We just had a very bad experience with our car at the 2 Jiffy Lube stories; one in Pocatello and the other in Idaho Falls off Yellowstone.
These people charge a smal fortune to change your oil and they cant even be bothered to check basic things like belts; batteries cables, or even a a minute glance at other things that might need repairs; yet they have time to wash your windows and hoover. No they arent a regular shop but some things are basic and pretty obvious especailly when they check the battery water level but dont notice the cable is loose and dirty.
Then when you go back to a different store to complain; they wont take resonsibilty; apologize or anything. When you are stuck at the store as the battery is dead and you are mute so you cant call for help; they call the cops on you.
We even picketed the store for 3 hous one day and still waiting for the corporate office to email us back beyond the basic “thanks we got your email and someone will get back to you shortly”.
We drive 40,000 a year due to work. We never had this bad experience at any other stores / shops.
For those cartalk listeners in IF; dont go to that Jiffy Lube; go a block or so to Sand Creek right on Yellowstone. If you are in Blackfoot; C and G auto repairs right on West 39 or 26 (forgot which one) is the place to go
I’m by no means a fan of JL franchises, but you’re not coming across as real level-headed here.
Why in the world do you think one franchise should “apologize” for what you perceive to be another’s mistake?
How do you propose they check the water level on a maintenance free battery, which the vast majority are?
Loose battery cable end? Does that fall under what you’re paying them to check?
At 40k miles a year, things are going to crop up no matter what, and loose cable ends/water level in a maintenance free battery are the least of your worries when dealing with a JL.
Well have you ever been to JL to get an oil change done? They have a check list and one of them is the battery water level; the belts, the fluid levels, etc.
We drive for a living so we have to have basic things checked every time we get repairs done / basic maintenance done and we ask them to do it every time as well. We have never been just out of a shop and then a belt breaks!!! or a battery cable comes loose and we drive all kinds of roads from dirt / gravel out in the back of beyond to rural roads not well maintained to city roads. We drive a Rav 4 by the way and spend alot to do basic maintenance on a regular basis as well but $35 is alot of money to change and oil and then they dont even check basic things. BY the way; Sand creek got a video in which JL failed to change filters; do specific things they charged for in CA (many stations on a report from a local TV station) so we doubt the problem is just in ID when CA is also having problems.
No, I’ve never been to a JL for an oil change. I’m a tech and have changed my own oil since I was a Soph. in high school. I pay no one.
I really did not figure you would like my comments.
It still remains to be answered how the JL is supposed to check the water level in a sealed battery.
You paid 35 bucks for an oil change and I’m sure the list of services provided as part of that oil change is posted somewhere. Does that list specify cleaning and tightening battery cable ends?
If the cable ends had remained tight and had come loose at the starter solenoid terminal would you have also considered this a mistake on their part?
Lastly, with JL having such a bad reputation and figuring in the “caught on tape” segments you mention I could ask this.
Why in the world do you even go there?
Is this not like jumping into a school of sharks with a bucket of chum in each hand?
This is the first time and the last one that we will ever go to JL. NO we went as they were having a special on them and we havent been to Sand Creek yet to see the video / get repairs done.
Second; yes they have a check list that they hand you and go over every tmie they change the oil. Dont ask us how they check a sealed unit but its on the form they handed us and it was checked that they did it and they told us they did it as they went over every check on the list.
It’s probably a standard form that covers all the bases. There are very few batteries out there that anyone can even add water to. They’re all sealed and do not use or lose water.
Actually, what I would recommend is that you call the Toyota dealer in your area and price an oil change. Many dealers, not just Toyota, run discount prices on oil changes and you may find the dealer is not any more expensive than the JL, and may even be cheaper.
The local Chevrolet/Buick/Toyota dealer here has a regular 24.95 oil change price for instance.
One thing you should be aware of with JL is this, and it comes up on this board repeatedly.
The vast majority of JL employees are not mechanics. A few maybe, but very, very few. Many of them would not know a loose cable end even if it was marked with a traffic cone.
Due to their business model (speed; fast in, fast out) mistakes are frequently made. The most common are leaving the oil drain plug loose, double gasketed oil filter seals, forgetting to refill with oil, and draining things like transmissions and differentials - and forgetting to refill them.
