Really Dumb Question - Cabin Air Filter

[mrbutz1]

Sorry for this surely dumb question, but...

Jiffy Lube wanted $40 (!) to replace the cabin air filter in my 07ES. I immediately bought one for $13 made by STP I believe. Replacing it no problem. However, there is no THIS SIDE UP marking on the new filter and one side is the pure cotton and the other is like a reinforcement material over the cotton. I know the air should flow directionally over the cotton part not the backing part. I can't find the answer in the owner's manual...

Thus...am I right to assume the air taken in by the ventilation system on Recirculate that passes over the filter comes from the passenger foot well, and NOT the outside of the car body? Meaning...the filter should be installed with the cotton side DOWN and the reinforced side UP (towards the dashboard)?

Thanks.

[pj8708]

Based on other common air filter designs, i.e., air conditioner filter (window), furnace filter, I think your right. It makes sense that the air flow would push against the cotton and the reinforced material would hold it in place as the air passes through.

Paul

[mrbutz1]

Based on other common air filter designs, i.e., air conditioner filter (window), furnace filter, I think your right. It makes sense that the air flow would push against the cotton and the reinforced material would hold it in place as the air passes through.

Paul

Agreed, but do you think the air is drawn from the inside of the cabin or from outside the car? It's gotta be from inside I would think...so installing it with the cotton DOWN and the reinforcements UP is correct.

It probably makes no difference but it drives me crazy to not know. Ridiculous. Thanks for the reply.

[SW03ES]

Lexus and Jiffy Lube should not be used in the same sentance...

[pj8708]

Lexus and Jiffy Lube should not be used in the same sentance...

I thought it was "Ify Lube".

Paul

[mrbutz1]

Lexus and Jiffy Lube should not be used in the same sentance...

Okay, that got a giggle out of me. Like I'm going to pay 2x more for the same oil and the same filter at the dealership? Tranny...dealership? Oil...Jiffy Lube. Come on.

[pj8708]

Lexus and Jiffy Lube should not be used in the same sentance...

Okay, that got a giggle out of me. Like I'm going to pay 2x more for the same oil and the same filter at the dealership? Tranny...dealership? Oil...Jiffy Lube. Come on.

Hey, you gotta have a sense of humor in this life! Jiffy,Ify, oil, smoil. What ever works for you.

[LEXIRX330]

Well I know that I will not take one of my cars to a Jiffy Lube. If you think the service is the same then you can go for it. There are some good people that work at Jiffy Lubes but many times you have somebody that knows much less than you do working on your car.

I will give you a little example. My wife decided she was going to suprise me and get the oil changed and tires rotated on the rx330. She called me to let me know that she was there. I had told her that I only use synthetic oil actually in that car amsoil in it. So she wanted to let me know that the jiffy lube "tech" told her that if she was only using the car for short distances "city" driving not highway driving then she should use regular oil "Dino" oil? I asked her "WHAT". I told her get the car out of there now. Do not let them touch it. What idiot thinks that it would be better to use regular oil and not synthetic oil in a car? When I was in was in high school I actually had a job at a Jiffy Lube too. My mom knew the guy who owned it. I could tell you quite a few more reasons not to take your car to one!

It is your car so hey if you want to be cheap on the service go for it. I would recommend you find a good indi and use them. That is what I do for the BMW and the past few services on the rx330.

[mrbutz1]

Well I know that I will not take one of my cars to a Jiffy Lube. If you think the service is the same then you can go for it. There are some good people that work at Jiffy Lubes but many times you have somebody that knows much less than you do working on your car.

I will give you a little example. My wife decided she was going to suprise me and get the oil changed and tires rotated on the rx330. She called me to let me know that she was there. I had told her that I only use synthetic oil actually in that car amsoil in it. So she wanted to let me know that the jiffy lube "tech" told her that if she was only using the car for short distances "city" driving not highway driving then she should use regular oil "Dino" oil? I asked her "WHAT". I told her get the car out of there now. Do not let them touch it. What idiot thinks that it would be better to use regular oil and not synthetic oil in a car? When I was in was in high school I actually had a job at a Jiffy Lube too. My mom knew the guy who owned it. I could tell you quite a few more reasons not to take your car to one!

It is your car so hey if you want to be cheap on the service go for it. I would recommend you find a good indi and use them. That is what I do for the BMW and the past few services on the rx330.

Cheap, huh? I should pay double for the same oil? Ridiculous. I didn't save the $$ in my bank over many years to buy this car by paying more for things just because one is Jiffy Lube and one is a Lexus dealership. Oooooh. Oil change I would do myself if I had ramps...it's not rocket science! It's not a transmission.

Let me give you an example, from when I took the car just a few weeks ago: Service light was on to replace oil...it had been about 5,000 miles since we bought the car which had a fresh change at that time. They drive the car in, take my info (didn't take long as I've been taking our Honda and older Lexus there for 10 years straight with nary an issue), and before I can sit down the "tech" as you called him comes in with the dipstick, shows it to me and says, your oil is crystal clear (I agreed, it was transparent and fully clean) do you still want us to change it? I said yeah, if only so the light goes off and it's been 5,000 miles - clearly they were trying to scam me! He says, okay and ten minutes later my car is vacuumed, tires filled, washer fluid replenished, windows washed and driven out waiting for me - all while I watched from 8 feet away. Even gave me $5 off bringing a new car to their shop. Out the door in 20' from when I pulled up, cost $38, and home 10' later. Yeah, I should have driven the 55 mile round trip to the dealership, paid more for the exact same service, and spent hours of my life. What was I thinking?!

