Bud Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 I agree, if the car didn't have an issue that changed how the oil could have been lost otherwise. If we followed the check it yourself philosophy out, we would need to do things like take our own x-rays after having a dental filling. You all would make terrible pilots. So you are saying that when I fly a commercial flight from St. Louis to Denver that the pilot personally checks the fluid levels in the airplane before we take off? Why do you ask? Would an honest answer make a difference in how you think about this? Trying to figure out how not checking the oil in your car, after you paid someone to change the oil, would make us terrible pilots. My only guess was that you thought pilots check the oil in the airplane before they flew. Not sure why you would want to answer other than honestly. And since I haven't given an opinion on this thread, I would say you wouldn't know how I think about it. But what I think is that we don't have sufficient information to know. Link to comment
Rideoften Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 There's just NO way you could drive for a week with 4 or 5 quarts of oil spewing out of the fill hole without noticing.... a. puddle of oil where you park at home b. puddle of oil where you park at work c. strange smoke and smells while you're stopped at a light d. dramatic increase in engine temp e. poor performance and noises as oil is depleted I'm not siding with the dealer but as an owner you really need to pay attention to your vehicle as you drive it. There had to be plenty of warning signs that something was wrong. Good luck getting this one sorted out. Ride Safe Rideoften Link to comment
Richard_D Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 Maybe they forgot to put oil in it period ,since they forgot the cap. Link to comment
rob1100r Posted September 19, 2009 Author Share Posted September 19, 2009 Maybe they forgot to put oil in it period ,since they forgot the cap. ..exactly, or maybe he put in 'just enough' to keep the light from coming on, forgot to top it off, got distracted with lunch, using the bathroom, or another car he was working on, then slammed the hood on this one forgetting he wasn't done and called it a day...I hope he doesn't do brake jobs! Link to comment
Rideoften Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 Maybe they forgot to put oil in it period ,since they forgot the cap. ..exactly, or maybe he put in 'just enough' to keep the light from coming on, forgot to top it off, got distracted with lunch, using the bathroom, or another car he was working on, then slammed the hood on this one forgetting he wasn't done and called it a day...I hope he doesn't do brake jobs! Wow, that's a lot of maybes and what ifs. If the dealer put oil in it and it came out the fill hole...the oil is EVERYWHERE, on engine, on garage floor, fire wall, fender wells, EVERYWHERE. If the dealer didn't put oil in it. There will be no oily evidence. Your friend knows the answer to that. Sounds like you just want to blame the dealer and it sounds like the dealer is at fault to some degree, but without more information, we're ALL just guessing. As I said before, good luck getting this one sorted. Ride Safe Rideoften Link to comment
Jerry Johnston Posted September 20, 2009 Share Posted September 20, 2009 Not to high jack, but in 96 I had purchased a new Pathfinder and the 2nd time I had the oil changed I noticed the oil light didn't come on when you turned on the key (motor not running). I let them know and they didn't have a new lamp but placed it on order. When the lamp came and I offered to replace it myself, I discovered after putting the new bulb in that the wire from the sensor had been pulled free while changing the oil filter. Things happen I guess. Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 Why are you so sure the dealer screwed her? While it is their responsibility to refill the car after an oil change, it's her responsibility to check the oil level when she accepts the car, and then periodically thereafter. Not replacing the filler cap is one thing (of which there is no proof except her own incompetence)--running the car without oil is another. Many many moons ago my uncle was a mechanic for a truck fleet. One day he drained the oil from a truck and forgot to refill. The truck driver fired up his rig and left the garage, making it about 100 yards down the road before the engine seized. The fleet operator fired the truck driver for not watching his gauges. Although my uncle felt terrible about that outcome, he was permitted to keep his job. Link to comment
rob1100r Posted October 22, 2009 Author Share Posted October 22, 2009 ********UPDATE******** In case anyone was wondering... Well, the Subaru owner prevails. After she made a call and sent a letter to the 'head-honchos' at Subaru, along with the service records since she owned it, they saw it her way and had the dealer replace the engine at no cost. They found the dealer to be negligent. The 'retail cost' of this project, $9500(!)....Also note this vehicle was a Subaru Tribeca, not a Forester as I originally thought. Personally I think she should sell it, God only knows what a great job a disgruntled dealership did doing that service! Link to comment
twocyl Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 I have wonder about how that worked. Subaru has no direct power over the dealership to force them to eat the repair of their own mistake. The dealer is an independent business person that has to follow warranty rules, but this wasn't a warranty situation. Maybe Subaru decided to warranty the repair for customer satisfaction reasons? Oil caps are left off all the time and the design of the engine determines if it spews oil all over the place or not. If this vehicle has an oil pressure gauge instead of a light the low pressure might not have been noticed and as I recall Subaru engines don't have hydraulic lifters that would let you know immediately that you have an oil pressure problem. The dealership should have stepped up to the plate without Subaru being involved, at least all the ones I have worked in the last 40+ years would have. Link to comment
Polo Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 Notwithstanding the Proprietor Emeritus' Randian philosophy that anything bad that happens to someone is a result of their own shortcomings.... Kindly find someone besides "Rand" for your pigeon-holing. I've never read a single sentence of her writings and, frankly, don't even know what she believes about oil changes. Hey David, if you've never read a single sentence of her writings, how did you know he was talking about her, and why do you resent it so much? Just wonderin'... I was dumb enough to agree with my daughter, when she was in college, to compare notes on "The Fountainhead", so I had to read it. I haven't been right in the head ever since. I too don't see things as you do regarding popping the hood after service has been done to my vehicles. But, then again, I do the service to my vehicles. I wonder if that about "The man who represents himself, has a fool for a client" applies to mechanics as well. Link to comment
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