Oil change drama

[zouch]

did he say "tailpipe smoke"? i didn't see that.

i'd bet that the smoke seen was just from the oil burning off of hot bits underneath.

to the OP:
i could tell you stories about my wife (absolutely not a 'Car Person") and the number of times she ran it down to where the "watering can light was lit"... (for a week or more at a time). that car went well over 300K miles.

The dipstick only shows the -4th and 5th (or 6th if the dealer did it) quart of oil. So if you are 2 quarts or more low the dipstick will be dry, but the oil pan isn’t necessarily empty. But if you had white tailpipe smoke and readings of 4-5psi I think there is likely significant damage.

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[AFD]

I'm also in Nashville. Is there a dealer / shop you recommend?

Isn't Gupton only about an hour away from you?

Not sure how well their service department is regarded, but everyone here speaks very highly of their sales team. Did see a bad review on Google, but at least they're a sponsor here that you can get in touch with if needed.

 

[Jaybird98]

did he say "tailpipe smoke"? i didn't see that.

i'd bet that the smoke seen was just from the oil burning off of hot bits underneath.

to the OP:
i could tell you stories about my wife (absolutely not a 'Car Person") and the number of times she ran it down to where the "watering can light was lit"... (for a week or more at a time). that car went well over 300K miles.

Thanks! Anecdotal stories are good to hear!

I am sure the smoke came from oil hitting the engine or exhaust and not from within. The whole bottom of the Jeep is shinny with oil....

 

[gsbrockman]

When the oil pressure warning came on I think it indicated 13psi. I kept it to less than 30mph and it was only about a mile from home when I got home it was 4-5psi.

Sure....the shop performing the oil change messed up, but you did the engine ZERO good by continuing to operate it when you realized there was a problem.....

 

[jbcrane]

I took my Jeep to one of the national tire/oil change places because I needed to get it done quickly and it was convenient... Yeah, yeah, I know...

Anyway, on my drive home, I got a check engine light and low oil pressure warning and noticed some white smoke in my rearview mirrors. The oil pressure started to drop and by the time I got home it was at 4-5psi. When I opened the hood, there was oil sprayed everywhere and was dripping from the underside the whole length of the Jeep. It turns out the filter cap was only hand tight and the filter was not connected to the cap. The filter did not come out with the cap... and the dipstick was dry...

I called the shop and they sent a tow truck to bring it back to the shop and they will take a look at it in the AM. We'll see what they say - I plan to be there when they start working on it...

Could a loose filter cap cause that much oil to escape in a 15 minute drive? What should my next steps be with the shop?

Man, I'm so sorry to hear this... hopefully no serious damage was done and it all works out. When ever I hear a story like this I mentally file it away in the motivation folder when I'm not feeling the energy to do it myself. But if you're pressed for time you've gotta do what you've gotta do. Hope things resolve for you.

 

[1BadManVan]

Why did you keep driving it when you noticed the oil pressure dropping into single digits like that? Could definitely be doing some damage over a 15 minute drive. If your pressure was that low and triggering the light, you definitely have very little oil left

 

[aldo98229]

My neighbors’ son moves to Fairbanks, Alaska, and takes his dad’s 2007 GMC Yukon with him.

One day he takes the truck to get an oil change at one of those express oil change lanes. They do their thing. He pays the bill, gets his truck back and off he goes.

On the way home the engine seizes.

They forgot to put oil in the engine...

The shop’s insurance paid for a new engine.

 

[JL ME]

If you take it to a dealer and tell them what happened good luck in getting anything to do with the motor covered under warrantee.

 

[Antonio]

If you take it to a dealer and tell them what happened good luck in getting anything to do with the motor covered under warrantee.

^^^ this is absolutely correct!
However the shop he went to that did the oil change has liability insurance that should cover any claim for damages sustained by the OP vehicle due to this incident

 

[Chris D]

Can happen at home also, my 17 yr old changed the oil on the 19 JLUR. Took it around the block all was OK. Headed off to GF house and under higher RPM started blowing oil. I totally understand the pretty sheen of oil on the undercarriage. I also wonder if this impacted the stock clutch. He pulled into Oreillys when the light came on, maybe 1/2 mile drive in a panic. It was pretty easy to follow his path on the paved roads. What happened, he only hand tightened the filter cap. What did we learn, check and check it again when changing the oil. Leave the socket and wrench in the engine bay until done. A can of degreaser and the hand car wash with low pressure does a decent job of cleaning up the mess. Real moral of the story, Automotive Merit Badge is best earned *after* one has a licence. No issues with jeep after 5K miles, hoping no real long term damage.

