I went to the Jiffy Lube on 5/13/08 to the Jiffy Lube located in Marietta, GA. All I wanted was an oil change, which I received.  This was after they tried to sell me a new air filter.  I look at the air filter and it was like new!  That is all really beside the point!  What happened next was AWFUL!!  Late on Sunday 5/25/08 I noticed a bad oil leak!  I wanted to find out what the problem was, so on Monday morning I took my Honda Accord directly to the Honda dealership.  They told me that "the last place to perform oil change left the oil drain bolt loose & failed to replace a washer.  Honda tighten the bolt & installed a new washer.  I had to pay Jiffy Lube $35.31 for the original oil change.  I then also had to pay Honda an additional $28.22 for Jiffy Lube's negligence!  I thought the fair thing to do was to ask Jiffy Lube to compensate me for $28.22 to cover the repairs.  I was not asking for them to compensate me for the time that I lost or the gas that I used, only $28.22 FOR THE REPAIRS.  After speaking to the manager, who claims he spoke directly to the district manager, I was denied my request!  The reason, I failed to give Jiffy Lube the opportunity to look at my vehicle again!  QUESTION.....WHO WOULD DO THAT!  I HAD OIL LEAKING OUT ALL OVER!!  Not only did Jiffy Lube deny to pay me back $28.22 for the repairs, they did not offer any type of resolution!                  

[1074] M in NJ  Many Problems Over The Years

I was amazed to see that others have had problems with Jiffy Lube.  I have had four.  I waited years between each instance to go back, but after the last time, I will never go back ever.  Many years ago I had my transmission fluid changed on my Subaru in Springfield, NJ.  They failed to put in the required additive and my transmission burnt out.  They made good on it, but it never should have happened.  The next instance took place at the Union location.  They opened up my coin container in my car and stole all my coins including my highway tokens.  I complained to the manager, but he simply blew me off.  The next time I was back in Springfield and they never tightened my oil cap.  When I got home my oil cap was on my engine along with a quart of oil over my whole engine.  I had to have my engine cleaned.  The last was again in Union, NJ but at a different location.  The man who drove my car in and out of the bay stole about ten dollars in quarters.  I wrote to their website and they told me that they would send me a coupon for $10.00.  It was never received and there was never any follow up.  I HATE JIFFY-LUBE!  They lost my business forever and I hope they go out of business.  They simply are terrible!

[1073] Arlene  Fraudulent Settlement

I logged a complaint about the Wall Jiffy Lube a while back. I do want to say that it wasn't the store itself but the management at the Houston office. I noticed on your site, Ed from Wall was an employee. He seems like he knows a lot about that Jiffy Lube location.  I’m going to court right now for engine damage on my car caused by that same Wall store. It was determined that Jiffy Lube was responsible for engine damage due to a defective oil filter placed on my vehicle. I had a settlement agreement with them to replace the engine and remove oil stains from driveway. The engine that was installed blew and I recently found out they were fraudulent. The contract that we agreed to was that I was going to receive an engine with 47,000 miles on it. I recently received documentation that the engine actually had 69,000, without my knowled ge. I go to trial at the end of June.  They refuse to settle even after the mediation attorney stated that they should pay the $8,000.00 for my car. The judge tells me I need expert witnesses rather than circumstantial evidence. If you know anyone that can help, please let me know.

I thought it would be simple to go and get my car registered at Jiffy Lube. I found out 2 things. First you need to have a credit card to register your car. I was alright with that. I had them do the tests and went back a few days later. After waiting for 10 minutes to get help I was told they charge an additional $10.00 processing charge above the tests and the  registration price to process the registration. I went home and registered the vehicle on line. A process that took 2 minutes.

Next time I will go somewhere else and go home and register my vehicle. I will never go back.

[1071] Mark Damage Without Responsibility

 I would like to share an unpleasant experience dealing with Jiffy Lube oil-changing station.  They broke the handle that opens the hood from inside the car during the time the car was left with them for an oil change.  I noticed it when I got the car from them and drove it home. Within 1/2 hour I called them back to notify about the fact that their technicians broke it.

In response they said that they can't take responsibility for it, although i explained the the handle was fine when I opened the hood myself prior to handing them the car. Beware since Jiffy Lube feels that they can damage your vehicle any way they want and not carry any responsibility for their actions. That's very unprofessional and exibits bad customer service and bad judgement on their part. I am definitely not coming back there.

