Dealer Service Center Oil Change Nightmare

[FRS Dad]

Originally Posted by Chimera

Depends on the owners comfort with a brand new potentially compromised vehicle. Tbh, if the 100k warranty offer is still good, that's a great deal. As long as this owner never wanted to mod this car.. That people love to modify. Suppose this owner wants to do that, then they have a potentially damaged vehicle that they accept responsibility for.

That brand new vehicle was compromised the moment it was titled and driven off the lot, at which point it became a used car. Any mod the owner did that would have voided the factory warranty would of course have exactly the same effect on the extended warranty. The owner is in the exact same position.

Did I miss something? The car ran for a couple of hours with the wrong lubricant in the engine, right? Then they caught it, drained that lubricant, replaced the filter and put the correct lubricant in and the car continues to run fine. Now the owner feels less confident in his car. That's all of it, right?

[Chimera]

The warranty offer is good, but is a gamble in favor of the dealership, they always are actually, that's how they make money on warranties. A new engine is a gamble in the owners favor, and doesn't lock the owner in a relationship with the dealer.

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by FRS Dad

Any mod the owner did that would have voided the factory warranty would of course have exactly the same effect on the extended warranty.

Mods do not void warranties. Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act.

[dnieves]

Originally Posted by GreenMonster

That's what I would do

As long as an extended warranty is for any dealer and not just this one, I'd grab that and go one w/ life.

Free oil changes for life? I'd ask for that too, but that's just me.

Free oil changes? Think they'd be more careful next time?

[FRS Dad]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

$0.00. A conversation might not cost anything at all.

I had a problem with an insurance adjuster a while back and consulted an attorney. The attorney didn't charge me anything for the initial conversation and gave me very good advice in how to deal with the adjuster. That advice proved out when I ultimately got exactly what I wanted in the settlement without him having to do anything else. There was about a $2500 difference in the settlement that I could attribute directly to the attorney's advice. That was a pretty good return on an investment of $0 and 30 minutes on the phone.

If he had needed to get further involved, the next step would have been for the attorney to call the adjuster himself or possibly to write a letter on my behalf. He said he would charge me a couple hundred bucks for a letter, but he would probably get it back from the adjuster as part of the settlement. Only if we went beyond that into litigation would he start billing his hourly rate.

Back to my loaded gun, that insurance adjuster certainly had big guns on her side, because she worked for one of the largest insurers in the country. Yet the mere mention of having consulted an attorney changed the tone of the conversation and put a halt to the bullshit game she had been trying to play. And I didn't end up paying the lawyer anything.

The difference here is that I had an actual claim for damage that could be seen with the naked eye. Even so, my point remains the same: A simple conversation with an attorney may cost nothing at all. And even if you're charged a small consultation fee, that might be money well spent just to know the best way to deal with the dealership.

Yeah, that was a weak adjuster, or a dishonest one. If the disputed $2,500 was there she should have put it up in the first place. I was an adjuster for a major carrier for a decade. We dealt with attorney representation and the threat of attorney representation all day. In most cases, my preference was to deal with the attorney.

They're way more practical, pragmatic and they know the actual law, as opposed to internet car forum law. Plus odds were that I already had an ongoing professional relationship with the guy, and had been mailing him settlement checks for a long time, and we both did what we could to make each other's lives easier over the long haul. I'm still friends with a lot of the lawyers I worked with.

Can I ask what the case involved, and what the attorney advised you to say that made a difference? (Please tell me it wasn't to imply you'd claim an injury if they didn't find more money for you.)

[FRS Dad]

Originally Posted by dnieves

Free oil changes? Think they'd be more careful next time?

Oh, waaay more careful with that car from here on out. That thing is a VIP now.

[Tromatic]

Originally Posted by FRS Dad

Sure, why not? Maybe the President of Toyota Heavy Industries could personally fly in and blow the guy. Seriously though, why does the car need a new engine?

I will send you a 20 dollar bill if you replace the filter, drain and fill your engine with the factory spec'd ATF fluid and drive for at least 1.5 hours and/or 20 miles. Notarized proof required. I don't know about you, but just driving off the lot with an engine filled with ATF is enough for me to want a lifetime warranty on the engine.

[Braces]

In theory ... I agree with FRS Dad. No actual damages .... No restitution. I still would try and speak to someone with actual knowledge on the effects of the incorrect oil in the motor. Any mechanical / auto engineers here?

[FRS Dad]

Okay, here's my plan. Since I'm neither a mechanic nor an attorney, I'll ask my kid brother Matt, who's a master tech with 25+ years of experience what the OP should be concerned about and the right way to remedy the fluid mix up. Then I'll ask my buddy Tom, who's a general all purpose bottom feeder lawyer (and I mean that with no disrespect...he does really well at it) what his proposed course of action would be.

Matt's gonna say the engine needs to be torn down, the parts inspected and cleaned and the factory rep from Subaru needs to sign off on it, but he may surprise me. Tom will suggest the OP accidentally slip and fall in the Customer Lounge as soon as possible. He may surprise me too, but I doubt it.

I'll post results tomorrow.

[Tromatic]

Originally Posted by Braces

In theory ... I agree with FRS Dad. No actual damages .... No restitution. I still would try and speak to someone with actual knowledge on the effects of the incorrect oil in the motor. Any mechanical / auto engineers here?

ATF is not, in any way, similar to oil designed for use in an engine.

[FRS Dad]

Originally Posted by Tromatic

I will send you a 20 dollar bill if you replace the filter, drain and fill your engine with the factory spec'd ATF fluid and drive for at least 1.5 hours and/or 20 miles. Notarized proof required. I don't know about you, but just driving off the lot with an engine filled with ATF is enough for me to want a lifetime warranty on the engine.

Noooo! In order for me to run ATF in my car for twenty miles I need you to give me a new engine or a brand new car. That's the very least I'll consider.

Look...would I be happy if this happened to me? No. Would I work it like it was the Kennedy assassination? No.

[Chimera]

This made me smile. Hah

Originally Posted by FRS Dad

Okay, here's my plan. Since I'm neither a mechanic nor an attorney, I'll ask my kid brother Matt, who's a master tech with 25+ years of experience what the OP should be concerned about and the right way to remedy the fluid mix up. Then I'll ask my buddy Tom, who's a general all purpose bottom feeder lawyer (and I mean that with no disrespect...he does really well at it) what his proposed course of action would be.

Matt's gonna say the engine needs to be torn down, the parts inspected and cleaned and the factory rep from Subaru needs to sign off on it, but he may surprise me. Tom will suggest the OP accidentally slip and fall in the Customer Lounge as soon as possible. He may surprise me too, but I doubt it.

I'll post results tomorrow.

[noobcake]

Update us OP . If nothing works out, make a video and we should help make it go viral. Help out a fellow twin.

[Tromatic]

Originally Posted by FRS Dad

Noooo! In order for me to run ATF in my car for twenty miles I need you to give me a new engine or a brand new car. That's the very least I'll consider.

You've been arguing against that the whole thread, no? Did I miss something?