My son needed some maintenance stuff done on his car. He went to Jiffy Lube for and oil change and fuel injector cleaning. They talked him into letting them change his fuel filter. They told him the quick connect on the end of the fuel line needed to be replaced and said they had to order the part. He had to leave his car overnight. He picked it up the next day. Drove it for a couple of weeks and then the check engine light came on and gas was leaking everywhere. He took it to my mechanic who put it up on the rack where we learned that when they replaced the fuel filter they DID not put a new connector but in fact had CUT the fuel line and put an aluminum clamp around it where they spliced the line together. 1. Gas lines are pressurized. You aren't supposed to cut and splice them. When that thing blew it was spraying gas next to the exhaust. Could have set the car on fire. 2. They they talked him into letting them do something they didn't know how to do properly and as a result the repairs to the car, and replacement of the fuel pump and lines will cost $650. 3. They say they were doing him a favor and that it was a temporary fix. 4. My mechanic and the dealer say you NEVER EVER splice pressurized fuel lines. How do we get the fuckers at Jiffy Lube to pay for the repairs?
My recommendation is to consult an attorney. Call the Oregon State Bar for a referral. If you want to PM me I can recommend a few depending on where you live. I am an attorney, but I am on the other side so it's not going to be me. In Oregon there is a statute that allows you to send a written demand for an amount that is $5,500 or less and if they don't settle before you sue you get to collect your attorney fees which are almost always many times more than the damage. In other words, with a single letter from an attorney you probably can get them to pay for the repairs. Also, tell your son to just say no to the hard sell
yeah. quick lube places always fuck your shit up..last time they sold me on a transmission flush....which caused a small (minor leak)...of course..they don't know anything about it. Fuck EZ Lube, Jiffy and all those fucking drive through places. I've never been screwed by Oil Can Henry's though in Portland.....dunno...they seemed on top of it...but maybe not.
Screwed by Jiffy Lube - well, it could have been worse. It could have been Jiffy Sandpaper or Jiffy Rattail Files. Figure out if Jiffy Lubes are franchised or corporate. If corporate, go to regional or national. If franchised, find the owner of the franchise. Make it clear to them you've decided that this is what you want to spend the rest of your life pursuing, no matter how many years it takes. If that doesn't work start posting in every possibly relevant spot on the web, writing to the newspaper, etc. Send Jiffy all the links and clippings. Spend a day or two standing outside Jiffy Lube with a big sign. barfo
Here's a Central Oregon Subaru's have a small gasket/washer on the oil drain plug. Jiffy Lube did not replace it or even use the old one, instead discarding it. The owner's car leaked out all it's oil while driving, destroying the engine. Jiffy Lube ended up buying him a new engine. Changing oil is supposedly something they are qualified to do, but apparently are not. They most certainly are not qualified to work on more complicated parts of your car. A letter from an attorney should be all you need to get reimbursed. They are gambling with being sued for misrepresentation and endangering your son's life (gas burns and explodes), in addition to the damage they did to his car. I would email Ralph Nader while you're at it.
Both Screw you lube, and Oil can screw yous, are good at doing things you didn't want them to, or coercing you into doing it. My mom had a Honda, that normally she'd take the dealer to get the work done (they had done everything on the car, and because of a family connection, never once tried to take advantage of her). But because this one time she didn't feel like driving the distance it was (it's like 75 miles..don't ask, it's just the loyalty of the dealership), she went to screw you lubes, and they put in one of those quick drain things. Against her wishes, too...but she didn't know any better. So the next time, she went to Oil Can Screw You's, and they "didn't know" it was one of those quick release drain things, and stripped it. Or as I like to say, "they saw her coming a mile away". 300 dollars later, they fixed the drain plug issue. She, sadly, didn't do anything about it. Had I been there, I would've tore some stupid punk ass kid a new hole, and made them fix it for free. That's why when I can, I do all of my maintenance. Of course, my car is older, so that makes a big difference.
I use Jiffy Lube and Oil Can Henry's all the time but I always bring my own oil and filter with me. I use Mobile 1 synthetic and the Mobile 1 filter for my Lexus. You can get the big jug of Mobile 1 synthetic for $20 at Wallmart and the filter is $5. When you're at Walmart or your local auto part store open the box and check out the difference between a cheap oil filter and a quality one. HUGE DIFFERENCE. When you bring your own oil and filter they only charge you $12 to put them in for you. The oil change places use the cheapest chit available. I've brought my own wipers and brake lights with me and they'll change them for free. I just won't have them do anything on the car besides the oil change.
Make it very clear to the store manager, the owner, the corporate office, and the people in their waiting room that if they don't take care of it, you'll write letters to the Better Business Bureau, the editor of every newspaper and television station and radio station within 150 miles, the Chamber of Commerce, Consumer Reports, Ralph Nader, David Horowitz, Click and Clack...
Keep us posted on what happens. SlyPokerDog - I didnt you can bring in your own oil and filter. Thanks for the info! I agree with BlazerWookee and Zybot's advice.
You are partly correct. That letter can only be sent by an attorney. But first send a letter outlining your complaint and what you feel you need to rectify the situation.
Quik Lube here in Texas messed up a friend of my wife's car by doinf something like that. Her husband had passed away, and didn't know what to do, so she asked me if I could help her. I simply contacted the corporate office and told them what had happened. They gave me a bunch of crap, and I informed them that I had a mechanic ready to testify against them, and the next phone call they would be getting was from a lawyer. All I was looking for was for them to pay to fix what they had broken. I gave them my number and a deadline to call. They called about 1/2 hour later and said we could take the car back to them to fix it. I said no, and then they gave me a list of mechanics I could take it to. I asked my mechanic friend if any were ok and he said yes, so we took it there. It was a bit of a hassle, but they took care of the customer in the end
Maybe a dumb question, but have you given them a stern call on the phone yet? Believe it or not, this sort of thing happens frequently at Jiffy and they're pretty well set up to handle it. If it's an open and shut case, the last thing in the world they want is to have it go to court -- it's way more cost effective for them to settle. When you approach them, calmly describe all the screw ups and ask what they'll do to resolve the problem. They'll likely offer to handle the problem inhouse or offer you crazy amounts of free future service, none of which will be too appealing given that they caused the problem. Calmly point that out, then tell them you've got estimates from 2-3 reputable mechanics (which you definitely should get first) and then see what they do. If they don't buck up, be calm yet vaguely perturbed and frustrated. Tell them you don't want to get an attorney involved. At that point, I'd be shocked if they don't cave. We went through this with my wife's car a couple months ago and were surprised at how quickly they resolved it. They tried to get out of it on the cheap, but when they saw we were savvy, organized and serious they paid our mechanic danged quickly. Probably didn't hurt that we're both attorneys, but I don't think it even got to the point that we had to play that card. Stay calm and focused -- that scares 'em more than belligerence (which I suspect they get a lot of.)
My '96 Explorer (fuck Cash for Clunkers) is in Jiffy Lube right now for an inspection. She only failed her brakes and had to stay overnight--Now that I've read this thread and they say that something needs replacing, I think I'll get it done somewhere else for a second opinion!
