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| - On 07/07/2012 I brought my car in for a routine oil change for $30.00. Afterwards, I went about my various errands for the day. When I pulled into my complex, I became aware of a strong burning odor. It didn't take long to figure out what it was. Smoke was billowing out from under my hood & when I pulled into my garage, I took a look under the hood didn't see much until I got on all fours and realized my car was bleeding oil like a stuck pig and there was a trail of oil leading out behind my car. I promptly called Auto Pros who were closed by that time. My check oil light was now on as I high-tailed it to a AAA shop down the street, praying that my car would make it without sustaining serious engine damage. According to AAA, the wrong size filter was installed. After hoisting my car up, the mechanic showed me the rubber seal that was protruding out from the filter as the last few drops of oil dripped out. AAA Performed a proper oil change for $20.71 and recommended that I get the undercarriage car washed which I did at the nearest car wash that offered it.
On Monday I went back to the shop to state my case for what I felt I was entitled to in terms of reimbursement:
Auto Pros Oil Change: $30.00
Car Wash: $13.00
Millage: $15.00 (27 mi @ .55)
Total $58.00
My reasoning as stated to Auto Pros for the above is as follows:
- Auto Pro did not provide me with a proper oil change so I feel they should have reimbursed this cost.
- My car was smoking like a chimney due to all the oil splatter that was still cooking on the underside of my engine. AAA mechanic said that he did the best he could, but a good, thorough was the best way to get rid of the excess oil.
- As for millage, it's about a 10 mi round trip from my home to Auto Pros. It was a 3 mi round trip from AAA to the car wash, and then home. The trip from work back to Auto Pros was about 9 mi and another 5 mi to get home. I do a little driving for work & the rate of reimbursement is .55 per mile.
Auto Pros acted like I was trying to swindle them. They claimed I had no proof & it was inconceivable in their minds that they performed an inadequate oil change. 1st off, who in the hell would get 2 oil changes in one day on the same car!? Even if I was a conman, why would I be going thru this amount of trouble just to gain a few bucks? It just wouldn't be worthwhile.
Auto Pros only agreed that to pay the cost of the 2nd oil change leaving me with a $9 deficit. Their explanation? They "still provided me a service" that they needed to get paid for and that they were already being generous for agreeing to reimburse me for the 2nd oil change. If I would have paid $40 for the 2nd oil change, I bet they would have then decided to reimburse me for the cost of their oil change so they could keep the extra $10. They totally refused to pay for the car wash saying that there was still a lot of oil under the engine and therefore they weren't paying for a service that wasn't performed or at least not properly rendered. See the irony here? They did however attempt to clean the remaining amount of oil caked on the underside of the engine. Finally, they only agreed to pay $5 for 1 gallon of gas. The grand total for my actual reimbursement was only $26 - not even enough to cover the cost of 1st oil change which they done incorrectly.
Auto Pros may have did a great job minimizing their short-term losses, but they have cost themselves my repeat business. I have a 2000 accord with more than 100k mi which stills runs nearly as good as the day I bought it. That's because I take good care of it, getting all regularly scheduled maintenance & oil changes religiously. With about a dozen auto shops less than a mile from my home offering oil changes for significantly cheaper, Auto Pro should have been honored that I was willing to travel out of my way and pay more to do business with their shop. But now there's no way I'll ever go back. How can I when these guys won't fully stand behind their work? I shudder to think what would have happened if my engine was seriously damaged by their faulty service.
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