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Bad experience after an oil change
I took my new 3 month old '04 Corolla for an oil change last week, to a "reputed" national tire dealership, that also does regular maintenance stuff.
The next day, as I am driving down the freeway, I see a lot of smoke coming out for under the hood. I pulled over, opened the hood and see the oil filler cap missing. Obviously, the mechanic who did the oil change, screwed up. In addition to the smoke, the entire engine area under the hood is spattered with oil, and all messed up. Luckily, the engine did not run out of oil, and I was able to make my way to a spare parts store to refill the oil, and buy a new cap.
My questions are:
Do I need to do check for any damage -can the oil cause any long term to the wires, pipes, hoses, firewall?
How can I best screw the "m*&^%#$&#*&r" who did this to me? I was extremely lucky to get away without any major damage to the engine. However, mechanics who cannot screw a oil filler cap right, need to be kept away from all cars, permanently.
BTW, the establishment in question a national tire dealership associated with all those Ford Explorer rollovers.
The next day, as I am driving down the freeway, I see a lot of smoke coming out for under the hood. I pulled over, opened the hood and see the oil filler cap missing. Obviously, the mechanic who did the oil change, screwed up. In addition to the smoke, the entire engine area under the hood is spattered with oil, and all messed up. Luckily, the engine did not run out of oil, and I was able to make my way to a spare parts store to refill the oil, and buy a new cap.
My questions are:
Do I need to do check for any damage -can the oil cause any long term to the wires, pipes, hoses, firewall?
How can I best screw the "m*&^%#$&#*&r" who did this to me? I was extremely lucky to get away without any major damage to the engine. However, mechanics who cannot screw a oil filler cap right, need to be kept away from all cars, permanently.
BTW, the establishment in question a national tire dealership associated with all those Ford Explorer rollovers.
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2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
many of those service/tire outfits are franchised, not company-owned, but both types of stores exist.
we had one (wings, not fire) that had tech incompetence issues in the late 90s closed down after one of our local investigative report units got on 'em. seems nobody came in any more after the story appeared...
Life is Blissful
My old dealer over filled my car with oil so this can happen any where. This is just how things go in the real world.
And, they don't "know" your car like a dealer does.
Still, the Toyota dealership could have left the cap off as well.
I did go back to the Firestone Manager - he was extremely apologetic, and offered to refund me for the oil change and the new cap, and clean up the engine.
I had initially thought about reporting the matter to the Firestone Customer Service center and other consumer groups - however, for now I have decided against doing that - (I would have done it if the operator had denied any wrongdoing or played nasty!)
If you come in guns blazing before anyone has had a chance to make things right, you just start a war.
Now, if the other party won't step up to the plate, sure, you can start pushing.
I still go to a tire shop that forgot to tighten the lugs on my friend's car, causing the wheel to fall off. But they made good on everything, and instituted better procedures for checking this sort of thing, and I'm fine with that.
went to Wal-Mart for shopping for our big party this weekend and got my oil changed. First the "new guy" took 20 minutes writing up the guy in front of me, had to redo it after the guy left, then didn't assign a guy to swap his battery until the guy RETURNED an hour later. He took 20 minutes writing me up using his little palm pilot thingy that obviously had him confused and beaten.
I use 5W30 Mobil 1, and when I read the invoice on pick-up, I noted they used 20W50 "supertech" (walmart oil) - I was mad - we had $150 worth of meat that wasn't refridgerated and now they had to pull my car in and change the oil to what I specified.
They did that, and 20 minutes later we loaded the car - something told me to check the oil, although I was in a hurry. I usually do, but we needed to get home. I popped the hood and found the oil cap sitting on top of the intake manifold, with a bit of oil blown onto the hood liner, valve cover, and running down the exhaust manifold and turbo housing.
I blew my stack - they checked everything over, allowed me to go into the undercar bay to check everything myself...
Just to think - I had a 30 mile ride - I'm guessing I would've gotten 10 miles or so before Wal-Mart bought me a new motor - and it wouldn't be a reman!
Just curious...
This time, it paid off.
You are welcome to come over to my place if you are ever up in western NY if you need an oil change!
You're very accurate in your assumption, though. When I was in the Air Force, I was "the car guy" in my Security Police unit. For a long time, I gave up weekends and evenings to help people with their vehicles. I'd charge a 6-pack or a case, depending on the job.
When I complained to my wife that I didn't have much time off, she recommended I start charging actual money.
I did, and suddenly had much more free time....
Still, to get a 4-wheel brake job or a major tune up with tranny service and oil change for $50 plus parts is a bargain.
Changing oil is not a difficult job. People really don't want high school kids working on their car. Why would a person want to change oil for a living with such low pay?
I think that a minimum wage job just give minimum results or less.
At least you caught the problems before a major catastrophe occurred
Have a nice holiday!
On your note of "a sign that stated if there are any problems as a result of them doing an oil change, they will ONLY refund the cost of the oil change", that may scare a few people into letting Wally World "make the problem go away", but Federal and state laws supercede their goofy little sign.
No amounts of signs can relieve them from implied warranty of merchantability and the Bureau of Automotive Repair regulations.
So...
" If we leave your drain plug loose and it falls out on the freeway causing the engine to sieze, we will only refund the price of the oil change"
Really!
I'm sorry, but if you cause my engine to fail, you're buying me a new one, not a reman (my car is fairly now, not a 150,000-mile beater), and I'll enjoy the rental car you're paying for while mine is in the shop.
Considering the car was only moved 30 feet or so, then parked, there was only a couple of drops of oil on the valve cover. No damage to belts. Not that motor oil is like acid to belts anyway - make them slip and squeal maybe, but nothing else.
Always take your car to Toyota Dealership.
