Jiffy Lube techs are all full time to my surprise.

[TheLawnRanger]

Even though I wrote the post about Jiffy Lube stripping drain bolts and over tightening filters, I don't think it's part of a scam to get more money later. I think many of the people that work there have little to no experience.

 

[HonorAndHonesty]

I did inquire about the pay for a starting lube tech, and she stated $9.00 starting pay.

I made about that working for JL over 20 years ago. Oh my.

 

[GoldDot40]

When I worked for them I was part time. Anything over 29 hours I got overtime for. That was in 2019 and I think it varies by franchise. My advice don’t work there period. I won’t share too much in public about why but just don’t work there. All I will say is after we got a batch of oil in off the truck that was pitch black and had metal shavings in it and they wanted me to put it in peoples vehicles I walked out the door and never looked back.

You kill me with this. So you expect us to believe that a bulk oil tanker showed up with used oil (pitch black with metal shavings) to put into your bulk tanks? I call absolute Beeee Esssss. I don't think there's a a legitimate quick lube owner in the country that is stupid enough to put used motor oil in a vehicle and try to pass it off as new. On the flip side, I don't think there's a bulk oil wholesaler that would sell used motor oil as new. I've been on both sides of the industry. I guarantee you that every oil delivery I got in my JL bulk tank(s) was brand new and the manifest stated specifically as Pennzoil 5w30 or 10w30, this was around the same time Ford and Honda started phasing in 5w20...which we carried in 55 gallon drums.

And just because the Jiffy Lube shop YOU worked in was a little shady doesn't mean they all are....likely FAR from it. I managed 5 different shops...2 Jiffy Lubes and 1 Havoline Xpress and 2 independents and they all ran like well oil machines...take the pun however. I also worked for a dealership where I saw far more "shady" practices. When I managed JL's, I had to go to monthly manager's meetings with 98 other store managers.

During these meetings, one of the subjects touched on was claims...basically any time the company had to pay out money for a screw up. These claims were nowhere the near frequency what people think they are. Sure, they happen...no shop/chain is perfect. I heard about a few small claims (scratched fenders, broken vacuum hose, broken headlight socket, etc) among 99 stores and rarely any "big" claims such as engines, transmissions, differentials, etc.

But to read @AutoMechanic 's posts, Jiffy Lube should be out of business by now...gone broke by replacing engines and whatever else. An engine replacement as an upsell in a quick lube? Yeah right. On what planet? I call Beeee Essss again. If a shop caused an engine to lock up due to not adding oil, who do YOU know that would allow that same shop to install an engine?

In the 14 years I was in the business, I had 2 claims...one I paid and one the customer didn't have a leg to stand on. Both of these were at the independent shops I ran. The one that I paid was due to a hotshot employee I hired by mistake. He was changing wiper blades on a fairly new Jetta and left the wiper arm up when he walked away to get the new blades. Wiper arm flopped down and cracked the glass. I had a new windshield installed that same day and comped the customer a couple of oil changes on the house....in which she was grateful for and continued to do business with me.

The other attempt of a claim was for a customer who brought in a mid-90s Ford Taurus. Told me up front the transmission was no acting right and he wanted it flushed. He couldn't recall ever having it serviced. I tried to talk him out of it, but he insisted. I made him sign a waiver that released my shop from any liability if the transmission got worse or failed.

It DID fail. He got 5 miles down the road and it stopped pulling. He took us to small claims...and lost. The bad rap that quick lube places get is largely unwarranted...blown out of proportion by people such as @AutoMechanic and the media who catch a shop every now and then with hidden cameras, then plaster it online and on TV. That ONE shop makes the entire industry look shady. It's not.