Are there bad Jiffy Lubes? Sure. But at least they're a national company with some accountability. An indi shop? A dealership? They, like any business, can be bad too (and regularly are). You pick your poison...I just prefer to pay less for mine - and I have two cars with well over 125,000 miles on them running very well after having been serviced by this company for their lifetimes. If you've got money to burn then go for it. Capitalism provides many choices for the same thing, thankfully, you are free to over-spend!

[LEXIRX330]

Guess you have a great Jiffy Lube in your area... Good luck to you and your future services there...and yes I said taking a car to Jiffy lube to save $40...or so is cheap. Wow you save a whole $6 or $7 dollars a month by using Jiffy Lube to service your car...based on average miles of 10k per year(2 services per year) My independent guy uses amsoil which Jiffy Lube doesn't changes the oil and rotates the tires...tops fluids off etc. Cost $65.oo or so for the BMW X5. Of course if I go to Lexus or BMW for the service it will be higher...Well I guess when I spend 60k on a Lexus I am not going to go out of my way to save $6 dollars a month. As you said I am free to over spend... It is funny what people choose to save money on...

By the way what is so hard about the drain and fill on a transmission?

[mrbutz1]

Guess you have a great Jiffy Lube in your area... Good luck to you and your future services there...and yes I said taking a car to Jiffy lube to save $40...or so is cheap. Wow you save a whole $6 or $7 dollars a month by using Jiffy Lube to service your car...based on average miles of 10k per year(2 services per year) My independent guy uses amsoil which Jiffy Lube doesn't changes the oil and rotates the tires...tops fluids off etc. Cost $65.oo or so for the BMW X5. Of course if I go to Lexus or BMW for the service it will be higher...Well I guess when I spend 60k on a Lexus I am not going to go out of my way to save $6 dollars a month. As you said I am free to over spend... It is funny what people choose to save money on...

By the way what is so hard about the drain and fill on a transmission?

It's also funny what people choose to overspend on, isn't it? If you have a Lexus and a BMW, then congratulations, perhaps you don't need to worry about a few bucks.

As I mentioned, the savings is much more than just dollars. I live 5 miles from the Jiffy Lube. I live 25 miles from the dealership...in traffic that is 90 minutes each way at least - look where I live. I have to make an appointment with the dealership, I can't just show up when I have a half hour. These are real costs, just not in paper money. But, to each his own.

And, the 07 ES has a sealed transmission I believe; Jiffy doesn't work on those and I was referring to actual work on the tranny as an example - but pick any other more complicated procedure than perhaps the most simple, changing oil, not lubing it, for comparison's sake.

Cheers.

[SW03ES]

Okay, that got a giggle out of me. Like I'm going to pay 2x more for the same oil and the same filter at the dealership? Tranny...dealership? Oil...Jiffy Lube. Come on.

You don't have to go to the dealer, but for what you pay at Jiffy Lube you can have a competent independent mechanic do an oil change on the car. Jiffy Lube isn't cheap.

Its not the same oil or filter either, Toyota OEM oil filters are far better than what they use at Jiffy Lube I promise you. I took my independent Lexus mechanic a Mobil 1 filter (expensive filter, much better than what they would use at Jiffy Lube) and he refused to use it, said the OEM Toyota filter is a much better filter. He would have no reason to lie...

The issue is not with using someone other than the dealer, its using a place that by their very way of doing business employs people who have no idea how to work on a car, use the absolute cheapest oil and filters, and try and get everything done as fast as possible instead of as well as possible. When you do things that way...you make mistakes. They do too, I have a friend who had an engine in his GS400 ruined because Jiffy Lube did not refill the oil after draining and replacing the filter, I have known numerous people who have marked their filters and had Jiffy Lube change the oil and found...SURPRISE...they didn't even replace the filter.

They just do a crummy job, and I bet I spend LESS on an oil change at my trustworthy mechanic that is done by an ASE certified tech than you do at Jiffy Lube where some high school kid does the oil change.

Its a $45,000 machine, that doesn't mean you have to overpay for maintenance, but for God's sake at least put a little thought into who you have working on it.

I mean...just google "JiffyLube", there are actually whole webistes devoted to problems people have at JiffyLube:

http://www.jiffylubeproblems.com/

And all oil is not created equal by the way...

[LEXIRX330]

That is well put and is the way I feel about it too. I understand not wanting to drive to the Lexus dealer it takes me just as long to get there same with BMW. That is why I found a good independent shop. The first few services on the GX will be done by the dealer since they are free. (by the way I have the independent shop insured with my agency so if he screws up I go through his general liability insurance if he doesn't want to fix it. Same as you would have to do with Jiffy Lube)

[SW03ES]

And the issue with Jiffy Lube should there be a problem is they are a huge, faceless organization that already has a terrible reputation and has entire departments full of people who'se only job is to keep from having to pay your claims...

