Oil Change Screw Up, Damage?

[Cypher]

Well this is a first. I had the oil changed at a local place that does oil changes and tire work and they didn't put oil back in the car....

My wife dropped it off and picked it up and she drove about 1-2 miles before it stopped running, I went and tried to start it and it would not start so we had it towed home, it sat in the garage for a week while out of town. I was able to start it yesterday and it turned on but was vibrating like crazy and a loud knocking noise, it ran like that maybe 10 seconds before shutting it off. This morning I checked the dip stick and it is dry, no oil at all on the stick.....

Its a Toyota Camry. For those of you with much more mechanical experience than me what are the chances there is permanent damage from the 1-2 miles of driving and 10 seconds of running?

Before I get into lawsuit mode the company offer to tow it back to their shop and put oil in it and have their techs test it. Should I trust that they have techs capable of diagnosing if there is engine damage? Although if there is damage I would think that it would be apparent even after putting oil in it.

I thought about insisting to take it to the Toyota dealership to look at but if they refuse I don't know if I have many options to force it. Another problem is my wife said they didn't giver her a receipt and she didn't ask for one before leaving, she paid cash, we are looking for it now but she thinks she never got the receipt

[rktman]

High likelihood that the engine is damaged. They can probably add oil and get it unstuck and running but the damage is probably only repairable with a rebuild. Bad deal for everyone..

[Dan Morris]

I'd contact a lawyer on contengency and have it inspected by 3d shop.Let him do it from there, they are goning to owe at least a enging plus legal fees. Caution, they have insurance on this stuff.....law only say they have to put a same year with equal or less mileage engine in it.....NOT a REBUILT.......I sold salvage engines to these companies for years!
Dan

[Cypher]

That's what kills me, we paid cash and she didn't get a receipt. The manager said the work wasn't in their system. I am starting to think whoever she gave the money to did not enter it in the system and pocked the money.

If I take it to the shop to put oil in it and check it what should they do to check if there is engine damage or would it have to go to the dealer to check that?

[Dan Morris]

Question......if they have no record of this......why were they willing to tow and check it out? Have you used this outfit before?
Dan


security vedio of car being serviced??????????????????????

[Altarboy]

The same thing happened to my 74 Stingray. I caught it at the shop. I started it and the oil light came on. Sorry to hear about this, Bro.

[Cypher]

We used them regularly for both cars for tires and oil changes.

My guess is whoever did the check out saw she was paying cash and pocketed it and did not enter it into the system. No reason they wouldn't be able to pull up the service record on their end. My wife will be able to point out who did the check out if all else fails.

[Sherman]

Permanent damage? No. The engine can be rebuilt or replaced. Yes
The engine most likely "spun a bearing". Can this be fixed? Well it depends on the damage to the crank and connecting rod. Most likely the crank is trashed.

They owe you a engine.

Contact the business and talk to a MANAGER. Tell them what happened. They need to know. Get his contact information. Get HIS managers contact information.
DO NOT allow them to "fix there mistake" by taking the car from you until you have talked to an attorney.
Take PICTURES WITH DATES AND TIMES.
Make several copies of the receipt.




Your best bet is to contact an attorney and leave the car where it is until they decide to have it inspected.

I hope you learned your lesson. Always do your own maintenance.

[5.56NATO]

We used them regularly for both cars for tires and oil changes.

My guess is whoever did the check out saw she was paying cash and pocketed it and did not enter it into the system. No reason they wouldn't be able to pull up the service record on their end. My wife will be able to point out who did the check out if all else fails.

Isn't there a sticker on the windshield or wherever that they like to put in their victim's I mean customer's cars?

[cevulirn]

Ran without oil till it stopped? They owe you an engine.

[l921428x]

Isn't there a sticker on the windshield or wherever that they like to put in their victim's I mean customer's cars?

This is why I take the car for oil changes and make the guy show me the stick and then look at the gage
when I get in the car. The engine is RUINED, repeat RUINED, if you win this you will be lucky. You want a new
engine and nothing else. And have you owed the car since new, if so good, you want service records from this co.

[jet3534]

Sorry to say that with no documentation of payment and no receipt this will probably not turn out well.

[rci2950]

If they don't make good on it I would post what happened on every medium I could online. Even post on their facebook account. That's what I did about my truck when it turned out very lemon like and the company called me and fixed all the problems if I agreed to take the comments down.

[imanaknut]

No receipt, cash payment, and broken car equals three strikes and I hate to say, your out...of luck.

[Schuetzenman]

Ran without oil till it stopped? They owe you an engine.

This is also my opinion.

[Sherman]

Another problem is my wife said they didn't giver her a receipt and she didn't ask for one before leaving, she paid cash, we are looking for it now but she thinks she never got the receipt

Go get a receipt.

[Cypher]

Thanks guys. Now I am thinking I need to demand that it is taken to the car dealership first.

I'm going to get a hold of a regional manager also since no receipt was given. There is a sticker with the date, although the date listed is one week prior to the actual service date.

Damn, what a crappy thing to happen. I know two things for sure I am not using this place any more and I am checking and verifying all work done in the future. Unfortunately it is not a good use of my time to do all the maintenance, although it sure would have been in this case.

[jet3534]

I am going to make a comment that a lot of you will probably take issue with. If possible a man should always take a car in for service. In general (and notice I say in general) women don't know much about cars and are therefore are often taken advantage of by service managers. In general men can talk the talk and sound like they have mechanical knowledge, even if they don't. Men, in general, don't drive with low oil warning lights on, drive with semi-flat tires and so forth whereas women do. Just sayin.

[Viking350]

I don't see how there can not be any record of it. The first thing any car service business does when the car drives in is open a ticket. No car is pulled into the service bay without one.

[jakebrake]

sadly, that engine is now a boat anchor...sure, it can be rebuilt, but, that will not be cheap. is this a small mom and pop? a chain? what year is the camry?

bearings at absolute least. possibly seized pistons.

of course they said it wasn't in their system. little stoner they pay minimum wage to screws up rather regularly...they have learned how to delete.