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Walmart Refuses to Pay for Engine Damage Caused by their Own Faulty Oil Change
| July 25, 2008 | Posted by Roshawn Watson under Uncategorized |
By: Roshawn Watson
Many people absolutely hate Walmart, but I am not one of them. Nonetheless, I recently read a startling account from a customer’s experience at their auto center.
Image Credit: nallalux
Image Credit: nallalux
Ashlee Mooneyhan, a 22-year old Colorado resident, took her car (Saturn) to Walmart Auto Service Center to obtain an oil change. After the maintenance, she was back on the road. Thirty minutes into her drive, she noticed an odd sound coming from the engine, so she intuitively checked the oil dipstick. To her surprise, the dipstick showed no oil left in the tank: it had all spilled down into the undercarriage. She then took her car to the nearest mechanic. Apparently, the oil cap had been put on improperly. The GMC estimate for the engine repair was nearly $6,000.
Ashlee attempted to make a claim on Walmart’s insurance, but the claim was denied. The insurance company did send someone to look at the vehicle, but he found nothing in spite of the fact that the GMC dealership manager personally evaluated the car around the same time and found oil everywhere and “rod-knocking” while the engine was on. The insurance company contends that once Ashlee discovered damage, she should have taken her car to a Walmart mechanic to avoid evidence tampering. Perhaps, I am paranoid, but this is typically when a “cover-up” occurs: either the accused party attempts to “fix” or “clean-up” the problem to limit liability.
Needless to say, Ashlee is lawyering up so that she isn’t stuck with the $6,000 bill, and under these circumstances, who can blame her? This is even worse than when Walmart Auto Service Center charged for an oil change that they did not perform and lied about it.
To read more of her account, see her blog.
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Hi, This blog you wrote is about my experience. You might be interested to know that I took the specific Walmart store to court in late September. In mid-October I received a check for the full cost of damages (i.e. the cost of a new engine to be put into my 2006 Saturn Vue). It IS possible to beat the big man!-A.M.
Dear A.MMy 20 year old daughter is going through the same thing with Walmart in Carson City, Nevada. We have been battling Walmart headquarters Did you hire a lawyer or did you go through small claims court?