Posted on 08/14/2006 8:03:21 PM PDT by Nachum
Imagine going to get your car repaired, paying for it, and then finding out that the work was never done. With the help of insiders, NBC4 uncovered an apparent scheme at several Los Angeles area Jiffy Lube stores.
The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office has asked customers who have had problems at Jiffy Lube stores to contact the DA's Consumer Protection Division, by e-mail, at jiffylube@lacountyda.org
Jiffy Lube went bankrupt in Dallas...Mobil One took them over. Better experience than with their major shyster competitor in the area.
Yep - saw it in Raleigh, NC when I lived there. I suspect any place that doesn't allow customers to observe the work being done. I go to a small garage where the chairs are about five feet from my truck - with no wall, window or blockage of my view.
I trust the guys completely...following the mantra of "trust but verify."
I just leave my my car and I know it would be repaired correctly. He ain't cheap tho! LOL
Look out at your local Target/big ticket stores.
We were double charged on an item (if the clerk holds it in front of the scanner longer than a certain time, it will ring it up twice and the second charge is "coded" into the reciept- you will see a charge but it will read as a code but you can tell because the price will be identical as the original item scanned.
A few people were overcharged this way and we all went to the counter and complained. Their excuse was the scanner is sensitive, but we believe it's a scam. They double charge you for an item and then pocket the difference in cash, the store will never see the difference stolen because the cost of item is so small, and us customers are paying for it. most people probably won't notice the double charge.
Sorry for long post.
Watch the videos and then you might see what some of the managers at this company have been doing.
Just like a lawyer, dentist, etc., all the homework needs to be done up front. I'm a hack mechanic, and I don't trust chains. Mom and pop's aren't better per se, but when you can find a good one, you know you've got one. Educate yourselves, ask for your old parts if you've still got doubts. Also, know what labor rates are - around $60+/hr and know about what parts are. Brake jobs are notoriously easy, even for a hobbiest, only about $60 bucks w/o labor as long as you just need pads. Rotors resurfaced (spun) is only about $12/per.
Ahh...but there's the air filter, windshield wipers, etc. There's money to be made in those after-job add-ons.
That's especially the case here in Texas where we have vehicle inspections. I never take my truck to these places for an inspection. My wife has taken her car...once. She ended up forking over an extra +/- $50 in add-ons.
I went to an oil change place today that lets you watch the entire process, both above and below your car, on TV. They seem to take longer than Jiffy Lube for the same work.
There's another aspect of the thing which says that if you make a car impossible to work it, most of the time, it simply does not get worked on. I jusge cars as much as anything else by mechanic-friendliness and will refuse to buy a car which I do not figure can be worked on in a reasonable manner. The Mercury Mystique with the 6-cylindar motor comes to mind, as do Isuzu vehicles with spark plugs which cannot be changed with less than two hours worth of work.
Obviously, we don't go there anymore. On top of their cheating ways, the mechanics were nutjobs - they were always swearing and acting full of rage and frustration.
Either learn how to do it yourself or have an ASE certified mechanic do it. Not only will he change the oil, he'll inspect the entire engine and point out what needs to be fixed now so you won't have to pay later.
Maintaining a vehicle is not only easy but a fun family activity if done right.
He's saved me more than he's cost me.
When I bought my last car, I took it on an overnight and had his guys inspect it.
They did, for free.
I don't know if all City Garage's are like mine, but I won't go anywhere else.
Nonsense. We have a Jiffy Lube not two miles from here that is scrupulously honest, has unequalled customer service, goes out of their way to accomodate their customers, go beyond the call of duty........
No, this particular Jiffy Lube (and to the person formerly from Raleigh who posted on this thread; I'm in far north Raleigh, almost in Wake Forest) will have a customer as long as I live here.
Among my car buddies, it is know as Iffy Lube considering the number of engines they have wasted.
"The Mercury Mystique with the 6-cylindar motor comes to mind, as do Isuzu vehicles with spark plugs which cannot be changed with less than two hours worth of work."
Try a Dodge Stratus. Two spark plugs back up under where the hood attaches to the car. Less than an inch and half clearance. By the way, dealers can be just as bad.
This is why I don't go to places to have my oil changed. instead I do most of this myself.
If I need fluid that I can't easily obtain, I'll go to a mechanic, not a fast oil change place.
The Chrysler small cars are one of their success stories, but I'd try to find a Stratus with the 2.5 liter version of the Neon engine and a 5-speed. A sis cylindar motor on a car that size is overkill.
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