Worst Oil Change Ever? Oh Boy!

[joutlaw]

I suppose I should fill in how I know this.

In 2006, I got a set of tires from Sams Club. While the tires were being changed I was outside the bay of their garage. I saw them inadvertantly drop my car from the lift while no rims were on the car. Albeit, the drop wasn't 6 feet, more like around 2-3, but enough to cave in my oil pan and require a full inspection of the suspension with alignment. The workers proceeded to dent one my doors while frantically trying to get my car back on the lift.

I refused to drive the car and sign on the work. I called my insurance company and let them tow the car from Sam's Club. This turned into a 30 day ordeal with Sam's Club/Walmart's own insurance company and their refusal to pay for the damages. This was all on video as well. In th end, my insurance company had to pay for replacement of the oil pan and work on the suspension. The dent remained as my insurance company said it was a seperate event and required another claim with its own deductible.

 

[Safeway]

I suppose I should fill in how I know this.

In 2006, I got a set of tires from Sams Club. While the tires were being changed I was outside the bay of their garage. I saw them inadvertantly drop my car from the lift while no rims were on the car. Albeit, the drop wasn't 6 feet, more like around 2-3, but enough to cave in my oil pan and require a full inspection of the suspension with alignment. The workers proceeded to dent one my doors while frantically trying to get my car back on the lift.

I refused to drive the car and sign on the work. I called my insurance company and let them tow the car from Sam's Club. This turned into a 30 day ordeal with Sam's Club/Walmart's own insurance company and their refusal to pay for the damages. This was all on video as well. In th end, my insurance company had to pay for replacement of the oil pan and work on the suspension. The dent remained as my insurance company said it was a seperate event and required another claim with its own deductible.

You must have been a push-over. I would have sued their scumbag asses and had the court assess exemplary damages for their deceptive insurance practices.

Your story reminds me of something that happened to my father's old 1996 Grand Sport Corvette, production #5 of a very limited run. He took the car in to the dealer for a fluid change. When they dropped the car off, there was a HUGE dent and scratch that they claimed was there when he dropped it off. He threatened legal action and went to the dealer to pull the lot videos. Turns out one of the mechanics went for a joy ride, skid out, and dented the car. They admitted fault and repaired it.

THEN, it gets worse. My dad went in to pick up the Corvette when the repairs were completed. With my dad standing there, the mechanic backed the car out of the service bay with the door open, hit a concrete pylon, and folded the door back, crushing the door and the front driver's side fender. They attempted to say that liability for the car ended when my father arrived to pick up the vehicle and that the vehicle was tendered to him. The mechanic backing the car out of the bay was just a convenience. Bull fucking shit is what we said.

In the end, we received exactly what my father paid for the car as a cash settlement and, after they repaired the new damage, we got to keep the Corvette.

Sometimes, attorneys can work magic.

 

[XZeroII]

This isn't limited to Walmart. A guy in an office below me just had the same thing happen at a local Penzoil place. He's been driving a rental car that they provided until it gets fixed.

 

[HarryLui]

t

In the end, making the customer wait this long for any resolution will cost them a helluva lot more than $3000 when other customers decide that Walmart may be unwilling to resolve any dispute they may encounter in the future. They give the Weightloss - Makeover Edition participants $50k, so what the hell is $3k for a simple gesture to show your customers that you will own up to your mistakes?

I really doubt people that shops at Walmart would gives a damn and boycott Walmart because of this incident.

 

[jagec]

Your story reminds me of something...<story>

Sometimes, attorneys can work magic.

Good. For. Him.

I hate, hate, HATE frivolous legal action...but if someone screws up, they should bear the full consequences. Try to work it out face-to-face like adults first, but if it takes the legal system to force them to do the responsible thing, so be it.

 

[marvdmartian]

so they forgot to add the oil and she notices problems right away? that caused $3000 in damages?? i would think you'd have to drive a bit before noticing anything is wrong

Most mechanics would immediately write off the engine, if it was run without oil. No telling what damage would be done to the main bearings, and it would actually be cheaper (in many instances) to swap the engine out with a rebuilt, than to change out those bearings.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

I love every time I hear an ad for a DYI oil change kit etc etc from the auto parts stores. Its never cheaper than a place I can get it done out the door for $12.

 

[SparkyJJO]

I love every time I hear an ad for a DYI oil change kit etc etc from the auto parts stores. Its never cheaper than a place I can get it done out the door for $12.

That has got to be the crappiest oil on this planet at that price D:

 

[Howard]

I love every time I hear an ad for a DYI oil change kit etc etc from the auto parts stores. Its never cheaper than a place I can get it done out the door for $12.

What the hell? A decent oil filter's going to cost you at least $6...

 

[WaTaGuMp]

That has got to be the crappiest oil on this planet at that price D:

Truck is still going strong at 171,000 miles on cheap oil changes. Its more important to not run out of oil and get it changed, than it is to worry about what type of oil.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

What the hell? A decent oil filter's going to cost you at least $6...

Lets not forget how many people still get fucked sideways cause they still believe the marketing about getting oil changes every 3000 miles.

 

[joutlaw]

You must have been a push-over. I would have sued their scumbag asses and had the court assess exemplary damages for their deceptive insurance practices.

Sam's Club/Walmart knew exactly what they were doing. Most auto insurance only covers a rental for 30 days. I was out of time, no other means of transportation, and unable to risk hiring an attorney to fight them and be out the attorney fees in the event they drug it out and I lost.

