Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 18:01:24 -0700
Reply-To: charles fladger <thefladge@YAHOO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: charles fladger <thefladge@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: DISASTER AT JIFFY LUBE!!!!
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
I make sure to never let anyone but me work on my cars. Unfortnunatly,
I am unable to do my own smogs.
Many years ago, I took my 73 Bug to the Econo Lube and Tune in Garden
Grove CA (GG Blvd and Brookhurst Way)because it needed to be smogged.
When I got it back, it seemed to actually have more power, yet the
engine sounded funny. The next day I drove out to Costa Mesa and it
seemed to be running hot. I did not have any temp gauges so I did not
know how hot.
On the way back home the oil light started flickering and I began to
panic. When I got home, I looked over the engine top to bottom and
discovered the problem. There was a piece of paper lodged in the
cooling fan covering about 3/4 on the blades. This was no ordinary
piece of paper. It was the work order to smog my car.
The extra power I felt was due to the fan blowing so little air (much
like the effects of a power pulley).
Needless to say, they denied any resposibility. Fortunately, the
engine was not destroyed.
Charles
--- JordanVw@AOL.COM wrote:
> since i change my oil regularly, sometimes i just go
> to a quick lube place,
> and have it done...usually the ones where theres a
> drive in bay, and just a
> open pit in the floor. and i usually stand there
> and watch the kid take off
> the filter, and instruct him that if he strips the
> threads in the drain plug
> (bottom of case) - he will die :<) and then add the
> oil myself (20-50
> synthetic) and theres never a prob.
>
> today was different....
>
> i happened to be at the local sears...and they have
> a new jiffylube franchise
> that they opened in conjunction with the sears auto
> center.. anyway, it's
> all new, and the lifts are the above floor type,
> with platforms that lift up,
> that the car is driven up on. all the employees,
> are new, and most of them
> have names i cant pronounce.
>
> the first thing Julio (yes, that was his name on his
> nametag) did was drive
> the van ('84 vanagon) up on the lift platform FRONT
> first, when the service
> platform is in the front, since most cars are front
> engined.
>
> that was bad omen #1.
>
> then i proceed to climb up the stairs of the
> platform, and straddle the wheel
> supports in the back, while the van is on the lift,
> to get the hatch up, and
> engine lid open to check the ATF. Julio asks me
> what i'm doing, and then
> says "oh! the engines in the back? that's wierd,
> man" <----- that is a
> direct quote.. scary huh?
>
> that was bad omen #2. i should have said lower the
> van back down and got
> the hell outta there...but i didnt..
>
> then he drains the oil (almost takes off the wrong
> drainplug) and removes
> the filter, and reinstalls a new filter and the
> drainplug.
>
> ok...so far, so good eh? not.
>
> so he starts lowering the van, so he can add oil,
> since he drove it up on the
> platform the wrong way..
>
> i was looking the other way, then all the sudden i
> hear all this yelling in
> spanish....
>
> i look back at my van - and it IS TILTED...WITH 3
> WHEELS ON THE
> PLATFORM...AND THE WHOLE LEFT FRONT OF THE VAN IS
> BEING HELD UP BY THE
> DRIVERS DOOR!!!
>
> the MORON left the drivers door open when he lowered
> it! the door got
> caught on the platform, and lifted the front of the
> van up....
>
>
> at this point, i am livid.. the door frame is
> bent...and the door wont
> close..at all...
>
> julio, scared that he is gonna get sh*t canned, then
> lowers the van all the
> way to the floor, and hops in, and holds the door
> while backing the van off
> the platform....
>
> WITHOUT ANY OIL IN IT.
>
> at this point, i am ready to beat the krap out of
> this guy.. out comes the
> supervisor...and he assures me that i will be fully
> compensated for any
> damages, and it will be repaired
> completely.....after a bunch of yelling...
>
> after filling out some accident reports, and adding
> the oil, the supervisor
> hands me a bunch of free jiffy lube coupons...i dont
> think i'll be needing
> those... and drove home with the seatbelt holding
> the drivers door
> closed......
>
> makes you think twice before you leave your van in
> someone elses hands...
>
> chris
>
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