Jiffy Lube...
 

I was doing some maintenance on my mother in law's 2000 Explorer with a 4.0 V6 this weekend and was confused over the size of the filter on the car vs. what I picked up at the store.

Like a lot of folks, she last had her oil changed at Jiffy Lube. Back tracing the part number, the filter they put on is absolutely wrong for her application. One would think that if you're business is oil changes, you'd at least get the filter right.

I'm surprised they don't have more lawsuits and failures.

https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...1&d=1681145838

I still change my own oil. Don't trust oil change places at all. They recently left my daughter's plug loose and it leaked all over the place. Also overfilled it. Luckily the plug didn't fall out before she caught it.

Those places are bad.

The hires dont care. Ok its rare some do. If they are out of certain filter I think supervisor would change to a filter they have. My tire dealer changes my oil when I'm lazy on my truck. He gets deliveries from NAPA daily. I change my cars. Shame you cant rely on some.

I bought a really nice, loaded, '96 Caprice years ago. It was a poor mans Impala SS. Had an LT1, trailer package, etc. It had about 50k on it. It had a brand new long block with only 5k on it. The little old lady took it to the Chevy dealer for all recommended service. She had a stack of receipts! During one oil change, they didn't put oil back in it. She left and the engine seized right down the road.

Unfortunately I have to use these kinds of places for the company vehicle that I drive and I can tell you that they are all terrible, even the dealership!

Do my own maintenance on everything I own as I don't trust any of these places...

My brother used one of these places for oil changes. He wanted me to fix a leaky valve cover. Turns out the filter was loose. I went to the place and told them how incompetent their are. They threatened to call the police and I responded that the BBB was going to get a call. Checked all their cars and all the other filters were loose.

Been changing oil since I was 13 and never once let anyone change oil on any of my vehicles, that includes free oil changes from the dealer on my new cars.

It appears that oil filter is for an Explorer, but one with the 2 liter 4 cylinder engine.

A much later model than her '00 as far as I could tell.

I went to an “Iffy Lube” once when I had just relocated from GA to CA. Didn’t have any tools unpacked yet and I knew my car was in desperate need of an oil change, plus I had a tire that the TPMS indicated was a few psi low. So I figured I’d spoil myself and have Iffy Lube handle it. Besides the oil change, a nice enough young kid informed me that they also do something like an 18 point inspection of other filters, fluids, wiper blades and tire pressure. “Fine, because the right rear tire is about 4 psi low”. “We’ll take care of it!” he said with confidence. 25 minutes later the car was ready, he tried to sell me every imaginable product and service they had, which of course I declined because it was a virtually a brand new car hardly a year old. I paid and drove away. A minute later the TPMS was indicating that the exact same same tire was still 4 lbs low! Pulled into a nearby gas station, for 4 quarters used their compressor and inflated the tire myself. The next morning I popped open the hood and checked the dipstick. The oil in the pan was so low it barely registered on the end of the stick! Is that how these places squeeze out their profits, by skimping on a quart of oil per oil change?! Never again will I set foot in one of those places.


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You can't make this stuff up. My sister had her first oil change done in San Diego on a new Mini Cooper S when they first came out. A quick change place, not sure if it was branded Jiffy Lube. They left the plug loose. Before she got home on the highway, all the oil was out of it and it seized. The quick change place agreed to pay for a new engine. It had to be towed to a BMW dealer near LA where she bought it new. The dealer installed a new engine in it. She picked it up at the dealer and hit the freeway back home to San Diego. Heavy traffic on the freeway, stop and go. She looks at the temp gauge, it's pegged on "H". She has it towed back to the dealer. Engine is melted down. Technician forgot to plug in the electric fan module when they put the new engine in! Dealer ordered her a new car. She refused to have a third engine put in a car with 5000 miles on it. New car was fine.

Dang. Sounds like we got off easy with the wrong filter. I told her I'd do her oil from now on.

NEVER use any of those places they don't give a chit about doing a good job or using the correct parts.

My son-in-law took his Audi Q5 to one of those places. Up until that time I had been doing all the oil changes for him. The next oil change it cam back here. On the Q5 there are about a dozen torx head screws than need to be removed to drop a large flat cover under the engine to access the oil pan drain plug. The cover goes from one side of the undercarraige to the other so pretty good idea to have quite a few screws to hold it in place.

When I went to remove the pan there were only three screws holding it in place and one end of it was shoved in and wedged in place kind of cock-eyed. The screws they did put back in were cross threaded and just spun so I couldn't get them out....LOVELY!

So my daughter had taken here Nissan to the same place a few months earlier so I had her drive it up here on the next visit and low and behold they had the WRONG oil filter on it and stripped out the two bolts that hold the access cover to the oil filter in place. They just turned and would not back out.....LOVELY!

If my math is good that's a 100 percent failure rate. This day and age I wouldn't trust anyone to do anything to my vehicles and why I have a lift in the shop and full service capabilities......

