Walmart oil/filter changes?

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Originally Posted by Oil_Rookie
I have a 2018 Kia Forte 2.0L MPI/GDI engine. Car is used for generally shorter, around town use. Currently has 7,300 miles with annual mileage running about 5,000. Had first oil change at Kia dealer around 2,300 miles (oil unknown). I'm not happy with the dealer because:

  • At my last visit they strongly recommended a $200 fuel injector cleaning for my Kia Sorento with 40K miles. They said check your owner's manual. I did and it wasn't there (which I expected).
    [

    Oil recommendations from the owner's manual: 5W-20, 5W-30, 10W-30 API SM / ILSAC GF-4 or above.

    Thanks.


    My 2017 Hyundai Elantra manual states to add a bottle of injector cleaner to the tank something like every 10k miles, nothing about taking it to the dealer for an injector cleaning service. I may be off on the mileage, but it is in the manual. I live in Ohio and run 5W30 year round. I have been thinking of running 10w30 in the summer months though. May start this coming summer.

    L8R,
    Matt
 
Some of the Jiffy franchises are corporate-owned and run. Some are privately owned/run.

The Privates are not bound by / married exclusively to SOPUS products. Works that way in many fields of franchises....... even some fast food national brands.
 
Matt
Injector cleaning thru the gas tank is different than removing carbon around valves, pistons.....etc. Carbon cleaning is usually done by either removing valve covers to clean, or buying GDI-type sprays that go thru the air-intake system.

I'm going to spray CRC GDI Intake Cleaner every 15K in my Hyundai and Kia...... until something better gets announced someday. Thankfully my Hyundai does not wear any turbo's.
 
Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
Originally Posted by Scuder
Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
Originally Posted by Eddie
My local Jiffy Lube has a big Valvoline sign out front.

That's bizarre...


Franchisees are free to use the brands they choose. They are encouraged and incentivized to use SOPUS products, but as long as they adhere to operational standards and pay their franchise fees, they can keep their Jiffy Lube signs up regardless of the oil they feature. A long time sales tool is for an oil company to loan money to a car dealer or lube center or garage in exchange for their oil purchases for a certain amount of time. A sharp owner will shop for the best deal he can get on a lube agreement.
Company stores are another matter, but at one time they usually only existed to keep stores open when, for whatever reason, there was no franchisee.

Is that speculation or have you actually seen that language in a franchisee contract? I find it hard to believe that Jiffy Lube Inc. would be "ok" with a big Valvoline sign hanging out front when they spend millions of dollars a year advertising Pennzoil as their premium oil.

I could see possibly the franchisee being allowed to use a bulk oil they source directly for it's low tier, basic oil change service but I highly doubt that's happening for it's Signature Services. Plus my guess is if the franchisee is using it's own sourced fluids the parent company, Jiffy Lube inc., is not gonna cover any damages under it's nationwide warranty program that it advertises on its website since it has no control over the fluids being used.

Fwiw, I know the VIOC uses/can use unbranded coolant but they're required to use Valvoline oils and they have to pay a penalty fee of X% of each months net revenue for not using Valvoline fluids.



Service Pro was been a featured motor for Jiffy Lube here in the Phoenix area and for years the featured synthetic was Mobil One.
http://www.myjiffy.com/mobil-rebate.php

Notice for the signature change Kendall is the featured oil.


https://shopjiffylube.com/myjiffy
 
Originally Posted by dave1251

Service Pro was been a featured motor for Jiffy Lube here in the Phoenix area and for years the featured synthetic was Mobil One.
http://www.myjiffy.com/mobil-rebate.php

Notice for the signature change Kendall is the featured oil.

https://shopjiffylube.com/myjiffy


Interesting... not that I'd balk at getting Kendall or M1 but i find it a bit funny to see them used in lieu of Pennz' - in a Jiffy Lube.. especially when you consider Mobil has it's own, or use to, Express lube shop's. And seeing Kendall in a qwikie lube is a first for me. I've only known it to be available in full service shop's.

Learn something new everyday...
 
Yeah it is a different sight for me to see anything but Pennzoil at Jiffy Lube. But it does happen the thing which gets me is seeing Kendall GT-1 Max at a .99 only store. The price has increased to $3.49 a quart but that is still a decent everyday price.

http://americanpennzoil.com/motor-oils/

This is even stranger. A Pennzoil branded quick lube offering Service Pro, Royal Purple, and Mobil One options.
 
Recommending 5w 20 to a 10w 30 is a big range.

