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Jiffy Lube Complaint - Transmission Fluid Flush
Complaint
OAKBROOK TERRACE, ILLINOIS -- In February of 2005 I took my 2002 Escort into Jiffy Lube for a routine oil change. It was recommended that I have a transmission fluid flush performed, and since it was part of the regular scheduled maintenance, I agreed.
Throughout the summer of 2005, I had problems with acceleration in my car, which peaked in August when my car started sticking in gears. I brought my car into a Ford dealership where they determined that the drain plug for the transmission had been improperly reinserted, resulting in a slow leakage of transmission fluid. Over the months, the fluid eventually got down to a low enough level to cause overheating, which burned through a few clutches, causing over $2200 worth of repairs (plus almost $300 for use of a rental car for 2 weeks).
I contacted the manager at store #1100 to make him aware of the situation. He acted strangely when I told him that I had already had the car looked at, and so I offered to allow them to inspect the vehicle since the repairs had not been performed yet. He said it wasn't necessary, but when I asked for that in writing, he told me he didn't have the authority to do that. He got me in "contact" with his District Manager, Dan Brown (in quotes because I wasn't allowed to have his phone number OR e-mail address... we'll get back to that), who then spent three days dancing around my request for written approval to continue with repairs. On the third day, he stated that he would prefer to inspect the car.
Just as a side note, the "District Manager" of this Jiffy Lube had NO company e-mail address (he used Hotmail as his personal/business e-mail), and the only way to contact him was to leave a message with his office, as he travelled around all day and only carried a PERSONAL cell phone with him. Apparently, the largest oil change business in the land does not find it necessary to provide their Managers with the tools they need to keep their customers happy.
Anyways, after having JL inspect the car, they lied to me and told me there was no blowback (trail caused by motion of the car blowing back the leaking fluid onto the undercarriage) visible. This was not true... in fact, my service department provided photos of the undercarriage to show the blowback. A week later, the repairs were done and I got the statement for the work to give to the District Manager. I didn't hear back from him for a while because (you guessed it)... he went on vacation. Meanwhile I have almost $2500 on two different credit cards collecting interest. I finally got word back from the District Manager a few days ago... Jiffy Lube is refusing to reimburse me for the repairs.
I'm currently going through arbitration through the BBB. Jiffy Lube has up to 30 days to reply to my complaint before the negotiations even BEGIN. Since JL is a "member in good standing" (meaning, they pay their BBB dues on time) I doubt I'll get anywhere with this, and will probably need to sue in Small Claims.
Throughout the summer of 2005, I had problems with acceleration in my car, which peaked in August when my car started sticking in gears. I brought my car into a Ford dealership where they determined that the drain plug for the transmission had been improperly reinserted, resulting in a slow leakage of transmission fluid. Over the months, the fluid eventually got down to a low enough level to cause overheating, which burned through a few clutches, causing over $2200 worth of repairs (plus almost $300 for use of a rental car for 2 weeks).
I contacted the manager at store #1100 to make him aware of the situation. He acted strangely when I told him that I had already had the car looked at, and so I offered to allow them to inspect the vehicle since the repairs had not been performed yet. He said it wasn't necessary, but when I asked for that in writing, he told me he didn't have the authority to do that. He got me in "contact" with his District Manager, Dan Brown (in quotes because I wasn't allowed to have his phone number OR e-mail address... we'll get back to that), who then spent three days dancing around my request for written approval to continue with repairs. On the third day, he stated that he would prefer to inspect the car.
Just as a side note, the "District Manager" of this Jiffy Lube had NO company e-mail address (he used Hotmail as his personal/business e-mail), and the only way to contact him was to leave a message with his office, as he travelled around all day and only carried a PERSONAL cell phone with him. Apparently, the largest oil change business in the land does not find it necessary to provide their Managers with the tools they need to keep their customers happy.
Anyways, after having JL inspect the car, they lied to me and told me there was no blowback (trail caused by motion of the car blowing back the leaking fluid onto the undercarriage) visible. This was not true... in fact, my service department provided photos of the undercarriage to show the blowback. A week later, the repairs were done and I got the statement for the work to give to the District Manager. I didn't hear back from him for a while because (you guessed it)... he went on vacation. Meanwhile I have almost $2500 on two different credit cards collecting interest. I finally got word back from the District Manager a few days ago... Jiffy Lube is refusing to reimburse me for the repairs.
I'm currently going through arbitration through the BBB. Jiffy Lube has up to 30 days to reply to my complaint before the negotiations even BEGIN. Since JL is a "member in good standing" (meaning, they pay their BBB dues on time) I doubt I'll get anywhere with this, and will probably need to sue in Small Claims.
Comments:
Posted by CrazyRedHead on 2005-09-07:
You should check the different fluids in you car once a month. You could have avoided the damage if you would check your levels. Do you wait for the engine light to come on before looking at anything? You said that this happened over the course of the summer which would be several months. You may have been able to catch the low levels in time before any damage was done, if you check. I learned this the hard way with my anti-freeze and broke down on the interstate. She was fine once fluid was added.
Posted by dealerdirect on 2005-09-08:
Sif: you would be correct if they had done a true flush. Sounds more like they did a drain & fill. This is gonna be interesting though, JL is definatley guilty of faulty workmanship, but the poster may have some responsibility for not maintaining proper fluid levels as "Crazy Red Head" noted.
Posted by octbr14 on 2005-09-10:
back in the summer of 2000 i had jiffy lube in countryside, il flush something or another...they cracked my radiator. i made the reginal manager meet me at a radiator shop to see what they had done. i had to make many phone calls and whatnot...they finally paid for the almost $400 worth of work.
i had been a loyal customer until then. i now go to duke of oil for oil changes only. my mechanic does everything else for me.
i had been a loyal customer until then. i now go to duke of oil for oil changes only. my mechanic does everything else for me.
Posted by Garyrds on 2008-06-13:
Stay Away from Jiffy Lube, Stay Away from Jiffy Lube, Stay Away from Jiffy Lube - they almost ruined my transmission on my Toyota Highlander. We went in for a scheduled flush and they used regular Dexron III that is not designed for Toyota. The car started to slip and jump and I went back to them and they just added more (actually overfilling it)! I then took it to the local Toyota Dealer and they discovered the wrong fluid was used. They had to flush it twice and use additional cleansers to get the wrong stuff out and put the right fluid in. The cost of the dealer multi-flushes and new fluid was over $300. Jiffy Lube in Folsom and their headquarters will not settle. The BAR did a full investigation with all of my documentation and dealer statements of Jiffy Lube error and the BAR found them at fault but can't force them to settle. I'll have to invest more time and money to take them to small claims court or eat the $340. Stay away from Jiffy Lube! This was in Folsom California. I'm logging this on every site I can find to warn others. GaryD
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