Did Jiffy Lube just destroy my wife's car?

We had a great local mechanic who did good, reliable, trustworthy work. adly, he jut moved to Texas and I am again looking for a good mechanic. I did Jiffy Lube the other day; they didn't screw up, but they try to upsell everything and charge a fortune.
 
The problem is.....99.999% of the time, Jiffy Lube is fine.

That other .001% of the time is always some kind of epic WTF? moment, though.

I still do not understand how this could happen.
 
I also don't understand how you accidentally drain automatic transmission fluid.

Am I right in thinking that most don't even have drain plugs, so you have to remove the whole pan?

Granted, I'm no automatic transmission expert.
 
I also don't understand how you accidentally drain automatic transmission fluid.

Am I right in thinking that most don't even have drain plugs, so you have to remove the whole pan?

Granted, I'm no automatic transmission expert.

I am not an expert either (by a long shot), but I know most DO have drain plugs for the trans, but they are FEET away from the oil pan plug.

On Fords (especially), they are "sealed" systems with a plug (bolt) on top that you have to WORK to get to, and then siphon the old shit out, to pump new shit in. (literally, with a turkey baster in some instances! My Jag is like that, as was my Explorer)

Can't speak for Subaru's though.

Sounds like a colossal fuck up, if you ask me.
 
Just looked this up:

12763d1215358676-oil-drain-valve-2009-forester-oil-drain-.jpg


See the square box with the grid pattern?

2010-09-01_025840_drain_plugs.gif


The plugs are about a foot away from each other. Not excusing him.... he still wasn't paying attention... the stream of fluid coming out should have been red instead of brown.
 
The problem with quick lube joints is that 1) they are working on volume/profit...get the cars in and out in the least amount of time possible 2) their hiring standards sometimes amount to 'can you fog a mirror?' and 3) they're notorious for the up-sell and the fuck up. I'm sure there's good ones and bad ones (just like general mechanics) but going in, the deck is kinda stacked against you. I have a few family members that have been burned by the convenience of the drive up oil change.
 
OK, a couple of things...

On many imports, Mitsubishi being one, they use a 2 piece oil pan, the sub pan looks much like a trans pan...most trans pans DO NOT have a drain plug, you drop the entire pan to drain the fluid...many trans now don't even have a pan, the filters are only serviced by splitting the unit open and are only serviced if the unit fails OR they use a spin on filter similar to an oil filter...Subaru's use of a drain plug in the trans is not common...

The guy at a lube shop who drains the fluid is working in a pit, sometimes not well lit, with a drain pan funnel that's about 18" to 2' per side, and usually blocks his view of the fluid...plus, do you think he's watching it drain? Really?

The "lube techs" hired by these places are not mechanics...

Lube joints make nothing on an oil change, they rely on upsells and uneducated consumers for their profits...the fact that they are still in business should be disturbing to anyone with a modicum of mechanical knowledge...

We recently serviced a customer who allowed the local Jiffy Lube to do a trans service on an Outlander Sport...too bad the Sport uses a CVT type trans that takes a special oil (green) that Jiffy Lube doesn't have, so they pumped in their universal junk ("it's OK, ma'am, it works in EVERYTHING!")...trans blew within 100 miles...a new CVT unit goes for 7 grand, JL sent us a used unit instead...
 
Wow... And I thought it was bad when Wayne Ford (Wayne, NJ) only pulled one drain plug on the 302/5.0L in my '94 Mustang GT and then dumped 5 quarts in there, giving me a total of about 9 quarts, which blew out the oil pan gasket. Driving about half a mile away I was surrounded by a stream of burned oil smoke.
 
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