What's Wrong At Jiffy Lube?

[150] Anna in Dale City, VA  (Also see [138])  Attitude

Though Jiffy Lube failed the first time around they did implement a solution and showed an attitude that has led me to believe that I would return for service in the future.  A few bad apples/technicians can't be used to categorize a company as bad ... here is what I hope to be the final ACT of this play ... a follow-up customer feedback email sent to Jiffy Lube:

'Mr G. Brown resolved issues I reported earlier this month with the quality of the service provided by Jiffy Lube.  Mr Brown implemented corrective action above the call of duty by redoing all the work well beyond my expectations.  Mr Brown was pleasant to work with, explained everything so well so that even a non-car-person such as myself could understand, and ensured me that preventative action was taken to ensure that the persons who serviced my car before understood the issues and how to avoid issues in the future.&nbs p; Thank You for your assistance.  I will not hesitate to return to Jiffy Lube for my next service though I may be looking for Mr. Bown on the floor to ensure that quality standards do not slip.  Thanks Again.

Please ensure that this text is documented/inserted just before my initial communication.

[149] Lynn in Puyallup, WA:  Attitude

I went to a Jiffy Lube in the Puyallup, Washington area to get an oil change, I usually go to my local Mitsubishi dealership but I wanted to take my daughter to lunch and she lives there so we had lunch while my Mitsubishi 3000GT was being serviced. I was appalled when we returned to find the doors wide open and my very expensive stereo system cranked to the max while the attendents were just kicked back listening. From there, it got worse. These greasemonkeys had gone through my car with their dirty hands on my totally white interior and got oil and grease everywhere. I will NEVER go to Jiffy Lube again and am telling all my friends of my experience and Jiffy Lube's totally unprofessional conduct!!!!!

[148] Tracy in Chicago, IL:  Employee

[147] Susan in Pittsfield, MA:  Dip Stick

[146] Stan in Saratoga, CA:  Tires

This is the worst experience I've had with an oil change.  I went to Jiffy Lube Store #2346 in San Jose CA for an oil change on my 2001 Honda Accord.  I watched the process from the customer waiting window.  They NEVER checked the transmission fluid level.  I went out and asked them to check it, which they did. 

Last, they seemed to be adding air to the tires.  I  asked the guy what was wrong with the tires, and he said that there was 40 pounds of pressure in them.  He was BLEEDING hot tires.

After paying, I asked for the phone number of the franchise owner.  The tech got angry, and said he didn't have a number.  He then asked me what was wrong.  I told him I shouldn't have to ask to have the transmission checked.  He responded that they weren't done yet.  I then reminded him that he was closing the hood, and he told me to get out of the store.

On the road, the car handled badly.  When I arrived at my work parking lot, the tires looked soft.  I checked them with my own guage, and they showed 22psi.  This could have been a serious situation had they gotten heated up on the freeway. I went to a gas station and added air.

Also, after then engine heated up, I discovered that  they had spilled oil on the exhaust manifold.  The smoke came into the cabin. When I left work, I stopped at another Jiffy Lube to see  what could be done.  They sprayed water and degreaser all over the motor.  Now there's a slight miss in the engine. They saturated the entire engine compartment, including the ECM.  If the miss doesn't go away when the weather dries up, I'll probably have additional expense on the engine.  Jiffy Lube will be paying for all this, plus my time.

I would be willing to pay more for an oil change at Jiffy Lube, provided that they hired somone who had a slightly higher IQ than our German Shepard.

[145] Bob:  Fraud

I took my Chevy Blazer to Jiffylube on a frequent basis, they were close to work and I could drop the rig off and then go back at lunch and pick it up. The vehicle NEVER used oil between changes - always full. However, the last time I took it to them, the technician noted on the invoice that there were 'oil leaks'. When I asked him why he put that on there when the engine didn't leak, his reply was 'we put that on all invoices where a vehicle is getting up in miles'. I complained but was stuck with a fraudulent invoice. When I go to sell this, someone will ask about that particular receipt and I'll have to tell them what a fraudulent oil outfit Jiffylube is!

