A San Diego man said he took his car into a local shop for a routine oil change but two weeks later, his engine failed as he was driving on the freeway.
Albert Cuevas said he took his car into the Oil Changer shop in North Park in July.
“The customer service was amazing,” Albert said.
Two weeks after he had taken the car to Oil Changer, Albert said things fell apart.
“My car, just coming off the freeway, it just shut off,” Albert said.
LCD messages on Albert’s dashboard indicated a check engine light was on, so he contacted a manager from the Oil Changer location who agreed to come and look at the car.
“He took a look at it and he actually told me that the oil filter wasn’t tightened correctly and that the oil had been leaking out,” Albert said.
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Albert said Oil Changer’s manager took the car to a mechanic who was able to get the car running, saying the problem was not the oil change but the car’s alternator.
Albert said he was doubtful and took the car to a Honda dealership for a second opinion.
“They didn’t do much to the car, they pretty much test drove it and the engine had made a really diesel sounding noise and they knew right away that the engine was no good and it had to be replaced,” Albert said.
Albert said he believed his car’s engine was accidentally ruined by Oil Changer.
The company told NBC 7 Responds they were still working on the problem, but Albert felt abandoned.
“They should fix my car, that’s all I ask for, a running car,” Albert said. “I called you because I’m out of options.”
NBC 7 Responds talked to outside experts about Albert’s car. After examining the details, they said Oil Changer should be responsible for the repair costs.
After presenting the facts to the Oil Changer company president, he agreed to replace the engine, pay for the rental car Albert used and refund the money Albert spent on the original oil change and services.
Oil Changer’s President said because of “inconsistencies in their initial investigation” they welcomed a second opinion and were glad to work with NBC 7 Responds.
Consumer Bob caught up with Albert the day he got his car back from the mechanic with his newly replaced engine.
“It would have been very difficult for me to do it on my own so I can’t thank you enough for everything that you’ve done,” Albert said.
In an email, Oil Changer President Eric Frankenberger said, “We appreciate NBC 7 working on the behalf of consumers in San Diego and working with us on the investigation of Mr. Cuevas’ vehicle. Oil Changers has serviced over 13 Million vehicles in California over the last 30 years and with that experience we understand when it comes to mechanical failure that a thorough investigation is always needed. Because of the inconsistencies in our initial investigation, we wanted a second opinion on this incident and were glad to work with NBC 7 Responds to come to this resolution.”