 

[Ferzerp]

What the hell? A decent oil filter's going to cost you at least $6...

$6 won't even buy you a quart of 5W-40, and my car takes 7.

 

[LTC8K6]

You gotta inspect the car before you sign/drive off. Look it over, look under the hood, pull the dipstick(s), etc.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I know someone that recently took their truck to Walmart to change the oil.

I forget the exact amount, but on the work order, it said X quarts of oil, but the kid put in X+1 quarts, because he thought that the dipstick wasn't full enough.

Stories like these are why I take my vehicle to the dealer for an oil change. ($40)

 

[Danimal1209]

Stories like these are why I do it myself, not just to get the oil I want and the filter I want, but for the safety of my vehicle.

 

[Zargon]

Lets not forget how many people still get fucked sideways cause they still believe the marketing about getting oil changes every 3000 miles.

even now oil change intervals are PER ENGINE

some just run dirtier and need more frequent changes because they are sludge factorys

I had a car that would go 4500 easy on conventional, and I have a car that needs it at 4k with full syn in it

you should have seen the oil at 3k in my xterra, of course, it was also about 8 months. I will do it before winter no matter the milage, then again in the late spring

my dads Camaro hits autox about 20 times a year, and gets an annual and his oil is still clean as hell in December when we change it


every car is different!

 

[waggy]

I do find story's like this hard to believe. well if it weren't for the fact that you hear of such stuff so often.

I took my wife's escort into a quick oil change place (can't remember witch one it was now) and i sat and watched as they filled it with oil. the guy walks off adn someone else comes and refills it and pulls it off and hands me the keys. i told him to check it because they messed it up.

 

[Iron Woode]

some of these stories here are truly scary.

A Firestone dealership tried to rip off my friend when he took his 1973 Nova in for a front end alignment. 2 days prior he had all new suspension parts installed by his mechanic. Firestone refused to do the alignment unless he replaced the "old worn out suspension parts" on the car. He showed them the work order from his mechanic that listed everything that was replaced and the price. The guy told him he didn't give a shit about his piece of paper and told him to sign their work order in order to get the alignment done. My friend told them to get his car off the hoist now and he went somewhere else and got the alignment done with no problems at all.

 

[alkalinetaupehat]

There was a local shop which changed out the suspension on my car (all four corners) about 5 years ago. At least, that's what we paid them for. It was a significant amount of money and last year we were replacing a CV axle and had noticed the car's handling becoming rather sloppy.

We had to take out the strut for the CV axle replacement, and found the date-of-manufacture sticker on it. February 1993. No shit. Dad was playing it cool, but that was something like $1k which was probably a total scam. Suffice it to say that I do not care for other people working on my car (which was made in 1993).

 

[Ronstang]

Two decades ago this happened to my ex-fiance. She was damn beautiful but she was not to bright and was a psycho. She called me on a Friday when she was already supposed to be in Austin at my house, this was back before cell phones. She told me she was going to be late as someone was bringing her since her car had essentially blown up about halfway to Austin. Thy guy witnessed the explosion. He said a flaming piece came flying out from under the car. There was a hole in the side of the block where the rod exited.

I asked her if there was any indication that there was a problem. She told me not really. I asked her if the oil light was on, she said yes. I then asked her for how long, she said a couple of days since the oil change. I asked her why she drove it and she said she didn't think it was a big deal. She said she did notice strange noises and a vibration at about 80 mph right before the fireworks. Did I mention she was beautiful and is an ex?

 

[Eos]

As an owner of a new car (12 miles on it when I left the dealer), I decided I would do as much as possible wrt maintenance. It's light, being a new car and all, but I change the oil, cartridge filter, and rotate all five tires every 5000 miles. Just as the owner's manual states.

Cost to me is aboot $36 for six quarts and the filter. Total time is an hour.

 

[Sulaco]

I love every time I hear an ad for a DYI oil change kit etc etc from the auto parts stores. Its never cheaper than a place I can get it done out the door for $12.

Enjoy your FRAM "Val-U" filter and bottom-of-the-barrel oil.

But by all means, continue to broadcast your ignorance and play Russian Roulette with your car..
Some people like doing the job right.

 

[mwmorph]

I love every time I hear an ad for a DYI oil change kit etc etc from the auto parts stores. Its never cheaper than a place I can get it done out the door for $12.

If you're saving the money, you might as well buy a quality filter and oil, something like Purolator/Bosch, Wix, OEM or Mobil 1 or the like and some nice oil that costs more than $2 a quart.

Off topic ish, but I used to work for a FORD dealership and I'd do the quick lube work tickets all the time, even though I was ASE certified. Hours are hours and I took it so I could clock in the pay, there's not always a car with a blown out transmission, ignition coil or window regulator (3 common problems from when I worked there, though the tranny was just 1 car with massive power mods doing it over and over again). In fact, i don't think we had a single non ASE certified guy there.

 

[franksta]

Can you put extra oil in the transmission without it coming out the fill tube? Or maybe it did?

I think the oil pressure light would have been on the entire time. In every car I own it takes a second for it to build pressure, even when I haven't drained the oil. The employee could have caught it if he was the one to drive it out of the service bay. The customer should have noticed it too before putting it in gear and driving "50 yards", regardless of any "thumping". Perhaps she assumed it would be fine and was inattentive until the noise.