[144] Richard in VT:  Oil Plug

I have always changed my own oil but it was winter and I was going skiing and did not feel like crawling under my car to change the oil so I had it done at Jiffylube.  Returning from skiing in the mountains of Vermont at midnight the oil light comes on, the filler cap was left off and the engine was covered with oil. I had an extra quart of oil which got me to a town where I was able to refill with oil.  I foolishly had my oil changed again at Jiffylube and this time oil was dripping out of the drain plug which had beed crossthreaded.  I had to have the oilpan drilled out and an oversized plug fitted.

Never again!

[143] Brett:  Oil Filter

I recently bought a 2006 Impala. I took to Jiffy lube for it's first oil change. The particular store was having problems locating the correct oil filter since the car was so new.  To make a long story short the solution was to use an oil filter from a 5.3 liter chevy truck. This filter is no where near the filter that is recommended.

I asked the service manager if that was the right filter, he assured me it would work fine. So  far I cannot tell if any internal damage was done.  Due to this lack of poor judgement, I will not be turning to Jiffy Lube for future service.

[142] Jennifer in Huntington Beach, CA:  Transmission

I took my 1997 Ford Mustang 5-speed to the new Jiffy Lube in Huntington Beach, California and specifically asked that they check for leaks when I had their "signature service" oil change 10/13/05.  The invoice states that my transmission fluid level was FULL, so it was not topped off.  Less than two-months later, my transmission seized up and caused me more than $1,000.00 in repairs because it ran out of fluid.  It's obvious their "quality inspector" didn't check the level or detect the leak.  I plan to go to small claims court and ask Jiffy Lube to cover the repair bill. 

[141] Bob:  Oil Plug

I've had a problem with Jiffy Lube in the northwest - stripping my oil pan threads and denying any wrong doing despite proof from our dealership. Can you email me with the 'parent company' headquarters address and anyone you know may be the CEO there? I don't know if it will do any good but a replacement pan is $440 installed - all due to Jiffy Lube's tech overtorquing the pan drain nut.

[140] Sean:  Oil Plug

I found this site from a buddy who knew my previous experience. Last winter, with a month of 0 degree weather and no heated garage, my car despartly needed an oil change. Now, I would liek to call myself a weekend mechanic, as i do most if not all of the work to my car (new clutch, timing belt, coolent system...) Well I didn't feel like changing the oil ( I hate the cold) so i took my car to the local jiffylube (Moorestown, NJ) In and out easy as pie 33 bucks or something. Well in about 5k miles it was a nice day and I decided to change my oil. I jacked up the car, only to find the drain plug was welded on! Are you serious? I had to get a new pan and gasket. Thanks i got jiffyscrewed!

[139] Andrew:  Attitude

I was getting a coolent change at 1 of your locations.  While I was waiting, I was talking to 1 of the employees, who happened to be a woman. I asked her if I could take her to dinner sometime and she said sure.

I called her about 2 hours after I left to invite her to dinner, and she informed me the her boss yelled at her for saying that she would go to dinner with me. She also said that she was told she would be fired if she went to dinner with me. I am confused.  For what reason would jiffylube care if an employee went to dinner with a customer on their personal time? Dose jifflube have a policy on dating customers on their personal time. Dose Jiffylube really have the right to fire a employee if they go to dinner with 1 of the 2,000,000 customers jiffylube has. Please understand, she did not ask me, I asked her. 

[138] Anna in Dale City, VA  (Also see [150])  Unneeded Parts

Unethical (Bill/Service being padded - unneeded services recommended) and Poor Service   Unethical/Poor Service:  I came in for a synthetic oil change at 95, 997 miles.  I was told that additional service was required and approved the following additional service at the advise of the Jiffy Lube Technician - with AFTER MATH described:

1.  Manual Transmission Server - Jiffy Lube Technician told me that my gear shift would move better if I had this service.  AFTER THE Service, I see no difference in my gear shift movement.

2.  PCV Valve - Jiffy Lube Technician told me that even though the PCV looked fine I  needed to have this changed  because the original was still on the car.  I requested that the PCV be given to me and not thrown away.  AFTER the service I was told my PCV was thrown away.

