Oil change woes

[jnissen]

My wife took her 2013 FFH to Jiffy Lube this morning. After the service she drove off just fine. Once the gas engine kicked in she said it started to make a loud knock noise. She pullup over and slowly went back to the service station. I think she was under electric power on the return trip because she said she went slow and it didn't make the noise. Probably drove 1/4 mile each way.

 

They "re-changed" the oil! I suspect they never added any oil after the initial drain. SInce it's difficult to start up the gas engine my wife was the first to notice.The engine sounds reasonably quiet now. It has a slight tick in the valve train but to be honest I don't drive it so I am not tuned to the standard noises this engine makes. It may have sounded this way from day one.

 

I am planning to take it to the dealer for a through check up. Jiffy lube did say they flaggged this oil change (what ever that means).

 

Anyone have an oil change result in a knocking noise?

Edited May 22, 2016 by jnissen

[Larry Twitchell]

I agree with you that the 2nd oil change was really the first. Stay on them (Jiffy) and don't stop complaining as you don't know if or when the damage will show up. I suspect that little or no damage was done as the engine ran so little. Is it still under warranty? Any reason you don't use Ford for your oil changes?

[lkatze2]

sounds to me like jiffy lube either underfilled the oil or just plain forgot to add new oil after being drained (probably was talking on his cell phone and forgot). Being a certified mechanic for 30 years I have seen some really shoddy work in the industry and that includes dealerships. One time I was standing in front of my house and I saw a trail of fresh motor oil in the street that was leading to my neighbors house and cadillac. I told my neighbor that her car was leaking oil and she told me she had just picked up her car from the Cadillac dealer where they had just done an oil change. I looked at the car for her and it turned out they did not tighten the filter properly. What is crazy is the mechanic never checked his work after finishing(especially for leaks at the filter). Unfortunately, I could tell you many more stories of sloppy workmanship. Just hope there was no bearing damage. I am not sure, but the engine might have a low oil pressure safety shutdown or "limp home mode" which could prevent damage to the engine. BTW, on high mileage engines, that have some bearing or valve train wear, the engine will knock slightly when you first start the engine after the oil change. It takes a few seconds to fill the oil filter and the engine oil passages to fill with oil.

[catman85]

Jiffy Lube would own that car if it was mine. They clearly did something wrong. Talk to them, if they don't talk than get a lawyer.

 

They should offer lifetime free service.

Oil sampling.

Repairs if needed due to oil usage or bearing damage.

rental car coverage if needed.

All covered for lifetime.

 

Losing an engine at high speed can be very dangerous.

[jeffo65]

The last time I took a car to jiffy Lube for an old change was the time they told me that it was time for a rear differential fluid change in my 1995 Ford Taurus. I told them to forget the oil change and give me back my car as I was going to take it to someone who knew what they were doing.

 

Now our cars either go to the dealer or a great local mechanic we use.

[ceilidhdog]

Jiffy Lube changed the oil on my son's Honda Accord and overfilled it. Fortunately, he discovered the mistake before it caused any damage. He took it back and they told him it couldn't have been their mistake. Needless to say, he's not going back to Jiffy Lube.

[Cobra348]

I was told many years ago by several people that these "fast lube" places are the WORST ones to go to. They have cheap prices for a good reason ... shoddy work many times. If my cars don't go to the dealer, then they go to the local Goodyear or Cole/Mavis shop where I know there are certified mechanics that can do a simple oil change correctly. I'd rather pay a tad more for peace of mind.

[machoman1337]

Jalopnik is full of horror stories about Jiffy Lube, including one where the staff CUT A HOLE inside the aero pan of an Audi S4. I would stay far, far away. The dealer oil change is kinda overpriced, but it's hard to beat the convenience of cramming in numerous services in one go, plus Canadian Tire gouges you even more LOL.

[heywardjr]

I have always gone to the Ford dealer for oil changes or I do them myself. There is a reason these oil change places are cheap. You get what you pay for. I have never had any issue with my Ford dealer in 30 years so I have no reason not to use the dealer. Price is not all that much different by the way. Many times, over a period, I earn points at the dealer which means I get free oil changes. If I run into trouble with a Ford dealer, at least I know I can complain up the food chain and maybe get some action. Not sure I can do that at a place like Jiffy Lube. I have also heard from friends who have had a similar oil change issue after leaving Jiffy Lube and they had failed to add oil to the engine after emptying it. Seems that quality control was lacking. So, my advice is to use the Ford dealer you trust. Or find a dealer you have checked out through other people.

[machoman1337]

Nice, I wish my dealer would give me points towards oil changes :/

 

About the third party cheap mechanics, a trip to Yelp and Google Reviews tells you all you need to know. I still use the dealer for my Ford since it's not too heavy on the wallet, but for my ancient Lexus, which is 14 years old, I refuse to pay $170 for an oil change or $70 to inspect my brakes, not to mention $1500+ w/labour for OEM brake pads and rotors. I carefully researched reviews and found a reputable, honest third party mechanic who charged me < $800 for an oil change and full front/rear brake replacement with a 2-year warranty on the generic parts they use. This mechanic had an average rating exceeding 4.5/5 on Yelp for over 100 reviews. The local Jiffy Lube, on the other hand, had an average rating of 2.3/5 and their prices weren't any lower.