[1070] Lauren Forgot To Replace Oil

I received an oil change at Jiffy Lube in October 2007. In the spring of 2008 (I had not yet driven my car 3,000 miles) I noticed that my engine was making a dinging noise. We took it to a mechanic who determined that there was only 10 oz of oil in the car. He said that he can’t say for sure what happened, but that it is evident that they did not put enough oil in my car. I now have permanent engine damage and need to replace my engine. I complained to BBB and the Attorney General’s office. Jiffy Lube is claiming that they are not responsible for what happened mainly because there is no way a car could have driven on that little oil for so long. Their rebuttal doesn’t make sense to me since it is obvious to the mechanic that they were the last people to have anything to do with my car’s oil. I am considering going to small claims court but unsure that I am going to have a strong enough case since the mechanic who discovered the problem does not want to get involved. Without his word, I don’t believe I have much of a chance. But I’m angry and want to at least try to get some kind of compensation.  

[1069] Stacy  How Many Taillights?

So I use to go to Jiffy Lube to get an oil change and I have refrained from doing that because of other fixes that seem to pop up.  The last 5 times I went to them with my Toyota Corolla there was a tail light bulb broken and it needed to be replaced.  How many lights are back there?  I thought that was suspicious so I stopped going.

[1068] Amy in Evanston, IL  Forgot To Replace Oil

I am not sure where to start with this but I have had more than one person tell me to go to the media and hope so help/answers will come of it. My husband and I are professionals in our 30’s with 2 small children. We live in Evanston and work very hard to take care of our family. My husband is in medical sales and this means he drives hundreds of miles every year. Having a working, safe car is essential to his job needs and without it he cannot do his job thus leading to his income being affected.

On April 21 he took our ’05 Chevy into Jiffy Lube for a  regular oil change. He sat in the waiting area, when the “service” was done he paid and drove off. On May 9th the car started to make an awful sound and the check oil light came on. He immediately drove it into Jennings Chevy. Their service team took a look at it and thought it may be a Chevy issue. My husband gave consent for them to take a closer look at the engine, what they found was that there was no oil in the car and asked that he get them a copy of all of the maintenance done on the car from Jiffy Lube and one other Chevy dealership in the city. On Saturday we drove to a local Jiffy Lube (not the one who had performed the “service”) and asked for a print out of all service done on our Chevy. The employee could not figure out how to pull up our information without showing we were  some service done, Jiffy Lube gives free top –offs so he input that into the computer and was finally (about 25min later) able to give us a print out. We went to Chevy and gave them the information, they put us in a rental car so that we could both get to work on Monday and told us they would be in touch. On Monday Chevy’s service manager called us and told us that after looking more closely at the car it looked as though oil had not been put back in the car and he would get in touch with Jiffy Lube  to have them come and look at it to confirm.

The damage to the engine at this point looks to be close to $6000 not including rental car fees and labor. Later that week the Manager from the Jiffy Lube went to see the car, took pictures and agreed that they were at fault. As of that Friday we were still in a rental car and a claim had not been made from Jiffy Lube, we were told that these things take time and not to worry about the rental, they would be picking up the tab. Jiffy Lube also asked at that point that Chevy “drop the pan” and take a look inside. What they found were two of four bent rods and an engine that had been burned so badly it was black and smelled of burned metal. Early the following week we were told by Chevy that Jiffy Lube had called them stating that a new engine could be brought in from a third party Jiffy Lube contractor in Calumet City, once the case was reviewed by their corporate offices Jiffy Lube would give authorization to Jennings Chevy  to perform the work and bill Jiffy Lube. We were feeling like this was an inconvenience but Jiffy Lube was doing the right thing and all was going to work out. Well this past Thursday that all changed. My husband got a call from an adjuster from Jiffy Lube Corp. stating that they are denying our claim on the grounds that they could not confirm that there was only one qt. of oil in the car when my husband took the car to Chevy because Chevy had put oil in the car while trying to diagnose the problem. My husband asked that he call the Chevy dealership and explain to them what was happening, the adjuster said they do not usually get involved with the dealers but that he would call. My husband asked the adjuster what our options are at this point, he was told that we could pay for the damage ourselves, (we don’t have nearly $7000-8000 to cover this, that is why we make sure we keep up with the maintenance) or we could get an attorney and take it to court. Chevy has been wonderful and is allowing us to leave our the car at the dealership, they also talked to the adjuster who was unaware of any photos that had been taken by the local manager from Jiffy Lube and also tried to claim that my husband had the car topped-off two days after he had initially taken it to the Chevy dealership…remember when we tried to get the print out of all the maintenance done at Jiffy Lube and the employee could not figure out the computer, we didn’t even have the car then…it was undriveable!

