Jiffy Lube Scams (Mechanic Stories)

[Shy]

[size=1]I don't know a lot about cars but every time I go to get my oil changed I am asked if I need to get my air filter replaced. Normally I say yes and deal with the extra 30 dollar charge, but today I was watching my spending and had to decline.

In order to better sell their point, the salesman show me a pitch black SQUARE air filter, covered with leaves and oil, claiming it was mine. I recalled getting my air filter changed the last time my oil was, so immediately my suspicions were raised. I had to stop at a parts store and pick up some coolant for my car anyway, so I figured I could buy a new air filter and change it out myself.

When I went to store I was immediately suspicious of the service I had received at Jiffy Lube. The filter I was shown by the mechanic was SQUARE, but the air filter I purchased (the only kind that would work for my car) for my car was RECTANGULAR. When I got home I was certain that Jiffy Lube had been trying to rip me off. The 'filthy' air filter was in fact only slightly yellow in color (not black,) and nothing at all like the one they showed me.

The Jiffy Lube repairman lied to me in order to sell me a new air filter. Jiffy Lube should be ashamed, and I don't think I will ever get my oil changed there again. This is exactly the kind of cheating that turns people off to hiring a mechanic in the first place.

Have you ever caught a mechanic trying to rip you off?

-Shy[/size]

[Horendithas]

[COLOR="Indigo"][FONT="Arial"][quote name='Shy][size=1']Have you ever caught a mechanic trying to rip you off?[/size][/quote]Not me since I don't have a car, but plenty of my friends have run into this kind of thing. I think the [I]you need a new air filter[/I] deal is pretty common unfortunately. Nearly everyone I know who owns a car has, at one point, had a place lie about them needing one. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[Sabrina]

[FONT="Tahoma"]I've had someone attempt to tell me I need a new air filter for my car. o_O I really hate that since every place I've gone to for an oil change always says I need one. I even tried putting a brand new one in right before I took my car in... and they [I]still [/I]tried to claim I needed one.

So I started looking for other places to take my car. It took me a while to find a place that doesn't do that kind of thing, the only drawback, they get a lot of business so I have to make an appointment well in advance. [/FONT]

[Kenso]

[COLOR=SeaGreen][SIZE=1][FONT=Comic Sans MS]I don't think I've ever had that issue, although that's probably because I tend to shut it down before they can say anything with a well-timed "I know I need this, this, and this, but I'm only here for this.". That seems to annoy them, a lot. But I come with the advantage of coming from a family full of car nuts, so I know more than a lot of people do about cars. I'm no genius by any means, but at least I can make most of my own repairs.

My only real issue came from going for a transmission check-up. The car hadn't shifted into Overdrive the entire year my friend owned it, and that never changed when I had it. I got it checked after about 9 months of driving it, and within a week of the checkup, the transmission died. Considering it had been at least a year and a half (probably closer to 2 and a half) with that problem and no additional issues, I find it far too coincidental, and think the guy screwed with something in my tranny so I'd come back to him with a far more expensive fix (I had every intention of getting the initial problem fixed, I just wanted to know exactly what it was and what I needed to save up).
[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[jomz]

[quote name='Sabrina'][FONT="Tahoma"]
So I started looking for other places to take my car. It took me a while to find a place that doesn't do that kind of thing, the only drawback, they get a lot of business so I have to make an appointment well in advance. [/FONT][/QUOTE]

I think the reason they are having a lot of business is that a lot of people trust that they are doing the right thing - being honest about their services.

You are lucky that the only drawback you get is the advanced appointment.

[Drizzt Do'urden]

The best advice I can give ANYONE is to learn to do the simple things yourself. I know changing your oil is a hassel since you have to dispose of your own oil. But it's a lifesaver.

I've always changed my own air filter since I tend to go for the expensive K an N brand that most places don't carry. But all that aside I went in to a jiffy lube style place (i can't recall the name but there is a chain of them in South East Ohio). I went in for brake service, and walked out to go the restroom. I came back in and saw one of the employees carrying a jug of oil from the pit underneath my car.

When I asked what was up they said they were told by the manager that I wanted my oil and brakes done. Well I sensed a con and pitched a fit telling them that I just changed my oil a week ago and they could put the oil back in and I was leaving to go report them to the better business bureau.

Well I got a free oil change and my brakes done, still reported them and they were shut down for a week for "new mangement".

After that, and the stories from people about other places in town, I decided to learn to do more then just change my oil and other stuff. Now I pay half the cost, get my stuff done in half the time, and my car runs better than ever.

[TheShinje]

The mechanic I go to is a straight-up guy. He's never tried to sell me anything I don't need and he even goes out of his way to find the cheapest option for me.

Some mechanics are shady people who will try to squeeze more money out of people who don't know the workings of a car from a bar of sopa. Then again, you'd get computer techs who do the same thing. Rip-off scamsters, gah.

[Gavin]

[quote name='Shy'][size=1]Have you ever caught a mechanic trying to rip you off?