I live in tampa area and run 5w 30 in my truck year round.
Its after Christmass and 80 during the day
 
Originally Posted by tblt44
Recommending 5w 20 to a 10w 30 is a big range.

I live in tampa area and run 5w 30 in my truck year round.
Its after Christmass and 80 during the day

Not really when you think about it. The winter rating (w) is largely irrelevant at FL temps and the difference in hot viscosity can be less than 1cSt. Fwiw, my oil cap says "5w20" but the OM recommends a 5w or 10w30 for severe service or warm temperatures. 5w20 is only called out for "maximum fuel efficiency".
 
Originally Posted by dave1251
Yeah it is a different sight for me to see anything but Pennzoil at Jiffy Lube. But it does happen the thing which gets me is seeing Kendall GT-1 Max at a .99 only store. The price has increased to $3.49 a quart but that is still a decent everyday price.

http://americanpennzoil.com/motor-oils/

This is even stranger. A Pennzoil branded quick lube offering Service Pro, Royal Purple, and Mobil One options.

.99c for bona fide GT1 Max is crazy.. practically giving it away. You have to buy a case at least to get it anywhere near $6/qt... otherwise I've always seen it in the $8~9qt range.

Question..do you know if they share the same add pk (supplier?) as Castrol? Both use the titanium...
 
Kendall is ConocoPhillips.

Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
Originally Posted by dave1251
Yeah it is a different sight for me to see anything but Pennzoil at Jiffy Lube. But it does happen the thing which gets me is seeing Kendall GT-1 Max at a .99 only store. The price has increased to $3.49 a quart but that is still a decent everyday price.

http://americanpennzoil.com/motor-oils/

This is even stranger. A Pennzoil branded quick lube offering Service Pro, Royal Purple, and Mobil One options.

.99c for bona fide GT1 Max is crazy.. practically giving it away. You have to buy a case at least to get it anywhere near $6/qt... otherwise I've always seen it in the $8~9qt range.

Question..do you know if they share the same add pk (supplier?) as Castrol? Both use the titanium...
 
Originally Posted by BLND1
Kendall is ConocoPhillips.


I'm aware of that but that wasn't the question..
 
Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
Originally Posted by Scuder
Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
Originally Posted by Eddie
My local Jiffy Lube has a big Valvoline sign out front.

That's bizarre...


Franchisees are free to use the brands they choose. They are encouraged and incentivized to use SOPUS products, but as long as they adhere to operational standards and pay their franchise fees, they can keep their Jiffy Lube signs up regardless of the oil they feature. A long time sales tool is for an oil company to loan money to a car dealer or lube center or garage in exchange for their oil purchases for a certain amount of time. A sharp owner will shop for the best deal he can get on a lube agreement.
Company stores are another matter, but at one time they usually only existed to keep stores open when, for whatever reason, there was no franchisee.

Is that speculation or have you actually seen that language in a franchisee contract? I find it hard to believe that Jiffy Lube Inc. would be "ok" with a big Valvoline sign hanging out front when they spend millions of dollars a year advertising Pennzoil as their premium oil.

I could see possibly the franchisee being allowed to use a bulk oil they source directly for it's low tier, basic oil change service but I highly doubt that's happening for it's Signature Services. Plus my guess is if the franchisee is using it's own sourced fluids the parent company, Jiffy Lube inc., is not gonna cover any damages under it's nationwide warranty program that it advertises on its website since it has no control over the fluids being used.

Fwiw, I know the VIOC uses/can use unbranded coolant but they're required to use Valvoline oils and they have to pay a penalty fee of X% of each months net revenue for not using Valvoline fluids.


It's not speculation, as I was a rep for Pennzoil Products Co. from 1985 until the merger with Quaker State in 1999. I then worked for P-QS until Shell gobbled us up in 2004. SOPUS shut down direct sales and distribution in my area in 2010, so then I worked for the distributor that replaced them until I retired in 2017.

For several years I was the rep calling on a Jiffy Lube franchisee, who seemed to threaten to throw us out on a monthly basis. He eventually did, taking a lube contract with Mobil. It was, by the way, less lucrative than one he'd refused to sign with us, and whose deadline had expired. The guy never could make up his mind about anything. Mobil signs never went up, but I think JLI made him take down the big Pennzoil signs. He eventually sold out, and the stores were re-branded or re-purposed years ago.

