Jiffy Lube No Jiffy

cplantam · October 12, 2009, 12:57pm

My daughter decided to have her car oil changed before she left for a road trip. Since it was last minute she went to a nearby Jiffy Lube instead of the dealer. Had the oil changed - went on her way to find smoke coming from under the hood. She found out they forgot to repalce the oil cap. Now oil is dripping from the hood and all over the engine. The store sends someone out with the cap, extra oil, and rags to wipe the engine down. She was down 1 1/2 qts of oil. And delayed 2 hours. Is an engine cleaning recommended? Also what else should we look to replace?

andrew_j · October 12, 2009, 1:05pm

If the smell continues cleaning the engine may be a good idea.

Nothing else really to replace except maybe the cost of the oil change from Jiffy Lube. And don’t worry no harm done.

mcparadise · October 12, 2009, 1:18pm

You’d be amazed at how common this is. At least J-L put oil in the engine. Sometimes they forget.

The oil will burn or drip off the engine. You shouldn’t have to do anything.

I hope your daughter learned a valuable lesson from this experience.

cplantam · October 12, 2009, 1:22pm

Thanks! That’s a relief! Still waiting for the credit to show! To be continued.

DoctorPinto · October 12, 2009, 1:31pm

It wouldn’t hurt to buy a can of engine degreaser and hose it down. Just be sure the engine is cold when you do this and you keep the water away from the air filter.

There are 2 lessons to be learned here…

Don’t use the fast lube places. Use a good local mechanic or do it yourself.
NEVER do anything to a car right before a long trip. Do any work a week or two before. I learned this the hard way. I vibrated through a 450 mile trip because the tire shop didn’t balance 4 new tires correctly I had installed the morning of my trip.

cplantam · October 12, 2009, 1:33pm

She has learned a valuable lesson. Thanks for your input!

texases · October 12, 2009, 1:53pm

Just don’t have it cleaned with a power (high pressure) wash. That can force water and dirt into electrical connections.

andrew_j · October 12, 2009, 5:32pm

It happens with dealers and small shops too. JLube is so prevalent(probably the biggest chain) and performs so many oil changes you hear about it.

I have learned to check the oil level shortly after visiting dealers or occasional auto chain.

jtsanders · October 12, 2009, 9:37pm

I had this happen to me at a JL about 30 years ago. I pulled into another car shop and we checked it out. I called JL and they told me to get new oil at the shop where I was stuck, get the engine cleaned, and bring them a receipt. They paid up immediately. I never went back to that shop, though I do use a JL in my current neighborhood. They’ve done a good job for me in the years I’ve used them. Like all businesses, some are good and some aren’t. This one is a franchise and the work is as good as the owner wants it to be.

oldschool · October 12, 2009, 9:39pm

I also frequent JL,trust but verify.

the_same_mountainbike · October 13, 2009, 6:28pm

I whole heartedly agree in checking everything out that’s practical before driving away. Unfortunately, checking the oil plug for proper torque isn’t possible. Too many are either left untight or overightened…and sometimes cross threaded.

I would suggest that JL and other quickie lube places emphasiize speed over accuracy and have job training that doesn’t lend itself to ensuring a proper job. I’ve been appalled at some of the things I’ve personally seen. I do believe many of the problems posted are so often seen because they’re common to the quick change industry because of its practices rather than simply because of the volume of oil changes performed.