Fraud at Jiffy Lube (1 Viewer)

[neworleanshoo]

so what is your shop optimus

 

[hammernnails]

that's why i said down on your luck.

if the system is flushed, going to green coolant is acceptible. there may be long term issues with gaskets and seals, depending on how long the system had dexcool in it. dexcool is a lot of trouble if people arent informed about it, or its used improperly. GM was actually installing it improperly at the factory for a while, which was causing it to sludge up the system. apparently they have changed their installation method, which was previously mixing air into it and causing it to sludge. the biggest problem with dexcool is people topping it off with regular green coolant. id be interested to know of any specific problems your mechanic has encountered with dexcool, because personally im not a fan of 100,000 mile intervals on ANYTHING, but professionally i have to do what the manufacturer recommends.

I flushed the system myself and added the green kind.... it said right on the lable "for all makes and Models".. I grew up useing the green stuff... it never froze up on me so why change to red?? GM and their red crap can go scratch themselves...

 

[Optimusaint]

so what is your shop optimus

5 Minute Oil Change in Chalmette.

I flushed the system myself and added the green kind.... it said right on the lable "for all makes and Models".. I grew up useing the green stuff... it never froze up on me so why change to red?? GM and their red crap can go scratch themselves...

personally i agree. im not a fan of DEXCOOL either. but in my profession its not my job to say "switch from the manufacturers recommendation and go with the old stuff". there is a universal coolant, which is compatible with DEXCOOL and standard green coolant. its the color of green tea though, not a neon green. if you used that, then you are OK.

as far as tradition goes though, my dad grew up using straight weight SAE 40 oil in all of his cars. all cars today use multigrade oils, with #w## designations like 10w30. a lot of old timers say "screw that, imma stick with straight 40" but are actually hurting their engines performance and MPG. multigrade oils are a lot thinner when they are cold than at operating temperature. that seems contradictory to common sense, wherein oil thins as it heats up. but this is because of viscosity modifiers, which force the oil to unnaturally thicken up as the temp rises. so just because something is "always been done that way" doesnt mean there hasnt been a significant improvement in fluid or engine designs that warrant a change to a new fluid.

i was just about to go on with a huge description of all of this, but ill hold off unless someone wants to hear it all.

 

[keepoursaints]

wife well fiance at the time had squeaking breaks and took it to the downtown firestone at lunch.. they said her rotors were worn and she needed new pads, etc.. over 1000 bucks.. i told her noway

our family mechanic looked it over and it was only the pads

Women should NEVER go to a mechanic alone.. seriously

no offense to you Optimus

 

[Taurus]

The very last time I took the Buick to our local Drain&Fill, the guy wants me to buy a new air filter. When I asked to look at the old one, he shows me the filter all right...with this big, black, obvious handprint in the middle of it. I gave him a dirty look, held out my hand in the same position as the print on my filter and said "Huh, so that's why it needs changing, eh? Maybe your techs should wash their hands more often." He got all red in the face and put the new filter in for free.

 

[keepoursaints]

A new shop opened in Denham Springs.. saying you can get your oil changed in under 5 minutes... nice

 

[antipop]

id be interested to know of any specific problems your mechanic has encountered with dexcool,

it was a while back and i don't drive that buick any more.....he basically didn't have much good to say about it.....i can't remember specifics.....i am bringing the stang to him in a few weeks and i'll try to remember to ask him

 

[HennessyRob]

it was a while back and i don't drive that buick any more.....he basically didn't have much good to say about it.....i can't remember specifics.....i am bringing the stang to him in a few weeks and i'll try to remember to ask him

don't forget to update us after you talk to him

 

[Pure Energy]

considering i work in this industry, i feel i have to validate all of your bad experiences and back up my own operation at the same time.

we inform the customer of the manufacturers recommend interval, and then show the customer their air filter. we allow the customer to decide, based on that info. our computer system keeps track of how long ago the filter was changed, so there's no chance of us trying to sell it at every oil change.

I remember the first time I had the filter brought to me at a quick lube place for my 1988 Corrolla. The guy showed me a new filter and my filter. I agreed the the filter needed to be changed and asked how much is the new one....$30 he replied. I said, "Since the filter's only $9 from the Dealer, I'll save the $20 and replace it myself. But thanks for pointing it out."

Since the air filter is the easiest filter to change on most vehicles, I recommend every car owners know the price of the air filter from the dealer or a parts store before agreeing to have it changed by a mechanic. That way when the mechanic tells you it's $25 and you know the price of the filter is $23; you might say..."Go ahead" and not worry about the $2.

 

[Optimusaint]

A new shop opened in Denham Springs.. saying you can get your oil changed in under 5 minutes... nice

thats my company. that location is a "Take 5 Oil Change", but the older locations are still called "5 Minute Oil Change".

I remember the first time I had the filter brought to me at a quick lube place for my 1988 Corrolla. The guy showed me a new filter and my filter. I agreed the the filter needed to be changed and asked how much is the new one....$30 he replied. I said, "Since the filter's only $9 from the Dealer, I'll save the $20 and replace it myself. But thanks for pointing it out."

Since the air filter is the easiest filter to change on most vehicles, I recommend every car owners know the price of the air filter from the dealer or a parts store before agreeing to have it changed by a mechanic. That way when the mechanic tells you it's $25 and you know the price of the filter is $23; you might say..."Go ahead" and not worry about the $2.

very good advice. some cars are super easy to change, and the price difference may not be worth it. a few cars are a PITA and its worth an extra 2-3 bucks to have the shop change it. definitely check prices at parts stores to compare to a quick lubes price, cause 30 bucks for a 9 dollar filter is ridiculous. some of our air filters are actually cheaper than anywhere else, which helps a lot.

 

[helofixer]

Any repair shop,tire store or oil change joint should have a torque wrenchs available for the drain plugs or any other maintenance. Torque specs are there for a reason. Yes I know torque wrenches are expensive and require annual recalibration, but damaging people's vehicles because you gorilla torqued a drain plug is a joke. Some vehicles have the copper crush washer or an o-ring on the plug. Have some spares on hand. I bought a pack of 10 crush washersfor my Xterra for a couple bucks.

 

[Optimusaint]

Any repair shop,tire store or oil change joint should have a torque wrenchs available for the drain plugs or any other maintenance. Torque specs are there for a reason. Yes I know torque wrenches are expensive and require annual recalibration, but damaging people's vehicles because you gorilla torqued a drain plug is a joke. Some vehicles have the copper crush washer or an o-ring on the plug. Have some spares on hand. I bought a pack of 10 crush washersfor my Xterra for a couple bucks.

earlier in the thread, i mentioned that i spend 80 bucks a week replacing drain plugs. i keep 30+ of each style of plug in stock, with gaskets/washers too.

ill admit though, torquing drain plugs to the exact spec is borderline OCD. we dont use airtools, and dont tighten the plug with two arms worth of power. we replace the gasket/washer on every oil change as well, which goes a long way towards keeping the oil pan safe.