"oakparker" <sholomg@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1k2dh2d7m5c7d5tkkdcem8rh02553gtb43@4ax.com...
>
> Why are people so upset with Jiffy Lube and the other lube places?
>
They are a gamble. It's possible they will do a competent job of changing
the oil, but there is a real risk they will do some nasty damage.
Cross-threaded oil plugs are legion with the Quickie-lube shops and
replacing the oil pan to fix that will set you back a couple hundred
dollars. I don't know if anybody has succeeded in getting the JL places to
pay for that. More rarely they will put the entirely wrong fluids in or fail
to put oil in the crankcase at all. Those cases often show up on the TV news
"consumer advocate" spots. There have also been lots of complaints about
shops that claim to change the filter but clearly don't.

Personally, I do my own work and keep cars long past the point they have any
trade-in value. But if you expect to trade the car in when it is still new
enough to have value, you may find yourself many dollars ahead to have the
dealership or your regular mechanic change the oil and routine maintenance.
Verifiable service records are a crucial part of the difference between a
car that is in "good" condition and one that is in "excellent" condition,
and that can mean a thousand dollars or more in Blue Book value. Beyond
that, establishing a relationship with a shop before major trouble comes
along can pay off in many ways. Also, if they *do* cross-thread the drain
plug you can be sure they will make good on it without being asked. Shops
protect their business a whole lot more than fast lube places do.

Although... a bunch of years ago I heard about a place (in redneckland IIRC)
that offered topless oil changes (yes - women doing the work topless). It
was called "Boob and Lube." Kind of a specialty thing, I guess. Dunno how
that would look in the old service record.

Mike