been servicing it very regularly for the last 5 years and I never even saw a spot of oil in my drive-way or in my garage.  I wonder, how, else the oil can leak out ...

I contacted a lawyer to file a civil suite against Jiffy Lube, and hopefully, I will get some of my money back.  But one thing is pretty certain: I am (or any one of my friends are) never again going to Jiffy Lube.

Everyone at JiffyLubeProblems.com, keep up the good work of the awareness.

[102] In Benicia, CA:  Tires
 
Okay, this is not just about bad service. It actually may be criminal. I took my car (a Mazda Miata) to the Benicia (CA) Jiffy Lube Monday (9/19) for an oil change. When I drove home the car did not handle well at all and in fact was rattling and bouncing on the road over the smallest unevenness on the road. Sure signs of tire over-inflation. Tuesday morning before I left for work, I checked the tire pressure and was literally stunted! They put around 60 pounds of pressure (more exactly 56, 57 and 60) on three of my tires. More, the front left tire recorded at 71 psi!!! I was furious since I could have had an accident on the freeway had I not checked the pressure that morning. I called the shop earlier today and they insisted that their computer record shows only they put 32 pounds in the tires. Apparently, the guy who put air into my tires knew what he was doing, otherwise he would not have put 32 on the computer. He wanted me dead. The stupid thing is, I called the policy and they said nothing has come up to prove that the Jiffy Lube guy was specifically targeting me, so nothing criminal has happened. Gee, thanks! I am going to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and tell as many people as I can. If they did that to me, there is no reasons why they won’t do it to others.

[101] Rob:  Unneeded Parts
 
jiffy lube has always done a good job for me but they always try to sell me something that I don’t feel I need. about a month ago I was going to have oil changed but first I thought I would look at my air filter as they always try to sell me one I took it out and it was fine so off to jiff lube this guy brings it to me and say it has a torn lining which it did now he tore it and said I needed a new one he would not look me in the eye I turned him down I figured if I made a big deal out of it they would not put my car back together right.

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