I haven't had any direct dealings with a Jiffy Lube in decades, so things could be different, but it still looks as if they can feature the brand they choose. Even with a lube agreement, we could only require 85% of their business. I'm sure JLI is not happy about the competitor's signs, but as long as they get their 6% (IIRC) off the top, they have to live with it. BTW, that Jiffy Lube/Pennzoil advertising is paid for from the franchise fees. So, by using a different product, the franchisee is competing with something he's for which he's paying.

Way back, I sold Pennzoil to a distributor who supplied the VIOCs in the area when they first opened. It was available in the bottle at the stores (for a substantial upcharge), and you could see it on the shelf in their service bays when driving by. The yellow really stood out in a sea of red, white and blue! That was in their company stores, which virtually all were at the time. It only lasted a couple of years until they stopped offering it. Too bad, they were buying 100 cases every couple of weeks.
 
Originally Posted by Scuder

It's not speculation, as I was a rep for Pennzoil Products Co. from 1985 until the merger with Quaker State in 1999. I then worked for P-QS until Shell gobbled us up in 2004. SOPUS shut down direct sales and distribution in my area in 2010, so then I worked for the distributor that replaced them until I retired in 2017.

For several years I was the rep calling on a Jiffy Lube franchisee, who seemed to threaten to throw us out on a monthly basis. He eventually did, taking a lube contract with Mobil. It was, by the way, less lucrative than one he'd refused to sign with us, and whose deadline had expired. The guy never could make up his mind about anything. Mobil signs never went up, but I think JLI made him take down the big Pennzoil signs. He eventually sold out, and the stores were re-branded or re-purposed years ago.

I haven't had any direct dealings with a Jiffy Lube in decades, so things could be different, but it still looks as if they can feature the brand they choose. Even with a lube agreement, we could only require 85% of their business. I'm sure JLI is not happy about the competitor's signs, but as long as they get their 6% (IIRC) off the top, they have to live with it. BTW, that Jiffy Lube/Pennzoil advertising is paid for from the franchise fees. So, by using a different product, the franchisee is competing with something he's for which he's paying.

Way back, I sold Pennzoil to a distributor who supplied the VIOCs in the area when they first opened. It was available in the bottle at the stores (for a substantial upcharge), and you could see it on the shelf in their service bays when driving by. The yellow really stood out in a sea of red, white and blue! That was in their company stores, which virtually all were at the time. It only lasted a couple of years until they stopped offering it. Too bad, they were buying 100 cases every couple of weeks.


Great explanation and thank you for taking the time.

And you make an interesting point, the franchisee is already paying for all that advertising. I get JL coupons in the mail just about every month and they have Pennzoil splashed all over the insert, which is fine by me if I were so inclined to use them - you can easily do worse than Pennzoil but I don't understand why you wouldn't leverage SOPUS for your lubricant's. I guess if you got a smokin deal from a local distributor it might make sense..but still, to think about the ad dollars you're throwing away. Yikes. I don't imagine JLI allows a franchisee to opt-out of it's ad programs.
 
My wife had to use a service pro/Pennzoil lube when I was out of town for 3 weeks. I was adamant about just getting the cheapest oil change they had, yet they wanted to perform a brake fluid exchange, coolant flush and proceeded to tell that the air filter and wiper blades I had just installed were in need of replacement. This was all in addition to telling her that the 09 Chrysler 4.0 engine required 5-30 synthetic when the car actually took any 10-30. She called me up crying and I loudly told them to change the d@m oil and let her pay the bill. $49 later she was out the door.
 
Since you live in Ohio hit up a meijer store and see if they have PP 10-30 for $6.42 a jug. My meijer store in defiance had 10 jugs this last summer and I bought them all thinking they were clearing it out yet they continue to stock and sell it at that price to this day.


Originally Posted by AnthemBassMan
Originally Posted by Oil_Rookie
I have a 2018 Kia Forte 2.0L MPI/GDI engine. Car is used for generally shorter, around town use. Currently has 7,300 miles with annual mileage running about 5,000. Had first oil change at Kia dealer around 2,300 miles (oil unknown). I'm not happy with the dealer because:

  • At my last visit they strongly recommended a $200 fuel injector cleaning for my Kia Sorento with 40K miles. They said check your owner's manual. I did and it wasn't there (which I expected).
    [

    Oil recommendations from the owner's manual: 5W-20, 5W-30, 10W-30 API SM / ILSAC GF-4 or above.

    Thanks.


    My 2017 Hyundai Elantra manual states to add a bottle of injector cleaner to the tank something like every 10k miles, nothing about taking it to the dealer for an injector cleaning service. I may be off on the mileage, but it is in the manual. I live in Ohio and run 5W30 year round. I have been thinking of running 10w30 in the summer months though. May start this coming summer.

