What's Wrong At Jiffy Lube?

[400] Shannon  Insufficient Oil

So I normally do all of my own oil changes because I know better than to deal with places like Jiffy Lube, but I was in a hurry and really swamped with work and school and the kids for at least three more weeks and I needed to change the oil NOW. So I took it to the Jiffy Lube right across the street and low and behold they jacked up my car. Within days of getting a simple oil change I now have tapping lifters in my engine. Why? Because the morons as Jiffy Lube didn't bother to manually check the dipstick and see that the "computer" didn't fill my car back up with enough oil!! So of course they refund my money and do a flush and fill with an engine system cleaner - can we say C.Y.A. (cover your a#@). After all I'm just a stupid woman, what can I know right? Well of course with a higher grade oil it quieted the tapping down but in no way fixed the problem. So the next day I take it back and they try to deny the whole thing. "Oh, it's just an age thing" "It has no mechanical bearing on you vehicle" "You just weren't reading the dip stick correctly" "This isn't caused by lack of oil" Are you freaking kidding me!!! So I can tell this is going to be a fight, but you'd better believe these little punks have messed with the wrong "little woman"!

[399] Ron in Sacramento, CA  Skid Plate

On 8/8/06 at store #1463, I had the standard oil & filter change on my 2002 Subaru Outback LL Bean. This car has a 6 cyl. Engine with a skid plate. The skid plate has a sliding panel that provides access to the filter & drain plug. The “technician” who was in the pit did not know how to remove the plate & reached above it to remove the filter & drain plug. This, of course, dumped oil all over the plate soaking the pads that are mounted to the skid plates. I had a large oil puddle in my garage, so I took the car back to them to fix it. They pulled off the plate & told my they cleaned up the mess & checked for leaks. A week later I checked under my & found another puddle of oil. This time I removed the entire plate myself & found the drain plug leaking. They said, in writing, that they had replaced the drain plug gasket. I suspect they did not or it would not be leaking. I contacted the manager & insisted (after some arguing) that they replace the skid plate. I picked up the plate from them today. I changed the oil & filter myself & will mount the new plate tomorrow after I check for leaks. They wanted to fix the drain plug problem & mount my skid plate for me, but there is no way those incompetents are touching my car again.

[398] John in Glenwood, IL  No Check

[397] Ben in Tehachapi, CA  Bad Estimate

Today [27 Sep 06] I had my vehicle serviced at the Jiffy Lube in Tehachapi, California.  The estimate I signed was for $252.  Imagine my surprize when i got to the counter and the cost was $300!  The manager gave me quite a hard time when I asked that we stick to the original estimate - even referring to my profession and asking what kind of a person I was.  [Apparently the technician who filled out the original estimate left off one of the services.]  Eventually he gave me a "discount" of $18 and I signed the form that I'd authorized the increase - something done only retroactively and following his arm-twisting.  I ended up paying $282 and feeling guilty about insisting that the manager just follow the law!

[396] Adrian in Niles, IL  Vacuum Hose

[395] Richard in Commack, NY Skid Plate

On September 25th I drove my brand new $40,000 Hummer H3 into one of your JiffyLube stores (#1262) for what you promise is a 10 minute oil change.  Thiry minutes later, I am told that my vehicle is ready; I pay $36 for your "Signature Sevice" which includes 5 quarts of oil, but I am charged for an additional 6 quarts of oil.  The hood and grill of the vehicle was smeared with numerous, oil laden
palm and finger prints, and a quick inspection of the underside, showed that the skid plate that they had removed was hanging down.  I returned to the garage where I brought this to the attention of the store manager "Steve".  Steve crawled under the engine, inspected it thoughly and reported to me "NO PROBLEM, THAT'S THE WAY THE SKID PLATE GOES ON, THERE ARE NO BOLTS MISSING, HAVE A NICE
DAY!".  Upon returning home and getting changed into other clothing, I decided to crawl under the vehicle myself.  The skid plate was hanging and there was at least one bolt CLEARLY MISSING.  I called my friend Steve immediately and he informed me that they would replace the missing bolt, but they did not know where it was.  One hour later, it was found in the used oil bin.

In addition to charging me for the included oil, they did not:
 Clean the windows
 Vacuum the interior
 Fill the winshield washer fluid
 top off the engine coolant
 etc.......