The quick lube shops have one goal, and anyone who goes to one needs to know what that is. That goal is 10 minutes. In that 10 minutes, the secondary goal is to make at least 1 add on sale. So at least 5 of the 10 minutes is tearing off covers, opening lids and caps trying to make some type of add on sale. Even with all my parts discounts, I can not buy 5 quarts of quality oil and a nice correct oil filter for what they charge to do the entire job. It also takes me 1/2 hour on average to perform a proper oil change and look things over on a car. Not to be harsh but you get your 10 minutes worth and your $29.99 worth at the quick lubes. Only way I would use one would be a lease vehicle or one I didn't care about at all.

Check your local shops. My tire shop where I hang out does mine. If I supply the oil and filter it's about $20.00! Yes that's it. Last time he rotated my tires(I bought there 2 years ago) and oil change for $20.00. He is young has a family,treats his customers fairly is busy.My 2cts.

When I was about 18-19 and didn't know any better, I took my Fiero (my first car) to a Jiffy Lube and when I drove over the pit ramp, my catalytic converter ripped off. They told me it was my fault because my car was low to the ground (it was stock). They told me I needed to leave because I was causing a disruption. I called the police, and when the police came, they agreed to pay for a new catalytic converter to be installed. I took it to another shop (because the oil hadn't been changed), and the other shop (some Goodyear Tire and Oil) used a floor jack to raise up the side of my car to get to the oil filter. The Fiero has cooling tubes that run the length of both sides of the car because it's mid-engine... and the cooling pipes run under the door thresholds. This idiot used the floor jack on one of the cooling pipes, and it collapsed while the car was jacked up, causing the pipe to bend and the jack to impact my suspension. They bent the pipe back enough so coolant could get through it again... but I was furious. I was also a fool because I should have forced them to replace it. They told me the car was rare and no one had those parts (it was 1997, the car was only 10 years old).

It was literally at that point where I told myself that from here on out, I would do literally everything myself. Since that point, I've only taken one of my cars in if it's under warranty, or I needed something done in an emergency. Every brake job, suspension rebuild... heck, welding patch panels... fuel pumps, basically everything, I do myself now. I just do not trust repair shops. It also goes the same for homes. Half the time when I'd call someone to do work on my home, they'd do a s**t job, because they just don't care. So I've taught myself to do all the electrical per NERC standards, all plumping (sweating pipes or PVC), cut and lay tile, drywall... you name it. Everything except the roof... (fear of falling from high places).

I had an '85 Toronado back in the day. Just moved so I wasn't set up to do my oil change yet. Went to a local place for an oil change. They have a checklist they use for their multipoint inspection. i was watching them work and afterwareds, the differential oil level box was checked, but i know they didn't check it. When questioned, they said it was front wheel drive. I answered that yes, it is, but there is a differential under there.

They finally checked it but it's amazing to me they had no idea nor even questioned what was clearly obvious.

George

I got robbed by a local Jiffy Lube last year. I always thought the reason to go to those places is they are affordable. I took my Ram in for an oil change, declined other services and still got charged $120. They didn't tell me beforehand either, just sprung it on me at the end. The base synthetic oil change is like $75, which is already high but I was willing to pay that. But then because my truck takes 7 quarts and the oil change apparently only covers 5 they charged me something like $15.99 a quart for the extra two.

For reference, the dealership only charged like $65. A way better deal.

I do the oil myself in that sometimes, but its a pain. There is just no easy way to change the filter without making a mess.

Here is a true story about a Jiffy Lube location in the Chicago area I heard from a regional manager of that company. Years back, a high-end Mercedes drove into one of those locations because the driver heard a rattling noise coming from under the hood. When the car drove in, unbeknownst to the driver, a worker in the pit below pulled the oil drain plug believing it was an oil change job. When the driver drove off after the rattle issue was corrected, he had no oil in the engine and it eventually seized up. Jiffy Lube was on the hook for several thousand dollars to replace the engine. I've told this story to many people echoing what you said, avoid these places if you can!!!

You are miles ahead to stay away from Jiffy Lube. They have a great reputation for damaging cars and engines.

If you pay a lot, you might get what you paid for. If you pay very little, you will definitely get what you paid for!

I have always used local mom and pop stores for oil changes. They are not as concerned with speed, more with staying in business.

James Q

The quick lube stores rely very heavily on the add-on sales and prey on people in a hurry, not interested in cars and the generally uninformed. Recent example is a 78 year old lady friend who brought me a receipt from a Buick Encore with just over 20K miles on it. She was informed that she "must replace the engine air filter and cabin air filter immediately or risk "ruining the engine and HVAC system" The 2 filters were $170.00, "installed". I looked them up on the NAPA site. The 2 filters cost me $31.00 for the pair and the labor was 12 minutes for the pair to install. That's how they can do an oil change, sometimes correctly, for $40.00. Also, I have had multiple vehicles come to my shop with NO OIL FILTER INSTALLED after an oil change at a quick lube. Most newer engines have a drop-in filter element. I open the cap and no filter inside. The car has a sticker on the winsheld from a quick lube. That's one way to increase the thin profit margins. How would you know the difference? As already mentioned. You get what you pay for. CHEAP<FAST< GOOD. Pick any 2.

