Hello!

A friend of mine (he posts on here; started out as "300dtobe" and is now "ibe300d") got his '84 300D Turbo last week, and I had a chance to go over it for the first time today. We did an oil change, cleaned out the intake-to-ALDA line, and attempted to chase down a hissing sound.

First, there is an old Jiffy Lube sticker in the window, so it's clear that the car has been to one at some point in the past; I'm not sure how long ago. So, here's a list of what we found wrong that likely directly spawned from them:

• Oil drain plug is the wrong size (14mm instead of 13MM; I think the threads are the same, but unsure)
• Air filter was about 3/4" too short for the cannister, so it was possible for the engine to suck raw air in
• One of the rubber seals in the U-shaped pipe going between the air filter and the turbo wasn't seated right, alowing an air leak there (and probably causing that hissing sound)
• There were two (yes, two!) big O-rings in the oil filter cannister lid; I'm amazed that the car wasn't spewing out oil like no one's business
• The oil filter looked wrong; instead of having the upper part being a bypass filter, it looked like a large full-flow filter

Why do people trust these quick-lube services? I'll bet that they were throwing 10W-30 in the crankcase, to boot. Probably due to the raw air injestion, there's about 1/32" (rough guesstimate) of lateral play in the intake turbine of the turbo; probably the bearing. I hope that it doesn't get worse...

I think that's everything; as you can probably guess, both me and my friend are ...

Usually these places hire people who just want to work. They do not necessarily have to have experience with vehicle maintenance. I went there once to have my a/c evacuated.....NEVER AGAIN.

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'85 300SD (formerly california emissions)
'08 Chevy Tahoe
'93 Ducati 900 SS
'79 Kawasaki KZ 650
'86 Kawasaki KX 250
'88 Kawasaki KDX200
'71 Hodaka Ace 100
'72 Triumph T100R

14mm is the correct size for the oil drain plug.

All my cars use 13 mm drain plugs, but I wouldn't be too worried about the 14 mm as long as it seals. The incorrect oil filter is a bigger problem and if they put 10W-30 oil in it, that's even a bigger problem. I have to admit I used to be naive too and once I brought my 82 300D to them to do a coolant flush. They tipped over their coolant container and spilled everything on the ground, their coolant had small chunks of filth floating in it, and I would no longer trust their flushing machine to be safe. Afterward I did a pressure test on my cooling system and it turned out good fortunately. One thing is for certain, Jiffy Lube will never see any of my cars again.

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2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

I have never heard any good things about jiffy lube. My mom had her oil changed by them once and they forgot to tighten the oil plug. She lost all her oil in the trip back and nearly fried the engine.
I knew someone at work that had their AT transmission fluid changed in their Honda with a CVT. They used the wrong fluid and it ruined the transmission. He got a new tranny from them after a long battle.
Other people I have know have had not enough oil refilled, no oil refilled, loose oil plugs, loose filters, etc.

NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER use jiffy lube, unless you figure you can get a new engine out of them.

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DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012

Warden, you're right. 13MM is the correct size for the drain plug.

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Bruce

73 220D (never left Germany)
81 300D (totaled)
84 300D (Purchased '03, sold '17)
85 300SD (purchased 10/01/03)

My son used Jiffy Lube. They stripped the threads out of his Volvo oil pan. Then they installed a Taiwanese rubber washer gizmo with a cheap stamped wingnut hanging down below the pan. That didn't hold oil so they smeare a goober of sealant around the plug. It was some pain to replace the oil pan.

Once, when I was recovering from some minor surgery, I took my TD to Jiffy Lube...

I knew they weren't going to have a filter, or the DELO 400 I was running so I took all that stuff with me and they still charged $35. Jeeze...I wouldn't take my ex-wife's car to one of those dam* ed places!!!

But, there was a funny side to it...right after I pulled in, strangely enough, there was a poor sod in 240D. The oil-change hucksters were giving him the complete dog-n-pony show while simultaneously trying to figure out what filter they had/needed for that poor 240. They weren't making much headway either...I walked up to him and said loud enough for everyone to hear: "These people don't have a clue about Mercedes diesels. Dude, you need to bring your own filters and oil or they will totally HOSE your car."

Screw 'em, I say

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

My company has a contract through GE Capital with Jiffy Lube to service our lease vehicles. Took the trusty Caravan in for its first service (ok, it's not a Benz, but it's free....:p AND I keep miles off my real cars) and it after leaving it sounded like the muffler was loose or something wasn't seated. Took it back the next day...nobody could find anything wrong. Played around under the hood myself several times and couldn't find anything loose. The screaming noise was only there under acceleration. Decided it was just a crappy Chrysler motor and let it go. Went in for the second oil change at a different JL location. They fiddled around and the guy asked me who did the first service. Pulled the receipt and showed it to him....he pulled some other guys over, then completed the job, but never said a word. I left, pulled out onto the expressway and the noise was gone....no screaming, no nothing. Just like before the first change. I still don't know what they did or what he found...figured it was a waste of my time to call back. I would never take my own vehicle to them....EVER>>>

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TClanton
1980 450SL 90K
1980 300SD 112K