3.  Engine Cleaning Service - Jiffy Lube Technician told me that the oil in the filter was dark so I needed the engine cleaning service.  I told them this had been done by Mobile 3,000 miles ago but the Jiffy Lube Technician told me that they didn't know what they (Mobile) were doing and always do these kinds of things wrong.  I requested the Filter be given to me so I could go to mobile with a complaint.  AFTER the service I was not given the filter and had to ask for it.  I was told by the manager that though it was being given back to me I COULD NOT go to mobile as I planned but had to find evidence that they had done the work - The manager said that the synthetic oil is darker so the oil in the filter did not indicate the cleaning was needed.  The next day when I brought the car back and checked the oil it was clear as if it were not SYNTHETIC though I requested and paid for synthetic.

4.  Light Bulb - Jiffy Lube Technician showed me that I had a light out.  AFTER the service on the way home the covering of the light fell off.  I returned the next day and was told a clip was missing that had to be ordered.

5.  Jiffy Lube Technician told me that tire air pressure would be checked and adjusted to appropriate levels.  AFTER the service and the next day when the cover fell off my light you had replaced and I returned to have the issue fixed, I had the technicians check the tire pressures and all were off on the right side, but I was told the y were perfect on the right.  When I went to the local gas station and checked the air it seemed that the right side air was still off.

[137] Chad in Chicago, IL:  Attitude

Today I went to Jiffy Lube for my oil change.  The store I went to is on North Avenue in downtown Chicago, IL.  I observed the workers as they performed the "Signature Service" on my vehicle.  I also watched them work on the other cars in the bays.  Not one vehicle had their tire pressure checked, mine included.  As the worker was about to pull my car out of the bay, I confronted him about this.  His response was to yell across the shop to another worker to ask him if he performed this service.  The response back was "no, that is your car."  I took it at face value, but I'm sure this was a little inside joke between the workers, since they didn't do tire pressure checks for any cars.  So when the manager called me up to settle the bill, I told him that he needed to remind his workers what the "Signature Service" actually included.  He played dumb, so I told him that no one was checking air pressure.  He couldn't believe his ears (yeah right!).  So he went out to the shop, told the worker to check the pressure.

Now by this time the manager had already printed out my bill to sign which indicates that the tire pressure check was done.  How this is possible, I don't know, since it wasn't performed.  I received no apology or explanation from the manager.  It was obvious that he didn't care. 

I don't know much about cars or their maintenance, so that is why I chose to watch something I do know about...tire pressure.  The question that this leaves me is, if they aren't doing this part of the Signature Service right, then what else aren't they doing that I'm paying for?  That is what really concerns me.  I have decided not to use Jiffy Lube ever again because of today's experience and from reading other experiences that are posted on "What's Wrong at Jiffy Lube" website.

I am currently a store manager for Jiffy Lube in the Chicago area and have read the most recent complaints from some past employee's. I know the two people from Chicago and am amazed about their stories. My story is a little different, I was one of the employee's that came to the Heartland company when they bought Auto serve. I don't know why they were so unhappy but I think it is only fair that is not the only side everyone hears.  [continued]

[135] Victim in San Mateo, CA:  Radiator

It was Saturday morning I woke at 5am to wash my clothes and then around 8am, I had driven around to the store and other places before I decided to run over to the local jiffy lube to get an oil change.  I was told to wait inside until an attendant spoke with me.  He told me about the different oil changes I could have, the special for transmission fluid change and the coolant change.  I told him I just wanted an oil change, but then I decided to get my antifreeze coolant changed.  Before I arrived I had no leaks up and around the radiator, no steam coming out.  The oil change was performed, then he called me over and showed me a hair line crack just below the left side of the radiator cap, and coolant and water was seeping through.  I only live 5 to 10 minutes from this Jiffy lube and when I arrived home steam was filtering through from under my hood and water was squirting out.  The radiators with some of the cars are now made of a hard plastic and so is mine.  Which means if you attach something to the top and force it, the pressure could possibly cause a crack at a weak point primarily where it curves.  Beware with these fast in and out get it done now lube joints.

