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Meanwhile I went to the dealership last week and was able to get an appointment very easily and it only took 30 minutes.....
For them to then essentially hold me hostage after vehicle failed inspection because the tread on one of the tires was too low.... $1100 and four new "premium tier" tires (conveniently the only ones they had in stock) later...wouldn't you know it I was able to renew...
Definitely going to a jiffy-lube next year.
I go to Jiffy Lube for inspections only because it's quick and convenient, but I won't ever trust them to do any other work on my cars. Every time I go in there the crew is all new people and some of the things I've observed them doing to cars I wouldn't trust them to put air in my tires. Some of the people they hire have no clue about automotive maintenance and shouldn't be working on customers cars. I've seen a few good ones, but it's rare and they don't work there for very long.
If the dealer "held you hostage" it's because you let them. You could have went somewhere else to buy new tires and then return to the dealer for re-inspection at no extra cost. They can fail the vehicle for inspection but it's illegal to demand that they do the repairs to pass inspection unless you choose to let them by choice or for your personal convenience.
Texas just joined 7 other states in abolishing annual vehicle safety inspections. I wish NC would do the same. Emissions inspections are another matter and I support those in the metro areas.
Some manufacturers are eliminating the OBDII ports altogether on new cars because their built-in onboard computer diagnostics systems no longer require it. I wonder what the state DMV will do then for emissions inspections on cars that don't have OBDII ports.
Some manufacturers are eliminating the OBDII ports altogether on new cars because their built-in onboard computer diagnostics systems no longer require it. ...
I respectfully disagree. Please name any current-model gasoline-powered passenger vehicle sold in the US which lacks the port. I'll check into it.
I go to Jiffy Lube for inspections only because it's quick and convenient, but I won't ever trust them to do any other work on my cars. Every time I go in there the crew is all new people and some of the things I've observed them doing to cars I wouldn't trust them to put air in my tires. Some of the people they hire have no clue about automotive maintenance and shouldn't be working on customers cars. I've seen a few good ones, but it's rare and they don't work there for very long.
Almost agree with the above. But a LONG time ago (20+ years) I took my "new at the time" Tacoma to Jiffy Lube for an oil change. I was meticulous about keeping it clean, even under the hood. As per my usual practice, I drove it home and then checked to make sure they filled the oil properly. One time they had overfilled it by more than a quart, another time they forgot to replace the oil cap on my motor and the entire bay was covered in oil. (That is when I finally purchased ramps and my own drain pan, and started doing it myself.)
I 100% agree with what you wrote below. That's why I get my inspections and places that ONLY do inspections. No conflict of interest.
Quote:
If the dealer "held you hostage" it's because you let them. You could have went somewhere else to buy new tires and then return to the dealer for re-inspection at no extra cost. They can fail the vehicle for inspection but it's illegal to demand that they do the repairs to pass inspection unless you choose to let them by choice or for your personal convenience.
I switched to Take 5 several years ago and have been very happy with them. The only time I go to Jiffy Lube is for DMV inspection.
I read an article that Valvoline, another national player in the oil change market, is emphasizing EV services such as replacing the 12V battery, key fobs, cabin air filters, wiper blades, etc and rotating tires. They also intend to provide diagnostics on the EV drivetrain battery. Jiffy Lube had been trying to broaden their services beyond oil changes and inspections for years, but they seem to have ramped up their repositioning recently. Whether they will succeed in preserving their business is unclear. Oil changes are easy money and after all, Jiffy Lube corporate is owned by Shell Oil. Take 5 appears to be doing the ostrich maneuver. They're franchised by the same company as Meinecke.
Saying I was "held hostage" was a hyperbolic joke. I knew I had options but certainly the convenience of having the tires replaced at that time and simultaneously having my inspection passed was the preferred option to having to go somewhere to shop around for a deal on tires and then get the inspection redone.
But all in all I do plan to find a different place to have inspection done next year.
Maybe I have just had bad luck, but the last two places I have used for the annual state auto inspection have both had issues with the machines that DMV provides.
My usual full-service mechanic quit doing inspections about a year ago. They said the machine would break down often and it could be a couple weeks before DMV would send someone out for repairs.
The quick lube place I switched to (which probably gets a lot of inspection business) has had their machine down for the last two weeks. They were vague about when it would be back in service.
Guess I need to find another place.
I have had that problem over the last few years. Last year I drove to 4 places that did inspections before finding one that had machines that worked AND had their inspector actually working at the same time. It's a frustrating process. As a bonus frustration, I had to wait for someone to come back from break because nobody working at the moment was able to drive my manual transmission car into the inspection bay.
In the 10 years of living in NC, I've run into 1 place that had their machine broken and had to do the inspection late due to my schedule, and as a result pay that stupid late fee they have.
That said, the entire vehicle inspection process is a mess and just plain stupid here, wasting everyone's time. Too bad getting rid of it hasn't gone through. At least change it to EVERY OTHER YEAR might pass.
That's better than nothing I guess for a completely useless task.
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