What could POSSIBLY have happened with my car? Due to the oil cap not being properly placed on?

Question

I went to Meineke @ 8:00am and got an OIL CHANGE. I thought they did a good job and paid no attention to it. But I did smell something funny when I left, so I thought that was the usual smell after changing the oil and that it would go away. Later I told my BF about it smelling like BURNT plastic?!?! He checked it out when he smelled it for himself and sure enough they forgot to put my OIL CAP back where it belongs! I have oil spattered everywhere under my hood. My oil level was completely... like NOTHING left in there. I drove my car all friggin' day long doing errands and when I came home to go up my hill my car would NOT make it... my lights and my car seemed to sound as if it were dying out! My bf said to put it in LOW GEAR and (that's when he checked my oil,under the hood) and he found our oil cap off and oil everywhere. I took Pictures and am DEFINATELY going to B * T C H them A $ $'s out!But what could've happened to my car? Any sites that give exact INFO. on PROPER oil change

I just want information I can print and show them what could've happened. Like I was told it could've possibly caught my engine on fire? THATS scary as H ELL!!

I'm SOOO sorry I'm a GIRL!!! That REFUSES to change OIL until I'm TAUGHT properly, cuz I'd probly end up having a similiar situation (forgetting to do something). I'm SMART enough NOT to do it MYSELF! (A $$ WIPE!!! U know who u are!).
* I already complained to headquarters... and I'm just waiting till tomorrow in which I HOPE they are opened on SUNDAYS and if not then I'll have to probably wait till Tuesday, cuz Monday is a holiday... so UGH>.. I do want a website so I can PRINT out this INFO. and show them what's up and what could've happened! I want to be able to talk things through and thoroughly understand it myself. I NOW know that something was done wrong for sure! But seriously people I know nothing on cars ... except realizing that something don't smell right, or feel right... I've been driving my car for over a year now and hopefully nothing is wrong cuz I still OWE on it ! :((

I did take pictures of my engine it does show the splatters of oil! I DID keep my receipt from the store where I had to get OIL just to get my damn car up my hill. So I'm definately hopeing they do take care of this situation. And is this Really WORTH going to court for (sue-ing them for this?)

Don't tell me every fuc- king time you go to a damn shop you check every detail they do. I'm sure you don't ... ur just a lucky one that nothing happens to. I'm wayyy to busy to have to worry about something that I had scheduled to be done the RIGHT way in the first place. So you can just kiss my dang A$$.

Answer 1

Hon, similar thing happened to me from another chain. You could have burned up your engine, oil lubricates and without it, grinding metal and heat. Go back to them calmly, tell them what happened and see what they do and what they say. Then calmly tell them that they are going to pay for any repairs needed after you have the vehicle checked out by a certified mechanic. I'm saying calmly because screaming and hollering needs to be a last resort - being calm with this type of situation they will never expect and they may very well do as you ask. If they don't, you want the owner/franchisee and the numbers for corporate so you can file a formal complaint. Above all, I wouldn't trust them to do anything else with the car. Any good mechanic will be able to tell you just what could have happened, as well as any nitwit - pretty much anybody who's changed oil knows what happens when you don't put the caps or seals back - it's about the worst thing you could do, unless of course you are trying to kill an engine. Good luck.

Answer 2

Well that's is ceratinly unfortunate. The shop of course will be liable. However, I am guessing that your car may be OK and that the oil had drenched your altenator belt which made it slip and not charge your battery. Hopefully, not all the oil had come out. The only thing you can do is clean up the mess replace the belts refill the oil and see what happens. If it did run out of oil the damage will be quite serious and they will owe you a new engine.

Answer 3

Kat G got it 100% right, I would go to them calmly and tell them what happened, and ask them how they are going to solve it. I am an automotive technician and luckly this has never happened to me, or anyone at the shop(s) i have worked with/at. It could cause your engine to be shot, but depending on the level of oil in it, it might be salvagable. A rebuild or new engine may be needed in this case, but before you jump to any conclusions have it TOWED back to they're shop, DO NOT add any oil, leave it how it is. Have them take a look at it and have them tell you what has been damaged. And if they tell you nothing, tell them that you want another shop to check it out, and if it turns out that nothing has been damaged, pay the bill at the other shop, go back to the shop where the problem occured and tell them that, and apoligise for not trusting them, but also explaine to them where you are coming from. Everyone has a bad day. I've had bad days before. Every technician in "Automotive Village" (there are about 15 garages and 7 dealerships withen a 4 block radius, its been nicked named Automotive Village) has had a bad day.

On the other hand, if they say, oh no, too bad for you, Contact the Franchize owner/district manager, and talk to them first, and if that does not work, contact the BBB (Better Business Beureo) and make your claim. If that fails get a good lawyer and file a lawsuit.

