Fred..
Oil change scams
im a tech and i work at a dealership, i can say that i never do that aside from thats wrong, at dealerships there is no"quota" and they are strict about that kind of stuff, usually ur caught u pay dearly for it, either by loseing ur job or $ coming out of ur pocket that post actually upsets me because they rarely do that at dealerships, well at least the dealerships (Nissan,Lincoln+Mazda) i worked at and countless others ive been to and have freinds in so please realize that this was at QUICK LUBES not DEALERSHIPS like Lexus,Caddilac etc. dealerships are usually pricey but they try to take care about you, now i know some people are going to say im wrong but most dealerships really do care about you, unlike QUICK LUBES
its just the lube chains that are infamous for it.
-
Cold_Zero
- Posts: 6714
- Joined: Sun Oct 20, 2002 4:15 pm
- Car: 2003 Nissan Altima SE 3.5
2005 Nissan Pathfinder
This is why I stopped taking my car to lube places and went back to the dealer. They don’t do high-pressure tactics like the Lube places. Now that I have a garage at my house I prefer to do my own fluid changes.
Jiffy Lube use to do that thing where they put all your fluids on a chart (laminated piece of paper) and give it to you to look at. The transmission fluid was always brown with pieces of metal and the radiator fluid was always green with a brown tint. I always swore they touched their finger in the fluid on the paper after they changed the oil. Then they insinuate that the dealer will rip you off if you have it done there. Same guys that charge you an arm and a leg for bulbs, filters and other random crap for your car.
BTWMeijer has Valvoline Durablend 10w-40 for $11.94 a case. I think it is regularly $15 a case. Not bad. The Valvoline Synth Power is $23 a case.
bud
Jiffy Lube use to do that thing where they put all your fluids on a chart (laminated piece of paper) and give it to you to look at. The transmission fluid was always brown with pieces of metal and the radiator fluid was always green with a brown tint. I always swore they touched their finger in the fluid on the paper after they changed the oil. Then they insinuate that the dealer will rip you off if you have it done there. Same guys that charge you an arm and a leg for bulbs, filters and other random crap for your car.
BTWMeijer has Valvoline Durablend 10w-40 for $11.94 a case. I think it is regularly $15 a case. Not bad. The Valvoline Synth Power is $23 a case.
bud
Stuff like that really pisses me off!
I'm an entry-level tech in an independant repair shop, and it's tough to deal with people's prejudices of the industry sometimes. A few weeks ago a lady asked another technician at my shop. "how do I know you really put the part in there?"
People associate these lube places with the entire repair industry. Unfortunately, alot of independant repair shops are as bad as those lube places. Alot times they are actually worse, because they can provide more services (more expensive) than the lube places.
No wonder people are so mistrustful of technicicans and shops. A survey found that people would rather go to the dentist than take thier car in for repairs.
Most people have no way of telling if they actually need what is being recommended, so they think we're just trying to rip them off, even if they actually need it.
I do an inspection on every car that comes in for service whether I'm doing an oil change, a brake job, a clutch or whatever, and I NEVER reccommend anything that isn't neccessary. I let people know that they can get by for a few more months on something, and I also recommend things that we don't do (like tires or an alignment).
I work with a strong ethic, and the shop is that way too. We try to keep cars in the best shape possible with special respect to customers safety and budget. We even let people make payments (with no interest) if they cant afford an urgent repair.
I'll stop ranting now. Thanks for sticking in there
I'm an entry-level tech in an independant repair shop, and it's tough to deal with people's prejudices of the industry sometimes. A few weeks ago a lady asked another technician at my shop. "how do I know you really put the part in there?"
People associate these lube places with the entire repair industry. Unfortunately, alot of independant repair shops are as bad as those lube places. Alot times they are actually worse, because they can provide more services (more expensive) than the lube places.
No wonder people are so mistrustful of technicicans and shops. A survey found that people would rather go to the dentist than take thier car in for repairs.
Most people have no way of telling if they actually need what is being recommended, so they think we're just trying to rip them off, even if they actually need it.
I do an inspection on every car that comes in for service whether I'm doing an oil change, a brake job, a clutch or whatever, and I NEVER reccommend anything that isn't neccessary. I let people know that they can get by for a few more months on something, and I also recommend things that we don't do (like tires or an alignment).
I work with a strong ethic, and the shop is that way too. We try to keep cars in the best shape possible with special respect to customers safety and budget. We even let people make payments (with no interest) if they cant afford an urgent repair.
I'll stop ranting now. Thanks for sticking in there
-
Mr1der
- Posts: 36020
- Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:35 am
- Car: It's still not a Nissan...
- Location: Lebanon TN
I stopped taking mine to those places because back when I had my Teg, the tards used one of those crappy plastic fast drain plug things and lost mine apparently, so needless to say when I went to change it myself to save a little cash, the damn thing broke off in my pan. Man I was hot, I decided not to go down to the damn shop and yell for fear I might beat one of the lube monkeys to death with the pump gun thingy.
I wish everyone had such morals Jacob. I'm sorry to say that I have had bad experiences at both independent shops I've been to in SoCal, and most of the lube places as well. "Blatant lack of ethics AND training" is how I would describe the shops I've been to, and it is completely obvious how they try and sell people things they don't need. The worst part was paying for parts (and labor) that were never installed. One place tried to sell me those same parts again, a year later, saying I needed them, and I then whipped out my reciept and told them they should do it for free under the warranty. They then refused, saying I didn't *really* need new parts. Dealerships have been *ok*. Not bad, but definitely not worth what they charge. I'm surprised about the EZ Lube places though. I have always held them in high regard relative to their competitors.
-
C-Kwik
- Moderator
- Posts: 8070
- Joined: Thu Aug 01, 2002 9:28 pm
- Car: 2013 Chevy Volt, 1991 Honda CRX DX
A repair place tried to do that to my sister. They tried to tell her her wiper blades needed replacement. I had showed her how to replace them years ago and she had just replaced hers a week before she went. She said it was funny to watch them reel back when she told them this. Another one suggested repairs and she told them I would check it out. They tried to tell her I couldn't possibly know anything about her car. She laughed at them and drove away.
I'm just glad I do my own work.
I'm just glad I do my own work.
Besides the occasional "you need to clean your fuel system with our $80 treatment" from a Jiffy Lube here (Clarksville, TN), I haven't had any complaints with them trying to "force" anything on me.
On the other hand, I've tried to get my oil changed with just over 1000 miles and was almost turned down! (This was after a hundred miles of seafoam and I wanted to make sure my oil was clean) :>
Then again, the bill always finds a way of getting expensive fast in a heartbeat. (Convenience is pricey...)
On the other hand, I've tried to get my oil changed with just over 1000 miles and was almost turned down! (This was after a hundred miles of seafoam and I wanted to make sure my oil was clean) :>
Then again, the bill always finds a way of getting expensive fast in a heartbeat. (Convenience is pricey...)