Jiffy Lube Center #152 really messed up my car. On December 21, I had my oil changed. It had been about 3100 miles, about 6 months, and I was going to be driving a 600 mile roundtrip visit to my family for Christmas. I checked the oil prior to my departure on December 25, and noticed it was a quarter quart low and filled. Strange since the oil was just changed and I had only driven about 50 miles.
The car drove fine but I did notice that the car did not blow heat as warm (heater) as usual. I first thought the thermostat might be acting up. Upon arriving at my Mom's about (through the mountains) 300 miles away, the car's temperature light went to hot for the first time ever! I immediately got out and looked under the hood. Upon inspection, I noticed that the overflow was full, but it looked too dark and had a creamy brown look. I went inside to allow the car to cool. When I returned, I noticed that the overflow had oil residue on the top and the radiator antifreeze looked brown-green. According to my uncle and ex mechanic, they said I likely had a blown head gasket.
The next morning I took it to the local Subaru Dealer, and they inspected. Supposedly, after diagnosis, they determined that it was a blown head gasket, but stated that the engine compression seemed great, so I probably did not have a warped head, or any other engine related issues. The estimate to repair was around $1600.00, and they would not be able to have the car done until the following Tuesday or Wednesday. I nearly fell over from the price. I shopped around and got a better price and timeframe.
Upon tearing the engine down, curiously, the mechanic noticed that neither head gasket was blown and could not find anything else wrong! Obviously, the Subaru Dealer misdiagnosed the problem. Upon finishing the job on Sunday morning, I drove home with no immediate problems.
Upon returning, and after talking with several mechanics, I am extremely baffled as to how oil gets into a car's cooling system without a blown head gasket. My only explanation is that in a rush, one of the technicians mistakenly placed oil in my cars overflow refill when topping off the fluids. Jiffy Lube's Manager has fully denied any wrong doing. I e-mailed the customer service twice... And they have yet to get back to me. However, I am now having many seal leakage problems and surely blame Jiffy Lube. So far, final estimates will be near $2000.00 when all is said and done! I have religiously taken good care of my car... Had Jiffy Lube not made this drastic error, I would not be considering a new car just yet! Thanks for nothing Juffy Lube!
0 comments