Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 17:02:34 -0400
Reply-To: Tim Demarest <tim.demarest@POBOX.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Tim Demarest <tim.demarest@POBOX.COM>
Subject: Re: JiffyLube, extras
In-Reply-To: <7D68CAE3-C3C2-11D8-B48D-000A959B3796@knology.net>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed
Youch! Another satisfied customer...
I guess I should be happy that all they did was lie to me... "We can't
change the oil in Vanagons, are pits aren't configured to handle rear
engine cars"... Mind you, the same facility had changed my oil once before
(and tried to sell me wiper blades... I'll take that as a complement to my
Van's condition, since they didn't try to sell me some more elaborate service).
So, they don't change the oil in my Westie, or my Jetta anymore. I've
discovered that doing my own maintenance and repairs turns my camper into
two hobbies for the price of one... and it turns out that I actually enjoy
turning my own wrenches!
Tim
At 03:35 PM 6/21/2004 -0500, Jim Felder wrote:
>I had to have them clean out all the oil they put into the coolant
>overflow tank, and had to remove the interior side panel to retrieve
>the cap to the washer reservoir they dropped inside the rear wall of
>the car.
>
>Jim
>
>On Jun 22, 2004, at 3:08 AM, Stan Wilder wrote:
>
>>They tried charging me for a grease job when there were not any
>>fittings to
>>grease on a 83 Vanagon.
>>The really got to me on flushing my tranny since the tranny always
>>holds 1.5
>>Quart of fluid, they flushed it and then my tranny failed from diluted
>>90 wt
>>tranny grease.
>>This world is enough to scare the hell outta' me.
>>
>>Stan
>>
>>
>>
>>----- Original Message -----
>>From: "Tim Demarest" <tim.demarest@POBOX.COM>
>>To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
>>Sent: Monday, June 21, 2004 2:32 PM
>>Subject: Re: JiffyLube, extras
>>
>>
>>>At 12:02 PM 6/21/2004 -0700, Fin Beven wrote:
>>>>My impression is that shops like this use the oil change as the
>>inducement
>>>>to get you into the shop, then "get you" with the extras.
>>>
>>>
>>>You are 100% correct, they *always* do the little dance of asking you
>>>out
>>>of the waiting room to tell you about some other service your car
>>>needs...
>>>it has happened every single time I've been in a Jiffy Lube,
>>>regardless of
>>>the vintage of the vehicle. If your car is fairly new, they like to
>>>try
>>and
>>>sell you windshield wipers, an older vehicle like a Vanagon gives
>>>them a
>>>field day.
>>>
>>>If you really want to know what your Vanagon needs, check the service
>>>intervals in your Bentley manual. I'm sure you will find a wide range
>>>of
>>>overdue service items (greasing the CVs, changing the brake fluid,
>>>stuff
>>>like that)... but Jiffy Lube would *not* be my choice for working on
>>>critical systems. Find yourself a good, independent mechanic (the guy
>>>who
>>>owns his own shop has *much* more incentive to do quality work than a
>>>chain-shop employee), who is willing and able to work on Vanagons. If
>>>you
>>>can't find a vanagon guy, at least find a guy who looks excited by the
>>idea
>>>of working on an unusual vehicle, rather than someone that seems
>>>pessimistic or unwilling.
>>>
>>>Don'y let the Jiffy-Losers do more than an oil change, and make sure
>>>you
>>>check the dipstick and the drain plug when they say they are done!
>>>
>>>Just my $.02...
>>>
>>>Tim
Tim Demarest
tim.demarest@pobox.com
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