This leads to a lot of trashed engines, transmissions, and differentials; and also a lot of grief when JL management is arguing “it ain’t our fault”.
A story I read several years ago stated that JL figures in, nationwide, the cost of 2 new engines per WEEK. A hundred plus new engines per year is a lot of money, but compared to the number of oil changes, etc performed, they’re still making money.
I would strongly advise finding someone else to do your oil changes. Check around and you may find that the “real shop” price is not that bad.
Hope that helps. 
(ok4450 here; I’m logged out yet again.)
Well if we all started to boycott them; then they will have no customers and then will go out of business!!!
Just because its a quick lube; doesnt mean shoddy work as other quick lube shops / garages manage to check for basic things and still make a profit even if they did none of the recommended work (from the checklist).
People need to be made aware of the quality of work at JL and AVOID THEM.
Keep away from the quick change places. We hear far too many horror stories about them. Some may be fine, but many pay the help little, demand fast changes and that results in a high percentage of errors. Too many live by selling you something you don't need at inflated prices.
Find a good local mechanic and stick with them for your needs.
Don't go to the quick lube places, even for directions.
That said, I believe you have over reacted to one location's failure. That location failed and you can not or will not proceed with legal action against them then it is not really fair to attack all of them.Very few batteries are truly sealed, AC Delcos are all others, although they say are maintenance free, have the caps which can be popped off and the water level checked.
As to quick lubes, never ever trust any work they do, check oil level and filter afterwards to assure job was done correctly (or even done for that matter)and never ever buy any other services from them. Never let them touch any air filters etc.
We spend at least 6 months out of state / area working so if we want to get an oil change done / repairs made; we have to find a mechanic where we are at and hope for the best. We try to get AAA approved stations since we can call AAA to find out where they are and we cant call cartalk and see what they recommend.
No we are not over reacting. We got stuck 10 miles or so in the back of beyond ID when a belt broke and got very lucky with a nice couple who stopped to help us and then we had an old day affair dealing with a dead battery between AAA and JL. We also dont appreciate having the cops called on us for trespassing when we had no ability to call for help since we are mute.
There are bad stores and there are also bad customers. I hope the executives of Jiffy Lube read your rant so they can celebrate: “Woo-hoo! They’re not coming back!!”
It is clear your only purpose for posting in this forum is to exact an ounce of revenge against this particular chain. Nasty, nasty. That’s not why anyone comes to this forum. We offer help to those who ask for it. Be aware that in this exchange, Jiffy Lube comes off as the party more deserving of sympathy.
Ranting about a place that gives you very shoddy work is very American. It also warns people who might go there not to go as they might have additional problems when they leave the place. So how is that not helping people?
Our car is our livelyhood so if it doesnt run; we cant work. We spend a small fortune on the car to maintain her and keep her in top shape and no we arent a bad customer and we dont go into a shop expecting bad service. How would you like your wife / girlfriend / daughter / mum / etc to be stuck due to a bad oil change / bad repair work and then add in we have no cell phone since we are mute and cant make a telephone call without our tdd.
Jiffy Lube has had an email from us telling them about the problem for over a week now. We have not heard back from them except for the first courtesy email. The shop in IF didnt even bother to apologize to us for callling the cops on us or for thier treatment of us when we got stuck. When we started to picket the store; they came up to us and asked us why we were desrepecting thier store. What about us being stranded for hours and then they called the cops on us; couldnt be bothered to help when AAA came even with jumper cables / wrench to tighten the cables.
Give us a break!!! You are out of touch with reality!!!
My observations, for better or worse:
The OP, who I believe is new to the forum, has posted some information that comes as no surprise to the veterans of this forum (or to those who are aware of the poor general reputation of Jiffy Lube). When the veterans of this forum comment on the shrill nature of the OP, he (or she) then attacks the people who are giving their opinions.
Anyway–as Mr. Meehan states, nobody should go to Jiffy Lube–even for directions. The reasons for this are:
*JL employs almost entirely very young people without experience or mechanical knowledge.
*JL gives very little training to those employees.
*JL uses poor quality filters.
*JL is, in many cases, more expensive than the service department at a car dealership.
