Let me start by saying we (Navy Recruiting office here in Lincoln, NE) have been using the same Jiffy Lube to service our fleet government vehicles for the past few years and have never had a problem. Until now...

I decided last week since it was extremely cold outside that I would be lazy and just take my 90 4Runner down to the same Jiffy Lube to get my oil changed. Mistake number one! I left there thinking all was well. 287 miles later while driving home one night I started to hear a little pinging noise. About a mile later as I pulled off to the side of the road it sounded like two demons battling it out under my hood. Before I could get out and take a look I heard the dreaded loud pop and the engine completely seized up.

I called a friend and we towed it back to my place. Pulled the dipstick and sure enough not a drop of oil on it. The next morning I called Jiffy Lube and they sent out their regional manager to take a look. His first response was that the oil filter and drain plug were on nice and tight and that there was no sign of leakage so it wasn't their fault. Not being a complete idiot I told him to take off the oil filter. Sure enough... IT WAS NICE AND SHINEY INSIDE!!! I heard him mutter a few profanities when he pulled it off and looked inside which to my ears just sounded like "cha-ching!" So as I sit here today typing this Jiffy Lube is trying to decide whether they are going to have it rebuilt or just buy a new crate motor.

So the big question of the day is... If the name of your company is Jiffy LUBE and your sole purpose in life is to take out a drain plug, drain the oil, change the filter and put new oil in and you can't even get THAT right why on earth are you still in business?

I haven't led some privaledged life. I didn't go to Ivy league schools. However I have been in the Navy for 13 years and with just a little training even I am capable of operating a multi-million dollar nuclear powered submarine. If I can do that without some crazy college degree from MIT, how in the hell can you not even get a simple oil change right?!

But seriously, the worst part is I have to drive this little Nissan Sentra rental car around until they fix my truck! Situations like this make me think that there should be some kind of test people should have to take before they are allowed to breed.

Signed,
Truckless in Cornville
(Thanks Jiffy Lube, you non-oil filling evil company)

 

I would demand a brand new crate motor installed by toyota. I wouldn't trust them or their affiliates to do it

 

That's not the first time I've heard of this happening...

 

I case you (or anyone else) don't remember Mama's big ordeal here's the links:

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f123...manship-81083/

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...stress-137689/

Unfortunately she didn't completely finish her ordeal in her posts. But she did PM me about it and it was blown. She didn't have the ability to take it out herself for warranty consideration and didn't have the funds to pay someone else to do it. She was trying to sell the truck with a blown (newly rebuilt) engine with (maybe) a warranty

 

I admit I've used those places a few times and without fail I do a simple look under the truck,check the filter and pull the dipstick as soon as i get home so if there was a problem it can be fixed right there.

So,since we should all be aware of these quickie lube place's reputations by now do these checks and save yourself a headache.............but a new motor would be nice.

 

wow bro that sucks

You wouldn't believe this, but I worked for JL YEARS ago, for about 8 months, and I couldn't stand it... yes, there are a lot of automotive incompitant people that work there...

I had a background on vehicles when I started, that's pretty much the reason I even considered the job, cause I knew what I was doing.

A similar thing happened in another store near mine here in Fl when I was with them. Apparently the tech (if you wanna call them "tech's"), doubled up on the filter O-ring, and it held for about 800 miles, then finally let loose while the customer was on the highway. Well the same happened to him; locked the motor up as he was pulling over. I'm not 100% sure about this, but I do believe they had the motor replaced with a brand new crate motor from Ford (this was in a Focus), and paid for the rental car while it was being done too.

To this day, there's still some people that work at the same store that I became pretty good friends with, but I still refuse to take my truck there, if that tells you anything...


There's some people that worked there that didn't know ANYTHING about cars... Seriously, I had to show a guy how to USE A FREEK'N WRENCH to loosen and tighten drain plugs... "Lefty Loosy, Righty Tighty" I told him... "Hey this wrench wont fit" he says... "Uh, try one of the others ones?" I say... long pause... "Oh hey I got it!" he yells...

And what's sad is I worked with the same time of people when I was at Advance Auto Parts...

I personally think that anyone working in an environment that deals with fixing or maintaining other's vehicles, it should be a REQUIREMENT to be ASE Certed... of course that doesn't always mean much...

 

 

lmao, I'm serious man!

it's that bad...

 

keep us updated on what becomes of this.

 

oo man for sure demand the new crate motor. A good family friend had her oil changed at a one of thoes jiffy lube knock off places (i think it was a texaco fast lube place or somthing) and after they drained the oil they put the drain plug back in.. but over tightend it and pulled the threads out of the pan and striped it... so instead of fixing it properly, they just put a piece of duct tape over it and called it good. luckily for her it held long enough that one day she knowticed a big oil spot in her drive way and then had one of her brothers (a honda tech) drop the pan and fix it.

i know that unless i am un-able to physicaly change my oil and do my own maitnence i will NOT use a jiffy lube or oil can henrys.. it will go to a very reputible dealership or repair shop.

 

wow, thats a bummer..
But on the good side atleast your getting everything replaced

haha, try to get them to take it to toyota dealership.. theres some cha ching$

 

On the up side...
...it did go 287 miles without oil.

 

haha, yeah thats pretty good without running oil

 

Isn't there a "no oil" idiot light on these or something?

 

"when he took off the oil filter and mumbled something it was like a chia ching sound in my ears" Funny

But that really sucks, can you say tray cookies in the rental car? Put some trays (taco bell, Mc ds...whatever) under the back wheels, set the e brake, floor it and turn. hahaha

seriously tho, best of luck.

 

assuming the pressure sensor and light is working

that's why I have a mechanical gauge too, for backup

 

I think this is the perfect argument for frequently pre-tripping of your vehicle.

Jiffy Lube is not the only place with folks that touch your car that don't know what they're doing.

Anytime someone touches my vehicles I pre-trip before driving off the lot, and at least every time you fuel it up. It's only common sense.

I think the manual says check your oil ever 200 miles.

 

So, i read all this, and I just wanted to clarify.

They drained the oil, but did not fill it back up, correct? There was no oil on the dipstick, and no oil in the filter?

I find that odd and hard to believe, since Jiffy lube, like most oil change places, has a set of procedures and standards to follow. They start your engine, shut it back off, and check the level. The place I go to checks my oil level several times to be sure its filled. Also, with your 4Runner, in 287 miles, you didn't think to ever look over at the oil pressure gauge? And notice it was on ZERO?

All things being equal, it sounds like those tools didn't fill the oil up based on your story. Bear in mind I am not siding with them. Just wondering, thats all.

Cheers!

 

Wow, sorry about your misfortune. Don't let them pull some "old engine, depreciation" crap on you to short-change their cost of fixing it.

At least they would know which end of a wrench is the handle.

 

Everyone is prone to making mistakes, its human nature. I bet you my paycheck that your local ASE certified mechanic has made mistakes before.

ASE cert means nothing when we are talking human nature.