    L8R,
    Matt
 
[/quote]
Great explanation and thank you for taking the time.

And you make an interesting point, the franchisee is already paying for all that advertising. I get JL coupons in the mail just about every month and they have Pennzoil splashed all over the insert, which is fine by me if I were so inclined to use them - you can easily do worse than Pennzoil but I don't understand why you wouldn't leverage SOPUS for your lubricant's. I guess if you got a smokin deal from a local distributor it might make sense..but still, to think about the ad dollars you're throwing away. Yikes. I don't imagine JLI allows a franchisee to opt-out of it's ad programs.
[/quote]

Thanks, I'm glad to weigh in when I can contribute. Sorry to take so long to reply. I thought I'd get a notification when you replied to me, but I didn't. I'll have to see if I missed that in the setup.

Jiffy Lube franchisees can be a funny bunch. But, when you're talking about annual oil costs in excess of a million dollars for owners of multiple stores, cutting that cost can realize significant contributions to the bottom line, even if national advertising features an oil brand different from the one used. And the price of the oil is only part of the equation. Large oil buyers will often get cash payments from the oil company. They are just like a business loan from a bank, but can be paid back by buying nearly exclusively from one oil company for a period of time. The repayment of the loan is built in the price of the oil, based on estimated purchases for the term of the agreement. Hopefully, both seller and buyer calculate correctly on the projected purchases, and everyone is happy. So, the brand of oil you see may depend almost exclusively on what deal makes the franchisee the most happy. Without these cash payments repaid this way, the price of the oil is much lower. This type of lube agreement is common from a two bay garage who may have lube equipment gifted to him, all the way up to large car dealers, where five figure payments are common. And, no, last I knew, franchisees couldn't opt out of advertising. It's included in the royalties they pay.

It's very likely the coupons you receive are local advertising done by the franchisee. I remember the fellow I worked with hated to do couponing, because he believed it lowered the perception of the value of the service in the eyes of customers, and they'd be reluctant to pay full price. The coupons you receive with the Pennzoil branding are likely at least partly reimbursed by Pennzoil through a co-op advertising program. Based on purchases, a Pennzoil buyer builds credits which can be spent on approved types of advertising. To get approval, branding needs to be very prominent. A minimum size for logos and emblems is determined by the size of the ad in square inches. While a Jiffy Lube franchisee buying, say Mobil, would lose this program from Pennzoil, but most, if not all the majors have a type of co-op advertising available to their customers.
 
Originally Posted by Scuder
Thanks, I'm glad to weigh in when I can contribute. Sorry to take so long to reply. I thought I'd get a notification when you replied to me, but I didn't. I'll have to see if I missed that in the setup.

Jiffy Lube franchisees can be a funny bunch. But, when you're talking about annual oil costs in excess of a million dollars for owners of multiple stores, cutting that cost can realize significant contributions to the bottom line, even if national advertising features an oil brand different from the one used. And the price of the oil is only part of the equation. Large oil buyers will often get cash payments from the oil company. They are just like a business loan from a bank, but can be paid back by buying nearly exclusively from one oil company for a period of time. The repayment of the loan is built in the price of the oil, based on estimated purchases for the term of the agreement. Hopefully, both seller and buyer calculate correctly on the projected purchases, and everyone is happy. So, the brand of oil you see may depend almost exclusively on what deal makes the franchisee the most happy. Without these cash payments repaid this way, the price of the oil is much lower. This type of lube agreement is common from a two bay garage who may have lube equipment gifted to him, all the way up to large car dealers, where five figure payments are common. And, no, last I knew, franchisees couldn't opt out of advertising. It's included in the royalties they pay.

It's very likely the coupons you receive are local advertising done by the franchisee. I remember the fellow I worked with hated to do couponing, because he believed it lowered the perception of the value of the service in the eyes of customers, and they'd be reluctant to pay full price. The coupons you receive with the Pennzoil branding are likely at least partly reimbursed by Pennzoil through a co-op advertising program. Based on purchases, a Pennzoil buyer builds credits which can be spent on approved types of advertising. To get approval, branding needs to be very prominent. A minimum size for logos and emblems is determined by the size of the ad in square inches. While a Jiffy Lube franchisee buying, say Mobil, would lose this program from Pennzoil, but most, if not all the majors have a type of co-op advertising available to their customers.


