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Posted: 2/23/2007 8:08:37 PM EDT
Last Monday, I realize that in my busy day to day activities, that I have neglected my car. It had been a bit too long since my last oil change and I needed to have it done. Normally I do it myself, however, I had a set of orders coming up and didn't have the time to do it myself.
The solution: Wal Mart Tire and Lube. Perfect! I can get my oil changed, along with a new air filter and some fluids topped off, while I pick up some things I need to prepare to live in a hotel for a week. I drop my car off to, what I presume to be, a 17 year old high school drop out. He punches it all into his little palm pilot, and I go off to pick up my food stuffs. An hour later, I come back and reclaim my car. Gee, that was handy. Flash forward to today. I had driven my car a bit on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, all city driving, and today I had to drive about a half hour on the highway. Thats when I discovered smoke pouring out of the hood, and an intense smell of oil.... When I open the hood, I see this happy shit.  Whoo hooo!! Apparently someone decided that putting that little oil fill cap back on the valve cover was optional! The intake manifold and throttle body are soaked in oil  As is the distributer  The exhaust manifold heat shield  The air intake (and most of the radiator, unseen)  Some more splattering  And more  And more  As you can imagine, I'm pretty pissed off. Now, I normally check to make sure they didn't screw things up, but because of the way this week had been, I hadn't thought much of it. I guess I figured theres no way to mess up an oil change. I was definately wrong. Needless to say, tomorrow they are getting one hell of a phone call. |
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Posted: 2/23/2007 8:11:11 PM EDT
[#1]
I've done that.
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Posted: 2/23/2007 8:13:33 PM EDT
[#2]
Sorry man, but letting the goons at WalMart work on your car is like letting the town drunk do brain surgery.
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Posted: 2/23/2007 8:14:02 PM EDT
[#3]
+1 I've had enough oil on the under side of the hood that it was dripping down the front of my headlights. Look at it this way... At least those parts of you engine won't rust. Seriously, it isn't the end of the world. Certainly not worth getting super pissed about. No damage was done. Ask them to reimburse you to wash your engine compartment, and to pay for a new oil filler cap. (assuming you didn't find yours) |
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Posted: 2/23/2007 8:15:10 PM EDT
[#4]
I did that in my current car one time. It would hardly go 55 on the highway and I was like "WTF?". till I opened the hood and saw the same shit you just saw. It was chattering like a fucking diesel engine for about 45 minutes after I filled it back up with oil. If it makes you feel any better that was about 40 thousand miles ago and I have around 188,000 miles on it now.
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Posted: 2/23/2007 8:17:04 PM EDT
[#5]
That was my idea. I'm probably going to get a couple quarts of oil too, since I'm definitely down at least that. This just happened on a bad day. We put my 15 year old cat to sleep today, and I had just gotten off of a long shift as a comm. tech at my air guard unit during a test. I've never done this, ever. I'm never letting Wal Mart do this ever again. |
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Posted: 2/23/2007 8:17:44 PM EDT
[#6]
But you got such a deal! |
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Posted: 2/23/2007 8:19:13 PM EDT
[#7]
We knew they sucked when they didnt put the drain plug back in on my sisters S10 and it seized 1/2 mile down the road.
 On a side note, I changed my oil today. 
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Posted: 2/23/2007 8:19:35 PM EDT
[#8]
Doing something like that here in the desert would certainly take miles off the life of an engine.
The MGR will do you right if you treat him "well". |
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Posted: 2/23/2007 8:21:37 PM EDT
[#9]
Go get a new cap, ans 3 cans of brake cleaner.....
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Posted: 2/23/2007 8:22:49 PM EDT
[#10]
Same shit happended to me at a Ford dealer. Oil change people are on the lower end of the Darwin scale. I just do it myself now.
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Posted: 2/23/2007 8:22:56 PM EDT
[#11]
My first car, a 91 Nissan Sentra, my first oil change I over filled the damn thing, then I forgot to put the oil cap back on and had an engine compartment covered with oil just like you have.
