Uh oh...Jiffy lube !

[96eb96]

http://blogs.timesunion.com/advocate/?p=321

Do you remember the scene from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” in which Cameron drops off his father’s prized vintage Ferrari at a Chicago parking garage?

“You guys have nothing to worry about,” the attendant promises, “I’m a professional.”

Next, we see the happiest parking attendant in Chicago launching the sports car through the air at 100 mph. I think the background music was the theme from “Star Wars.”

With that bit of foreshadowing out of the way, let me tell you what happened to Carl Gottstein’s red 2007 Ford Mustang GT.

“I got the American dream,” Gottstein, 43, told me. “I got my dream car.” The Mustang, as Ferris Bueller might say, is a choice ride. Its engine can achieve low-altitude orbit and it tops out at 150 mph. Gottstein owned the car a week and took it to a Hoffman’s Jiffy Lube in East Greenbush for a checkup on Sunday. Hoffman’s Development Co. operates a number of car washes and Jiffy Lube franchises in the Capital Region.

An employee, 21-year-old Jeremy Edwards, Gottstein said, approached him and asked him to take the car for a “test drive.”“He said he adjusted the tire pressure and wanted to see how it affected the ride,” Gottstein said. That’s when things went very, very wrong. Also, Gottstein, I believe, coined a new phrase, “to horse.” As in, “to take off like a thoroughbred out of the gate on Travers Day.”

“He horsed it out of the parking lot and he was gone,” Gottstein said. “Ten seconds later they get a call that he wrecked it.”

Edwards was not hurt. But the Mustang might have to be euthanized. Bent frame. Bent wheel. Lots of scratches, bumps, and bruises. Gottstein is waiting to hear whether the car was

 

[ericautopart]

Not to be a jerk, but he kind of deserved it. A. Never take your car to Jiffy Lube. B. NEVER let a jiffy lube attendant drive your car!! They know NOTHING about cars and had no need to test drive it, that's what they made tire pressure gauges for.

 

[CCr]

sorry to say but it sounds like the car owner knew nothing about cars. if a full fledged mechanic asked me to "test drive the car to see how it handles with different air pressure" I'd tell him to go buy one of his own after I told him to eff off

 

[BrooklynBay]

The same thing could have happened with a valet parking attendant.

 

[techieman33]

The guy is an idiot, he deserved what he got

 

[68amc]

I know new cars come with valet keys. If anyone besides me drives my car they get the valet key.

 

[gijoecam]

IMHO, all parties involved here are morons:

The owner: Take his brand-new Mustang to Jiffy Lube for a 'check-up???' WTF needs to be checked on a 2-week old car!??! There's no way he went the 7500 mile interval in 2 weeks... no way, Jose'.

The kid: In a word: Dumbass! Taking someone else's car for a test drive is different than taking someone else's car for a joyride. You broke his new car, now own-up to it, take responsibility for your own actions, and pay for the damage you caused, plain and simple. Don't hide behind your employer... speaking of which...

The Employer: Simple: While the kid should ultimately be held responsible, the fact that he was on the clock at your establishment when it happened unfortunately means it's on your hands. Firing him was the worst thing you possibly could have done. Allowing him to continue to work, then docking his pay to cover the damages he inflicted would have been the *smart* thing to do. It would have alleviated your financial burden to fix the vehicle (probably eliminated an insurance claim on your part), probably would have saved face with the car's owner, and would have made for some good PR (See what I'm doing to make the situation right?). Instead, you can the kid, then turn your back on a regular (read: loyal) customer, and pretend you have no role in the matter. It's time to make it crystal clear to your employees that they are not to move the vehicle beyond the limits of the property, and only then at no faster than a baby's crawl.

Morons... they're everywhere!!

 

[BrooklynBay]

The kid would eventually quit if he would have to work for free to pay off the damages. The owner would have to sue the kid after this to get the balance back.

 

[gijoecam]

The kid would eventually quit if he would have to work for free to pay off the damages. The owner would have to sue the kid after this to get the balance back.

That's always a possibility... The kid could be sued in small claims court anyhow for inflicting the damage anyways... And I didn't mean make him work for free... Say, $50 or $75/week until it's paid... Termination wouldn't solve anything... I would have at least given the kid the option. Ultimately the owner's (at least in some part) liable for the action of his employees while they're 'working' for him. He could have done something short of termination that was agreeable to both sides...

 

[BrooklynBay]

I'm surprised that Jiffy Lube is still in business after they got caught so many times for different things.

 

[Lt.Jim]

Jiffy Lube is still in business because they only had a few stores who were caught doing things wrong. There is a local food store chain in MD called Food Lion. Some years ago they were caught dipping old discolored chicken in a bleach solution and repacking and selling it. They are still open!

People get bent out of shape because they hear these stories and think it happens at every store all the time. My brother had a car damaged by jiffy lube in NJ. They forgot to tighten his lug nuts after rotating his tires and his front passenger wheel came off on his way home. I use the jiffy lube in Hanover PA for 10+years now and have never had any problems.

The sad thing is small shops make mistakes too but no one hears about it because it is not as sensational.

 

[Charlie]

I'm surprised that Jiffy Lube is still in business after they got caught so many times for different things.

x2.

I say everybody is guilty here. Shame to happen to a nice car, though.

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

thats blows bout his stang

 

[MustangP51]

God why let someone you don't even know drive your car. Honestly I think in the 8 years that I have had my Explorer only 3 people have driven it. Me, my dad, and once or twice my girlfriend.

 

[mattadams]

I remember one time I took my old Explorer in to get an alignment done. Mechanic says he needs to test drive it. OK, sounds reasonable for an alignment, needs to know how it's pulling, etc. so he goes off for a drive, yada yada... as he is coming back, decides to jump the curb with it rather then wait in line to get into the parking lto again. now, the explorer could handle it no problem, it was a wheeling rig, but that was not his place to call. Needless to say I got a free alignment and never returned. When I had my show F-150, I refused to let mechanics drive it except in and out of the bay. No good reason they'd need to otherwise.