 

[Snowflake White]

You kill me with this. So you expect us to believe that a bulk oil tanker showed up with used oil (pitch black with metal shavings) to put into your bulk tanks? I call absolute Beeee Esssss. I don't think there's a a legitimate quick lube owner in the country that is stupid enough to put used motor oil in a vehicle and try to pass it off as new. On the flip side, I don't think there's a bulk oil wholesaler that would sell used motor oil as new. I've been on both sides of the industry. I guarantee you that every oil delivery I got in my JL bulk tank(s) was brand new and the manifest stated specifically as Pennzoil 5w30 or 10w30, this was around the same time Ford and Honda started phasing in 5w20...which we carried in 55 gallon drums.

And just because the Jiffy Lube shop YOU worked in was a little shady doesn't mean they all are....likely FAR from it. I managed 5 different shops...2 Jiffy Lubes and 1 Havoline Xpress and 2 independents and they all ran like well oil machines...take the pun however. I also worked for a dealership where I saw far more "shady" practices. When I managed JL's, I had to go to monthly manager's meetings with 98 other store managers.

During these meetings, one of the subjects touched on was claims...basically any time the company had to pay out money for a screw up. These claims were nowhere the near frequency what people think they are. Sure, they happen...no shop/chain is perfect. I heard about a few small claims (scratched fenders, broken vacuum hose, broken headlight socket, etc) among 99 stores and rarely any "big" claims such as engines, transmissions, differentials, etc.

But to read @AutoMechanic 's posts, Jiffy Lube should be out of business by now...gone broke by replacing engines and whatever else. An engine replacement as an upsell in a quick lube? Yeah right. On what planet? I call Beeee Essss again. If a shop caused an engine to lock up due to not adding oil, who do YOU know that would allow that same shop to install an engine?

In the 14 years I was in the business, I had 2 claims...one I paid and one the customer didn't have a leg to stand on. Both of these were at the independent shops I ran. The one that I paid was due to a hotshot employee I hired by mistake. He was changing wiper blades on a fairly new Jetta and left the wiper arm up when he walked away to get the new blades. Wiper arm flopped down and cracked the glass. I had a new windshield installed that same day and comped the customer a couple of oil changes on the house....in which she was grateful for and continued to do business with me.

The other attempt of a claim was for a customer who brought in a mid-90s Ford Taurus. Told me up front the transmission was no acting right and he wanted it flushed. He couldn't recall ever having it serviced. I tried to talk him out of it, but he insisted. I made him sign a waiver that released my shop from any liability if the transmission got worse or failed.

It DID fail. He got 5 miles down the road and it stopped pulling. He took us to small claims...and lost. The bad rap that quick lube places get is largely unwarranted...blown out of proportion by people such as @AutoMechanic and the media who catch a shop every now and then with hidden cameras, then plaster it online and on TV. That ONE shop makes the entire industry look shady. It's not.

Congrats...you're one of the needles in the haystack that aren't thieves, hacks, or scam artists I believe AutoMechanic..why, because I too saw a lot of outrageous things as well in the dealer service side. Unfortunately the industry attracts a LOT of unscrupulous people.

 

[AutoMechanic]

You kill me with this. So you expect us to believe that a bulk oil tanker showed up with used oil (pitch black with metal shavings) to put into your bulk tanks? I call absolute Beeee Esssss. I don't think there's a a legitimate quick lube owner in the country that is stupid enough to put used motor oil in a vehicle and try to pass it off as new. On the flip side, I don't think there's a bulk oil wholesaler that would sell used motor oil as new. I've been on both sides of the industry. I guarantee you that every oil delivery I got in my JL bulk tank(s) was brand new and the manifest stated specifically as Pennzoil 5w30 or 10w30, this was around the same time Ford and Honda started phasing in 5w20...which we carried in 55 gallon drums.

And just because the Jiffy Lube shop YOU worked in was a little shady doesn't mean they all are....likely FAR from it. I managed 5 different shops...2 Jiffy Lubes and 1 Havoline Xpress and 2 independents and they all ran like well oil machines...take the pun however. I also worked for a dealership where I saw far more "shady" practices. When I managed JL's, I had to go to monthly manager's meetings with 98 other store managers.

