This was posted on another newsgroup, but since many of us here use these (loosely to home repair) related services, I though many would be interested.
From a recent Los Angeles TV station news segment:
Thanks Edwin! Very entertaining. I often wonder why I work so hard and stand behind my work. I could make so much more money if I were a lying piece of crap.
AZCRAIG
transmission oil change. 3 months later he went back to get another oil change and they showed him how badly his transmission needed an oil change because the oil was so dirty. He informed them that they apparently hadn't given him the transmission service he had paid for three months before and demanded a refund. He got it and never went back to that place. It's not just the national chains that do this crap. I went to a local car wash/ oil change place in Mesa, AZ. They had a waiting room that overlooked the service bays. While waiting I get a page to pick up the courtesy phone which just happens to be at a window overlooking the service bay. It's a tech below the window showing me a paper towel. He wipes my tranny dipstick on the towel and proceeds to tell me how dirty and burnt the oil is. And at the right moment as if on cue, another tech runs up and squirts some fresh transmission fluid on the towel to show me what it's supposed to look like. He may have been right but 25 plus years as a salesman makes me a little too skeptical of "canned" sales pitches. I passed.
Tom G
:
Yeah, but you can sleep well.
It is hard to find a really good mechanic. They don't come cheap, but are worth every penny. I used one recently that was 100% honest, but just not competent. Found another that is both.
my elderly mother went to penzoil quick oil change . they scared her to get a "radiator flush" and "transmission flush" . i was so mad that i went down there and got her money back. i showed them the dirt stil in both. they said " the flush doesnt get it all out". and true flush runs water thru the whole cooling system till it runs clear,then refill. and a trans fill requires getting all the old fluid out before fill.what ripp off artists. lucas
I'm not suprised one bit.
I generally use Jiffy Lube for oil changes, just to save the time of having to drop my car off somewhere and return for it, but I never let 'em sell me anything BUT an oil/filter change. And, I watch through the window and raise the hood before I leave to make sure the part of the filter I can see looks brand new. (I suppose they could just wipe the grime off the old one, huh?)
Jiffy Lube around here had an obnoxious practice of tacking on an extra buck and a half to their advertised prices for "waste oil disposal". That charge was described on a small notice on the front of the service counter of a size which a lawyer would describe as, "One designed to suppress the transfer of information."
That practice violated a state law here which says that places selling motor oil in quantities greater than some limited amount (Like maybe the few quarts a week that a "Store 24" would sell.) had to take used oil in for disposal at no charge.
I expect that law was designed to encourage DIY oil changers to return used oil to a merchant rather than just dumping it down a storm drain to avoid paying a disposal charge.
After a couple of years of paying that fee, and just for s**ts and grins, I tossed a two gallon gan in my car when I went to Jiffy Lube for an oil change and asked if they'd put my old oil in it. I told the guy that I heated my garage/workshop with a waste oil burner in the winter. They refused, saying it was against company policy to do that.
Somebody with more time to waste than me must have pushed the matter, because last year SWMBO and I each received a $5 settlement coupon from Jiffy Lube, which I'm sure was far less than the total of the $1.50 charges we'd paid several times a year for at least five years, but half a loaf is better than none, isn't it?
Well, maybe not....
When I tried using the $5 settlement coupon on our next oil change my local Jiffy Lube place didn't consider it the same as "cash". They wouldn't let me use it in conjunction with the "$8 off your next oil change" card they always send me a couple of months after I've been there. It was "one or the other", so I used the "$8 off" one, tore up the $5 settlement card, and dropped it in their wastebasket.
Just to find out whether this was maybe a local Jiffy Lube asshole excersizing his "positional authority" I rang up their 800 number and was told by a Jiffy Lube customer relations guy that the "terms of that settlement" included permitting them to not accept those $5 settlement cupons in conjunction with any other discounts. He did tell me that I was far from the first irritated customer to call about that.
Some "settlement", huh? They're just another bunch of sharp cookies selling Girl Scouts.
Jeff
Jeff Wisnia posted for all of us... I don't top post - see either inline or at bottom.
But yet you STILL go... Shame on you.
Well, make up your mind... Bottom posting is just as bad as top posting...
...and apparently you don't trim your posts either.
Confucius said: "When rape is inevitable, lie back and try and enjoy it."
Jeff
Actually, I went to one only once. The name is "Jiffy" Lube. So when they told me there was an hour wait I left and never went back. A couple of years ago a local radiator repair shop put in a lube rack. I can go there during the day since it is near work. Only ever waited more than 10 minutes one time.
