<VV> Jiffy Lube Scam is not the only one, and this is NOT new

[Charles Lee at Proper Pro Per]

To paraphrase PT Barnum, "Fools are fair game," and anyone who blindly 
trusts someone else to do something they do not want to do themselves (for 
whatever reason and however valid the reason) deserves what they get.

"Trust but verify"

We can all do the "marked part" gambit to doublecheck repair shops, although 
one time that I tried that, the shop said that it a different hose they 
replaced than the one they said they were going to replace.  Hmmm.  The one 
they replaced was nestled under the back of the engine and I can't tell by 
looking at it.

It is really buried up there, which is why I thought it was worth the price 
($250) to replace the $1 part, but was somewhat dismayed to find the car 
exhibiting the same symptoms, but worse, about 2 weeks later, the timing 
belt, for $750.

I think that they misdiagnosed it the first when the belt may have slipped, 
and they nudged it back into "timing" and claimed to do the "PCV" valve hose 
replacement.

Can't prove it though.

But, what a deal for Jiffy-Lube and anyone else in the position to charge 
the public for work not done !

How would a customer know that their fuel system was NOT flushed ?  How many 
have the expertise to even try to detect the problem, or even understand 
what is being done ?  (For example, tinting the fluid before having it 
flushed, and checking afterward to se if it's still there ?)

So, they scam a million customers, and only return the money if they get 
caught ?  Sounds like an invitation to everyone else to do it.

How many people DIDN'T see that report ?

Is this a surprise to anyone ?

Remember my recent post about my then-new 1969 Monza ?

I had a knock in the front end (which I should have found myself, but I 
still trusted repair shops) which was found by a reputable dealer (on my 
third attempt) to be loose shock absorber bolts.

The dealer (who would have to fix it for free) said there was no problem.

I then took it to Midas for a "free" inspection, who said that I would have 
to replace the front suspension (!) Obviously they knew I was "green" and 
"fair game," I guess.

Of course, they would not put it in writing, to bring to the Chevy dealer as 
"proof," but said I could use my receipt as "proof" after they "repaired" it 
!  Uh-huh. I wasn't THAT green.

And of course, replacing the front-end WOULD have cured the knocking 
problem, since they would probably tighten the loose bolts when installing 
the new front-end (if they even did replace it, and not just tighten the 
bolts and claim to have replaced it, but billing me nonetheless !)

I finally took it to the third shop, "Bellmore Brake and Spring" in 
Bellmore, LI, NY, who immediately identified the problem, and tightened the 
loose bolts.

That shop also showed me an valuable lesson of how trouble shoot my own 
problems, and fix them myself.

The few times I have since "forgotten" this lesson, or got lazy, and let 
someone else work on my car, I have paid dearly, by having to do it myself 
after waiting for them to mess it up (and paying for that too) !

I suspect the dealer was trying to make me unhappy with my 1969 Monza 140/4 
convert, so that I would trade it in. (They had a standing offer with me to 
"upgrade" to a 1969 Camaro 427, "even trade" which I wouldn't do, to their 
dismay.)

---------------------------------
In 1985, I paid a Chevy dealer $9.95 for a valve adjustment on my Lakewood 
because it was November in New York, and snowing.  Even Chevy can't screw up 
a valve adjustment, can they ?

I left the car there while I went to work and picked it up at closing time. 
(Bad idea !!!)

I commented that it was not as quiet as I thought it should be, and he said 
it would "quiet down" when it warmed up.

I drove out into a snow storm, and got about a mile before it bogged down so 
bad it stalled on the side of a 70 MPH expressway.

I then had to adjust the valves, in the dark, and in the snow, myself.

Wow !  That was $9.95 well-spent, wasn't it ?

I brought it back to the dealer next day, and he of course, said, "What's 
the problem ? It sounds fine to me" !

"OK. come on over to the side of the expressway and I'll show you the oil 
stains there."

Of course, doing this in front of a long line of fools waiting to be bilked 
helped his decision to refund my money.

He should have paid me $1000 for the problem he caused, for deceiving me, 
and for the hundreds of others who didn't complain.

OK, I feel better now...








----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Andy Clark" <slowboat at mindspring.com>
To: "Charles Lee at Proper Pro Per" <chaz at ProperProPer.com>
Sent: Thursday, September 14, 2006 10:48 AM
Subject: Re: <VV> Jiffy Lube Scam (L.A. news)


> Try the link that I sent the second time. This one had the last 2 letters
> cut off.
>
> Regards
>
> Andy
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Charles Lee at Proper Pro Per" <chaz at ProperProPer.com>
> To: "Andy Clark" <slowboat at mindspring.com>
> Sent: Thursday, September 14, 2006 10:36 AM
> Subject: Re: <VV> Jiffy Lube Scam (L.A. news)
>
>
>> I get "Access denied" on that link ?
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Andy Clark" <slowboat at mindspring.com>
>> To: "VV" <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
>> Sent: Thursday, September 14, 2006 9:38 AM
>> Subject: <VV> Jiffy Lube Scam (L.A. news)
>>
>>
>> > Have you serviced your car at Jiffy Lube?
>> >
>> > Watch the Jiffy Lube Scam  by clicking on the site below:
>> > http://mfile.akamai.com/12924/wmv/vod.ibsys.com/2006/0503/9152183.200k.a
>> > sx
>> >
>> > Andy Clark
>> > 1966 140/4 Monza Sedan
>> > 1966 140/4 Yenko Clone
>> > 1966 180/4 Cord 8/10 #60
>
>