On 5/27/2014 12:48 AM, Lew Hodgett wrote:


Pretty sure Shell owns Jiffy Lube.

These days, the last thing an oil company needs is bad press,
especially for a $5 item.


Lew



If that is true, why do they get so much bad press? I've read enough
about their shady tactics that I'd never go to one. Mind you, most is
probably the local owner/manager and not corporate policy, but I don't
trust any of the quick change chains. I have a local shop and I can
stand right next tot he car as it is serviced.

On 5/27/2014 12:32 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 5/27/2014 12:48 AM, Lew Hodgett wrote:


Pretty sure Shell owns Jiffy Lube.

These days, the last thing an oil company needs is bad press,
especially for a $5 item.


Lew



If that is true, why do they get so much bad press? I've read enough
about their shady tactics that I'd never go to one. Mind you, most is
probably the local owner/manager and not corporate policy, but I don't
trust any of the quick change chains. I have a local shop and I can
stand right next tot he car as it is serviced.


I will agree with you thought's on the oil change places. Typically the
turn over rate is high so they certainly not investing much technical
training. So for the most part you have a guy that flipped burgers 6
months ago and the next time you go in he will be long gone.

YMMV

Having been in the automotive field most of my pro life I always did the
repairs to our vehicles. Then I cut half my thumb off and during the
healing period I took my wife's Acura to the local oil change place. I
recall the guy yelling something about the drain plug being tight. I
also noticed that the oil had already been drained. The next time I
changed the oil the drain plug was indeed tight, and stripped. This guy
cross threaded the plug and continued to tighten it until the crush
washer flattened out. I had to rethread the pan and replace the plug.

Another trip I witnessed a sales guy come walking in quickly with the
air filter to a lady's vehicle. He told her that the filter was dirty
and needed to be replaced. She looked at and said that it did not look
dirty to her. He pointed at the single dirty spot on the filter that
was directly in line with the snorkel of the air cleaner. This was the
old style round air filter. I was almost embarrassed for every one that
worked there that they used those tactics to sell things that were not
needed. The lady probably knew squat about cars but had more knowledge
about what was dirty than the guy working there.

Lew Hodgett wrote:

Pretty sure Shell owns Jiffy Lube.

These days, the last thing an oil company needs is bad press,
especially for a $5 item.
-----------------------------------------------
"Ed Pawlowski" wrote:

If that is true, why do they get so much bad press? I've read
enough about their shady tactics that I'd never go to one. Mind
you, most is probably the local owner/manager and not corporate
policy, but I don't trust any of the quick change chains. I have a
local shop and I can stand right next tot he car as it is serviced.
--------------------------------------------------
4-5 years ago, the local NBC-TV investigative reporter
did a piece one of the oil change quickies and uncovered
a real mess.

Got a mea culpa from the chain.

Followed up with another investigation about 2 years ago
and guess what, back to the same old tricks.

Don't know what the outcome of this investigation was.

This was a chain that was attempting to increase their
revenue stream by offering added services above and beyond
the basic oil change.

Glad to see you found a local shop that works for you.

I have found a chain location that works for me.

As far as my comment about "bad press" is concerned,
the oil companies have enough "bad press" problems
with their base business' to have a headache with quick
change operations which are in business to maintain a
path to the retail market for their oil products.

What the quick change lube shops have done is establish
a price level for their service.

A price level that has basically put the DIY'r out of
business IMHO.


Lew