Jiffy Lube — Local services in Atascadero

Funny they would ask. This is what took place during my visit to Jiffy Lube yesterday in Atascadero.. The car is a 2003 Volvo XC70 with 212,000 miles on it. The attendant asked me what services I was there for, and I told him oil change. He then asked what oil I wanted, and I told him 10-30, which is an appropriate viscosity for an engine with such high mileage. The wait wasn’t too long.

After waiting for about 20 minutes, the attendant came to me and told me that my car (that aI’ve owned since 2013) required “Euro-synthetic” oil, not the conventional type that I asked for. He then told me that they didn’t have the required oil in stock. The oil had been drained from the block at this point.

Having owned many, many vehicles in my life, and having worked on most of them since I was a teen ager back in 1960, I am fully aware of the properties of the various types of lubricants on the market today, and I am also fully aware that Volvo does not “require Euro-synthetic” oil, since this is Not Europe, and since all oils of the same viscosity are essentially the same. He also was insistent that I use 5-20! You do Not use such thin oil in any high mileage vehicle (unless you happen to live in the Arctic), or it happens to be a much more modern vehicle.

I was informed that since I was adamant about what oil I wanted , they would have to “contact Corporate” for special permission! This went on and on until they finally agreed to use the type of oil I asked for, and required my signature absolving them of any fault' should the car suddenly fall to pieces because of my choice of oil. Those among you who happen to be reading this will realize what a Crock of You Know What I was being fed.

After well over an hour of waiting, the attendant came to me with a this coil of steel in his hand, informing me that some tech in some previous oil change had done it incorrectly, thereby causing the oil plug pan threads to strip. In a normal world, this would mean replacing the pan with a new one- a job that cannot be done without removing the engine from the car, which is extremely expensive and time consuming. A special universal plug with a rubber end was used instead, and I have no idea what the life of this thing will be. I applaud them for finding a solution to the issue, but remember that the problem was not brought to my attention when the original plug was removed in the first place! To me, the reason for this was that their tech over-tightened the plug, thereby causing the failure themselves.

I was in the place for almost 3 hours and spent about a third of that time arguing with them. They did give me several discounts at time of payment, which I greatly appreciate, but not enough for me to ever take the chance of...

The WORST place I have ever been to. Gave me the completely wrong battery for my car and now it’s been months of me asking for a refund. Don’t take your car here, these people have no clue what they’re doing when it comes to mechanical work. A girl named Casey was the one who put in the wrong battery and she still works there.

EDIT: I finally contacted corporate jiffy lube and they escalated the situation and now I’m supposed to receive a call from the Atascadero store within 72 hours. The store told my boyfriend that the battery wasn’t under warranty anymore. That shouldn’t matter because #1 I gave the battery back to them and #2 IT WAS THE WRONG BATTERY IN THE FIRST PLACE. They damaged my hybrid battery also from this.

EDIT #2: I basically had to fight with the district manager for a refund. I then contacted HR who was run by a lovely woman who finally understood my concerns as this has been mentally exhausting to me and strung out for months. The district manager lied and said my boyfriend installed the battery when he actually was being overseen by the coworker I mentioned previously. My boyfriend said the battery should not be installed because it was the wrong one. She said it was fine. I was sitting in my car watching them install it and clearly saw her working alongside him. They also gave way too big of a discount which was overseen by other employees as well. If this company can’t afford to lose one battery and refund $150, I can’t imagine how bad off they’re really doing and why they took it this far to begin with. I will tell every single person I know to NOT go to jiffy lube in general on the central coast, as it’s being run by the same district manager. I’ve added attached photos of me and the district manager going back and forth. Something made him change his mind in five minutes, could be that I called Jiffy Lube the 1-800 number and made a claim with them since they can’t do anything really because Jiffy is...

I normally do all my own maintenance and repairs on my vehicles and would normally never go to a jiffy lube or quick lube type of place. I have had poor experiences at the dealerships where they want an exorbiant amount of money for sub par work. I originally called to ask about pricing and to try to assess whether I should try this location. I was very apprehensive and rather upset that I didn't have anywhere do perform the service myself. I spoke with Tawny on the phone who was sweet, and knowledgeable with great customer service skills. If it wasn't for her I would not have tried jiffy lube in the first place. I arrive to be greeted by Tawny and notice that she is working the counter inside as well as the computer outside and helping the boys in the shop. Levi who performed the work under the hood on my car did an excellent job and didn't spill A drop of oil which is tough to do considering the oil filter is on top of the engine in my car. Mike was in the pit I believe by himself taking care of the underside of the vehicles in both bays by himself. The three made an awesome efficient team and I was thoroughly impressed. I thought the work they did was Superior to what I have seen at many shops and dealerships. It is so refreshing to find young adults like Levi and Tawny that put forth great effort to have good customer service while having a strong work ethic and actually producing good quality work. I am happy that I chose to give them my business and if I'm ever around needing a service in the future I wouldn't hesitate to see them again and I wouldn't feel like I needed to watch them work like I did this first time it was no wonder that I saw several newer BMWs and a Range Rover there for service while I was there. Thanks again and I know with the performance I saw from you guys you are...