Over the past two weeks we have been told several different stories by Jiffy Lube and up until last Thursday we were being told that this was entirely their mistake and they would be covering it. Now we are left with more than two weeks in car rentals, an undriveable ’05 Equinox and what looks to be an inevitable lawsuit. I have spoken to several people with similar stories of oil not being replaced in the car, filters being left out after an “oil change” and caps not being replaced properly, yet Jiffy Lube is basically thumbing their nose at us saying “not our problem.” After hearing of others with similar stories  and checking out complaints filed on www.ripoffreport.com ,we felt that we should try to bring this to the media in hopes of exposing some shoddy and very expensive practices being used by Jiffy Lube. As consumers, we take our hard earned vehicles to the “experts” expecting that they will treat us fairly and take care of our investments well….that is their job. We chose to go to a well known company such as Jiffy Lube, trusting that they would treat us right and do the right thing when mistakes are made. What we are finding is a large company, willing to take our money, leave us with no car and no customer service and no direction other than to dare us to take them to court.

Any help in this would be very much appreciated, we feel that we did what we were supposed to do by having our oil changed when it was needed, Jiffy Lube has not lived up to their part of the transaction and has gone back on their initial admission of fault. We have received no help from Jiffy Lube and continue to incur costs everyday by having a rental car and now needing to find an attorney.

[1067] Dale in Fallon, NV  Work Was Not Performed 

My wife took our 2003 Dodge Cummins to your Fallon Nv store today for an oil change. She was trying help out since we were leaving for the weekend and I was short on time to do it myself. After traveling approx 60 miles to our destination I noticed that the oil pressure was rather low compared to normal. After I checked the oil level I found it to be a 1/2 gallon low and the oil was still very black. I smelled the dip stick and the oil smelled. They did NOT change the oil in the truck they only put a filter on! My wife called the store to see what they would do and the manager told her that is the way it is with diesels, he told her it just turns black. He offered no other expanation, he didn't even offer to look at it to make sure someone hadn't made an error.  He told her thats the was it is. Is this an acceptable answer?  I don't think so! I have over 20 years in trucking and maintanence and I assure you after that short distance there is no possible way that much soot and fuel could have contaminated the oil. I will be sending a sample to one of my local vendors for analysis. We have now returned home and I have now changed the oil myself and replaced the filter again, funny thing is the oil is no longer black.  Rather interesting isn't it. I cannot understand why the employees of that store could think someone would not figure out that the work was NOT performed. I am less than satisfied with the managers answers and belittling attitude. Do they realize that they could have caused catastrophic engine failure due to the low oil level? Is this type pratice common in your franchises? Do they feel that women are less informed or have substandard knowledge of cars and trucks? I can say I am rather miffed with this expirience and would like to know what your company is willing to do to make it right. 

[1066] Patty in Seabrook, NH  Forgot To Replace Oil

 I have patronized the Seabrook, NH jiffylube for many years, most recently with my 2000 Volkswagen Beetle.  I am a single parent, and sole support of two children, and drive from Seabrook to Dover, NH 5 days a week for work.  I have my oil changed on a regular basis and have used the Seabrook jiffylube location because of its convenience.  For a long time the crew there was very courteous and respectful.  I have not seen that same crew in a while, with many different people working there now.  I should have known I was in trouble when the manager of the store said "How do you like the new paint job in our waiting room?  I think it looks like baby puke."  This was my introduction to the Seabrook JiffyLube on May 2, 2008.  I was given a free car wash, $10 coupon off this visit, and my invoice was stamped with 50% off for the next oil change.  On May 8th, the temperature light came on in my car and my children noticed it was out of coolant and filled it.  On May 9th, after a 45 minute drive to Dover, the car was smoking.  I added 2 quarts of oil.  At 2am at the Hampton tollbooth on Rt 95, the engine seized.  A mechanic looked at the car and said that Jiffylube never put oil in my car.  The cost of a replacement engine is $5,000, and I owe $6,000 on the car.  I don't want a free car wash.  All I wanted was oil put in my car.  When I confronted the workers at jiffylube, they laughed at me and jeered at me as I left, in front of another customer.  I called the 800 number to request a complete list of all of the oil changes I have had at the Seabrook location, as well as the owner's name.  I was told that this store was one of a few owned by the company, and not owned by an individual.  I am writing letters to Jiffylube, the attorney general's office, and the better business bureau.  Recently a fur store in our area was picketed heavily during their busiest season.  I am prepared to picket jiffylube if the cost of my engine is not replaced.  The workers at the Seabrook jiffylube should be ashamed of their behavior, and obviously they are not being supervised as the manager was nowhere to be found.  I will learn to change my own oil.

