Car Issues from Oil Changes

At Morrow and Artim, P.C., we handle a lot of cases against car dealerships for auto fraud and warranty issues.  However, occasionally, we also receive calls from potential clients with vehicle issues that resulted from an oil change.  The typical facts are these:

“I took my car to get the oil changed.  They gave the car back to me and said the oil was changed.  My engine then blew up.”

Most of the time, we find out that the Auto Service Center that changed the oil drained the oil pan, but never put the correct amount of new oil back in or did not tighten the drain plug.  Failure to have the correct amount of oil in the car will eventually cause the engine to seize and fail.  The damage is usually catastrophic, requiring a full engine replacement.  That is EXPENSIVE.

Recently, we received a phone call from the potential client with the same engine problem, but from a different cause.  Prior to her engine seizing, this woman took her vehicle to Jiffy Lube.  She paid for the oil change, was told it was completed, and left.  A few weeks later, she was driving through Maryland when her engine suddenly seized on the highway.  She had it towed to a local Midas and found out that her car had TOO MUCH oil.  This caused the oil to aerate, like when you blend liquid in a blender introducing air into the liquid.   Aerated oil will not flow properly in a motor, thus it is the same as running a motor very low on oil. In fact, it was estimated to have almost 4 quarts too much.  Midas estimated almost $10,000.00 to repair her vehicle.  Meanwhile, she was stranded in Maryland with a broken vehicle.

These situations are very unfortunate, inconvenient, and really costly.  We trust Auto Service Centers to fix or maintain our cars.  We pay them because they are supposed to be the experts.  If you have an issue with an Auto Service Center, give us a call.  We are often able to represent you for little or no money upfront.