Like going to McDonald’s for a fine dining experience.

I’m waiting for the story when somebody with more money than sense pulls their Tesla into a Jiffy Lube for an oil change… and they do it! “$117.32 please sir…”. Haha


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One of those quick oil change places left the plug loose on my son's Subaru a few years back. Fortunately, he pulled over and killed the engine as soon as the oil light came on. Same thing happened to a friend of mine just a couple of days ago. I'm amazed that this happens so often. It's like mounting a tire and forgetting the lug nuts!
I buy my daily driver oil by the case at Sam's or Costco and choose a decent brand of filter from the parts store. 12 quarts of conventional is under $40 and I've had zero issues with it.

Smallest cheapest filter and cheapest bulk oil.. That hasn't changed

Similar.
 

Had a guy come in the parts store the other day and ask me for an air filter for his Tesla. So, you need an air filter for your ELECTRIC car? Yes! Uh, do you mean a cabin filter? Yes, that one. :D

Only once in my entire life have I let someone else change the oil on one of my cars.

I took my wife’s new at the time 2013 Civic to the dealer for its very first oil change. The technician tightened the drain plug to the point that the aluminum crush washer squeezed down enough to reduce the I.D. to the point that I had to thread it off the drain plug with pliers.

No damage really but left a bad taste in my mouth, I always use a new crush washer and torque it to spec as outlined in the owners manual. I buy a good brand of synthetic oil and quality NAPA Gold filters in bulk.

https://www.fleetfilter.com

The low price on the filters more than compensate for the shipping cost, works out if you have multiple vehicles plus you can order a bunch with some friends to defray shipping costs. I like having both oil (which I usually buy online) and filters handy, I’m never running out to the auto parts store when it’s time to do an oil change.

Due to the "left it loose" failures, they seem to have instituted a process of installing the plugs so damn tight that they are extremely difficult to remove, and the rate of resultant oil pan changes is going up dramatically. Steel plug, aluminum pan, and impact wrench - brilliant. A friend with a Ridgeline paid about $1100 to have his oil pan replaced. Was told by the oil change place that its not uncommon. He swore those quick oil change places saved him so much money over the years... I asked if it was still cheaper when the pan had to be replaced. Silence.

My newly married son is now the maintainer of record for his in-laws' vehicles. Had a suburban to change oil in, the hex on the drain plug was destroyed to the point no socket of any size would fit. He got those left hand theaded sockets with teeth, and used the vehicle weight against the ratchet on the ground to get enough bite to get it out. Resourceful, and saved them the oil pan replacement they were expecting.

I worked in one 25 years ago. Yes, they hire MORONS because it's an entry level position. When I was there (I worked up vs working down in the pit) and when we got notice of oil drain plugs not tightening up because the pan was damaged we always noted it in the invoice. Many times the owners knew it and were looking to us to fix it.

We would also advise against trans services on old vehicles. I remember specifically a 93 or so Explorer and it was the daughters car and the father insisted on doing a fluid exchange. We advised against it, noted it in the comments, and we did it. Got a call a few hours or the next day that as they tried to traverse the Eisenhower Pass (I worked in the Boulder location) that the trans failed.

When it comes to filters, they had a computer system where you enter in the make model and engine and it would spit out the filter number. They used cheap filters. It was an interesting time in my life.

That picture in post #1 prompted this reply;
Not to contradict all the recommendations (because I also do my own oil changes, and have only once made an exception to this personal practice);

It seems the application guides are also no longer what they used to be;
So although I may not be familiar with that application, it's possible that the smaller one may have been listed as the replacement filter number.

My wife's daily driver as an example (2008 Dodge Caliber SRT4) has nearly every single application catalogue showing the wrong filter for her car.
I believe in most cases, if you go to the oil filter manufacturer's online catalogue it's correct, but all the printed cataloges I have seen call for a (much smaller) common four cylinder filter - and in a pinch it does work, but the proper one is a large body filter that is shared with the V8 engines;
I have made a habit to look up the 2008 Charger SRT for the correct filter.

The picture in post #1 is almost exactly what the correct versus "listed" filters look like for our Caliber SRT.

A little off subject, but we have a Valvolene "drive through" oil change shop. . Sounds good until you go there on a 106 deg day and the shop doors are open ( 106 plus) and you have to sit-in the car ( it's on the lift and you can't get out) with engine heat rising into the car and you can't run the A/C because the engine isn't running. What a business model.