Quick lube, Jiffy lube, Tires plus= BAD! - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

cudaspaz · #1 06-21-2007, 09:20 PM

I am posting this in the tech help section because I think it may be helpful to some that may have been or had considered taking their mercedes to quick lube and tires plus type places for oil changes.

Well today I just went to a longtime customers home to do a brake job on his 97 E-320 and a B service on his wife's ML-350.

He was complaining that his E-320 was making a tapping noise and was smoking.

I checked the oil on the dipstick and it was way, way overfilled.
Not only that but the oil filter was not correctly snapped into the filter housing as the technician had a hard time getting the filter and housing past the flexible fuel lines as they are sometimes in the way.

The oil filter housing was not screwed down all the way because the filter was cocked inside the housing.
Also oil was leaking pretty bad at the housing gasket which was almost exposed.

The housing looked like the tech had unscrewed the oil filter housing with a stump grinder as it was all chewed up from not using the correct tool.

I must have drained 10-11 quarts of oil from the car, and the customer was embarrased and it was hard for him to admit he had tires plus do the oil change while he had his tires replaced.

Well, the tapping and the smoking, and the oil leak went away, but I warned him as I had warned him in the past to not let any of those quick lube and tire joints touch your Mercedes unless you want problems.
Man, I hate it when my customers don't listen to my advice.

I have seen way too many screw ups from theese types of places as a technician, and I don't have enough time to relate how many horror stories I have witnessed at the dealerships throughout the years from cars coming in damaged after the quick lube joint practiced on their mercedes ruining $20,000 engines.

So ....cheapskates, stay away from the quicky lube joints, eventually little pimple faced Billy will ruin your car after a hard weekend of partying.

At least find an independent who knows what they are doing.

ILUVMILS · #2 06-21-2007, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cudaspaz

Well today I just went to a longtime customers home..............and the customer was embarrased and it was hard for him to admit he had tires plus do the oil change while he had his tires replaced.

If I was a "longtime customer", I'd be embarrassed too!!!

BioPOWER · #3 06-21-2007, 10:59 PM

Seriously, 10 or 11 quarts??
Daayummm.

If there was that much extra oil in one of my diesels, the thing would've "run away" instantly...the extra oil gets sucked up through the crankcase ventilation, delivered through the intake, and combusted uncontrollably by the engine. Since a diesel is shut off by cutting the fuel injected, turning off the key does no good--the engine has no way of stopping the oil from being sucked up. Pretty much the only way to prevent the engine from self-destructing is to empty a CO2 fire extinguisher into the intake

I wonder what the bill was like for nearly 300% the amount of oil recommended

G-Benz · #4 06-22-2007, 06:43 AM

Too many horror stories abound with their treatment of vehicles in general, much less Mercedes-Benz.

The local Quik Lube here gets to do annual vehicle inspections to my fleet, and that's it!

blueeagle289 · #5 06-22-2007, 07:28 AM

There is no way to outlaw quick lubes and other operations because a few are not qualified. I have 4 cars and use a local Kwik Kar garage for all my oil changes and minor mechanical things that I cannot fix. They are EXCELLENT, have qualified mechanics, have Mercedes filters in stock and do an overall superior job on everything. We all must find a qualified mechanic and use them, just like every other choice in life. Ben Carter

G-Benz · #6 06-22-2007, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blueeagle289

There is no way to outlaw quick lubes and other operations because a few are not qualified. I have 4 cars and use a local Kwik Kar garage for all my oil changes and minor mechanical things that I cannot fix. They are EXCELLENT, have qualified mechanics, have Mercedes filters in stock and do an overall superior job on everything. We all must find a qualified mechanic and use them, just like every other choice in life. Ben Carter

It's great that you have found a local franchise with a competent staff. Considering that the local Quik Lube is less than a mile from my house, as opposed to the dealership, which is at least 20 miles away, I would love to drop my cars off for oil changes at the local shop...fortunately, my indie is 10 minutes away.

Unfortunately, the stories told on this thread are not folklore, and many of the "bad press" I've garnered, were from close friends and aquaintances. I have had Hondas and Mazdas serviced in the past with no repercussions...but I read the oil change threads on this forum, and to some, it sounds like black magic...no way I'm handing the keys over to one of these places, UNLESS I have first-hand knowledge that they frequently service MBs...

...unfortunately, even when I leave my lowly old W124 for inspection, it's the most exotic vehicle sitting in their garage!

TX76513 · #7 06-22-2007, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cudaspaz

.
So ....cheapskates, stay away from the quicky lube joints, eventually little pimple faced Billy will ruin your car after a hard weekend of partying.

That's a fairly broad statement to say every Fast Lube station is crap.

Cheapskates ? Is that the right word. When I use a Quick Lube it's because I am Lazy. By the time you supply a filter it's not a bargain (cheap) anymore.

This thread probably needs to be in OD instead of Tech Help

Mike Murrell · #8 06-22-2007, 12:17 PM

It's the luck of the draw in many cases and what was said here in the opening post is not limited to the Quik Lubes places.

Independent garages and dealerships are as bad about this as the national franchise operations. They all hire inexperienced people & pay them $7 an hour. What would one expect?

The problem with the overfill issue occurs in shops that use automated equipment to refill with. If the tech doesn't set it up correctly, you get too much. Some of these units also have a good qt. or more left in the lines that gets added to your engine during a refill, so it's not unusual to see 1-2 qts too much in this situation.

