At 12:02 PM 6/21/2004 -0700, Fin Beven wrote:
>My impression is that shops like this use the oil change as the inducement
>to get you into the shop, then "get you" with the extras.

You are 100% correct, they *always* do the little dance of asking you out
of the waiting room to tell you about some other service your car needs...
it has happened every single time I've been in a Jiffy Lube, regardless of
the vintage of the vehicle. If your car is fairly new, they like to try and
sell you windshield wipers, an older vehicle like a Vanagon gives them a
field day.

If you really want to know what your Vanagon needs, check the service
intervals in your Bentley manual. I'm sure you will find a wide range of
overdue service items (greasing the CVs, changing the brake fluid, stuff
like that)... but Jiffy Lube would *not* be my choice for working on
critical systems. Find yourself a good, independent mechanic (the guy who
owns his own shop has *much* more incentive to do quality work than a
chain-shop employee), who is willing and able to work on Vanagons. If you
can't find a vanagon guy, at least find a guy who looks excited by the idea
of working on an unusual vehicle, rather than someone that seems
pessimistic or unwilling.

Don'y let the Jiffy-Losers do more than an oil change, and make sure you
check the dipstick and the drain plug when they say they are done!

Just my $.02...

Tim