Your local independent mechanic needs his reputation and your business.

[mrbutz1]

And the issue with Jiffy Lube should there be a problem is they are a huge, faceless organization that already has a terrible reputation and has entire departments full of people who'se only job is to keep from having to pay your claims...

Your local independent mechanic needs his reputation and your business.

Fair enough. My experience with this company over 25 years of driving and taking cars there starting when I was 16 with my parents' cars has been nothing but good, spanning franchises in three states and multiple cars. Additionally, unlike at most places, I stand directly next to my car and watch as they drain oil, replace the filter and fill it. That way, as you might imagine, I ensure quality control. On the other hand, the number of times I've been screwed (and found out about it) at small shops...whew.

You have valid points, certainly, but my personal experience is what I rely on. Google ANY company and you will find horror stories, as you all know.

Ironically, a couple days after I had the oil changed I got a reminder card from the dealership saying my first oil change on my CPO car was on them! For my 65,000 service I WILL be taking it to the dealership. But an oil change, we'll just have to agree to disagree.

[pj8708]

And the issue with Jiffy Lube should there be a problem is they are a huge, faceless organization that already has a terrible reputation and has entire departments full of people who'se only job is to keep from having to pay your claims...

Your local independent mechanic needs his reputation and your business.

Fair enough. My experience with this company over 25 years of driving and taking cars there starting when I was 16 with my parents' cars has been nothing but good, spanning franchises in three states and multiple cars. Additionally, unlike at most places, I stand directly next to my car and watch as they drain oil, replace the filter and fill it. That way, as you might imagine, I ensure quality control. On the other hand, the number of times I've been screwed (and found out about it) at small shops...whew.

You have valid points, certainly, but my personal experience is what I rely on. Google ANY company and you will find horror stories, as you all know.

Ironically, a couple days after I had the oil changed I got a reminder card from the dealership saying my first oil change on my CPO car was on them! For my 65,000 service I WILL be taking it to the dealership. But an oil change, we'll just have to agree to disagree.

As you recall from school, "to thine own self be true..". Your right. You have all the facts, I and others have all of your facts and we can agree to disagree on something that will not disturb world peace or the outcome of the World Series,(thank god). I admire your level headiness and reasoned response. I hope you have a great experience at your dealer.

Paul

[mrbutz1]

And the issue with Jiffy Lube should there be a problem is they are a huge, faceless organization that already has a terrible reputation and has entire departments full of people who'se only job is to keep from having to pay your claims...

Your local independent mechanic needs his reputation and your business.

Fair enough. My experience with this company over 25 years of driving and taking cars there starting when I was 16 with my parents' cars has been nothing but good, spanning franchises in three states and multiple cars. Additionally, unlike at most places, I stand directly next to my car and watch as they drain oil, replace the filter and fill it. That way, as you might imagine, I ensure quality control. On the other hand, the number of times I've been screwed (and found out about it) at small shops...whew.

You have valid points, certainly, but my personal experience is what I rely on. Google ANY company and you will find horror stories, as you all know.

Ironically, a couple days after I had the oil changed I got a reminder card from the dealership saying my first oil change on my CPO car was on them! For my 65,000 service I WILL be taking it to the dealership. But an oil change, we'll just have to agree to disagree.

Welp, turns out 65K service is basically an oil change! ;-)

[LexPaul]

I guess I'm on the other side of the spectrum as I always take my car to the dealer for regular scheduled maintenance...I know I pay more, but it's just the comfort and knowing these are the guys that know my car (yes they can screw up too, I realize that). Also they generally can answer my questions that I have AND I like the pampering (heck I paid for it!!). I will take my truck and 96 Camry to Jiffy Lube, but my Lex is definitely off limits...

[SW03ES]

Nothing wrong with that. I always really enjoyed using the dealer, everyone treats you so well, loaners are handy, nice surroundings. Very upscale experience, and such as any other upscale experience it costs more.

The other benefit is if you do have some sort of borderline warranty issue, the dealer is more likely to go to bat for you if you have a history with them.

I thought about having my 350 serviced at the dealer again since its new and under warranty, but my mechanic has become a good friend and I hate to take the business from him.

[LexPaul]

Excellent points about the dealership experience. Finding a good mechanic is not easy, I can understand where you're coming from....

[Pat O'Brien]

That is well put and is the way I feel about it too. I understand not wanting to drive to the Lexus dealer it takes me just as long to get there same with BMW. That is why I found a good independent shop. The first few services on the GX will be done by the dealer since they are free. (by the way I have the independent shop insured with my agency so if he screws up I go through his general liability insurance if he doesn't want to fix it. Same as you would have to do with Jiffy Lube)

We have Bradziol here and they always have good people working on the cars. Not all fast oil change places are created equal, but to skimp on oil make NO SENSE AT ALL! I have used synthetic since the 70's and never had an issue. I even blew a head and the rest of the engine w/170k was like new when we got into it. Didn't replace anything but the head...not bad for 170k!