It was Saturday April 26^th, 2008, and I had gotten my oil changed at Jiffy Lube in Bellingham, WA earlier that day.  I was on my way to a concert that evening when my car began to make a funny noise and finally around 8:30pm it was parked and heavily leaking oil.  Immediately I thought of Jiffy Lube since my car was working fine before I went there, and the car started making noise and leaking about 50miles from Bellingham, which my mechanic friend said was long enough for a car over filled with oil to break down.  The next day I called Jiffy Lube and talked to a girl who said it needed to be looked at by one of their technicians, so against my judgment I followed orders and drove it to Jiffy Lube in Smokey Point, WA, where the manager there said that it was definitely overfull because it had been leaking heavily at his shop and still registered full on the dip stick – not to mention it had leaked all night too and still was full.  The Smokey Point manager called the girl and told her his thoughts, he also told the manager at Guide Meridian Jiffy Lube in Bellingham where my car was originally serviced.  I parked it overnight at a friends and Jiffy Lube towed it to Wilson Auto Brokers, in Bellingham later that week.  Wilson Auto Brokers sold me the car a few months prior and knew the soundness of the car.  Everything seemed to be going well but things were about to change.

The mechanic at Wilson Auto Brokers, who is certified and has 30 years experience, was not able to look at the car for a few days but when he finally did he said it still had plenty of oil in it, but Jiffy lube said he was not certified and from the head office in New Jersey they sent one of their mechanics to look at it, and he said the oil pump was broken and that’s what caused the problems – but why do you think the oil pump broke – duh, there was too much oil in the car.  Anyways Jiffy Lube now says it is not their fault and they will not pay for repairs, even after their own technician said it was too full. 

During this whole experience I was given the run-around by the managers and district managers who I was told would call me but he never did, his name is Shaun Vos.  I also consistently asked for a rental car, and was never given one, but had to borrow a friends.  My name is Sarah and I am a single mother of 4, in nursing school, going through a custody battle, and have little money.  Currently I am in the process of exposing Jiffy Lube and planning to go to small claims court.

[1064] Bill  JL Just Don't Give A Dam

I can't believe that I can't contact JL via e-mail. They obviously just don't give a dam what the customer has to say. They are about the most expensive oil change in my town. Just today I went for an oil change at JL, like I always do. They won't let me drive my vehicle, I don't like anyone driving my truck. I can see the work being done or who's going in my vehicle. Then I see the problems they have had at other locations, I won't be going back again. Thank you Jiffy lube for being complacent, because when I need to find another service provide I always find better service and at a better price. Thanks for making me get off my but and do a little searching to save money.

[1063] Kim in Elmira Heights, NY  Station Has No Oil In Stock

Last week I went to my local jiffy lube in Elmira Heights, NY.

I was informed when I got there that they were out of my oil and would possibly have some later that day or by one the next day.  I waited to go back the next day late morning so as not to waste another trip only to find they didn't have any that day either.  Now I own my own business and I understand shortages and outages but oil is there only business and why couldn't they have gotten some oil from another Jiffy Lube.  I own a SUV and I can't believe they would be out of oil!! For 2 days no less!!!!!! My name is Kim and I have been getting my oil changed there every 3,000 miles but I am also a very busy person and can't afford the time to continually check someplace that that is their only business.  I would certainly expect if your business is oil changing you would have oil!!!!!!!!!

[1062] Marcus in Los Angeles, CA  Radiator Error Causes Engine Damage

4/26/08 brought 1993 Range Rover into Jiffy Lube on La Brea and Melrose for it's 3000 Mile Oil change as have since 2006 and was up sold on a transmission flush... drove car home 1 1/2 miles and parked it where it remained overnight, next morning  4/27 got in car to drive to Palm Springs from Los Angeles at 6:00 am turned on engine and noted low coolant light light displayed so delayed trip immediately and went into subject Jiffy Lube and asked for a manager and communicated coolant light trouble.

Assistant Manager Alex Gomez claimed he worked on the car the day before and looked under hood and opened coolant reservoir and claimed coolant was low due to the need to " settle fluids " as a result of radiator flush, he topped it off and told me car was ok to drive to Palm Springs now.

Departed LA for Palm Springs got as far as East LA and coolant light came on again, pulled over into Mobile station lifted hood and observed coolant reservoir tank spraying coolant from tank, bought big bottle of coolant from mobile station unwound cap and poured in coolant, coolant light no longer displayed. Next used GPS on blackberry to locate nearest Jiffy Lube, 6 miles west on Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles, arrived at Sunset Jiffy Lube and was told that work warranty would have to be performed at Jiffy Lube where service was provided as each store is a franchise, was offered a top up of the coolant and dialed La Brea store number, spoke to Alex Gomez and was told to drive back to his shop where he would fix the problem.

Arrived Alex looked at the car and expressed that I should take the car to my mechanic as the reservoir was clearly leaking and was told not Jiffy Lube's problem. Drove car home after Alex topped off Coolant and left it overnight.

Next day took car into Rover shop ( they only work on Rover's) and was told radiator hoses were loose and that coolant tank needed to be replaced, and engine tested $200 plus dollars later was told car failed engine test and that problem was bigger than thought. I authorized mechanic to investigate thoroughly which required removing engine block to reveal cylinder sleeves and that a very small leak in engine was now present and that the only way to fix the problem with certainty would be to replace the engine at an estimated cost of $4800.