*JL is oriented toward getting cars in and out as rapidly as possible, with as little variation in procedure as possible.
Truthfully, I would not trust the typical Jiffy Lube employee to recognize that a battery cable is loose. The business model of Jiffy Lube requires that cars are processed in and out very rapidly, and that is one of the reasons why they don’t check battery cables–and why they don’t promise to do so. Yes, the water in the battery should be checked if it is one that allows for filling the battery, but the business model, coupled with the type of employee, leads to shortcuts and slip-ups.
The OP is lucky that the slip-up in his/her case was only related to the battery. The scores of JL customers who have had an engine ruined by lack of oil, or by a leaking oil filter, or by a transmission that was drained by mistake, or by a failed differential that was drained and not refilled would gladly trade places with the OP.
In summmary, Jiffy Lube does not employ mechanics, and if the OP did believe that, hopefully he/she now knows better. It is clear from the OP’s experience that JL’s approach to customer service is very poor, but that is certainly not news to the veterans of this forum. I think that the OP would get much further with his/her complaint if it was approached on a calmer level, both with the members of this forum and with upper level management of Jiffy Lube.
Unfortunately, in our society today, I see far too many cases of people who ask for the opinions of others and when given opinions that differ from the desired answer, the questioner then flies into a rage.
I never thought the day would come when I would actually stand in support of jiffy lube but stranger thinks have happened.
I fully agree with SteveF and VDCdriver that your only mission here is to spread poison. You had a bad travelers expereince and now you want to drop an atom bomb on someone.
Include me as one of thousands you won’t enlist to your cause. Having dealt with my own share of disagreeable unreasonable customers, I can only applaud jiffy lube’s position of ignoring you till you go away.
I got out of my Honda dealership for $24.25 after tax. Unlike JL, they don’t come into the waiting area showing you an air filter saying it needs changed, or asking if you want this miracle engine treatment that’s got PTFE and will help clean your engine/tranny up, the cost is only double what the oil change is, plus wiper blades looking old, and whatever APGI(additional profit generating items) they can think of. I used to go to them awhile back and would wind up spending upwards $80~100 because I wasn’t really keen on what they were really selling back then. I make the appointment at the dealership, tell them what I want done, they do it and come get me when my car is done, and I get to browse some of the new car selections at the showroom/lot while my car is getting serviced.
I heard FRAM’s were bad too
Many (not all) Jiffy Lube’s are franchises. I use one regularly near me and I have had good experiences over the past 5-years I’ve used them. It is a franchise. Yes, they show me the filters and recommend a change. When I agree with them, I change it myself. No hard sell on their part. They know me and appreciate seeing my 3 cars for an oil change. It is more expensive than many car dealerships, but I’m in and out in 20-minutes. Car dealer’s want the car for at least half a day. I’m not taking vacation so that I can get an oil change. I’ve had trouble at other Jiffy Lubes as well as other repair shops, including dealerships. By all means, don’t return to that shop. But don’t condemn all Jiffy Lubs because one is not up to snuff.
As to employees: My nephew has been a JL employee. He is young, and wants to be an auto mechanic. This is a first stop for him on his way to becoming one. I’d let him change my oil and filter any time. But he lives 4-hours away; I’ll stick with the usual shop.
Quote: “Car dealer’s want the car for at least half a day. I’m not taking vacation so that I can get an oil change.”
While that may be true in many cases, it is not true for all car dealerships. Just as there are undoubtedly a few Jiffy Lubes that give competent service, there are also dealerships that are both competent and quick.
If I schedule an oil change while I wait, I am out of the dealership within 30 minutes, with Valvoline oil in my crankcase and a “factory” oil filter for a grand total of 30 bucks and change. And, if I can’t wait, I get a free loaner car (admittedly an old “beater”) to use while they are servicing the car.
I would suggest doing your own oil changes. Any moron can do it and it will take up less of your time than going to JL and waiting. You only need 1 wrench, a filter wrench and a pan. Most of the auto parts chain stores will even take back your used oil for recycling.
Very well put VDC.
I gave you 5 stars for that one.
Now, if they could get this site set up properly us cartalk veterans could stop complaing too eh? Heh heh heh