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  • Report:  #990423

Complaint Review: Jiffy Lube

Jiffy Lube Improper flushing coolant Portland, Oregon

  • Reported By:
    Sk — Portland Oregon United States of America
  • Submitted:
    Thu, January 03, 2013
  • Updated:
    Sun, January 13, 2013
  • Jiffy Lube
    11545 NE SANDY BLVD
    Portland, Oregon
    United States of America
  • Phone:
    5039547583
  • Category:

Excited after buying my first (used) car, I was advised by a friend to get my oil changed by Jiffy Lube. 
Something I wish I never would have done because these guys dont understand the importance of using manufacturing specifications.

Note:  Im not a person that complains that often but this issue has bugged me quite a while so thats why Im writing.  People need to know that jiffy lube does not have qualified people working. They lack the experience and training required to be a competent in the automotive industry. 

Back to the storyI was extremely excited to get my fluids flushed.  I went in and spent about $300 to get my oil changed, coolant flush and engine flush.  Not only did this set me back $300, they also caused issues with my coolant system. 

I have an Audi A4 2005, which I thought jiffy lube had certified people to do those services. 

After about 15 mins, these servicemen supposedly flushed my engine, flushed the coolant, changed the oil, and changed my filters.  I was really surprised how fast they were able to do these, however they obviously did not properly do everything as
printed on the invoice.   

Take 1: I drove off and not even 15 minutes into my drive I see a warning on car saying coolant low. 
I filled the remaining with water because I was afraid of overheating.  Then, I decided to take the car back immediately to get them to fill it back up.  Which they did, but I had asked them to flush it again because of the water.  So they flushed it again, and I drove off and 10 minutes laterlow coolant again.  I was extremely upset and just drove home because these guys obviously lack knowledge of why this can happen. 

So I decided to go home, do some research of what could have caused this because it could be something serious that I had missed.  Through my researched, I learned that Audi uses special coolant bought from the dealer called G-12.  Its specially formulated for Audis.  So the next day I brought my car back however, I bought some AUDI g-12 and I told them to put it into my car because they didnt use Manufacturing Specification. 
The guy shows me his computer and of course on the computer it says g-12which is total lies. The color of the audi coolant is pink, while the jiffy lube was green.  Obviously something is wrong with jiffy lube because it leads to the next issue!

A couple of weeks go by and Im set on NEVER going back to Jiffy Lube and only taking it to someone who works on Audis.  I learned my lesson the hard way.  So I went home and read on the internet, how you flush audi a4 2005 coolant.  Thank
goodness for audi forums!  These guys know how to work on audis. 

Anyways, through my researched, when you flush a system you need to turn on the heater in order to flush out the coolant in the heating core.  There is a pocket of coolant which sits if the heater is not used.  Well those lead to the reason why my coolant was low every time I drove off the jiffy lube garage. I seriously was not going to let them touch my car again and I planned on flushing it myself.  (If you want something done right do it yourself) or dont let jiffy lube touch your
car. 

Because of my work schedule, I never go to flushing my own coolant which was a major mistake.  I didnt think the coolant would have that great of an issue, however it did.  Because the jiffy lube people used their own green coolant, this mixed with my pink audi coolant and caused the coolant to gunk up my heating core! 

So not only did these guys not know how to properly flush a coolant system, they mixed two coolants which gel up when they interact with each other.  So now Im driving around with a clogged heater core in the middle of winter.  Every time I get into the car this winter Im reminded of how incompetent jiffy lube employees are because its freezing cold, my windows dont defrost and I cant see when its raining.  So my car is unsafe to drive at the moment. 

The car runs fine, but Im really afraid to take it anywhere because of other issues that might arise. 
I have a secondary family car that I can borrow, so Im lucky.  Some may not be so fortunate. 

Conclusion:

These guys failed at an Audi A4 Coolant flush. They failed to use Manufacturers Specification Coolant which in turn clogged up my heater core. They forgot to flush out the original audi (Pink) coolant --that mixed with their green g-12 coolant.  I have a
gunked up heating core which will require replacement.

Stay away from Jiffy Lube if you care about your car! <-----important

Note: I feel a lot better now that Ive gotten to share this with others.  

2 Updates & Rebuttals


John

Memphis,
Tennessee,
U.S.A.

Scam

#3Consumer Suggestion

Sun, January 13, 2013

Jiffy Lube is all franchise operation but the computer system they are all attached to is run by corporate. Corporate controls what coolants they put into cars. I suspect they use a generic coolant which works fine on some but not all cars. Folks, oil is one thing but I wouldn't trust them to flush my toilet........


Jiffy Lube Customer Service

Houston,
Texas,
United States of America

Jiffy Lube International Response

#3UPDATE Employee

Mon, January 07, 2013

Hi there - we are writing on behalf of Jiffy Lube International customer service. We take customer feedback very seriously and are sorry your visit didnt meet your expectations. Our service centers are
run by franchisees, so wed like to share this feedback with the franchisee at the location you visited. Please e-mail us at jiffy-lube-customer-service@shell.com with the best way to contact you and someone will be in touch.


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