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Posted: 2/23/2007 8:28:20 PM EDT
[#12]
I've had that happen at a couple places now. Once at Wal-Mart, and once at a Ford dealership, I believe. I talked to the manager at the Wal-Mart, and he went ahead and cleaned my car, got a new oil cap, and refilled my oil. Irritating, but at least he made good on it. Sorry for your bad day man. Hope things go much better for you tomarrow. gk
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Posted: 2/23/2007 8:31:05 PM EDT
[#13]
sorry man but, ya get what you pay for......
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Posted: 2/23/2007 8:38:33 PM EDT
[#14]
Don't you know that the only requirement for working at WalMart is a pulse!
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Posted: 2/23/2007 8:41:23 PM EDT
[#15]
[Hijack]What's your AFSC? I'm a 2E171 w/ 143rd CBCS in Seattle.[/Hijack] Long live the AN/TRC-170(v)2! |
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Posted: 2/23/2007 8:45:34 PM EDT
[#16]
2E251, you can take your satcom crap and shove it  I work at a test squadron. Today we were testing remote radio out of a AN/TYQ-23(V)5 |
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Posted: 2/23/2007 9:00:26 PM EDT
[#17]
Things like this make me glad that I no longer take my car there. I take the oil and filter and in under 10 min my local guy does it for 10 bucks. Extra 10 and he rotates the tires. No cash? Just pay him next time Im by.
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Posted: 2/23/2007 9:00:42 PM EDT
[#18]
Small world. When I was active duty, I was a 2E1X2 in the 1st CBCS out of Ramstein AB. |
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Posted: 2/23/2007 9:03:10 PM EDT
[#19]
I agree with the SATCOM sentiment.  2E1X1 Satellite, Wideband & Telemetry Systems Of course, we're soon to be penciled in as 2E1X3 Ground Rats. |
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Posted: 2/23/2007 9:05:02 PM EDT
[#20]
I used to let them change the oil in my pickup (Toyota Taco)... it was easy. Filter + 5qt of 40 weight.
I wouldn't let them touch any car I've had since. Especially my current ride (Porsche Boxster). I'll do it myself, and know it's done right. |
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Posted: 2/23/2007 9:05:51 PM EDT
[#21]
SWATS, SATCOM, all your stuff looks the same. 
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Posted: 2/23/2007 9:09:25 PM EDT
[#22]
It's all green and optimistically designed with the Army in mind. I even work on the AN/GRC-239 TSSR. We're the last in our unit to start getting TDC equipment and move away from TriTac stuff. |
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Posted: 2/23/2007 9:11:07 PM EDT
[#23]
This is my shocked face ------>
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Posted: 2/23/2007 9:11:56 PM EDT
[#24]
I did an even better one.
Took off the old filter which was in an odd hard to reach position. Put the new one on. Filled oil, started up watched oil pressure guage move to the normal position then drop like a rock. Shut it off got out into a puddle of oil. Apparently 2 oil filter gaskets are NOT better then 1  old gasket stayed stuck to the block 6 quarts of Mobile 1 on the ground I felt pretty smart explaining that one to the wife |
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Posted: 2/23/2007 9:12:20 PM EDT
[#25]
Umm where is your cap?
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Posted: 2/23/2007 9:14:39 PM EDT
[#26]
Shit man ...
" If you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself ". Think of how many people get an oil change, just before a trip, only leading to this, or worse. Consider yourself lucky, you were not 350 miles from from home with a car full of kids, a missing drain plug (or oil filter), and a locked up $6000 engine. There are tons of horror stories, about oil change " GOONS ", and Lube joints.. If you do it yourself, you could save the headache, use synthetic (cost difference), and know it was done right. |
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Posted: 2/23/2007 9:18:54 PM EDT
[#27]
Well, as they say: If you want it done right...
Kidding. But really, I'd go back in there, ask to speak to a mgr, and politely raise some hell. Funny story. I was getting all ready to change my oil the other day. Go to autozone, get some oil, get some other stuff, go home drain the oil...and about that point, I start looking for the filter. Filter? What filter? Well hell, I guess I needed to take a little walk a couple miles back to the store ANYWAY. Took the kid, hit up the park on the way back. Overall not a bad experience, but I'll never forget remembering the filter just as the last of the oil dripped out...Dee dee dee on me. |
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Posted: 2/23/2007 9:22:17 PM EDT
[#28]
Well take 15 minutes out of your busy life and change your own oil.
