quick-change put differential fluid in transmissio

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: disturban
This is a fine example of why I will not let any monkey f**ks at quick lube places ever touch any of my vehicles!


+1

For all those who disagree that one should do their due diligence when paying for service, and just inherently trust the shop... Well more power to you. But especially at a quick lube??!? No way Id ever trust the job to be done right.

Guess its why Ive never had an issue like this either... usually a mechanic or tech is more than happy to tell you what they are using if you ask.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Civic1
I can park it if need be and won't let them off even if I have to go to court, as they will end up paying for all of it anyway. ... It would be more improper to let the shop get away with it. Can't let that happen.


Great. Consumer's hero. You go and do it... And spend $1000 in lawyers fees, plus a few days of your time (and a consultant who will at least be another $1000) to get an award of a used trans installed (a $1000 value with labor) to "fix" the issue...

Which, BTW, there is no proof that the shop actually caused... especially if they say that the receipt is not correct. Your words vs. theirs. You going to pay that $1000 a day consultant? And what happens in the end? You can be sure that they are going to make the case that they did use the right fluid, wrong code (which can be proven/disproven), and that you are just going after them to get a new transmission to replace yours which was already bad.

I'd certainly do a CYA to be sure you retain the fluid... And if a sample indicates that it is wrong, go after. However, thinking that some valiant lawsuit is going to make anything right, and be worth the money is another story. I'd much rather do the analysis myself, come up with the logical basis for this all, take it up peacefully with the manager/corporate, and get it to a good place. If youre not happy with their response, then so be it... Take it to court. But dont expect execess compensation. A similarly aged transmission replacement will be about as good as youll get. Better off trying to get customer goodwill from the company if they are willing to give something. More of a chance to do it right.

Good luck.

 

[White 03]

It is probably more likely they wrote the wrong thing on the receipt that put the wrong thing in the transmission.

But,I would certainly want to have an agreement with the oil change place on what oil is in there. I would not change the oil and leave myself open to having the oil change place say they did not put the wrong oil in. Maybe somehow the owner and yourself could each take a sample with both watching the oil come out. Or have some agreed upon third party sample it. You may have to send a sample of the oil off to see what is in there. I don't envy you.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Best thing to do is just to get ahold of the right mtf as soon as possible and change it yourself. Maybe swing by a Honda dealer and get some oem Honda mtf from their parts dept. Get one of those gear oil pumps from Oreilly,drive it up on some Rhino Ramps,and change it out. You`ll be suprised at just how easy a manual transmission fluid change is.

 

[doitmyself]

If you think you might pursue this in the future, you need to document everything, using an independent dealer or shop. They need to send a sample for used oil analysis to verify what fluid is in there. Otherwise, it becomes your word against the quick lube.

I did this when a shop put dexron in my Caravan instead of ATF+3. They denied it until I showed them a used oil analysis saying otherwise. Since I caught it early, I just made them cover the costs to have the proper fluid installed.

 

[charbaby]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Best thing to do is just to get ahold of the right mtf as soon as possible and change it yourself. Maybe swing by a Honda dealer and get some oem Honda mtf from their parts dept. Get one of those gear oil pumps from Oreilly,drive it up on some Rhino Ramps,and change it out. You`ll be suprised at just how easy a manual transmission fluid change is.


Yes, this is what should have been done in the beginning!
This is the reason that I do all of my own work that isn't under warranty or my particular skill level. Always change your own fluids. Don't pay a shop to do it. Especially fluids! For what you pay a shop to change your fluids, you can buy the best on the market and probably still save money.

 

[NHHEMI]

1st thing I would do if you believe the wrong fluid is in there and that it is causing problems is to STOP DRIVING THE DARN VEHICLE!!!!! Why would you keep driving it if you feel the wrong fluid was used and that it is damaging the trans?

I don't get it? That is like going in for an oil change and discovering the mechanic only added 2 qts of oil but you keep driving it anyway despite the engine noise. STOP! No more 130 mile trips. No more 1 mile trips until you figure it out and correct it.

Every mile you drive the vehicle if the wrong fluid is causing your issue makes it worse. Also, it hurts your position if you need to fight it. The more damage you cause by continued operation the harder it will be for you to prove the fluid was the cause initially.

Go back to the lube shop( in a different vehicle until you are sure they will bring it in and do the service - then come back in the problem vehicle )and ask that they put the correct fluid in. Stand firm but polite on the fact your receipt shows the wrong fluid was used and that noise developed for the 1st time after the change. Request a fluid swap to the correct fluid and have it noted on the receipt that they did the swap because the wrong fluid was used initially. Very important that you get a receipt stating this was a free service to replace the wrong fluid used( make them add a slip # from the 1st visit ). See if the correct fluid helps?