During these meetings, one of the subjects touched on was claims...basically any time the company had to pay out money for a screw up. These claims were nowhere the near frequency what people think they are. Sure, they happen...no shop/chain is perfect. I heard about a few small claims (scratched fenders, broken vacuum hose, broken headlight socket, etc) among 99 stores and rarely any "big" claims such as engines, transmissions, differentials, etc.

But to read @AutoMechanic 's posts, Jiffy Lube should be out of business by now...gone broke by replacing engines and whatever else. An engine replacement as an upsell in a quick lube? Yeah right. On what planet? I call Beeee Essss again. If a shop caused an engine to lock up due to not adding oil, who do YOU know that would allow that same shop to install an engine?

In the 14 years I was in the business, I had 2 claims...one I paid and one the customer didn't have a leg to stand on. Both of these were at the independent shops I ran. The one that I paid was due to a hotshot employee I hired by mistake. He was changing wiper blades on a fairly new Jetta and left the wiper arm up when he walked away to get the new blades. Wiper arm flopped down and cracked the glass. I had a new windshield installed that same day and comped the customer a couple of oil changes on the house....in which she was grateful for and continued to do business with me.

The other attempt of a claim was for a customer who brought in a mid-90s Ford Taurus. Told me up front the transmission was no acting right and he wanted it flushed. He couldn't recall ever having it serviced. I tried to talk him out of it, but he insisted. I made him sign a waiver that released my shop from any liability if the transmission got worse or failed.

It DID fail. He got 5 miles down the road and it stopped pulling. He took us to small claims...and lost. The bad rap that quick lube places get is largely unwarranted...blown out of proportion by people such as @AutoMechanic and the media who catch a shop every now and then with hidden cameras, then plaster it online and on TV. That ONE shop makes the entire industry look shady. It's not.

Believe what you want but everything I’m saying is true. Why would I make up something and post it on a forum? I’m sure there are some great one out there that the staff really does care and is great. But it’s the ones like I worked at that give the industry a bad reputation.

 

[CKN]

N

When I worked for them I was part time. Anything over 29 hours I got overtime for. That was in 2019 and I think it varies by franchise. My advice don’t work there period. I won’t share too much in public about why but just don’t work there. All I will say is after we got a batch of oil in off the truck that was pitch black and had metal shavings in it and they wanted me to put it in peoples vehicles I walked out the door and never looked back.

Not doubting what you observed-but the few times I have gone to JL the oil was clean after they finished. Was it the right weight? I dunno but the car didn't blow up.

 

[justalubetech]

$9 is what I got paid as well. I was 16 and 17 so not bad for a 17 year old I guess. All the other guys besides managers made $10 per hour. The $9 was because I couldn’t work the pit due to my age and Virginia laws.

And despite the other poster not believing me what I am saying is 100% true. They purposely would do that there isn’t a thing that place wouldn’t do. We were Jiffy Lube Multicare so we done repairs and some of those customers did end up letting us do the engine replacements. They aren’t towed somewhere else that maybe practice in the non multi care centers but in the multi care they have mechanics working there who preform any and all repairs besides oil changes and basic stuff. And older cars which is what we primarily seen didn’t have any warning lights warning of low oil or anything so someone wouldn’t have known. Like I said it varies based on franchise all mine cared about was money. It was also easy to get fired they fired the manager for yelling at another worker after about 20 calls to corporate by angry customers upset about the manager yelling.

How old of cars were you working on? Even my '75 Chev has a big red 'OIL PRESS.' dummy light

I'm not doubting you saw some stuff, heck I don't even like iffy lube, but to that extent is a bit far fetched. And no bulk oil carrier is going to ruin their rep with black oil full of shavings. Bulk tankers are filled at the refiner/distributor with what is ordered, they didn't fill up another companies tanker with used oil just to rip people off at your jiffy lube..