Next day called Jiffy Lube and requested to ask who to speak to in order to remedy what my mechanic referred to as gross negligence by Jiffy Lube for not tightening the radiator hoses and or bleeding the radiator after flushing radiator and refreshing coolant, which resulted in air rather than coolant flowing through the radiator which resulted in engine failure and leak.

Louis Perelis franchise manager at Alamitos Enterprises / Jiffy lube sent their inspector to view my car and four days later told me they would not take responsibility for problem. May 9th 2008 have faxed Alamitos Enterprises Llc (Jiffy Lube) a letter of demand to fix and pay for the damages.

[1061] Daniel in Lutz, FL  Persistence Pays Off

Went in, they punched in my car data and said it would be $35 for oil & filter service. When the car was done they told me it was $55. I asked why.  They said the Toyota Camry takes a special filter and it takes 5.5 quarts of oil, so they charged me and extra $10 for the filter and an extra $5 for the 1/2 qt of oil.  I argued that they should have known this when they entered the data and they finally took off the excess charges. If I wasn't persistent, they would have just ripped me off.

[1060] Jason from Santa Clara, CA  Oil Filter Missing

I went to Jiffy Lube in Santa Clara for a routine oil change. On my way home, I started seeing warning lights about oil pressure. The next day, on my way to the car dealership, the car completely stopped. We found out the the oil filter was missing. The manager from the Jiffy Lube store came to look at the car but started blaming on my battery. The diagnostics from my dealership confirmed that the engine went dead because of engine oil leak. What's worse is the customer service at Jiffy Lube. It took them 1 week to send a person over to my car for inspection, and now it's taking another week for them to come back to me. The customer representative named Jeff never calls back. Currently, I am looking for a lawyer who can represent my case.

[1059] Zeine  GPS Theft

My GPS was in my glove compartment before the JL visit. NO ONE HAS BEEN IN MY CAR FOR ANY MAINTENANCE.

It was missing when I went to use it a few days later. Of course management pleads stupid and “nothing like that ahs ever happened or been reported here”. BS!  Just typical – I will never use JL again and I tell everyone I know not to.

[1058] Greg in Parker, CO  Stripped Transmission Drain Plug

I am writing this letter in an effort to resolve an experience I had at your Parker, Colorado location in March of 2008.  We have made multiple trips to this store and spoke with 3 different managers over the past 2 months and have yet to have anyone address our concerns. 

Enclosed you will find a copy of your invoice # 3234 481375 dated 3/18/08 for service to my 1999 Jeep Cherokee as well as Invoice #5734 for the subsequent repairs by Advantage Auto Repair of Parker which were necessary due to the negligence of your technicians in stripping the transmission drain plug. 

The transmission, differentials, and radiator were all serviced on 3/18/08by Jiffy Lube.  The following day we noticed a large puddle under the transmission pan the size of a dinner plate.  The leak was immediately noticeable as the vehicle is parked in the same side of the concrete driveway and used on a daily basis.  There were not any previous leaks prior to this service, or any problems noted during your inspection of the vehicle on 3/18 or any of the previous times it has been at your service center. Upon closer visual inspection under the Jeep, the source was obviously transmission fluid leaking from the drain plug.  My son, Brian, immediately called and spoke with Michelle Feeney who said it wouldn’t be a problem, just bring it back in so they can ti ghten the plug.  He was not able to return until a couple of days later at which time the plug was tightened. 

We cleaned up the fluid on the driveway using Michelle’s advice of cat litter; however, the following day the leak was back; same place, same size.  Frustrated, Brian made arrangements with Michelle once again to bring the vehicle back down and have the problem corrected.   This time a yellow sealer was also applied around and over the drain plug.  The leak stopped for about a week until the “sealer” dried and cracked and fell off.  This prompted a 3^rd trip back to Jiffy Lube at which time we were told by Andy that we would need to go to the dealer, there was nothing else they could do. 

We made arrangements to have the vehicle inspected at Advantage Auto Repair of Parker in mid April 2008 and continued to clean up the mess on the concrete driveway.

Advantage found, as we expected, that the drain plug was stripped.  It was necessary to replace the pan, plug, gasket and fluid at a cost of $358.24 to resolve the problem.  Once replaced, the leak immediately stopped and the problem was solved.

