Jiffy Lube strikes again

[CKN]

Originally Posted by y_p_w
Originally Posted by aquariuscsm
It said he won a default judgment but JL hasn't paid. What if JL just doesn't pay?

Often business licenses are contingent on paying all judgements against the business. Possibly also the state's automotive repair division might not allow a license.


This is the issue with awards being granted in court. You have to continuously go back to court to get enforcement. This guy could just close down his business-move out of state and start all over again. It's liked divorced spouses chasing the other party for support. It's an endless circle if they don't want to pay - even a wage garnishment doesn't guarantee payment.

 

[oil_film_movies]

Originally Posted by beanoil
He ignores an oil light on the dash, so does his wife.....And the ECM would have stored an oil pressure low code.

Wonder how possible it is to not see an oil pressure light on the dash? I guess someone might look at their speedometer once in a while, and still not see the red light.

Is there an aural (sound) warning that goes with that oil pressure light? Anybody know that? I'm guessing most newer cars of the 2000's will chime or beep at you too, getting your attention.....
...I had a bad oil pressure sensor (sender unit) on a Buick years ago, and I remember it was silent, and just sorta flickered, sometimes steady.
Suppose its possible he could have "missed seeing" the light.

Then of course he didn't check the level at the first signs of funny noises he reported. Strange.

 

[Railrust]

Worked at a Jiffy Lube when I was in high school...saw a few things..

We launched a BMW engine once...double gasketed the oil filter. The guy came back - I see him in his suit standing in the waiting room holding up the oil filter. Not good. Had to buy him an engine.

Honestly - and I know this sounds strange - but for all of the oil changes we did, and all the things that could have gone wrong, not much did. And on a Saturday we'd do an oil change every 15 minutes (or was it seven minutes?), just flying through change after change. Worst job I ever had (or close to it). There I was, a 16 year old kid working in this pit, getting hot oil dumped on me for eight hours a shift. Why they ever would let a high school kid do something like this, I'll never know. Lucky I still have my fingers...more than once my hand wouldn't be up under that engine and someone would tell the guy sitting in the car to fire it up. [censored], I did it to someone once. That's the way it was. You moved fast, and you kept it moving fast.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted by Railrust
Worked at a Jiffy Lube when I was in high school...saw a few things..

We launched a BMW engine once...double gasketed the oil filter. The guy came back - I see him in his suit standing in the waiting room holding up the oil filter. Not good. Had to buy him an engine.

Honestly - and I know this sounds strange - but for all of the oil changes we did, and all the things that could have gone wrong, not much did. And on a Saturday we'd do an oil change every 15 minutes (or was it seven minutes?), just flying through change after change. Worst job I ever had (or close to it). There I was, a 16 year old kid working in this pit, getting hot oil dumped on me for eight hours a shift. Why they ever would let a high school kid do something like this, I'll never know. Lucky I still have my fingers...more than once my hand wouldn't be up under that engine and someone would tell the guy sitting in the car to fire it up. [censored], I did it to someone once. That's the way it was. You moved fast, and you kept it moving fast.

I always thought that pits were a pretty good way to change oil. I heard there was always the chance that putting a car on a lift could result in it falling off, which happened in an episode of the A-Team. My only worry would be that somehow someone drives in there. I thought I saw a few that had removable/sliding/folding cages to prevent falling too far in, where the cages are moved out to get access.





I suppose this is why a lot of places say customers aren't allowed in the work area:



I was thinking of something like this:

Maybe even something like the automatic car wash wheel guides?

 

[Skippy722]

Originally Posted by maxdustington
Owner also has a second car so they could have just parked it, I doubt that guy is still commuting to work everyday. A four year old Caravan can't be worth much more than $9k can it?




You'd be surprised... private party on a clean, but base model, 2014 is 13k.

Originally Posted by oil_film_movies
Originally Posted by beanoil
He ignores an oil light on the dash, so does his wife.....And the ECM would have stored an oil pressure low code.

Wonder how possible it is to not see an oil pressure light on the dash? I guess someone might look at their speedometer once in a while, and still not see the red light.

Is there an aural (sound) warning that goes with that oil pressure light? Anybody know that? I'm guessing most newer cars of the 2000's will chime or beep at you too, getting your attention.....
...I had a bad oil pressure sensor (sender unit) on a Buick years ago, and I remember it was silent, and just sorta flickered, sometimes steady.
Suppose its possible he could have "missed seeing" the light.