Laugh if you like, but Wal-Mart is as good as any Quik Lube place out there. They use qt. bottles to refill with(at least in my area) vs. the "guns" used by many of the national Quik Lube places.

All the more reason to DIY.

riethoven · #9 06-22-2007, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blueeagle289

There is no way to outlaw quick lubes and other operations because a few are not qualified. I have 4 cars and use a local Kwik Kar garage for all my oil changes and minor mechanical things that I cannot fix. They are EXCELLENT, have qualified mechanics, have Mercedes filters in stock and do an overall superior job on everything. We all must find a qualified mechanic and use them, just like every other choice in life. Ben Carter

Nothing personal, but thanks for telling me what I must do. No one can work on my car like I can, because I clean everything as I go, take extra time to check other things when I am working on a specific task, and my cars are a great source of pride for me. I doubt many mechanics feel the same.

The car I am fixing now is a W124 Wagon with OM603 and cracked head. Some indy replaced the radiator and did a cooling service and put in the green antifreeze. I am sure the head gasket was already deteriorated before he did the work, but the point is, he put in the wrong coolant because he did not know any better. The thermostat is also bent so it will stay open all the time.

Being a knowledgeable shade tree mechanic, I at least know what is right for these cars. I am glad you are happy with your local quik-e-lube, but I would not trust those guys to even check the oil, forget about changing the oil or doing any repairs.

Since I started this post I realized I have taken your advice - the qualified mechanic is ME.

riethoven · #10 06-22-2007, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cudaspaz

I am posting this in the tech help section because I think it may be helpful to some that may have been or had considered taking their mercedes to quick lube and tires plus type places for oil changes.

I must have drained 10-11 quarts of oil from the car, and the customer was embarrased and it was hard for him to admit he had tires plus do the oil change while he had his tires replaced.

The kid filling the oil filled it just like the gas tank, until the engine was full.

Gotta be hard to keep profits up when they use 50% more oil than they should.

Texholdem · #11 06-22-2007, 12:49 PM

I read an article about a covered investigation at Jiffy Lube, where they sometimes charge customer for oil change and other jobs but did not do anything.

http://www.knbc.com/news/9265933/detail.html
http://www.knbc.com/mechanicinvestigation/9879404/detail.html

The investigator marked their parts, which were supposed to be replaced. After picking up the car, they checked and found the old parts still with intact marking, although the parts and labor were billed. Those frauds were discovered not once by the investigators, but repeatedly.

Mike Murrell · #12 06-22-2007, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texholdem

The investigator marked their parts, which were supposed to be replaced. After picking up the car, they checked and found the old parts still with intact marking, although the parts and labor were billed. Those frauds were discovered not once by the investigators, but repeatedly.

Unfortunately, this goes on not only at Jiffy Lube, but at independent shops and dealerships as well.

"Maintenance" has got to be one of the biggest rip-offs in auto repair. If your car is towed in for a "no start", they have to figure it out and fix it.

Pull in for the 30K/60K/90K/etc. check-up and you more often than not get little or nothing. I have popped the hood on many a co-workers car after these mileage-based maint. services were performed only to point out all of the items that were not replaced. It's simply too easy for a shop to get away with.

Think your timing belt "really" got changed? Think they "really" adjusted the valves? Think they "really" replaced that rear-mount fuel filter that you can't visually inspect easily? Did they "really" pull the tranny pan and replace the filter?

It would scare people if they had any idea just how wide-spread this problem is.

The solution is do-it-yourself maintenance. I pity those who are unable to do so.

Texholdem · #13 06-22-2007, 01:55 PM

Mike,

this is for your signature >> Fräulein << easy to copy and paste

. It's more authentic.

Mike Murrell · #14 06-22-2007, 02:09 PM

Texholdem:

You're right!

Thanks.

slk230red · #15 06-22-2007, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Murrell

Unfortunately, this goes on not only at Jiffy Lube, but at independent shops and dealerships as well.

"Maintenance" has got to be one of the biggest rip-offs in auto repair. If your car is towed in for a "no start", they have to figure it out and fix it.

Pull in for the 30K/60K/90K/etc. check-up and you more often than not get little or nothing. I have popped the hood on many a co-workers car after these mileage-based maint. services were performed only to point out all of the items that were not replaced. It's simply too easy for a shop to get away with.

Think your timing belt "really" got changed? Think they "really" adjusted the valves? Think they "really" replaced that rear-mount fuel filter that you can't visually inspect easily? Did they "really" pull the tranny pan and replace the filter?

It would scare people if they had any idea just how wide-spread this problem is.

The solution is do-it-yourself maintenance. I pity those who are unable to do so.

I just have to add my opinion on this topic. I am one of those fortunate owners that do my own maintenance and repairs. I do however, take the new MB's in for service when it's free. That way, any recall work can be done along with other warranty issues I usually have. Even with MB technicians I have to be careful and check their work...they sometimes forgot to reinstall something that I find laying in the engine compartment. On several occasions I have found tools left in the car or engine compartment.

What really irritates me is when they leave a tool by the hood hinges and attempt to close the hood...this leaves a nice scratch and/or indentation on the inside of the hood. Do think they are going to notify the shop manager that this happened? Nooooo!

I wouldn't take my riding mower to Jiffy or any other quick service shops. When I'm working on my vehicles, I have no one looking over my shoulders, no interruptions, no quotas to meet, I like to stay focused and do the job right the first time.

OK, I feel better, I think I'll go out to the garage and replace the tie rod ends on the 190.

And, no one but me touches my '71 Vette!

Having fun in Florida,

Dave