We returned to Jiffy Lube for a 4^th time the week of 4/21/08 and filed an incident report and discuss the repair invoice.  Chris, the roving manager, advised that there were several problems at this location with quality and service and the representatives we previously dealt with were no longer with the company. He further advised that the temporary Store Manager Jake Miller would call within 72 hours to discuss reimbursement.  After 4 days without a call I returned a 5^th time on Sunday 4/27/08.  Jake was at the store and advised I would need to submit a copy of my original Jiffy Lube receipt and subsequent repair invoice to his District Manager Daniel Hill for consideration.  Frustrated that once again I would need to speak with some one el se and supply paperwork we already brought in, I immediately went to Kinko’s and returned a 6^th time with the requested items for him to forward to Daniel. I anticipated that the necessary incident report would be reviewed in a timely manner; however another week has past with zero communication from any Jiffy Lube representative.

I have given adequate opportunity to your organization to address and resolve this matter.  I am requesting full reimbursement of the $358.24 for the repairs to my vehicle based on the negligence of your technicians to properly secure this transmission drain plug. 

[1057] Employee in OK

I worked as a manager for Jiffy Lube in Oklahoma and I have the honest low-down on the company that owns the Oklahoma and Kansas franchises. First let me respond to the JL manager who made the comments in response 1035 about the overtime. What you said is complete crap. Managers for Jiffy Lube are salaried. You open the store at 7:30a.m. and leave at 6:30p.m. Monday thru Friday. Open at same time on Saturday and leave at usually 3:30 p.m. All managers work 55 to 63 hours a week. Nobody is punished and made to work overtime because of low ticket averages. There is no overtime when your salaried. You’re a manager, its your responsibility to be there. And nobody forces the customer to buy anything. They make the decision themselves. Now pertaining to myself , I tried for a year to run that Jiffy Lube as honestly as I could, but their business practices are obsurd for ethical people to live with. First of all, it is all about the sale. They do like for your ticket average to atleast be above $62.00. If it falls below $60.00 then the service advisor or whoever was selling that day is paid a little phone call by the district manager and its not a nice call. First employees are taught to upsell oil, this helps increase the ticket average. When you go in for your oil change, know exactly what kind of oil you want, if you don’t the employee will try sell you synthetic or high mileage oil or whatever they have that is more expensive than their house brand. Second, employees are taught to recommend every service ie… fuel filter replacement, by the mileage. 15,000 for fuel filters and air filters, it varies  depending on the manufactures recommendations for replacement. But beware of how many miles each item on your car has, because they will try to sell the service before it is due. Keep all records and take them with you. And ask questions. If they say your air filter is dirty, ask to see it. If they say your transmission fluid is dark, ask to look at it. Then look at them again after the service is complete. Third, the company I worked for wanted me to try and sell wiper blades on every car that came in. That is freaking ridiculous. Beware of the sales advisor coming to you and saying your wiper blades are skipping or that they are ripped. GO LOOK AT  THEM BEFORE YOU SAY JUST REPLACE THEM !!!!  Fourth, under any circumstance do not let Jiffy Lube perform an automatic transmission service on your vehicle !!!  They push the T-Tech service which is a machine hooked up to your transmission line, which is actually a great and correct service, but that’s not the service they give you. What they do is take an evacuator which is usually a small red tank with a long tube and they run the tube down the tube where you take your transmission stick out at. Then they proceed to suck out what fluid they can which is usually a quart or two, they top that off with new fluid, get in your vehicle, shift through the gears to mix the fluid up, and then repeat the process again. And you pay $120.00 for 4 quarts of transmission fluid !!! This form of service only mixes new fluid with old fluid and the percentage that gets changed is under 20% !!! The T-Tech service will exchange 99 to 100% of your fluid, but the majority of Jiffy Lubes will not do this service because it takes up to much bay time. Before you get your transmission serviced, ask what kind of service they are doing, and then watch them do that service.  The worst thing is that the district managers for the company that operates the Jiffy Lubes in Kansas and Oklahoma directed all its store managers to not hire women. As a manager I requested that a woman be hired in my store to stand out by the road and hold the 19.99 oil change sign, so I could attract younger males into my store in this college town, but I was specifically told that no woman would ever be hired in any store because they had a problem before where a female got pregnant by a male employee and based on that no woman would be hired again, regardless of their experience. Fifth, never get a FISC at a Jiffy Lube. This is a fuel injection service. The manor in which they perform it is incorrect. They use a cheap bottle with a tube hung upside, unplug one of your vaccum lines and let gravity suck in the fluid. This usually causes your check engine light to come on. Not to mention the service cost $94.99 and the fluid to do it costs less than $5.00. Its NOT WORTH IT !!! In ending, Jiffy Lube employees are not required to be certified in anything. They watch a few videos and have to answer a few questions. But do to the high turn over rate, its impossible to keep properly trained employees. So beware. Always know what services are due on your vehicle, and let trained professionals do them.