 

[doublebase]

I am surprised that it’s full time employment: I worked there when I was a kid and most of us were part time employees...working weekends or 10-15 hours during the week. I hated working there...buried in that pit doing oil changes, or up top hustling around with my hand in the engine. I have no idea what brand of oil we used, but it sure wasn’t a name brand...people don’t understand that when you take your car to most places (dealers, oil change shops), you’re not getting a name brand product, you’re getting bulk. Now is that “bad”? I don’t know, but I sure wouldn’t go 10,000 miles on it like all these folks that own Toyota’s are doing.

People bash Walmart oil changes, but at least they’re putting a brand name oil in it. If you pay for Pennzoil you get Pennzoil...not Ocean State Harbor Oil, or My Son Timmy’s Oil Co...or, I Went Three Weeks Without A Bowel Movement Oil.

 

[Andrew1972]

Cannot fathom working(productively) 60 hrs a week however my job is pure thinking.

 

[NYSteve]

You kill me with this. So you expect us to believe that a bulk oil tanker showed up with used oil (pitch black with metal shavings) to put into your bulk tanks? I call absolute Beeee Esssss. I don't think there's a a legitimate quick lube owner in the country that is stupid enough to put used motor oil in a vehicle and try to pass it off as new. On the flip side, I don't think there's a bulk oil wholesaler that would sell used motor oil as new. I've been on both sides of the industry. I guarantee you that every oil delivery I got in my JL bulk tank(s) was brand new and the manifest stated specifically as Pennzoil 5w30 or 10w30, this was around the same time Ford and Honda started phasing in 5w20...which we carried in 55 gallon drums.

And just because the Jiffy Lube shop YOU worked in was a little shady doesn't mean they all are....likely FAR from it. I managed 5 different shops...2 Jiffy Lubes and 1 Havoline Xpress and 2 independents and they all ran like well oil machines...take the pun however. I also worked for a dealership where I saw far more "shady" practices. When I managed JL's, I had to go to monthly manager's meetings with 98 other store managers.

During these meetings, one of the subjects touched on was claims...basically any time the company had to pay out money for a screw up. These claims were nowhere the near frequency what people think they are. Sure, they happen...no shop/chain is perfect. I heard about a few small claims (scratched fenders, broken vacuum hose, broken headlight socket, etc) among 99 stores and rarely any "big" claims such as engines, transmissions, differentials, etc.

But to read @AutoMechanic 's posts, Jiffy Lube should be out of business by now...gone broke by replacing engines and whatever else. An engine replacement as an upsell in a quick lube? Yeah right. On what planet? I call Beeee Essss again. If a shop caused an engine to lock up due to not adding oil, who do YOU know that would allow that same shop to install an engine?

In the 14 years I was in the business, I had 2 claims...one I paid and one the customer didn't have a leg to stand on. Both of these were at the independent shops I ran. The one that I paid was due to a hotshot employee I hired by mistake. He was changing wiper blades on a fairly new Jetta and left the wiper arm up when he walked away to get the new blades. Wiper arm flopped down and cracked the glass. I had a new windshield installed that same day and comped the customer a couple of oil changes on the house....in which she was grateful for and continued to do business with me.

The other attempt of a claim was for a customer who brought in a mid-90s Ford Taurus. Told me up front the transmission was no acting right and he wanted it flushed. He couldn't recall ever having it serviced. I tried to talk him out of it, but he insisted. I made him sign a waiver that released my shop from any liability if the transmission got worse or failed.

It DID fail. He got 5 miles down the road and it stopped pulling. He took us to small claims...and lost. The bad rap that quick lube places get is largely unwarranted...blown out of proportion by people such as @AutoMechanic and the media who catch a shop every now and then with hidden cameras, then plaster it online and on TV. That ONE shop makes the entire industry look shady. It's not.

This.

The bigger franchisees are really into training, building the skillset of their employees and running their stores well. Also, JL is now owned by Shell with corporate people checking on stores, looking at claims, complaints etc. The best Jiffy Lube's are well run and garnering hourly rates that rival dealers in their areas - just like any other repair place where customers' feel their are treated well and getting value.

