I got my oil changed at Meineke on Tuesday and when I left, I noticed that my car was making a progressively louder noise. I realized about 6 miles from the shop that I had no oil in my car. I called and was letting them know of the issue and they told me to drive it back, so I drove the 6 miles back (no they didn't offer a tow!). After getting back they told me that they left the gasket from the old oil filter on so when they put the new one on, it came right off; obviously letting all of the oil drain. I've been worried about driving it but it seems like it's running ok for now. So I called Mazda and asked them if they knew what I should do in this situation and they said to contact an attorney and have the shop replace my engine since there is no way of knowing just how much damage had been done. Has anyone ever had this happen and won the case? I'm worried that with how much money it's going to cost for the attorney that I'll be spending as much as a new engine or that I wont win the case and just eat the costs. Any advice or opinions would be appreciated.

 

I think you could ask an attorney what kind of a fee to expect in a case like this.

Definitely, keep a record of all interactions with Meinike and Mazda. If the engine goes poof! you have at least a small claims case against Meinike.

Without the engine giving up you could propose a settlement. In other words you have legal options and that is where and atty would be helpful sorting it out.

Good luck Jacki, and keep in mind that the Meinike shop has insurance for that kind of stuff.

 

Also perhaps take this as a sign to begin doing your own oil changes. You need very little in the way of tools, it costs less to do yourself and will only take about 20 minutes once you know what you're doing.

 

I kind of disagree with the notion of saving money by doing your own oil changes. I do the oil changes in 1 of our 3 cars and take the other 2 to the shop or Wal-Mart. There is no way to get it done in 20 minutes, in particular if I need to look socially acceptable after the job. You also need to account for the effort to dispose of the used oil and the risk of messing up perfectly fine clothes.....

 

Jumpsuit and rubber gloves. Walk away clean as a whistle. Most any autoparts store collects the used oil free of charge.
bring back the dirty oil the next time you go and buy your new oil and filter...

 

What he said. Don't get me wrong, I usually spend more than 20 minutes on the car as I'll do a number of maintenance items at the same time (or in the same sitting) and just spend an afternoon on it.

Beyond that it's totally possible, especially if you have ramps. Get the ramps, a 17mm socket/wrench/breaker bar, drain pan, new oil/filter. Roll up, pop hood, make sure fill cap opens, go under, remove under tray, remove drain plug, remove oil cap, drain oil (let sit for 1-2 minutes), replace plug, remove filter, wipe housing and replace filter, fill oil and roll off the ramps.

Mine goes a tad faster because of two things. 1) My under tray is currently held on by only four bolts (the four corners) vs. the standard seven, and the front right one is seized. I only remove the other three and then rotate it out of the way using the fourth as a hinge. 2) I installed the spin on conversion kit for the filter so instead of dealing with the cartridge filter housing I just twist off the old one and twist on the new one. If you have the 2.3 with the cartridge I highly suggest investing the ~$50 to do the conversion...... saves a bunch of headaches. Now I just need to nab a set of ramps instead of my jack/stands and it'll go even quicker.

 

the other case that the shop didn't do the job right That is why I started doing most of maintenance myself. The biggest reason is that I know what I am doing and what stuff I am going to put in. I have experience that I needed to use breaker bar to loosen the drain plug, and the washer was totally destroyed. The other experience was I needed to stand on the breaker in order to loosen the wheel lug nuts. It is not a big deal, it will not actually harm anything, but if you are a certified (or well trained) mechanic, you should know when to use the right tool, not always use air tools

 

I would call diff. attorneys and let them know about your case. They usually have free consultations. Did you sign any documents from the oil shop?

C'mon man. As long as you have the proper tools it'll be done in 20 minutes or less. Also, it's easy to find a place to dispose of used oil (use Google). I drop mine off at AutoZone which is less than 5 minutes away from my house. Jumpsuit or old shirt and basketball shorts will do just fine.