I know this isn't the first time we've heard about JiffyLube having careless service with customer's cars, but this time it happened to one my good friends and what an ordeal. :whyhim:

My friend owns a 2009 Subaru Outback Sport with about 30,000 miles and takes pretty good care of it with regular maintenance intervals (fluids, tire rotations, etc).

He decided to bring in his car to get an oil change yesterday and they managed to sell him on a fuel injector cleaning service and offered to top off his fluids. Sounds great doesn't it? He gets his oil changed and injectors cleaned and he was on his way.

He said after he made the first turn out of the parking lot, the car was not driving properly. He could only describe it as running rough and lurching forward on slow starts. Worryingly, he took his car back to the JiffyLube and they did checked over the car for a second time and couldn't find out why the car was shifting and idling erratically. The technician insisted it was the fuel injector cleaner that was making the car act up. The tech recommended he should drive it off and to bring it back if he runs into any more issues.

Taking their advice, my friend then drove out of the parking lot and went straight to school which was 25 miles away .. car was still shifting erratically but not too much on the freeway.

He calls me when he gets out of class and asks if he can bring his car by for me to take a look at it. Upon further inspection, I drove it 10ft and knew what the problem was immediately .. no transmission fluid.

Horrified, I asked him what happened, what he paid for and what exactly the the techncian told him.

After some reading online, his paritcular 2.5i 4AT transmission takes nearly 10 quarts of transmission fluid and there wasn't a drop on the dipstick. Why did the technician drain the fluid? No clue ..

Longer story short, we opted to leave his car parked in my driveway and get a tow in the morning. No auto parts stores were open and the only transmission fluid gas stations stocked was standard / regular ATF for Fords / Chevys .. his car takes ATF-HP (synthetic I'm assuming) so I didn't want to make the damage worst than it already was.

The car was towed to, of all places, another JiffyLube near my house and we explained the circumstances and what happened.

They filled him up with transmission fluid and he's on his way .. but there's no telling what kind of damage driving without transmission fluid for ~40 miles will do. He said his car was shifting fine and was showing no signs of damage after the fluid change, but who knows. It could only be a temporary bandaid fix before clutch packs start slipping .

Not sure what my friend is going to do at this point .. but I think he has every bit of leverage he needs for some kind of compensation if things go south?

Thoughts?

I always do my own maintenance on my car because of screw ups like this .. I don't mind beating dealership prices and saving myself some grief.

JiffyLube pisses me off .. /rant.

Cliffs:

- Friend takes car to JiffyLube
- They change his oil, top off his fluids and sell him on a fuel injector service.
- Friend drives out of JiffyLube and notices his car lurching forward, he brings it back for a second inspection.
- Technician says fuel injector cleaner was the culprit, driving it off should fix the issue.
- Friend drives 40 miles to school / to my house and we find out there's no transmission fluid ..
- Car gets towed to another JiffyLube, they correct the fluid problem and his car is driving OK so far.
- If things go south, do you think he's eligible for compensation? He has all the receipts and another JiffyLube's input to back his claims ..Thoughts?

 

wow. like you said...damge to the clutch packs.

he's not going to be happy.
his tranny will fuck up!

 

No. No. No.

Have him bring it into a dealer immediately. Explain what has happened and how long it has been without transmission fluid. Do it now, and not later. Record the mileage when the fluid was drained and when it was refilled. Record everything. Forty miles without fluid has destroyed the transmission regardless of how it shifts now. Have a dealer confirm this.

Upon his first visit to JL, was this when the fluid was drained from the transmission? Will they admit to this? Did the other JL claim that the fluid was indeed drained? You need to be very careful with this. Record all conversations and "admissions". Who your friend spoke with and any other details.

 

The first visit at JL is where they drained the fluid and after leaving, the car started shifting hard.

Thanks for the great advice Terry, I told him to make notes of everything and have all of his receipts together. He has an appointment with the dealer tomorrow morning in the AM.

I'll keep everybody posted.