[1056] Jan in Yuba City, CA  Personal Cell Numbers Posted

Well, you might not want to hear a positive at this posting, but I had my oil change done at our local Jiffy Lube and it was realy great.  All the technicains were nice and gave me some realy great information about my car.  Like how I can save gas!  They even told me that there were things I didn't need at this time.  This shows me they are honest.  What realy impressed me was that the owner of the Jiffy Lubes here in Yuba City have a large sign in the service areas with their personal cell phone numbers to contact them directly.

[1055] Shirley in Wichita, KA  Lost Longtime 30 Year Customer

I have been going to the same Jiffy Lube for approx. 30 years. It is located in Wichita Kansas on South Seneca Street.  I went in yesterday because they were standing outside holding a sign for $29.99 oil change.  When I pulled in the driveway the guy holding the sign just walked inside to finish his cigarette.  There was another tech (or so you are led to believe) was talking on the phone. He said oil change and I said yes.

When the bill came they tried to charge me $44.99 stating that I had requested a different oil. That was a total lie as neither one of the two men working there even spoke to me until after. I through a fit right there in front of other customer and asked him was he aware of how they are treating their customers? He jumped out of his chair and went out into the work area where they were changing his oil.  I was reimbursed $20.00. When I got home I checked to see if they really did change my oil and it was clean although 1 quart short. Also, they did not add any windshield wiper fluid, which the receipt claims they did. I think they are crooked and underhanded and I will never use Jiffy Lube again. I will tell everyone I know personally and professionally about their tactics. I told the "manager" that I would never be back. They just lost a 30 year customer. He replied that’s fine. Well, that is fine with me also. I will be glad to give my business to another company.

[1054] Brian Is Anybody Talking Across The Dinner Table

I can do just about all my own car work now, but in the old days, my recurring theme was actually not as terrible as others' experiences who've ended up with severe damage caused by JL, but rather, being charged for work that wasn't done.  I'm quite sure the oil on the dipstick looked like the same used fluid every time I got home from there.  These were the days when I knew squat about cars and blindly trusted them, almost to an engine tuneup and one point; thankfully the manager said they don't do that and referred me to Automax (if I can't do something myself, they are my favorite).  Well, perhaps the worst time was with my '96 Sentra sometime around late 2005.  The idiot who claimed to have changed it also took my radiator cap off while the engine was hot!!!!  Of course I still did not know better or else I would've grabbed it from him, put it back on and drove away.  Anyway, he claimed it wasn't holding pressure.  Well when the car sat overnight much later, I took it off again just to check that and even when the engine was cold, the cap still held pressure and ended up releasing some antifreeze (though radiator was still full).

Seriously, I have to wonder if the general public is just dumb.  Why keep idiots in business?!?!?  As one ASE mechanic apparently said, "don't the horror stories get across the dinner table?".

[1053] Sharon in Cypress, CA  Taking Advantage of 75 Year Old Woman

After a cross country trip from Florida to California, having had an oil change before leaving home, I took my car into the Jiffy Lube at 4942 Lincoln Ave. , Cypress, Cal. I usually use one mechanic at home for all my car servicing, because like a “primary care doctor” , a regular mechanic watches for everything and gives advance notice when things will be coming up that need servicing, but being “on the road” and not knowing any particular mechanic, settled for the nearby Jiffy Lube.

First thing after opening hood, employee comes over tome to show me my oil dipstick so very low, hardly any oil in the car, and then informs me that my fluids (power steering and coolant reservoir) are very low. I don’t know much about “under the hood” but first reaction was, “if power steering fluid is so low, wouldn’t I have felt it in driving, being a 75 year old woman?” My brother who was with me also commented that he had coolant at home and would add it if I needed – and having regular service on my car, seeing no oil in the driveway, I was VERY dubious about that dipstick also. Told him to just change oil!

That as done and printed readout given to me when I paid showed:

Power Steering Fluid Level – Level Full
Coolant reservoir level – level full
Oil Level upon arrival – full

I reported this to headquarters in Texas who apparently notified station because I got an email from the station manager, very poor spelling and English, denying they did anything but “recommend” and I can always say “no.” There is a world of difference between “recommend” and saying “you are almost out of fluid.” I’ll never go near another Jiffy Lube in my travels.

[1052] Nina in Chicago, IL  Single Mom Has Multiple Problems

I'm writing this email regarding my past and most recent personal experience with services rendered at Jiffy Lube.

Despite the comments and horror stories told by friends, family,co-workers, and past customers I try not to judge a book by Its cover. Unfortunately I was wrong and they were right. Even after my first encounter with a totally different location than the most recent one I still tried to give this company the benefit of the doubt.

I purchased a new vehicle in 2004 and it was brand new of the lot. It had 7 miles on it at the time of purchase. I'm a single mom and keeping my vehicle up with the preventive maintenance is very important to me.  1. I'm a single parent my car is the only means of transportation I have I don't own another car. 2. I can't afford to have my car breaking down on the road somewhere or having to purchase a new one because I failed to keep my end of the bargain as it relates to maintenance.

