can Jiffy Lube change a serpentine belt?

sloopy wrote:
> Brent P wrote:
>
>> In article >, sloopy wrote:
>>
>>> I heard a commercial for Jiffy Lube today in which they were bragging
>>> about being able to change serpentine belts - and their 3 locations
>>> in town (Yeah, it's a small town.)
>>>
>>> I had to laugh - I tried to get them to replace mine last winter.
>>> After telling me they could, they came back to me and said it was too
>>> complicated for them. (At least they didn't do what Pep Boys did to
>>> me, which was tell me they could do it, make me wait 2 hours and then
>>> tell me they didn't have a belt to replace it.)
>>
>>
>>
>> The idea of having either jiffy lube or three pepboy stooges touch a
>> vehicle is what's scary here.
>>
>>
> Not that I disagree with you on that point, but who would you suggest?
>
> The dealership?
>
> They probably do a competent job most of the time, but I see no reason
> to trust them anymore than a large chain and they'll certainly charge
> much more (and of course, they did when I finally got them to replace
> the belt).
>
> Myself?
>
> I lack tools, experience and knowledge of what I would be messing around
> with under the hood.
>
>
> A good honest mechanic that knows what he is doing?
>
> Got any you can recomend? The last "good honest" mechanic that knew
> what he was doing turned out to be utterly clueless and held on to my
> car for 2 weeks while he struggled to replace a clutch.
>
> Now, I suppose I could try to educate myself and purchase the necessary
> tools and in the long-run, I would come out way ahead in both cost and
> confidence in workmanship.
>
> Just wondering if you had any better ideas.

Don't you have an independent repair shop nearby? I'd ask around, see
if there's someone that you can get a good recommendation on.

nate

--
replace "fly" with "com" to reply.
http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel

In article
. com>,
"223rem" > wrote:

> Your choice is simple:
>
> 1. dealership OR
> 2. independent shop
>
> Jiffy Lube and similar cheapo chains are just too risky because they
> employ minimum
> wage mechanics.

Sorry, not "mechanics," attendants.

> Unfortunately, the internet is not going to be of much help in finding
> a good independent shop unless you live in a big city.

Here's a link to the member directory on the public side of i-ATN
(international automotive technicians network)
http://www.iatn.net/dir/
While not a guarantee, it's as good of place to start as any.

> The word of
> mouth is the way.

Indeed.

> The BBB is another resource.

BBB might help you spot a bad mechanic.

> Once you get there,
> look at the condition of the vehicles they're servicing (are they all
> clunkers?), see how professionally they interact with you, etc.

Ladies and Gentlemen (and I use those words loosely), sloopy said in
rec.autos.driving:
> I heard a commercial for Jiffy Lube today in which they were bragging
> about being able to change serpentine belts - and their 3 locations in
> town (Yeah, it's a small town.)

Then I must live in a *really* small town (no jiffy lube locations at
all).

> I had to laugh - I tried to get them to replace mine last winter. After
> telling me they could, they came back to me and said it was too
> complicated for them. (At least they didn't do what Pep Boys did to me,
> which was tell me they could do it, make me wait 2 hours and then tell
> me they didn't have a belt to replace it.)

You let them touch your car? You are a braver soul than I am. I won't
let them *near* my cars, muchless touch them....


--
"I'm completely in favor of the separation of Church and State.
My idea is that these two institutions screw us up enough on
their own, so both of them together is certain death."
--George Carlin

Ladies and Gentlemen (and I use those words loosely), Brent P said in
rec.autos.driving:
> The idea of having either jiffy lube

I'll second that!

> or three pepboy stooges touch a vehicle is what's scary here.

<sarcasm>
Now, what did Moe, Larry and Curly (the *real* Three Stooges, do to
deserve a comaprison to the pepboy quacks?
</sarcasm>

--
--
necromancer

Self appointed unofficial overseer
of kooks and trolls in rec.autos.driving.

Ladies and Gentlemen (and I use those words loosely), sloopy said in
rec.autos.driving:
> A good honest mechanic that knows what he is doing?
>
> Got any you can recomend? The last "good honest" mechanic that knew
> what he was doing turned out to be utterly clueless and held on to my
> car for 2 weeks while he struggled to replace a clutch.

Finding a "good honest," mechanic takes work and is sometimes a trial
and error thing that can't be done overnight. First place to start would
be talking to friends, co-workers, family etc... and find out who does
their work and whether or not they would reccommend that mechanic. Then
make a list or otherwise keep track of the names you are hearing and
then start trying the mechanics that got the good recommendations (and
yes, some of them might be the car dealers). Eventually, you will find
one that you can work with....


--
--
"You jump in front of my car when you,
you know all the time that
Ninety miles an hour, girl, is the speed I drive
You tell me it's alright, you don't mind a little pain
You say you just want me to take you for a ride "
--Jimi Hendrix

Nate Nagel wrote:

>
>
> Don't you have an independent repair shop nearby? I'd ask around, see
> if there's someone that you can get a good recommendation on.
>

I've moved since then, but the "good honest" mechanic that took 2 weeks
to replace my clutch was an independent repair shop and it was
recommended. Naturally, I don't value their recommendation anymore, but
I live hundreds of miles away from there now.




> nate
>