"SteveLehto" (stevelehto)
07/23/2015 at 09:00 • Filed to: None
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"SteveLehto" (stevelehto)
07/23/2015 at 09:00 • Filed to: None | 3
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In my 23 years of helping consumers with their car-legal problems, I have encountered quite a few who have had oil changes go horribly wrong. As you might imagine, litigation often ensues. But it usually ends well.
One of the first articles I wrote which appeared on Car Buying was !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Yeah, I know. If I wrote the headline today it would read: Oil Change Scams Ranked. #3 Has Been Banned In Europe! Even so, the article got some good feedback and I was not surprised to learn that these oil change screw ups happen elsewhere (i.e., not just in Michigan).
I know that in an ideal world we would all do our own oil changes. But, sometimes we have to let someone else do it. And 99.99% of the time it goes perfectly well. The other .01 % of the time? Oil is left out, drain plugs are forgotten. Filters are cross-threaded or double-gasketed. The list seems endless but the end result is often the same: A car-owner who is forced to seek compensation for a ruined engine.
Michigan has a law for that (The Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Act) as do many other states. So, this week’s Lehto’s Law podcast and video is where I talk about Oil Change Horror Stories - and what you should do to protect yourself.
As always, it is in audio form:
https://soundcloud.com/stevelehto/oil…
And video form:
And, if you want the written version, click on !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . My advice on the topic has not changed in the past year.
Follow me on Twitter: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
Hear my podcast on iTunes: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
Steve Lehto has been practicing law for 23 years, almost exclusively in consumer protection and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! He wrote !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .
This website may supply general information about the law but it is for informational purposes only. This does not create an attorney-client relationship and is not meant to constitute legal advice, so the good news is we’re not billing you by the hour for reading this. The bad news is that you shouldn’t act upon any of the information without consulting a qualified professional attorney who will, probably, bill you by the hour.
atrombs
> SteveLehto
07/23/2015 at 09:05 |
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Good way to start out the workday. Thanks Steve!
Urambo Tauro
> SteveLehto
07/26/2015 at 11:45 |
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I prefer to change my own oil. I like to know what oil is going in, and that the filter isn’t some cheap Fram can. I also like to know that the filter is on correctly, and is not going to give me trouble when it’s time for the next one.
But even I’ll admit that paying $20 for someone else to do it is a pretty good deal. I don’t have to slide underneath (neither do they, thanks to the hoist or pit). It takes a lot less time, and is usually accompanied by a bunch of other services like visual inspection, topping off other fluids, tire pressures, etc. If you go to a good service center, you can hear them communicating, looking for leaks, verifying the filter, and as mentioned, showing you the new oil on the dipstick.
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Urambo Tauro
> SteveLehto
07/26/2015 at 11:50 |
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It’s a funny thing about oil changes— the simplest, easiest mistake can hold disproportionately awful consequences.
I can sympathize with a repair center who had a technician make such a mistake, wanting to repair it themselves. It’s already an expensive lesson to learn, paying to take care of the customer. That cost goes even higher when the customer (understandably) won’t let you touch it a second time
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Urambo Tauro
> SteveLehto
07/26/2015 at 12:10 |
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If they damage your vehicle while they’re attempting to do a repair for you and they charge you money, you have the right to sue them...
Steve, is there any provision within the MVSRA that accounts for damage that occurs and is not anyone’s fault? You know how badly rusted our cars can get in Michigan. Sometimes a bolt is simply bound to break, no matter who touches it.
But little things like bolts can be “chump change”...
I was recently pulling axle-shafts out of my car, which required removing the wheel speed sensors. I can describe to you the situation in more detail, but the short version of the story is that the sensors were 100% impossible to remove without breaking them. But I didn’t know that until I had applied enough force to cause the damage. That’s another $120 I wasn’t planning on spending.
I suspect that such a situation would call for more thorough communication with the customer. If this was someone else’s car, I would have stopped when the sensor “didn’t play nice” and obtain revised authorization from the customer before continuing. Maybe it just needs a little more elbow grease, but maybe it’s going to cost the him another $120...
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SteveLehto
> Urambo Tauro
07/26/2015 at 12:29 |
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Yes, you are right. Stuff sometimes breaks and that is not the fault of the tech/mechanic. Ideally they would communicate that to the customer before hand but no, a lawsuit based on that would be a loser.