Atlanta Havoline Xpress Lube not changing oil

[Apollo14]

Originally Posted By: Klutch9
Originally Posted By: abycat
my old live shop would show the customer the new oil at the full mark after the change.


The one and only time I ever took my vehicle to get the oil changed, the woman (yes, a woman, and she was very competent working on cars), measured out the exact amount of oil into a large measuring container. After she filled the sump and had me cycle the oil, she showed me the oil at the full mark on the dipstick. And she did all this without me having to request it. But most people don't even know what a dipstick is, so I'm sure they're easy to take advantage of unfortunately.


And the sad irony is that she probably did this because customers assume a woman doesn't know what she is doing.

 

[Apollo14]

Isn't it funny how corporate executives will always claim what an employee does is against policy, inconsistent with training, yet will never admit to the performance objectives they set which drive the upselling and fraud.

Originally Posted By: Bourne

Curious what your definition of "white box" filters is ??



Most quick lube places will have a specification guide print out with every oil change/inspection ( I know ours does, we use Mitchell guide ). Contrary to what the common belief is, most of the big name LOF chains are working hard day and night to get away from this stigma that afflicts our auto industry. Customers have them running scared. With the litigious society we live in, corporate pressure to do the "right thing" is more than ever. I know multiple times our shop had to "eat" the cost of repairs, it was of no fault of ours/techs. It is very very very hard to argue/discuss an issue with a semi-educated customer brought up on old wives tales and their "uncle's" feedback.

Most of the time the DM ( district managers ) end up giving away whatever they think is going to make the customer happy, regardless of whose fault. Our DM has told us upfront that if he gets a complaint from one of our stores, by default he will be on customer's side.

So nowadays, most of the bad rap is coming from the little guys/smaller chains.

 

[Apollo14]

I'm waiting for some posters from the oil filter forums to tell us that this small number of issues is not statistically significant nor dangerous for vehicles and that someone should start tracking successful oil changes on a spreadsheet.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Can't be much profit in that.

I think that sums up much of the problem in one sentence. There is a serious incentive for too many shortcuts. And, when you start doing shortcuts, it's a slippery slope.

The stereotypical OCD BITOGer could never make money operating a quick lube. Getting everything done correctly and carefully with proper fluids for $20 (or whatever arbitrary cheap figure we set, say $40 for Canada) isn't easy, especially if one expects a profit without upsells.

I do some cross promotion with a quick lube. They are quite picky and careful and use Hastings filters, with Valvoline as their go to oil, but plenty more choices available. Unfortunately for them, they have to deal with some people complaining about the price, because they don't compete with the ultra-cheap oil changes that certain dealers here perform. Even up here, we still have some dealers doing oil changes for just under $20.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: Apollo14
...should start tracking successful oil changes on a spreadsheet.

I track my DIY oil changes on a spreadsheet, but not their "success." I should start. You haven't been around long enough to know I'm usually a very messy oil changer, but have had good luck lately. Last time, I made a horrifying mess, so I should mark that as an unsuccessful oil change on my spreadsheet.

 

[CharBaby]

This is only one of the reason that I change my own oil/filter!
Other reason(s) are that, I like to do it, I like saving money and I also check other areas of the vehicle while changing the oil as this allows me to inspect for possible future failures/problems.

These horrifying stories are also the main reason that I do as much work as possible on my vehicles myself. I know that the job was performed and done correctly!

My skills, tools(I have a compressor & some air tools but, NO torches or welder), physical strength are limited. So, there are areas of the vehicle that I'd prefer to pay someone to do the job. Even though I do find most car work to be good therapy. And again, I like saving the money!

 

[Jarlaxle]

I go to a shop (usually Pep Boys or a Firestone place) with my Dakota now...with the various promotions, I cannot change it MYSELF for what they charge. My Magnum was the same way: LOF for $23 at the dealer. Couldn't come close to that doing it myself!

 

[supton]

When they can do it cheaper than you can I have to worry. Cheaper parts + non-free labor + non-free garage... those parts must be real cheap!

 

[CharBaby]

Originally Posted By: supton
When they can do it cheaper than you can I have to worry. Cheaper parts + non-free labor + non-free garage... those parts must be real cheap!

Even if the price is cheaper than I can do it myself, I want to change my own oil and look around underneath the vehicle. Also, is it really cheaper when they're always digging in the pockets of customers.

 

[Hokiefyd]

I'd change my own oil even if it cost me twice what it costs at a shop. In fact, I sort of DO do that with tire rotations. The tires I buy come with lifetime rotation, so I've already paid for it, but I do it at home in my garage on Saturday mornings. Car maintenance is therapy for me.

My wife says that the disease gets worse, not better, the more time I spend out there.

She's probably right.

 

[HangFire]

Originally Posted By: babbittd
Of all the "stories" that the media companies decide to pick up on and run over and over again and over again, this exposure of a scam is apparently not important enough.

"Important enough" in the national news media is defined as "important enough to burn bridges with a current or potential national advertiser."

Originally Posted By: babbittd

Here is the original online version: http://www.wtoc.com/story/26510059/cbs46-investigation-catches-mechanics-not-changing-oil

Posted 9/11, updated on 9/15 and I can find no other news websites that picked it up. Not one! This is unusual.


