I took my Cadillac DTS 2006 for a “quick” oil change which eventually ended up taking over 3 hours. They sold me a power steering flush and replacement after showing me a dirty sample of fluid on a “special” piece of paper.
I paid and was ready to get in and drive away but the floor mat was covered with black foot prints and oil.
I pointed it out and they apologized, the assistant manager got a cleaning kit and cleaned it.
Now I thought, what else “did they do” to my car? I opened the hood and checked the dip stick.
No oil on the dip stick!!!
I pointed it out and they added 3 quarts to bring the level up.
Now the question is? Did they damage the engine while they drove it with only 4.5 quarts in?
Didn’t the mechanic see the low oil level alarm when he drove it from the bay to the parking lot? The light is supposed to come on approximate 2 quarts from full.
I thought, what else didn’t they do and noticed the cover for the steering fluid was missing and fluid had spilled down the side of the engine, pulleys and belts.
I pointed it out and they spent over an hour looking for the cover.
I asked if the spilled fluid could pose a fire hazard but was ignored.
Now I thought what else could be wrong.
I took a sample from the power steering reservoir and put a drop on the “special” paper they had used to show me how dirty it was. It was darker than the original piece they first showed me.
They offered to flush the system “again” and replaced the fluid while I was watching.
The tech also informed me that the fluid is ALWAYS dark in color even after they have changed it.
During the “inspection” they concluded that the drivers side front wheel bearing needed to be changed. I said that I would think about it. Shortly thereafter I took the vehicle to the Cadillac dealer. They checked all the wheel bearings and found nothing wrong. SO NTB WAS TRYING TO RIP ME OFF FOR A WHEEL BEARING.
Other issues
The portable oil container they used for adding oil was dirty and covered with dust outside.
Their large storage tank with “clean” oil had several openings on the top because the plugs and covers were missing.
I pointed it out to the manager, he apologized that they had recently performed maintenance on it and not reinstall them. The openings were covered with fussy dust.
The refunded the money and told me that the “mechanic” had a bad day because of family problems.
I could have ended up with a busted engine and a long law suit.
I contacted NTB customer service on February 1st. They took notes and asked if was OK that the store manager called me. I told them NO and specifically asked that I get a call from their corporate office. Regardless, Ed the store manager calls me late in the afternoon. I told him that I expected a call from corporate.
Stephen Shelden called me a few minutes later from 978 606 6506 and informed me that he was the Corporate Director for NTB. This is a bit strange since NTB’s HQ is in Florida and Mr. Shelden was located in Massachusetts.
I asked Mr. Shelden to provide me with a letter from Cadillac stating that the engine will not suffer any damage if operated with only 4.5 quarts of oil. Stephen stated several times that he did not think so and that I should take his word for it as he had been in the industry for a long time.
We ended the conversation with me still requesting a letter from Cadillac.
Stephen promised to call back February 2 with an update.
I have never heard from mr. Shelden or any other ntb employee since (it has now been over 4 months).
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