Then of course he didn't check the level at the first signs of funny noises he reported. Strange.


I'm not sure on the newer ones, and I hope to never find out, but our 2004 Grand Caravan would only chime once, shortly after start up. When it was cold out and the engine was cold it would come on.

 

[oil_film_movies]

Great back-story Railrust! At 16 years old, we would all stand a good chance of not living to our 17th birthday in that environment. Its harder to be "careful" at that early point, or really at any age, come to think of it......

Originally Posted by y_p_w
I heard there was always the chance that putting a car on a lift could result in it falling off, which happened in an episode of the A-Team.
An A-Team reference, must have been a good episode. Actually at a tire shop, I once observed a car which listed to one side, probably got to 50 degrees before the operator stopped it and corrected. Almost tumbled the car right there in the bay!

You're right they need something to prevent a wheel from plunging into a pit. Maybe just a 'wheel trap' at the first opening side of the pit for a wheel to slightly fall into, getting it stopped before entering the big gap.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted by oil_film_movies
Great back-story Railrust! At 16 years old, we would all stand a good chance of not living to our 17th birthday in that environment. Its harder to be "careful" at that early point, or really at any age, come to think of it......

Originally Posted by y_p_w
I heard there was always the chance that putting a car on a lift could result in it falling off, which happened in an episode of the A-Team.
An A-Team reference, must have been a good episode. Actually at a tire shop, I once observed a car which listed to one side, probably got to 50 degrees before the operator stopped it and corrected. Almost tumbled the car right there in the bay!

You're right they need something to prevent a wheel from plunging into a pit. Maybe just a 'wheel trap' at the first opening side of the pit for a wheel to slightly fall into, getting it stopped before entering the big gap.

I'm actually looking at a quick lube place right now. They've got grates over the pit that are removed once the car is properly positioned.

The A-Team episode was featuring the pickup truck that Murdoch won on Wheel of Fortune. He insisted on lowering the lift himself, it fell on its side, and then I think he shot it like he was putting down a lame horse.

 

[DGXR]

I think there's culpability for both parties. But I gotta give credit to the vehicle owner for not trying a cash grab, considering his family situation at the time all this happened... you know, lots of people sue for their "pain and suffering." He could have asked for a lot more than the repair cost, but he did not.
For example, a $500 billion class-action lawsuit has been filed over the college admissions scam. Yes, 500 billion dollars.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

Originally Posted by DGXR
I think there's culpability for both parties. But I gotta give credit to the vehicle owner for not trying a cash grab, considering his family situation at the time all this happened... you know, lots of people sue for their "pain and suffering." He could have asked for a lot more than the repair cost, but he did not.
For example, a $500 billion class-action lawsuit has been filed over the college admissions scam. Yes, 500 billion dollars.


To bad there's always someone in America these days looking for their free sheet!

 

[Railrust]

Originally Posted by y_p_w
Originally Posted by Railrust
Worked at a Jiffy Lube when I was in high school...saw a few things..

We launched a BMW engine once...double gasketed the oil filter. The guy came back - I see him in his suit standing in the waiting room holding up the oil filter. Not good. Had to buy him an engine.

Honestly - and I know this sounds strange - but for all of the oil changes we did, and all the things that could have gone wrong, not much did. And on a Saturday we'd do an oil change every 15 minutes (or was it seven minutes?), just flying through change after change. Worst job I ever had (or close to it). There I was, a 16 year old kid working in this pit, getting hot oil dumped on me for eight hours a shift. Why they ever would let a high school kid do something like this, I'll never know. Lucky I still have my fingers...more than once my hand wouldn't be up under that engine and someone would tell the guy sitting in the car to fire it up. [censored], I did it to someone once. That's the way it was. You moved fast, and you kept it moving fast.

I always thought that pits were a pretty good way to change oil. I heard there was always the chance that putting a car on a lift could result in it falling off, which happened in an episode of the A-Team. My only worry would be that somehow someone drives in there. I thought I saw a few that had removable/sliding/folding cages to prevent falling too far in, where the cages are moved out to get access.





I suppose this is why a lot of places say customers aren't allowed in the work area:



I was thinking of something like this:

Maybe even something like the automatic car wash wheel guides?


