Jiffy Lube..

nsxotic911

nsxotic911

Legendary Member
Joined
6 November 2006
Messages
3,359
Location
Austin, TX
Unfortunately for the good ones, but mechanics tend to have a bad rep.....

Here is a video on Jiffy Lube:
http://mfile.akamai.com/12924/wmv/vod.ibsys.com/2006/0503/9152183.200k.asx

I had work done by a thief, ergh.. mechanicm 8 months ago where he charged me for work that wasn't done, then he gave me weak "photocopies" of the receipts for parts that he didn't replace b/c he wanted them for 'taxes' (eg claim them for fraud). I would have sued him so bad except he is related to some extended family members...
 
Such BS. I remember when I was young and just got my license in the old days. I was driving a Corolla and would take it to Jiffy Lube for oil changes. They'd always "recommended" changing all sorts of filters and fluids but I always said "no thanks".
 
Cross sell, cross sell. That's what their training programs are teaching all these kids. Too bad they don't benefit from doing so, except for making the owner of the garage rich.

Got an oil change at a valvoline recently and they recommended a new oil filter for my QX4. They wanted $25. Got it at the dealer for $7. :eek:

One of those oil change joints also forgot to put the oil cap back on a friends s2000. She was complaining that the air conditioning smelled like smoke. We opened the hood and oil was everywhere just burning. They got quite a tongue lashing and they paid for an engine degrease.
 
im a manager of a quick lube shop in new orleans. the name is 5 Minute Oil Change, and its a regional corporation located in the New Orleans area of the Gulf South.

i hate the bad reputation that Jiffy Lube gives the rest of our industry. being a franchised business, Jiffy Lube doesnt hold every shop to the same high standards as their competition. you never know which shop is going to follow their company procedures and which one isnt. its all up to the owner of the building and how rigorous he is with training.

5 Minute Oil Change does not franchise its business, and owns all 21 of their locations. our business standards are way above Jiffy Lube, and you will never have a location that sells services without performing them. We also dont perform a big list of services because we strive to keep true to our classification of "quick lube". in my experience, Jiffy Lube has increased its list of available services (which some shops apparently charge for even if they dont do them) to the point that they arent fast anymore.

our service is drive-thru. you pull in, stay in your car, and the oil change is done with you right there. we perform a simple service of changing the oil and filter, checking and filling any low fluids and tire pressure, and check the air filter. if its dirty, we show the customer instead of tricking them into buying it. our air filters are a few bucks more, but it factors in labor. whats a few bucks when you dont have to get dirty and do it yourself?

we've found that people put a premium on their time, and we have designed our business around saving people time. nobody wants to sit in a waiting room for an hour or more while their car gets a "quick lube", and you cannot be sure if they even did the services they claimed to do. at our shop, you see the guys checking the tires, and checking the fluids, as well as show you the air filter if its dirty.

just remember, not everyone operates like those bad shops.
 
ef you said:
just remember, not everyone operates like those bad shops.
Click to expand...

I totally agree- it is unfortunate that so many of these things have been exposed across the nation. There were a ton of videos out last year regarding this.

It is my understanding that a lot of this is due to a sales quota system that drives the employees to offer services that they may not have the time/expertise to perform (ie: transmission flush)

I have had my own experience with another vendor- "Just Brakes" in Texas. Twice, (with two different vehicles, at locations in two different cities) they tried to swindle me into replacing calipers that didn't need replacing. Both times I was just looking to get a quick pad change, and both times I went to my trusted shop and was told the calipers were just fine.

Fortunately, I am not an automotive moron- otherwise I could have gotten royally screwed.

This is the reason I generally insist on watching the work performed on my car at ANY 10-minute service. I often get bad reactions from the techs. i have been told that i have to wait in the waiting room ect ect ect... I also realize there are OSHA rules that can keep me out of the service bay. I don't want to interfere. I can usually get just as good a view from outside the doors, but rest assured I am watching.

ef- this isn't to say I don't trust that you run a straight business, it is more a case of my own consumer awareness, also I limit any 10 minute oil-change places to exactly that- Oil Changes. Any other regular, or minor service is done by me, or my local trusted mechanic. It isn't that I think all 10-minute techs aren't qualified (I am sure there are many who are quite good), I just prefer my own tech do the work for my peace of mind, and I am very capable of changing my own filters.