Once again a great explanation of the inner workings. So It sounds like they're not restricted to one brand per se. I'm wondering if Valvoline oil change centers work in the same fashion. I've always thought one of the advantageous of using Wally's tire and lube is that you can have any oil you bought off the shelf or shipped to store put in. I believe I heard that to be the case..
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
Originally Posted by Scuder
Thanks, I'm glad to weigh in when I can contribute. Sorry to take so long to reply. I thought I'd get a notification when you replied to me, but I didn't. I'll have to see if I missed that in the setup.

Jiffy Lube franchisees can be a funny bunch. But, when you're talking about annual oil costs in excess of a million dollars for owners of multiple stores, cutting that cost can realize significant contributions to the bottom line, even if national advertising features an oil brand different from the one used. And the price of the oil is only part of the equation. Large oil buyers will often get cash payments from the oil company. They are just like a business loan from a bank, but can be paid back by buying nearly exclusively from one oil company for a period of time. The repayment of the loan is built in the price of the oil, based on estimated purchases for the term of the agreement. Hopefully, both seller and buyer calculate correctly on the projected purchases, and everyone is happy. So, the brand of oil you see may depend almost exclusively on what deal makes the franchisee the most happy. Without these cash payments repaid this way, the price of the oil is much lower. This type of lube agreement is common from a two bay garage who may have lube equipment gifted to him, all the way up to large car dealers, where five figure payments are common. And, no, last I knew, franchisees couldn't opt out of advertising. It's included in the royalties they pay.

It's very likely the coupons you receive are local advertising done by the franchisee. I remember the fellow I worked with hated to do couponing, because he believed it lowered the perception of the value of the service in the eyes of customers, and they'd be reluctant to pay full price. The coupons you receive with the Pennzoil branding are likely at least partly reimbursed by Pennzoil through a co-op advertising program. Based on purchases, a Pennzoil buyer builds credits which can be spent on approved types of advertising. To get approval, branding needs to be very prominent. A minimum size for logos and emblems is determined by the size of the ad in square inches. While a Jiffy Lube franchisee buying, say Mobil, would lose this program from Pennzoil, but most, if not all the majors have a type of co-op advertising available to their customers.


Once again a great explanation of the inner workings. So It sounds like they're not restricted to one brand per se. I'm wondering if Valvoline oil change centers work in the same fashion. I've always thought one of the advantageous of using Wally's tire and lube is that you can have any oil you bought off the shelf or shipped to store put in. I believe I heard that to be the case..


Jiffy Lube and Valvoline Instant Oil Change took very different paths to get where they are. Jiffy Lube had moderate franchise growth in the '70s, and really snowballed in the mid '80s. During that time, they developed a non-exclusive working relationship with Pennzoil. Pennzoil was happy to be a supplier, but JL accrued a lot of debt, and to preserve their customer base, Pennzoil bought out Jiffy Lube's franchising company. That's another story, though. VIOC was watching from the sidelines, and suddenly realized they were late to the game, and needed to get in ASAP. So, Valvoline made a high effort to get in the fast lube market before they were shut out of it. Rather than selling franchises, they opened company owned stores. By the time the first VIOC store opened, there were hundreds of JLs, Quaker State Q-Lubes, Pennzoil 10 Minute Oil Change centers, and others. Franchising could come later. Since Valvoline was in control from day one, they could require exclusive use of their products. I remember even with JL lube contracts, only 85% could be required. I don't know if VIOC has lube purchase requirements built into their franchise agreements, but they could, and it would make sense.

You're right about Walmart. They'll install anything they sell. If you want something off the shelf, they'll charge a little more and put it in for you. I had about 20 Walmarts, and they had Pennzoil conventional 5W-20 and 5W-30 in bulk tanks. They also had racks full of six gallon dispensing boxes in a lot of different brands and grades.
 
Originally Posted by D1dad
Since you live in Ohio hit up a meijer store and see if they have PP 10-30 for $6.42 a jug. My meijer store in defiance had 10 jugs this last summer and I bought them all thinking they were clearing it out yet they continue to stock and sell it at that price to this day.


AnthemBassMan said:
My 2017 Hyundai Elantra manual states to add a bottle of injector cleaner to the tank something like every 10k miles, nothing about taking it to the dealer for an injector cleaning service. I may be off on the mileage, but it is in the manual. I live in Ohio and run 5W30 year round. I have been thinking of running 10w30 in the summer months though. May start this coming summer.

L8R,
Matt


Thanks for the tip. Where I live, there aren't any Meijer's stores yet, but they are building one about a couple miles from where I work.

L8R,
Matt
 
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