 

Once your friend has the details in place, he should definitely seek compensation. If the JL admitted they drained the transmission fluid (choosing not to blame your friend instead), then he should request that a full inspection be done at a dealer of his choice. The JL should pay for this inspection and any required repairs. If they refuse, then your friend should go up the chain of command until he gets a satisfactory response. If it becomes a problem not getting what he wants, contact consumer and advocacy groups.

 

Where is the transmission fluid drain bolt in relation to the oil pan drain bolt on the Subaru?
It's possible there was a mix-up and the tech forgot to put the transmission fluid back in after removing the drain bolt thinking it was for the oil.

BTW, did you check to see if the oil was fresh and likely changed?

 

The name itself scares me...."IFFYlube". I don't understand why would anyone would want to go there.

 

I looked at the 2009 Outback Sport's owner manual and I can't really see why they confused the two. The engine oil drain bolt is on a circular / squarish oil pan right under the motor and the transmission fluid drain bolt is on a rectangular oil pan (bottom of AT filter). I guess it would be pretty hard to tell the difference between dirty transmission fluid / dirty engine oil from their little dark nook? Either way .. they screwed up big time.

I didn't check the engine oil, but I will make sure he tells the dealer to check it .. this might be what sparked this all in the first place.

 

For a nob, it's easy to confuse the two bolts or the smell of tranny vs. oil fluid.

 

On a Subaru a novice could easily mistaken the transmission pan as the oil pan or even the transmission filter (which is a screw on in a lot of Subaru autos) for the oil filter.

They probably overfilled your friends crankcase too! Considering the engine oil was not drained and just added to. Everything needs to be documented by the store that did the "service." As mentioned above they need to pay for an inspection at the dealer and any repairs that may be required down the road.

DO NOT let them just send your friend on his way. Once he's out of sight with nothing stating they are liable, they'll take a one star yelp review and just smile.

Good luck.

 

What if they drained the tranny fluid and added 5 quarts of oil to the crankcase? Double whammy.

I feel embarrassed having almost accepted a job from them.

 

^ in all fairness every shop has its nightmares and/or mistakes. Even dealers....

 

True that. Probably just ended up with an inexperienced tech then.

 

Yep. It's just how you handle it that sets you apart from the rest!

 

Unfortunately, this is more common than anyone would care to admit. Poorly trained pit techs WILL get drain plugs confused AND filters confused. Some vehicles have spin-on transmission filters, such as Saturn.

I always recommend that once something of this nature has been discovered ... STOP and do not touch it further. Have the car immediately taken to a dealership for full documentation and inspection.

At this point, I am not sure what remedies your friend has available - but I would recommend a full inspection from Subaru.

 

sounds like he will be getting a new trans, probably engine on jiffylubes dime. not to say it isn't partially his own fault

 

Moral of the story: Change your own oil

 

Sorry to say he has no case. He can't prove they drained it. He left JL & drove 40 miles. He can't prove it didn't leak out on that drive. Unfortunately this isn't going anywhere. Going to cost him legal fee's if he wants to fight it.

This is why it's important to learn about how cars work. I mean it's not hard. Everything is online these days with videos & complete break downs & explanations.

 

Why does anyone even go to JiffyLube? I remember someone on here saying they take their TL to JiffyLube since its cheaper then Acura. My local Acura dealer charges $25 for an oil change. The JiffyLube charges $20. If $5 is such a big deal to you then you should not be driving an Acura.

As for your friend, I suggest you "gather" all the evidence and present it to the JiffyLube. Maybe make a report consumerist.com and maybe even the BBB? Good luck.

 

Quick-Lube places FTL. A friend of mine is currently having $3200 worth of work done to his engine after accepting an "engine flush" from them a few months ago.

 

Eff it. I go to the dealer for both of my cars. I use to change it myself, but no time with 55-60 hour work weeks, my time to myself is precious. When I worked for Shell U.S. I took my TL to Jiffy Lube since it was on their dime.

I have a really good relationship with my service advisors at both Honda and Infiniti. They go to bat if they screw up. So I don't mind as long as they make it right.

 

In my area a basic oil change from JL is close to $40

 

and thats the key, Ira.
you have to be on good terms with your service dept.

if you go to a random ass place, the techs dont know you and therefore wont take extra care of your car.

