Car loan - blown engine? 2000 Dodge Intrepid?

Question

I took my car to Jiffy Lube for an oil change, 2 months later, it died while I was driving. I find out that they forgot to replace a plug during the oil change and fried my engine (sucked the timing chain into the motor and tore it to pieces). I just got a quote from the dealership of $8k to replace it. Jiffy Lube won't do anything and I really don't have $$ to hire a lawyer. I still owe on this car and don't know what to do. Any suggestions would be helpful.

Answer 1

you need to have a third party mechanic look at it something in your story does not make sense. the car is not worth 8000

Answer 2

First things first - Jiffy Lube - Get the written statement (can be an email, just something in writing) from the dealership that says that the blown engine was due to the plug not being replaced. Then dig out that Jiffy Lube receipt. Next call your local new stations and tell them what happened. They love stories like this! Call Jiffy Lube, speak with someone higher up, as high up as you can get. Don't just talk to the manager at the little shop you went to. Tell them that if they do not claim responsibility you will be contacting a lawyer, every news station in your town, the better business bureau and you will personally sit in from of their shop with a sign telling every potential customer just what happens to your car when you use them.
Keep track of everyone you speak with and what they say to you. Also go ahead and start calling some law firms. Jiffy Lube has had many many problems with this exact thing, a lawyer may see a nice class action suit and take the case. Also many lawyers get paid only a percentage of what you win in the case so you could afford a lawyer that way.

Now the car. You may not love this answer but...If you have zero money saved for a new car then my best advise to you is to call the loan company and do what you can to lower the payoff amount. Once you get it as low as you can, get a loan from the bank for the amount of the loan plus a couple grand. The reason you are doing this is because you are going to get a lower interest rate with your bank or credit union they you have with the car finance place. Pay off the car loan take the couple grand and buy yourself a cheap reliable economical car and start putting all your money towards getting the bank loan paid off. Once it is paid, take all that money you were shelling off to the bank and start saving up for a new car.

Good luck

Answer 3

I agree with the others that it could not have happened that way. However, the garage mechanic may have told you that hoping you would believe it. First there are companies that build rebuilt engines for various makes and models, they take the old one out and pop the new one in. I would not have the existing engine fixed. In a garage you'll pay retail for all the parts, the labor costs will be high. Having said all that $8,000 is ridiculous even if you have a mechanic do the job. Shop around, there are honest mechanics out there. It's not unheard of for the bolt to jar loose a little bit and the oil to drip out slowly. Secondly it sounds like the warranty has expired, so you might want to put in an insurance claim. Even with a deductable of $500.00 or $1,000.00, it is what insurance is for. Blown engines happen for a variety of reasons, it won't be the first claim of this kind the insurance company has heard of. If they ask you to shop around, call or visit at least three repair places and get the quotes faxed or write them down and record the phone number of the place and the person you spoke to along with the quote. The insurance company will pick one that charges a fair price, after all they have to pick up the rest of the tab. If they increase your premiums next time (most won't for something like this because it wasn't your fault) just shop around when it comes time to renew. I had my first accident a few years ago (my fault) and my premiums were not raised. My Dad had an accident the same year, his fault as well. His insurance company jacked up his premiums by $800.00. He called his agent and said the company had been taking his money for 40 years and this was his first claim. He called around, he was up front about the accident and found a company that gave him the same coverage for the same amount. Anyway, some problems are made to sound awful when you talk to some mechanics. But it pays to get a second or third opinion, most mechanics are honest. A "new" rebuilt or rebuilt used engine is really your best option. There are consumer organizations that rate the products of the rebuilders, it is wise to check out the company before you buy. I looked on the internet and found a company that offered for sale a rebuilt engines for a 2000 models. The average price was $1560.00. If your deductable is $1000.00 all you will pay is the $1000.00, if it is $500 or less, then you are laughing. But the mechanic doesn't sound right. Car manufactures stopped using timing belts about 20 years ago, it's all electronic. I don't know if you remember but a couple of years ago a certain foreign pick up truck company had problems with the bolts on the axle assembly cover. All four could be shaken out over time and then in a moment the cover would fall off, some road junk would get sucked in and did all kinds of neat things to the axle assembley. Since pick-up trucks need lots of power, the strain caused other parts to fail and it was all due to substandard bolts. Anyway, if you do decide to use insurance, they will be familiar with the problem and will probably be delighted when you suggest junking the engine instead of repairing it and replacing it with a rebuilt one.