You should also know right now you will NOT get a brand new/rebuilt transmission out of this. The vehicle is too old for that. At best you will get your transmission repaired or a used one of the same age and mileage. Just how it is. Now ay in hades you get a new or even rebuilt trans out of this on that old of a vehicle.

It will cost you a lot of money and time as well to take this to court. Going to court should be your last resort option. Give the place a chance, and then give them a couple more if needed, to make it right before going off the deep end and heading to court. Be persistent but polite and document everything.

Again I say stop driving it and deal with the issue. The more you drive it, if this is a fluid caused issue, the worse you make it and the more of the blame falls on YOU!

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: Char Baby

Yes, this is what should have been done in the beginning!
This is the reason that I do all of my own work that isn't under warranty or my particular skill level. Always change your own fluids. Don't pay a shop to do it. Especially fluids! For what you pay a shop to change your fluids, you can buy the best on the market and probably still save money.


There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with having fluids changed at a shop/dealer. Not every shop/dealer out there is crooked and incompetant. Not only that but we are all human so it is just as easy for one of us doing our own work to make a mistake as it is for a mechanic to do so.

This whole mess could have been avoided if the OP had read his slip at checkout and immediately gone to them and said wrong fluid used - swap it to the right stuff before leaving. I don't mean that as an attack but rather a simple statement. Mistakes happen to the best of us. This is a simple mistake that was easily corrected. The OP didn't check his slip to see before leaving so some of the blame is on him( her? ). Also, the fact the OP continues to drive the vehicle, a LOT, knowing something is wrong hurts his/her position the shop did it.

 

[charbaby]

Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
Originally Posted By: Char Baby

Yes, this is what should have been done in the beginning!
This is the reason that I do all of my own work that isn't under warranty or my particular skill level. Always change your own fluids. Don't pay a shop to do it. Especially fluids! For what you pay a shop to change your fluids, you can buy the best on the market and probably still save money.


There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with having fluids changed at a shop/dealer. Not every shop/dealer out there is crooked and incompetant. Not only that but we are all human so it is just as easy for one of us doing our own work to make a mistake as it is for a mechanic to do so.

This whole mess could have been avoided if the OP had read his slip at checkout and immediately gone to them and said wrong fluid used - swap it to the right stuff before leaving. I don't mean that as an attack but rather a simple statement. Mistakes happen to the best of us. This is a simple mistake that was easily corrected. The OP didn't check his slip to see before leaving so some of the blame is on him( her? ). Also, the fact the OP continues to drive the vehicle, a LOT, knowing something is wrong hurts his/her position the shop did it.



No, there is nothing wrong with paying for or having someone doing service for you. And Yes, we're all human as you mentioned. But, what if this was your wife, daughter or son and they didn't have knowlageable you around for guidence? Would you expect them to look over the Bill of Receipt and understand the service performed? They may only understand the the cost and money being paid. I know alot of guys that don't know squat about their cars or if they even received the proper lubrication or tires for that matter.

 

[Ken2]

Originally Posted By: doitmyself
If you think you might pursue this in the future, you need to document everything, using an independent dealer or shop. They need to send a sample for UOA to verify what fluid is in there. Otherwise, it becomes your word against the quick lube.
YES! Get everything done by another licensed car repair shop. Have them pull the sample and mail it to a testing lab. Photograph everything. Be sure every receipt for all this spells out in detail exactly what they did. Get all your ducks in a row so you're ready for a session in small claims court if (a) the wrong oil was put in, (b) your transmission is damaged, (c) if that oil did cause the damage, and (d) the lube shop stiffs you. Also file a complaint with a state agency that licenses auto repair shops if your state has such an agency.

 

[ac_tc]

First of all- the GL5 oil cant harm the transmission
for this amount of time, it can however over a longer period
start corroding soft metal inside the box.
To me it sounds like either they have forgotten to FILL
the transmission wich is being run dry or that its just a coincidence
that it started groaning now.
CHECK the level NOW- if ok start saving for a transmission, yours is worn out. If not ok- tow it to the lube center, have them fill it and complain. I personally suspect that itll be ok after it has gotten oil, manuals tend to be rather tolerant to low oil levels.

 

[thinking]

Why don't you just drive it or take it to the shop, ask them to re-do it and tell tem why and what happened. Im willing to bet that they'll have no issue in doing that for you. Sometimes people hear things better after they've just had work done, even though the noise has been there all along. Also VTM4 is MUCH more expensive than reg Honda MT fluid.