No, it's not unusual, because it's a local story.

The Aamco story (field reps training shops how to cheat) went national years ago (1987) because it really was a national story.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1454&dat=19870220&id=rwEzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5xMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5668,7398246

My family stung by Aamco around this time. We have never been back to an Aamco since.

 

[babbittd]

It's not a national story, but that doesn't mean that other local outlets can't pick up on it.

 

[antiqueshell]

Originally Posted By: babbittd
It's not a national story, but that doesn't mean that other local outlets can't pick up on it.


Considering that the stores are part of a national chain, it makes sense, many network affiliates can upload a news story package and other affiliates can choose to easily pull the video down via satellite and run it on their own local newscast. Stories like these are good ones because it is consumer oriented and local news outlets get good reaction from the viewers.

That being said. I stand my ground that the auto repair industry has one of the sleazist reputations among any consumer oriented business and that reputation is well deserved. The industry will do absolutely NOTHING to address the issue either.

 

[fdcg27]

Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
I go to a shop (usually Pep Boys or a Firestone place) with my Dakota now...with the various promotions, I cannot change it MYSELF for what they charge. My Magnum was the same way: LOF for $23 at the dealer. Couldn't come close to that doing it myself!


For $23.00, I'd give your Dak M1, PP, QSUD or Ultra as well as a proper filter and have some change left over.
You should visit the Product Rebates, Sales and Promotions forum.
If a basic oil and filter will suffice, you can probably do ten buck changes yourself.

 

[Jarlaxle]

That was for 5W-20 (synthetic blend) in the Mag...seven quarts of it.

Usually runs me $16 for the Dak.

 

[jimbrewer]

I guess I missed this infamous Jiffy-Lube scandal. I do notice that the Jiffy-Lube near me that used to have a full waiting room is empty and I mean empty even on Saturday. All of the quick change places are. I guess there is just no trust there.

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: jimbrewer
I guess I missed this infamous Jiffy-Lube scandal. I do notice that the Jiffy-Lube near me that used to have a full waiting room is empty and I mean empty even on Saturday. All of the quick change places are. I guess there is just no trust there.


A few years ago a news station in CA put hidden cameras in cars and took them to a Jiffy Lube, or maybe multiple Jiffy Lubes, and caught them not doing services. Not half a**ing it, but straight up not performing the service. I can't remember if it was oil changes or upsell services that they were not doing, or both, but they got caught red handed.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
Originally Posted By: jimbrewer
I guess I missed this infamous Jiffy-Lube scandal. I do notice that the Jiffy-Lube near me that used to have a full waiting room is empty and I mean empty even on Saturday. All of the quick change places are. I guess there is just no trust there.


A few years ago a news station in CA put hidden cameras in cars and took them to a Jiffy Lube, or maybe multiple Jiffy Lubes, and caught them not doing services. Not half a**ing it, but straight up not performing the service. I can't remember if it was oil changes or upsell services that they were not doing, or both, but they got caught red handed.

There were several investigative reports. Apparently the same reporter sent out people to try again.

Quote:
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/...-207304771.html

For example, Jiffy Lube is investigating what happened when NBC4 visited its Lynwood franchise. A service advisor named Martin told our undercover customer that our car needed $649 in repairs. We agreed to most of the services, including replacing the air filter.

But the I-Team’s hidden cameras reveal that not all of those services were performed. The cameras did record a technician removing our car’s old air filter. But when our customer wasn’t looking, the technician simply re-installed the old air filter – and then the store charged our undercover customer $26.99 for a “new” one.

At the same store, Martin, the service advisor, told our customer they had checked our car’s transmission and differential fluids and both needed to be changed, at a cost of $200. “The transmission oil…we checked out the oil and it came pretty close to empty, and it was really dirty,” Martin told our customer.

But our hidden cameras show that no one at that Jiffy Lube ever checked those fluids. If they had checked, they would have seen the fluids were clean and full, because we had just had them serviced at another Jiffy Lube store.


There are of course signs that the oil has been changed, so if they don't even do that basic a service it's pretty obvious. The last time I had it done was with a 2001 Camry, and the oil filter is visible with the hood open. I was watching all this, and I clearly saw the "technician" pulling out a new filter, writing the current date/mileage on the filter, and installing it. So it doesn't take that much to keep them honest. I did it during my lunch, got takeout first so I could eat in the waiting room, and made sure to watch everything.

 

[Sierra048]

Originally Posted By: Char Baby
This is only one of the reason that I change my own oil/filter!
Other reason(s) are that, I like to do it, I like saving money and I also check other areas of the vehicle while changing the oil as this allows me to inspect for possible future failures/problems.

These horrifying stories are also the main reason that I do as much work as possible on my vehicles myself. I know that the job was performed and done correctly!

My skills, tools(I have a compressor & some air tools but, NO torches or welder), physical strength are limited. So, there are areas of the vehicle that I'd prefer to pay someone to do the job. Even though I do find most car work to be good therapy. And again, I like saving the money!

Cut from the same cloth Char. This is exactly how I am, and how I feel.