 

[DHW]

My neighbors’ son moves to Fairbanks, Alaska, and takes his dad’s 2007 GMC Yukon with him.

One day he takes the truck to get an oil change at one of those express oil change lanes. They do their thing. He pays the bill, gets his truck back and off he goes.

On the way home the engine seizes.

They forgot to put oil in the engine...

The shop’s insurance paid for a new engine.

That happened to me when I was 16, before I really knew anything about engines. Took my 1995 Pontiac Grand Prix to a national express chain, on the way home it started making a loud, constant clanking sound. Engine never seized, but it was still ruined. The chain tried to say they weren't responsible, but knew they were. They wound up paying half the cost of a new engine and install, which IIRC was around $3,600 in total. Ahhhhh, mid-90s pricing.

 

[MarkM]

That sucks. I have only been to one of those hacthets shop twice and both times it was a $H!t show. Usually, I am in a bind, IE, road trip the next day and just need to get it done. Otherwise, I am 100% certain I did it right.

Once, they never put new oil in it and said the oil light was normal until the computer figures out it has new oil. WTF?? The lifters ticking sure wasn't normal! That was a 1993 Saturn that would have no idea the oil was changed. Even the new BMW's etc. with a monitoring system or still able to know the pressure is low.

The other time they loosened the filter and never did anything else. Same issue, oil burning on the exhause and it was low. The remaining oil was still dirty and the dust on the filler cap was not disturbed. It just isn't worth it.

I would say prepare for a fight. Even if the shop manager agrees to fix it, corporate will stone wall and harrass you to no end. Even if they agree to reimburse you, they will try to pay as little as possible. Somewhere hidden in all of their paperwork and policies is a clause that essentially says they could fill your engine with gravel and not be held responsible. Usually a lawsuit outlining reasonable expectations ends up happening.

The problem is you might be out and engine and willful negligence is hard to prove. I call it willful because the techs are (supposedly) professionals, you have procedures, checklists, etc.
Why were those not followed and mistakes rectified? I say even an "honest mistake" is BS, you do this for a living, how do you not know to put the cap back on?

Get a dealer to check it out, maybe a couple engine places as well. See if you can get a sample for analysis, maybe the metal levels are not bad. It still had pressure, which, while low, is better than being bone dry.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[QwikKotaTx]

did he say "tailpipe smoke"? i didn't see that.

i'd bet that the smoke seen was just from the oil burning off of hot bits underneath.

to the OP:
i could tell you stories about my wife (absolutely not a 'Car Person") and the number of times she ran it down to where the "watering can light was lit"... (for a week or more at a time). that car went well over 300K miles.

Hah. At least she didn't call it the genie lamp!

 

[Bayrat]

I "always" do my own work, however, just prior to departing from Florida last year, I was in a rush, and the Mini Cooper S desperately required an oil change. So....I stopped at one of "those" places. For $100 they changed the oil and filter, but also over filled by two quarts, unbeknownst to me. Into my garage it went for a few months, and upon my return, I fired her up and drove. The damage included the emissions systems as well as blowing out the seals on the brake booster and oil filter housings. Total parts and labor was $2K.

In your case, you have an immediate negative result to their negligence. Document it all on a spreadsheet including times, names, all of it. Don't settle for BS, contact an attorney if necessary. I had one of those plastic housings break on an almost new JK Rubi. It too, had white smoke pouring out from under the vehicle. You may get lucky here, depending upon how much was left in the pan upon shutdown. Also, the new synthetics can protect your engine if it was caught soon enough.

 

[1Evil55]

That seems like a lot of oil to come out in a short period, but it happens.

my daughter ran her volkswagen into a median curb last year and punctured the oil pan. She panicked and drove it home which was not far, maybe 5 miles. By the time she got home it was close to dry.

her Volkswagen had the 1.8L turbo 4 cylinder. We basically had to have the oil pan replaced and the turbo replaced. The pan was punctured and the turbo was oil starved enough to damage it.

The engine has run fine since and she has put about 15k trouble free miles.

although a serious situation for sure, it may not be catastrophic. I hope you come out ok with no damage.

Stetson

Mine did something similar but continued to drive for a couple weeks before noticing that little red oil light on the dash. VW's gained a little support from me after knowing the car ran on barely drips for who knows how many miles. Wound up trading that one in shortly after however.

Separately when I was a kid working the 10 minute lube, I witnessed a Merc Cougar get an oil change without new oil. New oil got flushed because the tech below never put a new filter on. That customer was pissed when he finally made it back to the shop on foot.

Good luck to the OP.

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