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Posted: 2/23/2007 9:22:37 PM EDT
[#29]
Let's not get carried away. It is, after all, still just an oil change. |
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Posted: 2/23/2007 9:37:12 PM EDT
[#30]
Alright here is my opinion from a 3 year Jiffy Lube Manager....
In three years i have only seen about 5-10 vehicles roll in where the cap was left off. This is unacceptable due to the QI procedures (double check the guy who worked on its work) but still thats pretty low. In in OHC engine it spits out like a bastard, especially a 4 banger. In servicing over 45,000 cars in my career i only saw 1 blown engine, and 1 tranny. Both were mistakes due to the quality of people that they could get for eight bucks an hour. So its not the end of the world, but still it should not have happened. Oh by the way you might want to secure that airbox, i noticed that at least one clamp is undone.... Erick Z |
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Posted: 2/23/2007 9:44:04 PM EDT
[#31]
Let's see...oil change people on lower end....you do your own oil changes...that makes you an oil change person..... |
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Posted: 2/23/2007 10:01:02 PM EDT
[#32]
Okay ... where is the rest of the story ? Blown engine and Trans... Did he: Get a rental car ? A new engine ? Any compensation for the " Major pain in the ASS " ? Have to get an attorney to get shit right ? |
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Posted: 2/23/2007 10:06:39 PM EDT
[#33]
+1. I did that to the truck when it was brand new. Picture a one month old, shiny new engine covered in oil. I only did it once. 
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Posted: 2/23/2007 10:08:11 PM EDT
[#34]
Absolutely on both counts. We got a rental car for each party. Once we found out it was our fault our mechanic repaired both vehicles (brand new tranny in a 99 Toy Taco, Crate engine in 00 Stratus Sedan) and they did not have to lawyer up. Ill admit that our company was good at not passing the buck, they ponyed up. Then for comp they gave them like 20 free services. Erick Z |
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Posted: 2/23/2007 10:08:21 PM EDT
[#35]
NOPE ... It makes me versatile, because I cannot count on an IDIOT to do a simple 12 minute procedure. After all the careless crap, they want to sell you 9 times more shit than you need. Now we all know, why they do not want you in the shop to watch. |
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Posted: 2/23/2007 10:11:28 PM EDT
[#36]
Crate engine and all ... I would have been at the Toyota dealer, letting them do the work, and would have sent you the bill. |
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Posted: 2/23/2007 10:11:33 PM EDT
[#37]
You the F*%$ head that ran your local wrench turner outa business by going to Chinamart in the first place. So I say ya get what you deserve
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Posted: 2/23/2007 10:12:58 PM EDT
[#38]
My grandpa (77 years old) used them for his last oil change. We changed his oil again last week and discovered they had used blue loctite on the drain plug and the new oil filter.
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Posted: 2/23/2007 10:15:58 PM EDT
[#39]
That right there is funny |
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Posted: 2/23/2007 10:17:11 PM EDT
[#40]
Don't sweat it dude, Wal-Mart is going to start importing their employees from Mexico soon. They can hire a decent illegal as a mechanic for the price of your typical semi-retarded american high school drop-out.
You can buy your cheap chinese made crap from illegal aliens, can Wal-Mart get any better? HELL NO, you will be saving money for sure then.
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Posted: 2/23/2007 10:19:01 PM EDT
[#41]
It would be pretty hard to have Toyota put a crate engine in a Dodge stratus....... Also you could waste all your money having someone else repair it, but that would be a third party tamper when you have someone else fix something that we allegedly broke so according to the contract you signed when you signed the line that says authorized and received by you would basically be fucking yourself. Both customers in this case are still loyal customers and have more respect now than ever since we actually balled up and said hey we fucked up. Erick Z |
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Posted: 2/23/2007 10:19:38 PM EDT
[#42]
my brother works at wal-mart . he changes oil and works in the tire and lube area. he knows his stuff but being strait out of HS (and some trade school but it closed) he didn't have a lot of choise in the field of auto techs. start at the bottom kinda thing.