On the flip side, the worst JL is going to be just as bad as the worst dealer, indy, quick lube - scammers, half assed jobs etc.

Key is figuring out which is which.

 

[dogememe]

I’m glad they can do that, hoping that means those guys get health benefits and stuff. But 60 hours a week is a lot of hours, man.

60 hours seems OK to me Only way to pay the rent these days

 

[justalubetech]

This.

The bigger franchisees are really into training, building the skillset of their employees and running their stores well. Also, JL is now owned by Shell with corporate people checking on stores, looking at claims, complaints etc. The best Jiffy Lube's are well run and garnering hourly rates that rival dealers in their areas - just like any other repair place where customers' feel their are treated well and getting value.

On the flip side, the worst JL is going to be just as bad as the worst dealer, indy, quick lube - scammers, half assed jobs etc.

Key is figuring out which is which.

I mean, the franchises still have to answer to corporate. A few instances like that and you better believe corporate would be looking into it. I know if my engine blew a mile down the road after an oil change I sure would be filing a claim...

 

[xgmad]

Oh yeah. They would do anything to try and get more money. They said it was a good way to upsell an engine. Which who in the world would let a place like that install an engine beats me but whatever.

One dollar oil changes

 

[partspro]

Yes it’s not Pennzoil at all. Honestly the oil delivery guy fills up all the tanks from one tank in his delivery truck. They always asked me why I would not change my oil there I said because I’m not stupid lol. Valvoline used an impact to install my friends drain plug and it warped and dented the pan. He went back to tell them about it and they said it was like that when it came in which was false because he was the last one to do it. So he had to replace the pan he wasn’t too happy. At least they probably have real oil there.

at my valvoline you can see the techs, on camera, under the car, they even call out the torque for the drain plug !! They also guarantee 15 mins, one time they missed it and took another $8 off their coupon price. My buddy used to work at valvoline and they didn't even have impacts in their oil bay. Of course, not all are equal. My location routinely over filled my tires, they used their dat base not the sticker on the b pillar.

 

[partspro]

I mean, the franchises still have to answer to corporate. A few instances like that and you better believe corporate would be looking into it. I know if my engine blew a mile down the road after an oil change I sure would be filing a claim...

Js, my point exactly was, they advertised Pennzoil, but they installed some bulk shell junk. I always had to top off the shell, between changes, Valvoline, never once.

 

[justalubetech]

Js, my point exactly was, they advertised Pennzoil, but they installed some bulk shell junk. I always had to top off the shell, between changes, Valvoline, never once.

I think that is fairly common practice though, the advertised oil you had to pay a bit more for, or you got whatever bulk, that's how it was when I worked at Wally world auto care, pennzoil plastered all over the place but unless you specified it was quaker state or super tech.

I wouldn't call the shell oil junk though, I remember a couple years ago it was all the rage on here showing good voa's and uoa's, a good "sleeper" oil lol

 

[justalubetech]

at my valvoline you can see the techs, on camera, under the car, they even call out the torque for the drain plug !! They also guarantee 15 mins, one time they missed it and took another $8 off their coupon price. My buddy used to work at valvoline and they didn't even have impacts in their oil bay. Of course, not all are equal. My location routinely over filled my tires, they used their dat base not the sticker on the b pillar.

Yeah, I've worked a few quicky lube type places, weren't even allowed power tools . . .

 

[Snowflake White]

I think that is fairly common practice though, the advertised oil you had to pay a bit more for, or you got whatever bulk, that's how it was when I worked at Wally world auto care, pennzoil plastered all over the place but unless you specified it was quaker state or super tech.

I wouldn't call the shell oil junk though, I remember a couple years ago it was all the rage on here showing good voa's and uoa's, a good "sleeper" oil lol

I wouldn't call the shell oil junk though, I remember a couple years ago it was all the rage on here showing good voa's and uoa's, a good "sleeper" oil lol

Shell actually owns the Pennzoil brand, shell makes Pennzoil.
Shell branded oil is every bit as good.