Yeah ours didn't have the grates over them, they were open, about the same diameter. Honestly I never worried about a car dropping through.

I've got to mention what it was like at 16 being introduced to that pit...
It's my first day, the guy walks me down these steps, and I'm thinking...wow it's pretty dark and dreary down here. Kind of looks like something you'd see in a Hellraiser movie. Then he walks me to the end of the basement, into this other room that had all these different sized red jump suits on a conveyer, probably 40 feet long. Just jump into the size you'll need, he says. I'm like, uhm maybe I should have went for that job at Domino's. So I get into the suit, zip it up. They throw me under pit i. the floor, a car pulls over my head and I'm off to the races. Grabbing wrenches, draining smoking hot oil...it's splashing all over me. No safety glasses. Reaching up into that engine trying to get those filters off. Splash! All the oil going into this grated tub that you'd roll on these tracks. So dark down there. The only real light seemed to come from the holes in the floor above your head. There were two other bays next to me, but on slow days you'd be down there by yourself. Just sweating and struggling.

They'd move me around a bunch...up top putting the fluids in. Or I'd be the greeter, selling work and driving the vehicles in and out. All of the jobs were terrible, but the pit was pure hot [censored].

 

[JustinH]

I've been taking our Scion to the local Jiffy Lube and they do a fine job for $24.99 on groupon.

I just tell them don't mess with the air filters, just change the oil and filter.

 

[oil_film_movies]

After reading the above posts, I will always change my own oil.

 

[anndel]

I've seen a customer with a stripped out oil drain plug and 1/2 of the oil leaked out. The low oil light came on after about a week. She thought the oil in the parking stall was from someone else and not hers. I told her not to take it there and bring it to me. I had to Time-Sert it and put in Pennzoil Platinum and a Fram Ultra filter.

 

[69Torino]

I owned a 2000 Buick Regal with one of these in it once. Wonder what could have happened... *eyeroll*

 

[DoubleWasp]

In my 2007 Chrysler's, something as little as the voltage being off generates continual dinging and a "Check Gauges" message on the DIC.

I'm not buying his story. Not buying that the engine took multiple trips over days to die either. An engine with no oil has minutes to live. Life is not a Slick 50 or ZMax commercial. That engine with no oil isn't going to run for hours.

I raise the BeeEss flag.

 

[ndfergy]

Head scratcher for sure.

Some synthetics are very clear so it's possible the owner, being unfamiliar, assumed there was no oil. Hence, the events were coincidental with an already failing engine. However, the sceptic in me wonders if ones actions are wishing the stars and the moon align in their favour.

 

[OilUzer]

Couple of Jiffy Lube in my area have very knowledgeable techs and are very good. I have only seen experienced people working there and they know what they are doing!

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted by DoubleWasp
In my 2007 Chrysler's, something as little as the voltage being off generates continual dinging and a "Check Gauges" message on the DIC.

I'm not buying his story. Not buying that the engine took multiple trips over days to die either. An engine with no oil has minutes to live. Life is not a Slick 50 or ZMax commercial. That engine with no oil isn't going to run for hours.

I raise the BeeEss flag.


I agree with double wasp. The dude in the link was taking about going out of town,etc,in a knocking car with no oil? Wouldn't the act of simply starting a car with no oil in it destroy the engine in seconds?

 

[CourierDriver]

Originally Posted by Lolvoguy
Originally Posted by CourierDriver
Make some room for me, eh!

 

[JS2000]

I am not buying the entire story from this guy. Firstly where did the 5 quarts go that Jiffy Lube would have put into the engine, I don't believe they would forget to put in oil , and I don't believe they would purposely avoid putting in oil, that would be a very poor business plan. There are always a few techs in the shop so they see what everyone is doing, and a key part of the Jiffy Lube change is to show the customer the dipstick with full oil on it. I've used them a few times when running tight for time, and never had an issue, the only concerns I've had was what kind of oil was being put into the vehicle. I think the guy developed an oil leak somehow, maybe from the oil filter maybe the drain plug, maybe an impact with a road object, who knows. The low oil pressure would have come on instantly if he left the Jiffy Lube with no oil, within seconds. I just don't buy the story.

Besides the danger of vehicles falling into the oil change dungeon, the worst part is the smell of the oil fumes , that can't be healthy , and it just smells nasty, I think I would throw up working down there.