In fact, after having directly lied to my face, I am finding it very hard to believe that "Steve" and his crew even changed the oil and filter, or what they used.  LEAVING THAT SKID PLATE HANGING WAS A DELIBERATLY MALICIOUS AND/OR NEGLIGANT ACT WHICH COULD HAVE RESULTED IN SOMEONES DEATH HAD IT COME OFF WHILE I WAS DRIVING"

Despite the serious nature of what has happened, it is now 2 days later and no one from your organization has had the courage to contact me.  What could have been a simple matter to fix, will now grow into a large issue, due to your indifference.

I will now take the following actions:
1.Call my credit card company and stop  payment for   that service.
2.File a complaint with the Suffolk County Consumer Protection Agency.
3.Take my vehicle to the dealership and have it thoughly inspected and serviced if necessary.
4.File a small claims suit in Hauppauge District Court to be reimbursed for:
  -dealership charges
  -1 hour of my time returning to your store
  -20 miles milage expense
  -having the vehicle cleaned
5.Contact both NBC and CBS producers who have both run recent stories about your company and offer my story (www.jiffylubeproblems.com)
6.Contact New York State Dept of Motor Vehicles, and notify them that your making dangerous modifications to vehicles and are knowingly allowing them to return to the highway with dangerous alterations.

Your "Jiffy Lube Pledge of Satisfaction" guarantees my satisfaction.  "We will be happy to hear from you".  I would be happy just to not be completely ignored.

[394] Victim in Downers Grove, IL  Stripped Plug

I have been back to the jiffy lube franchise at 411 w. ogden,Downers Grove , Il twice in the last (5) days to get repaid for the cost of repairing my car, i havn,t heard from them yet not even so much as a phone call , i can only assume that they are contemplating not paying for the repairs. i have since gotten legal advice & was advised to wait a bit longer before taking any further steps. The oil pan had to be replaced, the threads were stripped so badly that it could not be re-tapped, consequently the oil pan had to be replaced per the garage of my choice as advised by the jiffy lube manager, i will give up dates as things progress

[393] Tim in Norwell, MA  Oil Plug

[392] Jerry in Cincinnati, OH  No Refund

My wife went to store #1263 on Fields Ertle Rd (Cincinnati, OH) for a regular oil/filter change.approx July. They convinced her to let them rotate the tires on her 2003 Passat, but gave up when they told her they needed a key to rotate them. They still charged her for the service anyway. If they knew anything at all about cars they would have know to pull off the plastic caps on the lug nuts. I went back to get it refunded and was told they can not do that. I would have to contact an 800 number they gave me, I was upset but gave them the benefit of the doubt and I would go through there hoops. After repeated attempts to resolve it with no responses at all I went back to the store for the 4^th time to get it resolved, approx Dec. The manager just laughed and said yea he had heard about it I told him I would take them to court and he laughed again, that tore it.  I went in to the waiting room and told everyone to verify their work before paying. I was man handled out of the store by the manager and his crew. I sent an e-mail to corporate, only to get a call back offering me two free coupons which I can’t use because they never have the filter I need in stock as to date yet. I was also told they would review the store video but somehow I don’t think they cared.  I was able to finally use one coupon at a Jiffy Lube in East Gate  ( Cincinnati), dummy me I should have known, but I did not check their work and drove the care 15 miles home with the rock guard tray dragging all the way home, I had to get my own plastic bolts and reconnect it to the car. I figure at this point I better cut my losses and just forget the second coupon as it cost me more than it is worth every time. My advice “Do it yourself”, Autozone will take you used oil if you purchase your oil there.  BEWARE Take your car to JiffyLube at your own risk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[391] Augie in LaQuinta, CA  Wrong Fluid

