So I just got a call from my girlfriend in Atlanta. SHe went to Jiffy lube to get her oil changed in her '03 civic. THe required oil for this car, as noted by all service manuals and actually printed RIGHT ON THE OIL FILL CAP is 5w20 oil.

So she gets home, looks at her receipt and it says 5w30 oil she was charged for. I tell her to go back to the shop and demand a new oil change. I'm on the phone with her and immediately this lazy jerk starts arguing with her about the service. "we know we put 5w20 in" I tell her, it doesn't make two spits and half a fart's difference what they know, you're the one making the car payment, you're the one who needs to be sure. THey need to change that oil AND THE FILTER out. Finally he agrees to change the oil, but not the filter. They go back and forth for a minute and I tell her, screw it, get the higher-up's name and phone number, I'll talk to him myself. Well customer service is down on the weekends (no customer service even though their shops are open to make money. Great).

Furthermore, it turns out that there's a price difference btw 5w20 and 5w30. THe 20 weight is actually MORE expensive. I kept telling her, why is this guy running a shop going to charge you for the cheaper oil?! Just because he feels like being nice?

So I'm going down to ATL in a week (lol, not just for this, I was planning on going). I'm going to talk to customer service this week. I'm going to ask them what they're going to do if I take a sample of that oil out of the crank case and its the wrong kind.

I AM LIVID.

K

 

FIGHT THE POWER. lol

You have a formula? What year? Welcome to HCF

 

77 Firebird formula. Its pretty much my toy: 388 stroker (about 6.4 liters for you metric folks out there! dart heads, big cam, headers, duels the works. Bout 450 horse or so, all motor. I'll be getting rid of it soon though, need the cash. Wanna buy it?!

K

 

i used to work for jiffy lube a while back, although im unsure how the system works as of now. we would do oil changes and go by what was stated on the cap or alldata(which is put onto the work order) but sometimes we would have to ring it up as a different weight oil. i dunno, id try and fight it call the manager and request to speak witht he general manager and tell them whats up. tell them that if you car was to screw up it could be there fault for not following the manufacturer recomendations. worth a try i think.

 

Naw i dont wanna buy it but it does sound sweet.

I have a 94 Formula M6

 

I would have done the oil change my self, saved some $$$ and alot of hassle.

 

I do all mine, she lives 750 miles away, so it makes it a little out of the question.

K

 

Whne you go down to ATL, go to the place and talk face to face with the manager. It shouldnt be THAT hard to get sorted out.

 

At this point, I don't think it's really worth getting into it with the folks at the Jiffy Lube. It'll be like beating your head against a wall. Be zen and let it go. If you're headed down there anyway, just do the oil change yourself and help her find a decent mechanic in her area who'll care about her car more than the Jiffy Lube flunkies (no offense, finalimpact).
In the meanwhile, it's probably adequate (not great, though) that she's got the 5w30 in her engine. I mean, as long as there's not any extreme weather in Atlanta that'd require a different viscosity and as long as she's not planning on taking a road trip. So, really, in the week before you get down there, she might start to hear a faint tapping but there probably won't be any serious damage unless she drives her car in subfreezing or ultra boiling temps for a long while. It'll live until you can do the oil change.
You said she's still making payments? Maybe she can get her routine maitenance done at her dealership. While it's not usually the best option (as far as money goes) it's sill a step up from Jiffy Lube in terms of service quality.

 

kick some ***, i got screwd over at a midas and told everyone about it and tell everyone i no not to go there, i just feel bad for the people who do get screwd and dont realize it