-Shy[/size][/QUOTE]

[SIZE="1"]Generally speaking I think it's a long estalished fact that a lot of mechanics out there are liars, charlatains and con-men trying to rip you off by playing on the fact that you probably don't know enough about cars to be able to call them on whatever line they throw at you. Most of the time I think it'd best to get an opinion from several people you know on who they bring their cars to and if a name pops up regularly enough then you're probably safe with that one.[/SIZE]

[SunfallE]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Shy][size=1]I don't know a lot about cars but every time I go to get my oil changed I am asked if I need to get my air filter replaced. Normally I say yes and deal with the extra 30 dollar charge, but today I was watching my spending and had to decline.[/size][/QUOTE]I don't know a lot either, but I had to learn how to do daily inspections for a semi when I was driving. So I got pretty good at knowing if there really was something wrong or not with my regular car. So when it comes to this:[QUOTE=Shy][size=1']Have you ever caught a mechanic trying to rip you off?[/size][/quote]I have, on several occasions caught someone trying to lie to me about needing repairs. Aside from the air filter, which seems to be pretty standard, the one that stands out the most was some place telling me that my rear wheel drive was broken. They wanted $900 for a new one.

The only problem with that was, my car has front wheel drive. So I knew he was completely full of it. So I left and never went back. And you know, that so called broken rear wheel drive that my car doesn't have... well that was over five years ago and my car still drives just fine. I guess he figured I'd be too dumb to know that he was lying. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[Kinetix]

It's an age old trick, preying on the naive.

I've always refused the air filter service because it's cheap and easy to do on your own.

The one time I was nearly swindled though, was when I had air in my brake line. I wasn't very knowledgeable of the braking system yet and the mechanic had convinced me that my master brake cylinder was out. He charged me $250 to replace it and had it ready the next day.

I was suspicious, so I figured out that all he had actually done was bled my brakes and that my master brake cylinder was indeed the old one (for I was promised a new one from the manufacturer), and I took pictures of it.

I returned to his shop and demanded a refund, threatening to have the BBB shut his business down. I was given a refund and an apology immediately, which must have been most humbling, and I went on my way.

[Roxie Faye]

[color=#9933cc]Wow! That sucks, hearing all the bad mechanic stories.

I have a Saturn, so I always go to the dealership to get my car fixed. The dealership I go to apparently has one of the highest ranked customer services of all the Saturns in the country. They're so nice and I never have any problems with them.

Unfortunately, at the Saturn down by where I go to school (I guess it's not ranked so high), they tried to sell me a more expensive package to get a "full check-up" since my car was "nearing a certain age" (even though my milelage wasn't close to the recommended mileage on the full check-up package). I told them "no" and just got my oil changed.[/color]

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[color=#9933ff][font=monotype corsiva][size=4]My car has over 1,000,000 miles and since in the past I've relied on it heavily to get around for my job (and driving cross country, and across the state) I am obsessive when it comes to care and only take it to the Monroe Muffler on Stone Rd the next town over or to the mechanic that goes to my church.

I've only twice in the past five years (the vehicle is six years old and will be replaced next year) had to go to other mechanics. Once was because I was out near Albany and needed new tires to get home and the other was because I simply didn't feel like driving. The Walmart near Albany was okay since it was just tires. But the Monroe Muffler near my house was not too good. The guy fixed my horn but then it started going off at 2am. So I disconnected the wire and he told me that I needed a new system for 800$ that couldn't be guaranteed. So now my horn is broken again so watch for the fingers.[/color][/size][/font]

[DeathKnight]

[color=crimson]I saw this on your Facebook and would have supported you launching some kind of strike against the mechanic and/or shop in question involving missiles of a very aggressive and explosive variety.

I have done my best to avoid getting ripped off by mechanics though there are so many terrible ones. Even registered dealers are fond of tacking on unnecessary work onto your vehicle.

Car ownership is troublesome.[/color]

[Kinetix]

[quote name='ChibiHorsewoman'][color=#9933ff][font=monotype corsiva][size=4]My car has over 1,000,000 miles.[/color][/size][/font][/QUOTE]


Wow. You must have been driving since before I was born.

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[quote name='Kinetix']Wow. You must have been driving since before I was born.[/QUOTE]

[color=#9933ff][font=monotype corsiva][size=4]Only if you and my daughter are the same age.

I bought my car used and have driven it not only from Rochester to Albany but from Rochester to Killeen Texas and I used to put about 600 miles on it a week when I was a home health aide.

I can't wait! Next year I am buying my very first new car! :D[/color][/font][/size]

[chibi-master]

See, it's horror stories like this and the fact that I'm mechanically deficient that I dread the very THOUGHT of driving! I DON' WANNA!!!:animecry: Luckily, I've still got 2 more years left...

[Rachmaninoff]

I don't have a car, just one that I get to share. =P However, I have to say that the scam over needing a new air filter when you don't seems to be pretty common. Everyone I know has run into it and I've had someone try to pull it on me too. Thing was, I had just changed it the week before so I knew the guy was lying.

So once they were done, I checked the car to make sure they didn't leave the fake dirty one that they showed me in there. Naturally it still had the new one. I know my parents have had places try to rip them off, but I don't remember the particulars.

Not to say they're all bad, you just have to look around. Though like Sabrina mentioned, that often means they're quite busy.

[Japan]

I do not have a car but I always thought car mechanics were a little sneaky in their practices.