I work in a garage, and Even with the best of technicians, **** happens. I've had jobs that have had comebacks. One thing gets overlooked, or forgotten about, and all goes to hell. That has happened to any technician. 100% of technicians have had at least 1 comeback sometime in they're life. You have to look at the situation from both sides of the fence. Talk to them first, have the car towed to them, for them to check it out, and have them tell you what is wrong, have them pay for a rental car if they do not have a curtasy car for you, and be polite, yelling wont get you anywhere. Yelling causes stress for the technician/receptionest, and any service will be worse off. Have it towed back to that shop (unless its a shop strictly for oil changes and is not for full service) or else the warranty on that job will void if another technician from another shop gets thier hands in there.

Answer 4

Running a vehicle without the proper amount of oil in the engine is the death nell for the motor !!
It is difficult to believe that you lost THAT much oil from just a cap left off of the motor though----I would wonder--- if they were as negligent as to leave the cap off---did they actually add the proper amount of oil to begin with ???----and A MAJOR concern here would be---How about the oil PLUG---the device at the engine's underside that is where the old oil is drained out----IF they were as negligent as they seemed to have been with the cap--- did they in fact -- actually get the PLUG in properly ??---if not---THAT would be a super loss of any oil that had been put into the motor--- it would drain out like---SUPER FAST !!
Don't let this slide---they have to be made responsible for their actions--- or inactions as the case may be here !!!

Answer 5

Well, that could have caused you to have to replace or have your engine rebuilt, could have started a fire. No need to give a website for oil change information, just do the oil change yourself or have a different shop do the work. The shop I go to for my vehicles checks their work many times before they are finished, and always double checks to make sure all caps, plugs, and dipsticks are completely closed, inserted, and replaced before they close the hood, plus they start the car to make sure there are not leaks and that the vehicle is running correctly and nothing was missed or left lying inside the engine compartment. Sounds like a serious negligence on their part and could have cost you a few thousand dollars to repair.

To properly change oil, preferrably drive the vehicle around to warm engine up to operating temperature, which helps to collect all sediment, sludge, etc. in the oil so that it drains properly. Park vehicle, turn off engine, crawl under vehicle with drain pan, remove drain plug, and oil filter, allow oil to drain completly. While that is finishing draining, remove oil cap and dipstick from car. Open up new oil filter package, remove filter, apply thin coat of new engine oil to filter gasket, replace filter, and replace oil drain plug (very important step, or you waste oil by pouring it through engine onto ground) put in required amount of oil for your engine. Replace oil cap and dip stick. Start car and check for oil leaks, namely around the oil filter, and the oil pan drain plug. Turn off engine, and check oil level and add oil if necessary to bring oil level up to full mark on the dipstick. Pretty simple to do, but people seem to screw it up all the time. Which makes for costly repair bills.

Answer 6

listen, you need to STOP all conversations with them, what you need to do is contact an attorney, the attorney will tell you if you or the attorney's office should talk to the oil change company, ( most likely the attorney will or should do ALL the talking) the oil change company HAS INSURANCE for stuff like this, and to include a rental car and a NEW ENGINE for your car..but do this through an attorney, do not talk the the oil change company yourself, they will try to use your words against you..the attorney's fees should be paid by the oil change company too, to put an engine in your car could cost as low as $2,500 and up, depending on the labor and what your attorney agrees on....DO NOT TALK TO THEM< CALL AN ATTORNEY NOW!, and tell them you NEED a rental...let them handle it. this happened to my uncle several years back and he demanded a BRAND NEW engine and the attorney got it put in for him paid for by the oil companies insurance company....
you engine is completely gone, do not settle for them fixing that one....
talk to an attorney today or tomorrow the latest, do not wait....

GOOD LUCK

Answer 7

many things could happen but the biggest problem you have is your engine could stop running and there is a good chance that it did serious damage i would get it checked out but not by them. but do go there before you go anywhere else you may have to go as far as court with this one. if you went all day and your car is out of oil than you can bet you got a lot of dirt in there as well.

new engine best bet.

Answer 8

i own a repair shop,in Tennessee,,and i have heard of this before,,unfortunately your engine may have some damage done to it now,,and it will be their fault,,and they can be held liable for this,but you are definitely going to have problems from this,,not to mention the mess it has made of your engine,,and under carriage of your car,,if i had done this i would have been sued,,and naturally they can get away with this,,so they think,you need to contact a lawyer,,and pursue this farther,,they should not be allowed to get away with this kind of bad work.and you are lucky your car didn't catch on fire,oil will burn,show this to them,i have been in business for 36 yrs,,and not once has this ever happened to me,,basically they messed up big time,,and they know they did,any other garage will tell you the same thing,,your going to have problems from your car later on,,because of this,good luck,,your going to need it,

Answer 9

first YOU NEED A NEW ENGINE.

WHAT HAPPEN? they forgot to put oil in Your car.simple and plain
.
they don't put the cap back for that reason, the mechanic didn't finish his job and someone gave the car to You(they might say You took it ).

They haven put the oil and You run that engine without oil. that engine is not good any more .

SECOND YOU NEED A GOOD LAWYER.

P.S. lucky You the car has not oil while running without the cap
Fire could catch in a flash.

Answer 10

You lost most of your oil and when you kept driving you most likely burned the rings and cylinder walls...that means new rings, probably pistons, and boring out the cylinders. (BIG BUCKS)