 

i swear i will always change my own oil
i swear i will always change my own oil
i swear i will always change my own oil
i swear i will always change my own oil
i swear i will always change my own oil

 

Even better is that they have no problem covering warranty items for me.

 

I used to take my oil to an oil change place. It was an independent shop that would charge me 7 dollars labor and I bring my own oil and filter. I'd get to watch them change out the oil as closely as I wanted and was out of there in less then 30 minutes. I'd have no problem going there again.

 

if im not mistaken don't most oil pans have an arrow pointing to the drain plug that says motor oil??

I know my CL does.

That was just a shady JL in my eyes. That or the tech was either high or drunk.

 

Odds are VERY good that the tech didn't see the indians, much less the arrows.

 

Not necessarily. If he fights it, they take it to court, present evidence, and try to convince a judge, then yes, he likely doesn't have proof of liability. That will cost him an arm and a leg, put it will also put a Jiffy Lube under. So when his lawyer calls up Jiffy Lube b/c they write him off, they have to decide: go through a knock down, drag out, reputation killing case, OR fix what they did wrong and save their reputation. Don't underestimate the power of public relations and unhappy consumers. If you run your business correctly, the customer is always right, and it seems that is the case here. If a business does you wrong, bitch and bitch some more. Chances are you get what you want.

One can only be a door mat if he allows himself to be.

 

Actually, they won't contest it at all. They will immediately turn it over to their insurance carrier who will possibly settle and possibly not. Either way, Jiffy Lube (Shell Oil if it is a company store, otherwise a franchise operator) will be clear - since they submitted a claim. Any denial can be blamed on the carrier's decision, not their own doing.

Any refusal on the party of JL to submit the claim can be deemed "claims escalation" and it is frowned upon by insurance carriers.

The real problem in this case is not what was or wasn't done at the shop. The issue is the work performed after the fact ... the addition of the ATF.

 

Million $ company I doubt that.

 

I meant that store. I assume it is a franchise with a franchisee owner that doesn't have the geatest profit margin to be doling out legal expenses. Correct me if that is not how Jiffy Lubes work.

Jim brings up a pertinent point. This guy's insurance may have something to say about this too. If he did not do anything wrong to cause this condition to his car and he has comprehensive coverage, won't they have to cover a claim if he makes it?

 

Agreed on the price. I have no desire to change the oil on my car, the dealer runs me down the road and picks me up after. Plus those JL's always try and upsell you like they did to the OP's friend. What did he wind up paying for the oil change and injector clean.

 

This is why I trust myself and the dealer to change the oil in my car.

If there was no trans fluid on the dip stick at all then it sounds to me like they may not have even put the drain bolt back on at all. The fluid probably pumped out while he was driving. That's scary.

 

Or the tech didn't tighten the drain bolt enough causing the fluid to drain out while driving. Happened to my brother once. He took his corolla to get an oil change from a small local shop. Several days later he was very low on oil...only a tiny drop on the dipstick..and there were spots on the driveway. I jacked it up and checked and the drain bolt was so loose I can turn it with my fingers.

 

I think Will hit the nail right on the head. I guess the drain bolts could be easily confused .. but the drain bolt on the transmission wasn't loose and there was no evidence of the fluid leaking.

I'm still waiting on an update from my friend, but I really hope this works out in his favor ..

 

My local Acura dealer charges $46 for an oil change and never give out coupons for the oil change service. I go to the Honda dealer for $20, but I could certainly see why someone deciding on price alone would want to go to Jiffy Lube considering I always see coupons for them.

 

I took my 3G for an oil change at the local car wash. Was there next to him while he was draining the oil and filling it, $65 for 5w-20 synthetic oil with included free car wash. It drives waaaay better than the BS oil the dealer uses (Hmmm.....bulk oil anyone?). I used to do mine but the savings and hassle just not worth it. Oil nowadays is around $6.99/qt plus filter....not to mention my time and the hassle of putting all the tools and disposing of the oil. I don't have any autozone near me nor is the drive worth with gas at $4 plus a gallon.

 

I got two oil changes worth of Mobil1 full synthetic with filter for $70 from Advance Auto which is on my way home.

 

Did you see that for yourself? Or taking JL's word on it?