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Posted: 2/23/2007 10:32:58 PM EDT
[#43]
I don't mean to be a hardass about this, BUT:
When people trust you with an expensive piece of equipment they need every day. When you take their hard earned cash. When you dont give a rats ass. YOU NEED TO GET HOSED. My last experience buying tires I bought some new expensive tires at Sam's Club, you know ... Mount, balance, new stems etc. All tires balanced, except for one, ( WITH AN OLD VALVE STEM), I pointed it out before the GOON started to run the lug nuts down. ... " OH " he said... So he slams the tire down on the machine, SNAPS off the old stem, PUSHES the bead down and sticks a new stem in. Now I'v'e gotta say " Hey man, the the old STEM BASE is still inside the tire " he says ( pointing to one on the floor ) " There it is "... I said " I DON'T THINK SO " ... He got bent... removes the rubber stem base and SHOWS IT TO ME FOR FULL 30 SECONDS ( goon wiseass). That " GOON " could give a ratsass less about that rubber plug doing 70 thousand miles inside my brand new Michelin tire. I got home and checked the pressure. I HAD 48 LBS in one, 26 in another. |
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Posted: 2/23/2007 10:42:29 PM EDT
[#44]
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Posted: 2/23/2007 10:56:07 PM EDT
[#45]
Oh.. thanks for the " heads up " Now we've got an Lube guy doing engine replacements. I promise ya, I'd go to the dealer, and sue for the entire tab, time off work and all. |
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Posted: 2/23/2007 11:05:11 PM EDT
[#46]
So did you figure out how much oil you lost, and how your various bearings, rings, valve guides, chain/belt/gear etc. etc. fared?? Notice any little metal particles in the oil, or a burned smell to it? What would an oil analysis reveal?
That so-called jiffylube third-party tamper 'defense' sounds like  to me. Think about it. You authorize certain routine maintenance, about the simplest there is, and they f*ck it up, potentially chunking your engine. I'd really think twice about letting the same people (who may or may not have ruined it) decide whether it's OK or not, and perform repairs with quality hopefully better than they were able to do the first time.  Fouled up an oil change and you're supposed to let them change out an engine? I think not. Everyone can see that the original shop has a conflict of interest once there may be damage to your car. Damage that may not be obvious, that could take 1,000 miles to ultimately cause a failure, or could be masked by a healthy dose of engine additive. I mean after all, the more they find wrong, the more it's going to cost them. If you're lucky, it might be a stand-up place. Or, it could be a shady guy who sends Alley-Oop to the car wash to hose down the engine compartment, put fresh oil in it and some Bars-Leaks in the cooling system to try to make that blown head gasket hardly noticeable for now. I don't think a judge or jury would find against a documented inspection and repair by an independent, third-party garage. I'm not a lawyer, so maybe one can chime in, here -- The paper work they signed to authorize the original work, and when they pick up the car that supposedly was competently maintenanced -- once you see they screwed the pooch, can it keep you from using a mechanic of your own choosing for inspection & repair? I think fundummy's approach is perfectly fine. And smarter. |
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Posted: 2/23/2007 11:28:06 PM EDT
[#47]
I have seen that tried. Its never worked. Our ASE mechanic which came from a stealership and we put the rest of the way through school does all the repairs for NO CHARGE. A stealership does it and so far of the 13 times that it went to court that i know of (i do not work there anymore) the person trying to stick us with repairs lost. Thats right even with your lawyers and sounding all fancy you were still in the end fucked. We will pay to fix it ourselves, rental, incurred time, etc. They won't get fucked by someone due to brand name. Erick Z |
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Posted: 2/23/2007 11:28:50 PM EDT
[#48]
Is that an mx-3 by any chance?
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Posted: 2/24/2007 1:14:31 AM EDT
[#49]
I'd lawyer up and go from there. I'm unpersuaded.
But then these quick lube places thrive on people who can't even tell if the work is actually being done, so it wouldn't be surprising if they could hoodwink a bunch of them on a BS argument like that. |
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Posted: 2/24/2007 12:01:38 PM EDT
[#50]
Friend of mine had Jiffy Lube do that to him.
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