A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Jiffy Lube

I wish I had a radical wicked awesome hood scoop.

 

The guy pretty much told you why they bailed on your truck. They literally can't afford to have a vehicle tying up a bay for that long when they'll only make 25 bucks off it. They have to get something else in there that will be more profitable.

I run into this type of stuff all the time at my shop. I've got vehicles sitting around waiting for me to get to them, repair bills ranging anywhere from $500-2,500. Someone will call and ask me for a tire rotation and I tell them I have to charge a half hours labor - $95 before tax. They get butthurt and complain about the cost. I'm sorry but that's what I have to charge to justify walking away from a much more profitable job to spend time rotating your tires.

 

Reminds me of a time back in the 70's when my brother and I were making a late night "munchies" run to a local Wendy's. We each ordered a burger combo meal and waited for the food. A few minutes later, the kid behind the counter hands us 4 large bags full of burgers and fries.

When we questioned what they were handing us, they said they were stoned too and were trying to see how much of their boss's food they could give away before closing. Needless to say, we were hailed as heroes when we got back to the party at our apartment with all that food!

 

That was a score! So one of my idiot roommates came home with a bunch of munchies he said he got for free one night but then later we dubbed his car the “7-11 movie star getaway car” after we saw that the store posted a screenshot photo of his car on their Wall of Shame along with all the other pictures of shoplifters.

 

Local oil change place here in the TX hill country also provides a no cost state inspection. No purchase required and no hard selling of services during the visit.

Beginning in 2025, only TX vehicles registered in large population city/county areas (DFW, Houston, El Paso, etc) will require a state inspection. TX cars registered in all other areas will be exempt from an annual state inspection.

 

Yeah, still this way mostly and 60 bucks now. I just didn't jive very well after first moving up here and taking my 03 to the dealer the first few times for inspection. Two of the four times within five minutes after successfully leaving the lot I got a CEL for a "gee that's a coinicidence" failing O2 sensor. Never went back for insp there again. F inspections racket in general (rant....................................................)

They also recently moved to having a QR code inspection sticker visible out the windshield, so yah know, that anybody can read it.... (rant #2....)

 

Fun fact:: Jiffy Lube uses reconditioned motor oil. DO NOT TAKE YOUR VEHICLE to Jiffy Lube or any other fast oil change place that uses bulk oil. They all use reconditioned motor oil.

 

When I was a teen and worked at Toys R Us I used to give dads leapfrogs all the time, they never fixed the bar code and I was a temp worker for xmas.

The cameras were basic, I would "scan" it and put it in the bag and have them pay me for the books, but not the leapfrog.

Yes, its my fault that the dad joke "It must be free then" exists.

 

They don't want to hear that. I am in the X gen and it took me 25 years to get halfway comfortable.

 

That is almost certainly what happened.
I agree.

$25 vs the customer in the waiting room that’s paying a $230 bill.
That customer waiting, isn’t happy. They are going to be less happy wilting longer.

Most good techs “know” if a vehicle will or will not pass.
I bet OP’s truck “looked” like it would, so it passed.

Is it right? Technically No.
Does it happen? Sure does, and will continue to happen.
That’s just how it is.

 

Where is the don’t like button?

 

I'm not sure if what you are claiming is true or not, but we reconditioned / purified oil for the engines on the submarine as standard practice. The main engine oil was purified / reconditioned daily and it lasted for years doing so.

 

During my career as a fleet Manager I always had salesman trying to get my business. Selling bulk oil and it was always reconditioned oil. I am not saying it’s bad, But I will never use it in my private vehicle. I have seen to many oil related problems during my 30 plus years from reconditioned oil.

 

Well look at the bright side. I heard they don't stick that big honkin' sticker smack dab in the middle of the windshield any more. I was told it's in the lower left corner now. That used to bug the shit outta me lol

 

It does take time. I also had those bare minimum jobs where I probably worked harder than I do now in my career some days, because the work itself was such drudgery. One job was for a small business and while at times I got annoyed at my pay (especially when the job seemed to always get more tasks and responsibility added, plus other things like paychecks bouncing) I did also get that the risk was all the owner and none of mine. Being on the board of a 501c3 in my spare time, I've long said money comes in a few ways and goes out in a hundred ways.

Housing..I said the other day I think you'll see more and more houses won't sell so much as get passed on in families. Granted I live in an expensive state though. Relocation would be a boon for me though I have older parents who are needing help and won't leave so it's a holding pattern for now.

6K a year isn't necessarily terrible, and if one applies oneself you can probably get scholarships or grants. I was lucky to live at home in those years, in full disclosure.

Something will have to give in time there. Either he'll get few applicants and probably not the best ones, he'll have too much work and not enough hands, or he'll adjust the wage. Doesn't sound like he's starving, that said it gets back to my earlier point about the owner also taking all the risk.

Since I've started driving MA stickers went from $15 to $29 to $35. An old friend once told me the suck part for the station is even despite it going up the station got less of the actual pie each time...to the point where it tied up one bay with the equipment and even paying minimum wage to someone it wasn't worth it just in terms of the actual cost to pay them versus the revenue, never mind the space and equipment.

 

They told you it wasn't worth it to them because they knew they couldn't soak you with unnecessary repairs and they wanted you out of their bay so they could get someone in there that they could make money off of. I bet the interaction would have been very different if you were elderly or someone not mechanically inclined.

 

About 10 years ago 2 nicely dressed young men from Lyft approached us about a contract to do safety inspections on local vehicles for the platform .

Their offer? 7 dollars per vehicle

 

Yeah, was bad before. Now with the (to me) lowered placement of the mirror the entire center of the windshield would seeem blocked if the sticker was still there. Between that and the A pillar it would be like having horse blinders on.

Not that I know what that is like.....

 

After reading OP and skimming thread. I noticed.. this was started on a Saturday. Friday is the day before. This is a Friday thread op…..

 

All @Rock Lobster threads are considered Friday threads.