[134] Another Victim:  Oil Filter

Simply put, DO NOT GO TO JIFFY LUBE!!!!  I brought my brand new  05' Hyundai Tiberon into their store for "her" first oil change.  Not only did they have the wrong car listed on the invoice (an Elantra) but, they also double gasketed the filter, which caused an explosion of sorts.  I was able to turn off the engine within seconds of my oil light going on.  Still in all, I had to rent a gas-guzzeling car for 3 days, have my car towed and deal with the oil residue on EVERYTHING on my formerly perfect one-payment-made car.  I've yet to receive reimbursement or any kind of apology.!!

[133] Susan in New Bern, NC:  Theft

I had arrived in New Bern, NC on August 31st.  Tired from my 10 hour drive from Upstate NY, I am looking forward to spending sometime with my family before moving further south to start a new life.  When the time came to continue on my journey, [on October 28, 2005], I went to get an oil change at Jiffy Lube on Glenburnie in front of the Harris Teeter Supermarket. The time was approximately 12:30pm.  I had taken a coupon for $10.00 from the Sunday paper, which was why I had chosen this establishment. I drove to the rear of the store and before I could get out of my vehicle, I was greeted by a young lady in her early 20's. She stated that "The manager had walked off the job, and had locked up the computers, so we can only take cash and we can not give you a receipt because everything had been affected by the  manager."  She said "You can either go to Harris Teeter, or the gas station next door to get cash."  She then told me it would be $35.00, I handed her the coupon and she
said "Now it will be $25.00 cash".

I went to the gas station next door to obtain cash from the ATM and the receipt said the time was 12:34 pm. I went back over to the Jiffy Lube, she once again met me at the vehicle, took my cash, and escorted me (my, what customer service I exclaimed!!) to the waiting room.  I am not a person who cannot sit, but I looked out to the garage bay and saw this girl in the backseat of my vehicle, so I went out into the bay.  I asked the young man (who claims he was from Louisiana and had a son what was this girl doing in the backseat of my vehicle? He claimed "she was vacuuming and that this was a service they performed for all oil changes". I remained in the bay until my oil change was complete chatting with the youthful Jiffy Lube staff.

When I arrived at my destination in Florida, I was unpacking my vehicle and when I could not find the small round silver box, I began to panic. This box contains the most important fragments of my entire life.  The joy I would leave to my four daughters was their great-great grandmother's inheritance. As well, In this box contained my most precious memories..........every piece of jewelry from my great grandmother (now deceased), the precious pieces that my grandfather (now deceased) gave to me on his many trips around the world and this represented every challenge, the rosary beads which she gave to me when I was six--and every woe, and happy time I had experienced over the last 47years of my life. This was all I had left, and now it was gone. I can't tell you the agony and sorrow this has caused me.  I cannot sleep, I hurt so much that I am constantly sick to my stomach knowing that
these fragments of my life may be in some pawn shop or being traded for drugs on the streets of New Bern NC. For who would go to that length to steal just this and that from the insides of customers' cars - the reward would be small, and this indicates a type of person who has possibly ongoing needs for something like say drugs?  This means that my heirlooms would be dropped on the street for instance for $20 for the perpetrator's next high?  I feel totally violated.  If anyone has seen or has been approached to buy pieces of jewelry, I pray you will contact this editor, or the local police department.  I have some hopes that maybe someone will find it and be able to return some of this to me.

When I spoke to Jiffy Lube Corporate, they told me that the computers were never down (big surprise) and that every camera in the store had been manually disconnected by someone.  What can they do?

The New Bern Police Dept has been very helpful and attentive.  You are a fortunate town for having such a  wonderful police force. I will forward you a list of the things taken from my suitcase and if you need any descriptions, please call. This is my last hope for trying to pick up the pieces of my life stolen in New Bern.