Its been around more than 30 years now but there is a Canadian chain Mr Lube plus a few competitor chains that have this oil change facility. You wait in you car and drive right into the road level bay (or in a few older facilities on a raised ramp) when a bay is available. If there are more than five cars waiting in line its I come back during a less busy time. Its rare that I have to wait more than half an hour for an oil change, and all this done without getting out of the car. In many lube shops you get free coffee and a complimentary newspaper too to make your wait more pleasant.
There is a work pit right under each car bay accessible from the lower level room. One guy works from the road level and the other guy from the pit. Its a beautifully coordinated process. The work is done while you are still in the car parked over that bay. You should be able to drive out within 10 to 15 minutes. Its impossible to fake any work because you can see or feel work being done. Or if you are interested enough you can get out of the car to watch the engine oil being sucked out, filters changed, grease being applied, brakes checked, etc. You have a choice of the house oil or a brand name oil and they tear the seal open from new 1 liter containers to do the pour. The empty containers are discarded. They'll do the 30 point maintenance check and make a report on the things that need to be looked into but they don't do any repair work. You can go to any independent repair shop.
MIDAS MUFFLER pittsburgh was ripping people like that! I once told the story to Ron Moore president of Midas. He denied it buty I goit my refund!
About 3 months later a investigative report at a local tv station broke the news.
people who i had told and apparently didnt believe me were stunned.
the best thing that could happen is jiffy lube goes belly up nationwide.
companies wouldnt pull stuff l;ike tis if those who got caught were put out of business.
bridgestone firestone should of gone been put out of business as a example.
i use my local mechanic or wall mart. cant beat 14 bucks for a oil change, and they dont try to sell you extra car stuff, they let you wait by shopping....
I have my own office machine repair business, I DONT pull stuff like that since I hate it whhen people do it to me!
There is a book, "What auto mechanics don't want you to know" by Mark Eskeldson, that I read recently. In it, they outlined all of the scams from major chains for oil changes, transmission, mufflers, etc. Midas and Sears were specifically mentioned and many of the lawsuits were from California, where this report was from and it was the same line...they get away with it, so it's not worth performing the work. One chain in the book was honored with "having lawsuits in 14 states simultaneously," which the author found rather "difficult to accomplish." An example suit was the "$59.99 brake job" that you used to see everywhere and they found that less than 5% of the cars qualified because the terms excluded semi-metallic pads which is was almost every car was using at the time of the investigation. The "average" brake job at these supposed convenience brake specialists ran $160-$200.
Anyway, the book also outlines how to find a good mechanic, what you should expect (maybe a higher hourly rate, but much better services, etc.). It's a bit dated and the Internet has certainly opened communication to the benefit of the consumer, but well worth the read.
He also wrote "what your car dealer doesn't want you to know," which was quite informative as well.
For many things (brakes/rotors for example), I took a basic repair class at a local tech school (at night) and not only learned information (i.e., how low can a pad go before it really needs to be replaced), but I had access to a lift, tire machine and tools that I could never afford myself for 12 weeks. By simply replacing my pads and rotors, I made back the tuition compared to what the job was quoted for at the place I used to go to.
I also found, through the instructor's network, a place that has proven to be very reliable and honest...we've been there a few times for things that we can't do at home and parts are priced within what we could purchase them for online and the labor rate is very competitive.
When I lived in PA, you had to have your car inspected by a state approved garage twice a year. Now I think it is once a year plus emissions.
There were a few different types of stations: A) Give me your $6 and I'll put the sticker on as long as no one is watching.
B) Your car is almost OK, but you need some minor repair that I can make a quick buck on. (I took three cars to one station the same day and all three needed headlight adjustment for $5. Six months later they all needed wiper blades) In reality, all three needed more expensive work but as a teenager, this was a good resolution.
C) Wow, good thing you came in. You need new ball joints, or steering rods, or some front end part that you'll never check to see what I did.
Maybe one station in 10 was completely honest.
Yep. That's the way it used to be in Georgia. Now emissions checks are the norm in the metro areas and they are closely watched by the state. No cheating now, or so they say.
Of course most brake jobs don't require turning the rotors or the drums, especially if the car has been driven reasonably and there is no deep scoring.
Not 100% true. Heat alone distorts the rotors and drums.
Used to be. Most rotors are made too light now and warp easily. I've never scored them, never abused them, but just put my second set of rotors on a LeSabre with 115k miles. Warped just from heat and normal braking. Light to save gas mileage and to hell with the owner at 50,000 miles. Never had that with drums though.
My van carries lots of weight turn rotors equal WARPED rotors within months:(
So new pads means new rotors most of time
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