Why? How is that helpful advice and why should you Always take your car to a dealer, no matter what brand it is?
I totally disagree with that comment.
As was stated, oil change ain't rocket science. Find a good reputable independant shop, they usually do a much better job then chain oil change places and are consderably less than the dealer.
Why not just take the car back to them and see what they will do for you?
Agree.
out of all the things you can pay someone else to do, having your oil and filter changed must be the best bargain of the century.
I never feel so good about spending money as when I write a check to someone else for doing this for me. I'd like to kiss them, too but I'm afraid they'd take it wrong so I don't.
AHA! Let me parry your blow before you strike!
I realize that changing oil is about the last thing anyone can do to their new car without taking it to a dealer or without having a $300 computer or a set of CDs roms telling you what to do next. So I appreciate the poignancy of hanging on to this last vestige of owner control....but I'm ready to let go. That $25 I save just isn't the thrill it used to be, especially with 7 quarts of filthy oil sitting on the floor saying "Hi, Joe, I'm TOXIC WASTE and you have to get rid of me!!"
Also, I have to dispose of the oil. Double and triple checking the grease monkey's work is a small price to pay, and I get the car done while we're shopping at the Wal-Mart Supercenter - the cheapest place in town to buy your groceries.
here in Minnesota, I can drive two miles to the county garage, and dump my old oil in their recycle tank outside for free... and throw the filter in one of their steel drums for handling, too.
having said that... the filter fitting drools all over my left half shaft on the Exploder, so I have the dealer's quick lane do mine, because they clean up afterwards. that's worth ten bucks over the cost of oil and a filter to me at this point. and yes, I do check afterwards to be sure plugs are in and drools are cleaned off, every time.
their computer also says that I have had my oil done "two thousand miles early" and with a new filter every time, just in case I throw a rod or something and need to raise some hob.
Then again, my townhome rules prohibit working on your car...
Very funny I wish I could find it.
Oil Change instructions for Women:
1) Pull up to Jiffy Lube when the mileage reaches 3000 miles since the last oil change
2) Drink a cup of coffee.
3) 15 minutes later, write a check and leave with a properly maintained vehicle.
Money spent:
* Oil Change $20.00
* Coffee $ 1.00
* Total $21.00.
Oil Change instructions for Men:
1) Go to auto parts store and write a check for $50.00 for oil, filter, kitty litter, hand cleaner and shop towels
2) Discover that the used oil container is full. Instead of taking it back to O'Reilly to recycle, dump in hole in back yard.
3) Open a beer and drink it.
4) Jack car up. Spend 30 minutes looking for jack stands.
5) Find jack stands under kid's pedal car.
6) In frustration, open another beer and drink it.
7) Place drain pan under engine.
8) Look for correct size box end wrench!
9) Give up and use crescent wrench.
10) Unscrew drain plug.
11) Drop drain plug in pan of hot oil: get hot oil on you in the
process.
12) Clean up mess.
13) Have another beer while watching oil drain.
14) Look for oil filter wrench.
15) Give up; poke oil filter with screwdriver and twist off.
16) Beer.
17) Buddy shows up; finish case of beer with him. Finish oil change tomorrow.
18) Next day, drag pan full of old oil out from underneath car.
19) Throw kitty litter on oil spilled during step 18.
20) Beer. No, drank it all yesterday
21) Walk to 7-11; buy beer.
22) Install new oil filter making sure to apply a thin coat of oil to gasket surface.
23) Dump first quart of fresh oil into engine.
24) Remember drain plug from step 11.
25) Hurry to find drain plug in drain pan.
26) Discover that the used oil is buried in a hole in the back yard along with drain plug. (IDIOT!)
27) Drink beer.
28) Uncover hole and sift for drain plug.
29) Discover that first quart of fresh oil is now on the floor.
30) Drink beer.
31) Slip with wrench tightening drain plug and bang knuckles on frame.
32) Bang head on floorboards in reaction to step 31.
33) Begin cussing fit.
34) Throw wrench.
35) Cuss for additional 10 minutes because wrench hit Miss December(1992) in the left boob.
36) Beer.&! nbsp;
37) Clean up hands and forehead and bandage as required to stop blood flow.
38) Beer.
39) Beer
40) Dump in five fresh quarts of oil.
41) Beer.
42) Lower car from jack stands.
43) Accidentally crush one of the jack stands.
44) Move car back to apply more kitty litter to fresh oil spilled during step 23.
45) Beer.
46) Test drive car.
47) Get pulled over: arrested for driving under the influence.
48) Car gets impounded.
49) Make bail.
50) Get car from impound yard.
Money spent:
* Parts $50.00
* DUI $2500.00
* Impound fee $75.00
* Bail $1500.00
* Beer $25.00
* Total-- $4150.00
-- But you know the job was done right!
He's a pretty savvy guy...still...
One day, he managed to cross thread the oil plug. He made three trips to the parts house before he solved the problem by jamming a triple oversize plug in.
Then, he carefully placed the used oil container on his back seat floor and headed for the parts store to dump it.
On the way there, he was forced to make a panic stop! Anyone want to guess where the dirty oil went?
Nice car too!
He no longer tries to "save" money!
I also carry mine sideways to be sure they don't leak before loading up for the recycle place.
lately it's not oil, but brake fluid... same rules apply. that stuff is instant rot in a jug.
He didn't have it on the seat. It was standing up on the rear floor and somehow during his panic stop, the stopper came out.
He only dumped a half quart or so but it was a terrible, stinking mess.
In 1989, that policy was changed and violators who did not properly dispose of oil at the auto hobby shop (but would have been following orders prior to this), would be prosecuted and removed from base housing.
I can't believe we used to drink out of a garden hose!
TB