Please allow me to share my experiences as a consumer that has spent hundreds of dollars for VERY POOR services rendered at a few of Jiffy Lube's. I have used one in Oak Park,IL Elmhurst,IL & Bloomington, IL … however out of the (3) listed I would have to say I haven't experienced any problems from the Bloomington location … the first encounter was with the service shop in Oak Park, IL on Madison & Harlem. My newly purchased vehicle with just 3,000 miles barely reached. I took it in for an oil change as I was commuting back and forth for work …. Only to discover in 3 days that my newly purchased vehicle oil cap was not placed back in its proper place and smelling this burning smell and my vehicle not performing as a BRAND NEW car should had my dad check the oil… and it was NOT a drop of oil on my dip stick !!!! That could have cost me a NEW ENGINE or  NO CAR … because the  dealer certainly wouldn't have given me another car.

My other encounter was with the Jiffy Lube in Elmhurst, IL on York & North Ave. Despite my worries and mis handling in 2005 I gathered up enough nerve and faith that this Jiffy Lube would be different… Wrong again. In Jan 31, 2008 I have a 3 year old vehicle which I have been taking to the dealership for my regular check-ups, maintenance.. Etc Well this particular day the weather was horrible and this service shop was very close to my job…. So I needed a few things checked and my oil needed to be changed. So as they were checking me in they suggest any other items that may need to be addressed.

I needed new wipers, and air filter  and to flush my transmission and refill it so I asked them to include this along with my oil change… Then I ask the manager if he would check my battery… now remember my car is only 3 yrs old.  After checking my (supposedly) checking my battery Don returns with a slip print out stating .. "Highly Recommend Battery Replacement"

Now I was puzzled but I'm no expert mechanic … but I did find it strange that I had my previous car for almost 5 yrs and never had to replace anything major besides the tires.  So I asked the price of a battery .. And judging the current weather conditions and being single mom with this car my only means of transportation… "I replied , Yes please give me a NEW battery ". 

It was not even 2 wks after my services were done .. I was back at the service shop because my car would not accelerate over 45 mph.  My car has never given me any trouble since I purchased it. So I took it back .. Asked for the manager Don explained the issue and it seems … the techs had not refill my transmission reservoir to its CORRECT LEVEL !!! So Don had them top it off and I was back up and running … Just @ the end of March … March 28th to be exact I was out of town in Wisconsin … and my vehicle  began to barely start up .. It was taking a long time for the engine to turn over… first couple of time it did it … then on Mon, Tuesday, then Wed.. It did it more… not constant but again it wasn't doing any of this before it was seen @ JIFFY LUBE in ELMHURST , IL. I had a licensed mechanic check my starter, alternator and they both where in mint condition… Then he asked out of curiosity where I had brought the battery from.  "It couldn't be my battery its BRAND NEW (so I thought ) I just paid $90.00 for that battery ". I thought as I replied … To cut to the chase took my car back asked for the manager … Requested they check my battery WITHOUT stating I had just purchase it from them less than a month ago… Manager conducted test while myself and my mechanic friend was standing in bay and the print out read "HIGHLY RECOMMEND BATTERY REPLACEMENT" !!!!!  So once I disclosed my invoice showing that I had these services completed by his shop .. He wasn't convinced so he RE-checked the battery and it printed out again "HIGHLY RECOMMEND BATTERY REPLACEMENT"!!!!   So I had to visit 2x's to have my vehicle serviced correctly and this could have been a very COSTLY MISTAKE MADE BY YOUR EMPLOYEES 2 MY EXPENSE !!!!

Something needs to be done.. I'm not sure if you should look into hiring older employees or re-train the younger ones often and make sure their working and not goofing around and jerking off with their fellow co-workers in the bays … Their attention should be solely on your vehicle ..nothing else.  I will also be sending a copy of this email to other sources that will get this problem with these shops exposed if nothing else.

[1051] Joe in Park Forest, IL  Error Caused Heads To Blow

I took my 95 Bonneville to Jiffy Lube for an oil change on March 16, 2008 at the 2551 Western Ave, Park Forest, IL location.   A month later my heads blew in my engine due to the technician not tightening my radiator cap and I immediately went to the Park Forest location to inform them what happened.  I spoke with the manager Calvin regarding this issue with my engine, he stated an investigation will take place and they will determine if they can fix my car.  Days later, I was informed that Jiffy Lube was not going to fix my engine because there was not enough antifreeze splashed around the engine. Jiffy lube did not complete the investigation within hours; it took days so naturally the antifreeze that was splashed on the engine was dried by that time. My engine was running well until I took it to Jiffy Lube for an oil change.