Took my car to get an oil change. They decided not to drain oil but instead vacuum it. It’s a 2005 Mercedes E320 CDI diesel with 150.5k miles. and they confused the transmission tube with engine oil tube on top of engine and drained the transmission fluid instead of engine oil. (The car has no dipsticks for either, but has the tubes) Now my transmission went out 20 miles later. Should I go to the shop and blame them for it or should I go and ask where they vacuumed oil out of first, so that if they show me that it was from transmission tube, then I have a for sure evidence that they messed up? Also, when they refilled the oil, my car showed too much oil, reduce oil level message. Then they proceeded to drain it from oil pan, and refill it. (In between, they made me rev my engine to 3000 RPM so they could check if they put oil filter well). Now I’m also worried that some damage was done to my engine since it ran with ≈15Qts of oil instead of 8. Any recommendations on how to handle this?
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You have a small claims action at the very least. So did they put transmission fluid in your engine or engine oil in your transmission?
They drained transmission fluid, then filled engine oil into the engine (essentially without draining any) then made me start the car, rev it, then the light popped up that too much oil is in the engine. So then They drained it all from the oil pan now, and refilled it. I found out that they drained the transmission oil today (oil change was done yesterday) after I drove for 15 miles, and transmission started acting up and check engine light came on. I looked at where they drained the oil from, and realized that it was the transmission tube since oil tube is on the opposite side of the engine and I saw which side they were draining it from. So I drove around 15-20 miles with 0 fluid in the transmission and it’s most likely all done. I don’t know how to confront them about it tomorrow when I go to them.
A friend of mine had the exact same thing happen at a Jiffy Lube years ago. They drained the automatic transmission and dumped more oil into the engine. Needless to say that vehicle did not get very far.
In that case the shop had to be sued to pay for the damage they caused. You should talk to the manager first but you will probably need to do the same. They will probably claim your transmission failed due to age since it is a 17-18 year old car.
You can use small claims court without a lawyer if the amount does not exceed the court maximum, which is $5000 in most U.S. jurisdictions. At a minimum they owe you a replacement transmission, and you need to determine if the engine was damaged. Forget the "undercover" video idea. That won't go anywhere, you would have had to catch them in the act.
Stay away from quick lube joints. As you unfortunately found out the hard way they are toxic.
The hard part of your situation is to prove that the shop messed up. You need solid proofs that they drained the ATF instead of engine oil.
Tomorrow morning, my plan is to drive to them (I’m staying at the hotel right across the street) and just ask like “hey guys, can you show me where you vacuumed the oil from”, and I’ll be secretly recording, and if they show me the transmission tube, then I got all the proof I need. How does this plan sound? But I agree, that would definitely be the hard part. On the other hand, they have cameras facing the car from three angles, so in court, if they know they’re wrong, they’d not bring them up…
I'm not sure about your plan. I understand it is a tough situation and I hope you succeed.
Would you please let us know the name of the shop that was responsible for this? Thanks.
Express Oil in Bluffton SC
No I wouldn't try any sneaky things. A video of a guy pointing to something under the hood isn't proof of anything.
Just explain it to the manager. But what do you want them to do about it? You have to be ready with a request.
Any my advice to you is to never take your vehicle to be worked on to any place with the words "express", "lube", "jiffy", "speedy", "quik", etc.
The only proof of their mistake would be found on one of the video cameras that you mentioned. You have proof of the date and time of the service work on your receipt. Hopefully you can speak to the manager or shop owner and explain what happened. If he is insistent that they performed the service properly, then he should be willing to prove it to you by viewing the video evidence and sharing it with you. Otherwise, I don’t see that you have any other verifiable proof as it is highly improbable that the technician would admit to any wrongdoing.
Personally, I would not touch anything. Document everything, of course. You're looking at a transmission replacement and possibly engine damage from overfilling on the oil.
Depending on the age and condition of the vehicle, this could be a very expensive situation. I would recommend that you contact three lawyers who specialize in automotive issues. If you are in a big city, great. If you are in a smaller town, you may want to look at a law firm that's in a major city nearby. For example, I'm in San Diego, but I always utilize lawyers from Orange County because those lawyers make a lot more money, have a larger client base and can afford to wait out for an appropriate settlement instead of a quick payment so they can make rent.
Again, a lot depends on the condition of the car. If the car is still worth many tens of thousands of dollars, a lawyer is definitely the best way to go. If you go out and start putting in your own oil or starting to do your own work or nose around, you're exposing yourself to doubt in the eyes of the court.