My first experience with Jiffy Lube was in the city of LaQuinta Ca 92253- 2 yrs ago I took my car for an oil change it was a brand new Nissan Altima. They sold me on the fact that the air filter needed to be replaced ? So I authorized it since they  are the proffessionals ??? well a month later my car was stalling and gasping for air, I finally got home and opened the hood ! where once lived a dirty air filter was nothing but a hole of emptyness ??? to further add insult to injury they did not even bother to lock the cover ??? which by the way sucked in all the dust possible causing further damage to the air-flow sensor a $280.00 pc of equipment !!! The car was under warranty so the dealer replaced it . Jiffy lube kindly gave me 2-free oil changes . (Wait it gets better ???? ) 2-yrs later and being the kind person I  think to my self ? Ok some one just goofed not a big . I drove to Jiffy-lube once again for an oil change with my brand new Nissan  Maxima this time and inquired about an oil change ? They sold me on a transmission flush ?? 1 month later the tranny is slipping and not going into gear I took the car to the local Nissan Dealer and they drained the fluid and called me to see where I took the car to be serviced I said Jiffy lube and the guy just laughed at me ? He said he was sorry and then begin to inform me that they had put the wrong transmission fluid in causing the clutches to slip ? Well after 3-attempts to re-vive the 5-speed automatic transmission she died. I will be incourt Oct 3rd to regain my losses .......JIFFY LUBE SUCKS !!!!!  

[390] Thomas  Broken Bolt

[389] Troy in Beverly, MA  Good Service

jiffy lube on 477 rantoul st in beverly mass was great they did everything great there, they greated me and made convo,made me feel welcomed, they call me out to the computer and asked me what i wanted for service, they told me everything that was good about the car ,then i replaced my air filter and i did  AC service which i was amazed my AC has not worked in 5 yrs and now it works great and i also had a what they called a t tech that saved my tranny and now the car runs great i would give a great thanks to them and one of them name Troy he was soo nice and did everything with a smile thanks u jiffy lube

[388] Gregg in Maple Shade, NJ   Canister Filter

I recently went to have my girlfriend's 2004 Mazda 3 oil changed at Wal-Mart.  After a 30 minute wait, the technician informed me that they did not have the correct tool to open the canister leading to the oil filter element.  Although frustrated, I respected the fact they did not to want to chance stripping the bolt on the canister.  I decided to drive down the road to the nearby Jiffy Lube on Lenola Road (Maple Shade, NJ).  Before I could even park the car a technician (presumably a manager or supervisor) asked me what I wanted done.  I explained to him my Wal-Mart dilemma, he laughed and said, "Doesn’t surprise me".  He told me a basic oil change was $29.95 and if the car had a canister oil filter it would be a minimum of 39.95.  I asked him the price with synthetic oil and he quoted me at $85!!!  I was stunned and told him I wouldn’t pay that and left.  I went home and checked the price of the oil filter for the canister.  It was a whopping $6! The average spin on filter costs $10-$12.   How does Jiffy Lube justify charging $10 more as part of their package for a filter that costs less than a regular one?  Not to mention an extra $55 to upgrade to synthetic?  This guy obviously thought that since I was unfamiliar with the canister filter that he could take advantage of me.  I have never been a customer of Jiffy Lube and it looks I never will. The car is going to the dealer on Friday for an oil change with a respectable price of $35 and in the hands of more qualified (hopefully) technicians.

[387] Manager in Phoenix, AZ   Ripped Off

I would first like to begin saying that I started working for jiffy lube 2.5 years ago as a courtesy technician and within that period of time I have worked my way up to a General Manager in the ( Bove' Group) This is located in the Phoenix metropolitan area. I also have to say that they are sincere in wanting to provide quality service after all the meetings with the owner there but at the same time it is stressed that we need more cars more sales higher ticket averages with a lower cost of goods ( I.a. more money less product cost).

now it is true for any business that you are supposed to increase sales and decrease cost. But the services are over priced. Example fuel filter service $59.99 the actual cost for the fuel filter that jiffy lube pays for materials is $2.95 the rest is labor for a part that takes less that five minutes to change. another example to change a light bulb cost$9.99 and jiffy lube pays $1.09 for a pack of ten so you can service ten vehicles with that. the only thing that's reasonable is the cost to top off your coolant the price is close to the actual purchase cost at an auto parts supply house. So as you can see there are services that are extremely overpriced and the prices keep going up on average you can save more than five dollars just replacing the air filter yourself. Another problem is the treatment from the corporate office where they payroll deduct employees $60.00 for a tool belt that is mandatory that they only pay $30.00 for in the first place as well as anything that goes wrong any warranty comes out of the employee pay rather than the insurance company that is supposed to cover this in the first place. many of the people on here are upset at the employees about the service that was provided. But I really haven't seen anyone taking the employees side on the fact that corporate is the one that has final say on customer complaints even though we are the ones that are getting yelled at in person. I have been a manager for a year and just quit because they were railroading me due to an injury on the job saying that they weren't going to pay short term disability then after fighting with them for two weeks I got a tiny check that was 1/3 of my normal pay.