[132] Ex-Employee from Tucson, AZ:  Employee

My experience with Jiffy lube is as an ex-employee.I worked for Jiffy Lube #1602 in Tucson, Az for about six months.While working for this shop I learned that a lot of the services customers pay for are never done, the manager would tell me to sell services that were obviously not needed at the time of the oil change.For example when a transmission needs servicing the color of the oil is is discolored"transmission fluid is a light pink" this manager would have me sell the service,when I would sell the service he would look at the dipstick and tell me "DONE" .All he would care about is not the customers vehicles but instead what his bonus was going to be for the month.Another thing that was wrong about this manager is that he loves putting down not only his emlpoyeesbut also his customer (of curse not to the customers face).When I started with the company I was happy to be working there because I enjoy working on cars, and I have never had a problem with doing customer service, but with this store anyways its not about the customer it's about your next bonus check. Don't get me wrong the bonuses were nice, but a lot nicer when I would get them honestly. When I got tired of screwing over the customer I started selling them only what they need done to there vehicles, so they stopped giving me bonuses eventhough the store ticket was high. Last month  I had an accident while I was at work, I slipped on some oil that was on the floor due to our oil guns leaking, before my accident I would mention to the manager that we need to service our guns so they would stop leaking, and all he said was "XXXX THAT ,GET TO WORK".I had to miss a couple of day because of my accident so he suspended me,when I asked the assistant manager for a copy of the incident report he said that it wasn't in my file, Avery thing but that report was there. I don't know what kind of training this manager went through but it certainly wasn't managment. All I have to say is that this manager is giving Jiffy Lube a bad name and they don't even know it, also that I feel sorry for who ever has to work for this guy. I'm glad I don't need to put up with his shit any more.

[131] Ex-Manager:  Employee

As an ex manager of Jiffy Lube I read up on the problems people are having. Unfortunately, most States take the "Buyer Beware" to heart and there is little that can be done. However, that being said, people with major  repair problems and damages should contact their State DMV. Most facilities are required to have at least a limited repair licence to do Fuel Filters. I would also suggest contacting your State Congressman.

I am working on the idea of having a bill introduced, which will provide stricter guidelines all quick lubes must follow.

The problem is there and won't go away by itself. We need to band together and file a class ation lawsuit against all quick lube facilities, forceing them to be truthful about the services they provide and how these services are performed!

[130] Nick:  Oil Plug

Last time I took my truck in, they decided to put a new oil plug in it.  Well its a Ford truck, but everything on it is metric.  They put in an american oil plug when did not fit, so they cranked it in, stripped out the threads.  It leaked oil ever since the last oil change.  I got under there to find the leak, it took a LOT of force to get the plug out.  It had about 2 threads left on it.  Luckily the threads on the pan are hardened steel and the plug is soft metal.  So I put in a new METRIC motorcraft oil plug, problem solved.

[129] Janet in Belleville, IL:  Oil Plug

I had my oil changed when the owner came out and did a double-talk two step about the drain plug.  I asked him to explain it again to me and once more he stated he couldn't get it tight and couldn't get it out again.  This was after the oil change had been done.  He told my son and I to go ahead and drive it until the next oil change and just look for oil leaks.  He noted on the bottom of the ticket that this should be repaired soon.  We drove it home most likely spewing oil because the filter was held in place by a few threads... Woke up to a puddle of oil and a tow bill.  My mechanic had to clean the shroud and attached insulation.  The drain plug was in wrong and would have to be drilled out stripping all the threads.  I am sitting on a bill for $622.92 plus $27.34 for the oil change!  when I called the manager Ron Forsythe he told me to file in small claims court and hung up on me.  He admitted some responsibility when he said we could work a deal.  When I said I wanted the full amount he got irrate and disconected.

[128] Tom in Chicago, IL  (also see [126])  Employee

My experience is as a Jiffy Lube former employee.  My name is Tom and I used to be employed for Heartland Automotive Services, LLC., dba Jiffy Lube in the Chicago-land area.  I was referred to this site by my former co-worker and manager.  Her beef with the company is similar to mine yet different.  Well, from the beginning, I was originally employed for Auto-serve, a smaller franchise in the Chicago-land area.  In April of 2004, Heartland Automotive purchased 26 of the 35 Auto-serve stores.  I was part of the deal along with several District Managers, and other store managers.    [continued] 

[127] Chrsitina in Sacramento, CA:  No Oil

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