Date: Thu, 1 Jul 1999 16:20:44 -0400
Reply-To: "Joe L." <jliasse@TOAST.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: "Joe L." <jliasse@TOAST.NET>
Subject: Re: DISASTER AT JIFFY LUBE!!!!
In-Reply-To: <a9b5060c.24acf82b@aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
If the long run this may not be so bad. Your van is only slightly
younger than mine (83.5). If the condition of your paint is twice as good as
mine is you still need a paint job. A thread that ran here a couple of weeks
ago pegged the price if a GOOD paint job (Not a Maco Special) at about
$1200.
Now, considering the difficulities in restoring a damaged portion of
the body to the point it EXACTLY matches the rest of the vehicle you may
have grounds here to get the entire van painted and handing the bill to
Jiffy-Lube.
There are possibilities here. Get hold of YOUR insurance agent. If he
is any good at all he will be able to tell you if this is possible and also
how to do it.
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]On Behalf
Of JordanVw@AOL.COM
Sent: Thursday, July 01, 1999 12:58 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: DISASTER AT JIFFY LUBE!!!!
since i change my oil regularly, sometimes i just go to a quick lube place,
and have it done...usually the ones where theres a drive in bay, and just a
open pit in the floor. and i usually stand there and watch the kid take off
the filter, and instruct him that if he strips the threads in the drain plug
(bottom of case) - he will die :<) and then add the oil myself (20-50
synthetic) and theres never a prob.
today was different....
i happened to be at the local sears...and they have a new jiffylube
franchise
that they opened in conjunction with the sears auto center.. anyway, it's
all new, and the lifts are the above floor type, with platforms that lift
up,
that the car is driven up on. all the employees, are new, and most of them
have names i cant pronounce.
the first thing Julio (yes, that was his name on his nametag) did was drive
the van ('84 vanagon) up on the lift platform FRONT first, when the service
platform is in the front, since most cars are front engined.
that was bad omen #1.
then i proceed to climb up the stairs of the platform, and straddle the
wheel
supports in the back, while the van is on the lift, to get the hatch up, and
engine lid open to check the ATF. Julio asks me what i'm doing, and then
says "oh! the engines in the back? that's wierd, man" <----- that is a
direct quote.. scary huh?
that was bad omen #2. i should have said lower the van back down and got
the hell outta there...but i didnt..
then he drains the oil (almost takes off the wrong drainplug) and removes
the filter, and reinstalls a new filter and the drainplug.
ok...so far, so good eh? not.
so he starts lowering the van, so he can add oil, since he drove it up on
the
platform the wrong way..
i was looking the other way, then all the sudden i hear all this yelling in
spanish....
i look back at my van - and it IS TILTED...WITH 3 WHEELS ON THE
PLATFORM...AND THE WHOLE LEFT FRONT OF THE VAN IS BEING HELD UP BY THE
DRIVERS DOOR!!!
the MORON left the drivers door open when he lowered it! the door got
caught on the platform, and lifted the front of the van up....
at this point, i am livid.. the door frame is bent...and the door wont
close..at all...
julio, scared that he is gonna get sh*t canned, then lowers the van all the
way to the floor, and hops in, and holds the door while backing the van off
the platform....
WITHOUT ANY OIL IN IT.
at this point, i am ready to beat the krap out of this guy.. out comes the
supervisor...and he assures me that i will be fully compensated for any
damages, and it will be repaired completely.....after a bunch of yelling...
after filling out some accident reports, and adding the oil, the supervisor
hands me a bunch of free jiffy lube coupons...i dont think i'll be needing
those... and drove home with the seatbelt holding the drivers door
closed......
makes you think twice before you leave your van in someone elses hands...
chris