Whatever you do always make sure you check to see that all the  services were done. I would say that nine out of ten vehicles that have grease fittings don't get greased and  that the same ratio goes to vehicles that have separate gear boxes such as 4x4's don't get checked. This is what you are paying $36.00 for and it doesn't get done and always ask for up-charges anything to get a bigger ticket is their priority. I have seen vehicles get broken and have to deny that we had anything to do with it so we didn't lose our money like I said it wouldn't cost the company anything but rather the employees. So please before you bad mouth all the employees you need to understand that we are being raked over the coals from the first day that we step foot on the property and that's why they have such a high turn over rate.

Not only myself but my assistant and my 3rd manager and two other employees have quit within the last week proved that there is something wrong with the policies and the area manager and corporate office. They need to address these issues before they have no employees and most of all no customers. I like to put my head on my pillow at night and there were some times that I couldn't sleep at night trying to keep my job but be fair at the same time . Either way watch yourself if you go there and make sure you don't get ripped off.

[386] Bob in Kirkland, WA   Missing Washer

The Kirkland Jiffy Lube store serviced my vehicle and did not both to replace the aluminum crush washer on the oil pan.  Surprise, surprise but this caused an oil leak.  I brought this complaint to the store manager and his first comment was “What do you want me to do about it?”.  He offered no apology for his mistake nor offered any remedial action.  This is horrible, horrible service.  I entered a complaint through the Jiffy Lube corporate site and they just forwarded the complaint to this incompetent manager. 

[385] Joe in Riverside, CA  Air Filter

I had tires changed at a Freestone, at the same time I had my air filter changed. I was told I needed my air filter replaced.  I said that is funny, it was just replaced this morning. The mechanic then try to cover up by saying, he was recommending it on the mileage. That would have been fine, except this vehicle had never been to Jiffy Lube, my wife always had the service done at the dealer. The location was:
Jiffy Lube Service Center #1363, 2634 E ALESSANDRO BLVD., RIVERSIDE, CA 92508-2306

[384] Mafia Family  Organized Crime

Would there be a journalist who would be courageous enough to investigate to see if the organized crime may be involved with this company.  This is not a bigoted or prejudiced inquiry because the owner is of Italian descent but a friend of mine who is descended from a Mafia family told me that now the organization is not just involved in gambling, drugs and loan sharking but often very legitimate businesses and because of the problems with Jiffy Lube and their unethical behavior feels strongly that they might be involved (even if it's only financing it, which may be why the owner is pressured to make a large profit.

[383] Carrie in San Mateo, CA  Something Fishy

[382] Jeff in Sandy, UT  Plug Install

It’s nice to have somewhere to vent. My frustration has been building since my Jiffylube experience.  I had a full service in July before the 4^th weekend at Jiffylube #967 on 9000 S. and State street in Sandy, Utah. Cost me almost $300.00. The check/fill plug was not installed correctly in the front differential of my 2 year old car.

On the way to Idaho that night, my car and Jet Skis were covered in this smelly oil that we assumed came from the road. To make a long story short, my front end seized, and Juffylube has refused to pay the $4,000 in damages. They are claiming I can’t drive that far with a leak. I have spoken with 3 transmission companies and they all agree I can and that Jiffylube was the last to work on the vehicle, they are responsible.

I am currently in the process of small claims action. I am so mad at their lack of responsibility, I am tempted to stand on the street with a sign chasing people away (which I still might do).  And to you Mr. franchisee (ref #199 this page) it sounds like you may have issues in the area. I understand that errors happen. We’re all human. But take some responsibility and don’t blame us for your internal issues.

I have 6 vehicles that will never see a Jiffylube again. And every person I come in contact with, will hear my story weather they want to or not.  See you in court.

[381] Jeremy in Boise, ID  Over Torque

Toyota 4Runner and Pickup serviced. After oil change, continual oil leaks. Brought to attention. Denied claim. Both vehicles were over torqued causing the leaks...