Philip
 
I've been to some of those Jiffy Lubes where they try to sell you the world, fortunately, I've got a great Jiffy Lube I take my d.d too now, and never had problems. But one time I went to a Purrfect Auto here in Vegas with my old 3 series BMW, and while they were changing the oil, they also checked the brakes. They said my pads were fine, and when my oil change was done, I was on my way. But as I attempted to pull out of their driveway onto a pretty major street, my right rear tire popped out. Those bastards forgot to bolt on one of my tires. Fortunately, I didnt make it into the street yet, and just sat on the driveway...
 
yeah, I had a situation with EZ LUBE here in southern california. I took my Lexus in for a oil/filter change and tranny flush...everything done, but on the drive home, realized that my brakes were getting weaker and weaker, to the point where i couldn't stop unless I was braking like 100 feet before the stop. I went home and realized that my braekf luid cap was missing...I called them back, and they denied all of it. I didn't want to deal with the hassle of sueing them, so I just bought another cap from the dealers...which was 75$...Im never going back again...
 
I few years ago I wanted to get a quick oil change franchise but my business partners wanted a restaurant franchise so did the restaurant instead. Well I parted ways with my business partners (ex wife and mother in-law) and still think an oil change place would have been a better deal or at least a better fit with my skills and interests.

All franchises are only cookie cutter business models that any one can buy regardless of their background, knowledge or business skill. The only real requirement is having enough cash and/or credit to buy, setup and train a couple employees. Owners are frequently completely hands off except for reviewing the financials which helps drive up selling and charging for work not done. In most franchises the only thing you can control is labor cost so doing real work is counter productive the bottom line.
 
H-carWizKid said:
I totally agree- it is unfortunate that so many of these things have been exposed across the nation. There were a ton of videos out last year regarding this.

It is my understanding that a lot of this is due to a sales quota system that drives the employees to offer services that they may not have the time/expertise to perform (ie: transmission flush)

I have had my own experience with another vendor- "Just Brakes" in Texas. Twice, (with two different vehicles, at locations in two different cities) they tried to swindle me into replacing calipers that didn't need replacing. Both times I was just looking to get a quick pad change, and both times I went to my trusted shop and was told the calipers were just fine.

Fortunately, I am not an automotive moron- otherwise I could have gotten royally screwed.

This is the reason I generally insist on watching the work performed on my car at ANY 10-minute service. I often get bad reactions from the techs. i have been told that i have to wait in the waiting room ect ect ect... I also realize there are OSHA rules that can keep me out of the service bay. I don't want to interfere. I can usually get just as good a view from outside the doors, but rest assured I am watching.

ef- this isn't to say I don't trust that you run a straight business, it is more a case of my own consumer awareness, also I limit any 10 minute oil-change places to exactly that- Oil Changes. Any other regular, or minor service is done by me, or my local trusted mechanic. It isn't that I think all 10-minute techs aren't qualified (I am sure there are many who are quite good), I just prefer my own tech do the work for my peace of mind, and I am very capable of changing my own filters.

Philip
Click to expand...


im in no way offended. you'll be surprised to hear that we do not operate on sales quotas, which is essentially "hit this number or else". rather, everyone in our shops is paid hourly. considering that we ONLY do oil changes, and offer wiper blades and air filters if the customer chooses. our sales pitch is simple, we show the customer their filter, tell them our price, and thats it. we check everyone's air filter, regardless. so if the customer says 'yeah that is dirty, but ill change it myself' we dont push it and just put the old one back in. its simple, we dont cheat anyone by lying about doing a service, and we do phenominal business.

as far as being able to watch us from outside, its not possible simply because you sit in the car the entire time (which is only 5 minutes BTW), BUT, you can plainly see us working around the car, and hear all of our commands (which we shout out like a drill squad throughout the procedure). and on top of that, we offer free soft drinks as you wait. its a lot like an F1 or NASCAR driver making a pit stop. only we DONT take your wheels off (no worries of a wheel falling off because someone was 'checking' your brakes)

we have streamlined our business to offer the fastest possible service without compromising safety for our employees, our customers, or their vehicles. our system has enough double checks to prevent things like oil caps not being put back on, drain plugs left loose, filters leaking, double gasketing, and oil not being put in a car. for the past quarter, we had 2 claims out of 21 shops in operation, and one was a filter defect (paid by the manufacturer) and the other was paid for in full by us.
 
once jiffy lube forgot to put the cap on my differential after changin fluid in my silverado. my rear end was shot after driving for a couple days. luckily they paid for the very expensive repair!
 

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