Answer 4

I know someone else who owned a 2000 Dodge Intrepid and its engine blew up also. It was unrelated to an oil change. I believe that it is a basic problem with the Dodge Intrepid engine and that Jiffy Lube is not at fault.

If they had left the plug out, your engine would have burned up within a few miles of leaving Jiffy Lube.

I am sorry to hear of your trouble. Sheesh. I wish cars would never break down!

By the way, have you thought about purchasing a refurbished engine? It is usually only around $2K!

Answer 5

If you have proof that it is Jiffy Lubes fault, you should really see a lawyer. You can get a free consult with an attorney who will tell you your chances of winning this. You can decide if you want to proceed with legal action.

Like someone else suggested, file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and the State Attorneys office. It your charges are founded they will investigate.

A dealer will always be more expensive for a new engine. Check around to see the cost of a rebuilt engine. Still expensive but a lot cheaper than 8k

Answer 6

1. Any chance your oil light went on two months ago and you ignored it? Most likely they did not tighten plug. If no warning ...see below.
2. Will your dealership sign an affidavit stating that the missing oil plug was the reason the engine failed?
3. Do you have the time to go to the courthouse small claims
division and ask the clerk to walk you through the forms to
file a complaint?
4. Do you have three "friends in high places" who will swear
to your honesty and truthfulness?
5. Do you have the nerve to make up a sign " I got my oil changed here and two months later my engine burned up"?
6. The most important question is do you have the resolve
to follow through on 2-5 and face off the manager in his office
and tell him he owes you and you will do what it takes to collect? If not then forget it because there is no other solution.
Good luck. Sometimes it is all on you. This is one of those times. Lance

Answer 7

it will be very difficult to prove a case on Jiffy Lube if it took two months two fry the engine. if the plug was out when you left Jiffy Lube you would have known it really quick. I am afraid you may be out of luck as far as legal recourse. A jeep dealer left a plug out of my transfer case once and they paid for the damage and my rental but I noticed the problem within hours. sorry and good luck

Answer 8

I had a 99 intrepid and the engine went from lack of oil. these things happen, sue them for me. As for your loan, most banks will refit the loan since the car is officially dead, you'd pay half or a third of the monthly pmt. just for a longer time. Get a new car and don't forget to check the oil. I ended up getting a minivan since I have the kids to haul around and sometimes I miss all that trunk space my Intrepid had.

Answer 9

Jiffy Lube is often insured by a large insurance company (Nationwide, State Farm, etc). Call their manager or ask for the owner's names since they are franchised and ask them for their insurance company's name. If they refuse to give it to you, call your insurance company and file a claim with them. They will contact the Jiffy Lube and the owners will HAVE to give up the insurance information. They are insured EXACTLY for this reason. I worked in claims for some time and we insured Jiffy Lubes. We always had to pay for these mistakes. Especially if you have the receipt and you can prove it.

Answer 10

Somebody is blowing smoke, if they left the plug out, draining the engine oil, you would not make two months driving. unless you live 2 blocks from Jiffy Lube and parked the car for two months....Nuf Said

Answer 11

I hate to say It but american cars are not made to go the distance anymore, granted some due,due to proper matenance, and luck, my truck went 350.000 miles and i never touched the engine, get some quotes from wrecking yards for prices and dealer prices for a new one and a price for a rebuilt one, and see if it's worth saving or just to buy something else, then if you are needing a car buy something used out of craigslist like a honda, If the motor goes in it which is rare you can buy one for about 300 to 600 from places that get them from japan with about 30,000 miles on them,
some law in japan say's at 30,000 you have to get new motor because of smog but here that's just broke in,