[380] Melania  Wrong Belt

Recently, my car wouldn’t start and there was no tell-tale clicking sound of a dead battery so I had it towed to a shop where I have major repairs done on my vehicle.  Upon inspection, it was revealed that the serpentine belt had slipped; thus ruining the alternator and the battery – all had to be replaced.  The manager of the shop performing my repairs told me the serpentine belt had slipped because it was, “either very old or the wrong size.”  When I asked how old was an “old” serpentine belt, I was told they should last at least two to three years depending on mileage.  My belt could not have been “old” because Jiffy Lube replaced it a year prior, so the only conclusion I can make is that it was the wrong size.  I trusted those “mechanics” at Jiffy Lube, after reading the other complaints on this site I will not be returning.

[379] Mortee Check Your Coupon

One of the Jiffy Lube stories here reminded me that Easy Lube once attempted to sell me synthetic oil which cost many times more than regular.  The guy backed off when I questioned this.  I also want to warn readers to make sure they deduct your coupon discount if you have one, and check it before you pay.  Once I paid and complained they said they couldn't do it, but would note a credit in the computer which would be applied during my next visit. To my surprise, it wasn't in the computer the next time I went!  Maybe they're all crooks! Beware!

[378] James in Atlanta, GA  $35 for $5 Oil

I stopped by for a oil change at the Jiffy Lube at Shallowford and Buford Highway.  Everything was perfectly normal until they finished my oil change within 5 minutes.  I had a few gripes since they made me pay for services that weren't included:  floor vacuuming, window washing, air filter inspection, etc.  And I had the requisite recommendation to purge my transmission (completed 1 month earlier).

Anyway, I had a suspicion nothing was done in those 5 minutes.  So, I drove my car to a Pep Boys two miles away.  They suspected that Jiffy Lube only purged out the oil, leaving a dirty filter.  A pep boys technician recommended that I go back and get my old oil filter.

Jiffy Lube said the old filter was crushed, and they would never be able to find it in the trash.  It's too bad I could see uncrushed, used filters all over their work bench in the floor opening.

So thanks, Jiffy Lube, for charging $35 for $5 worth of oil.  I had been a loyal customer for 6 years.  No more!

[377] Janice in Hazlet, NJ  Wiper Blades

On 9/10/06 I went to Jiffy Lube #371 in Hazlet NJ for and oil change and Wiper change. I was charged $81.29 to find out later after I already left, that they never did change the wiper blades. I returned to Jiffy Lube and confronted the manager. He told me that I did have new blades on. I told him I was not satisfied with the blades and wanted new ones put on in front of me. The new ones worked wonderful. If he thought the ones he took off were new then why did he tell me that my blades were bad.  Another case of ripping off women. I am also witting to Jiffy Lube in Houston Tx. to let them know what a bunch of crooks they are. I will learn to change my own oil from here on out.

[376] Monica  No Air

I’m planning on complaining to Jiffy Lube’s CEO, but when I googled Jiffy Lube I saw your site & thought I’d drop a line.

My first Jiffy Lube experience was in May, when I took my car into Jiffy Lube after a bad experience with Firestone. Boy, was I impressed. I didn’t have to park my car and walk into the customer service area. I was greeted by a gentleman in a clean, corporate identity uniform, who asked me if I would like “signature service.” I handed him the keys, then crossed the street to get a quick lunch counter meal. Jiffy Lube technicians had completed my service before my salad was ready.

Naturally, I returned in August. I was not so much looking forward to the oil change as the tire pressure service. You see, I have tires that lose air. The tire shop folks have assured me that I don’t have slow leaks, but I lose pressure, and I hate feeding quarters into a gas station air machine, then crouching and gauging to fill tires with the correct air pressure. So I was really looking forward to having Jiffy Lube fill my tires to the required pressure.

This time, I was not greeted & had to park. When I walked into the customer service area, nobody was behind the counter & I had to wait for a technician to leave the shop area to take my order. Service was complete in under a half hour, but as I drove away, I noticed my car pulling to the right, a classic symptom of uneven tire pressure.

The next day, I took out my pressure gauge and found that only one tire had the required 35 PSI. One was as low as 25 PSI and the others were around 30 PSI. I dutifully waited for the car in front of me to vacate the space near the air machine (he took 20 minutes), fed four quarters into the machine, then crouched and gauged for fifteen minutes, filling my tires with the correct air pressure.