Woman Takes Subaru In For Oil Change. Then A Mechanic Refuses To Work On It: ‘You Need To Talk To The Manager ASAP’

One woman recently got her oil changed, only to learn her car had serious problems.

Jade Norris (@jadenorris) recently documented her oil change experience in a TikTok series that has generated over 102,900 views as of this writing.

In the first TikTok, Norris begins by mentioning that she only initially went to the shop for a battery replacement. However, when the mechanic asked for mileage, she realized she was due for an oil change. Norris says she decided to leave the shop to work out but was soon called to come back to the shop. 

“You need to come back and talk to our manager ASAP,” Norris says she was told.

Norris says she asked if everything was OK but received no further information on her Subaru Outback. 

“It’s complicated. We need you to come back to the automotive center as soon as you can get here. Like, right now. We need you here,” she reports being told.  

Norris says when she arrived at the shop, one of the mechanics shared with her, “Your car is screwed.”

She says he then asked if she had a preferred shop to get the car towed to. Meanwhile, she was confused by what was going on.

“We can’t allow you to turn on the car and leave the lot. It’s gotta be repaired. It quite literally can’t be turned on, or else it’ll blow the motor,” she says the mechanic explained.

At this point, Norris says she is doing her best not to ‘crash out,’ as she runs her own client-facing business and is heavily reliant on her vehicle.

“How long is it going to take to get fixed?” she asks.

“Don’t know. We’ve seen turnaround times as quick as three weeks,” she says the mechanic replied. 

“Quick? As in three weeks? I didn’t realize three weeks was quick,” she vents. 

Hearing this news is never ideal, and she regrets asking for an oil change, considering that’s when the mechanic made the mistake that damaged her vehicle. 

In part 2, Norris reveals that the initial diagnosis was that the plug from the oil pan popped off. She says the mechanic shared that the oil pan plugs were welded on, and they couldn’t fix the issue there. She adds that the manager informed her the shop would be covering the damages and just needs to make an insurance claim. 

Norris shares in part 3 that they towed the vehicle to a Subaru dealership for service. She says it’s been one week after the initial oil change mistake, and she now has a loaner from Subaru. 

“They took a peek, and they did see damage to the oil pan, and we haven’t heard anything since,” she shares. 

However, she says the dealership won’t have an estimated repair time until a full diagnosis is done. 

“We wanted to make sure it was completely diagnosed. Like, we don’t know if the other technician was fully telling the truth on what actually happened,” she says.  

Considering the mechanic said the car will ‘blow’ and it’s ‘screwed,’ she’s likely right that it’s best to get a second diagnosis on the car.

Viewers Don’t Understand The Long Repair Window

As mentioned, Norris wanted to get a second opinion on the entire car before just fixing the oil pan. However, many commenters don’t understand why it’s taking so long to repair.

“Problem = bolt that screwed into oil pan broke off nothing to screw to anymore to keep oil in. Fix = new oil pan easy fix just have to wait for part to be shipped to shop (not commonly kept in stock),” one TikTok commenter shared. 

“If they didn't blow up the motor, 3 weeks is a really long time for a repair. Especially for something as simple as a plug,” another added. 

“3 weeks?!? I replace oil pans in 45 minutes, let it sit for an hour and SHIP the car,” a third shared. 

While others speculated what they believed the issue to be. 

'It’s a Nissan isn’t it?" one guessed. "The insert came out of the oil pan. It’s a very common issue if it is." Norris responded, "Actually no, it’s a Subaru Outback but the technician did mention that my car and Nissans have this problem often!!"

“Sounds like an oil pan issue. Easy repair unless they ran the engine without oil,” a second shared. 

“Based on the limited information, it sounds like you just need a new oil pan,” another added. 

“Yeah, it sounds like they used an impact to tighten the plug and the weld broke. They are probably putting a new oil pan in,” another commented. 

How Long Does It Take To Replace An Oil Pan?

When getting an oil change done by a professional, you’d expect no issues to arise. Service centers such as Jiffy Lube and Take 5 have become convenient, quick options for those in a rush. However, some believe places like Valvoline and Walmart are questionable places to get an oil change. 

With anything, mistakes can happen, as Norris found out. In her case, she’ll need a new oil pan based on the information shared about the stripped oil drain plug. 

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According to RepairPal, the service can take around four hours to complete on average. This oil pan replacement job can cost between $836 and $1,055. Luckily for Norris, insurance will step up and cover this replacement. 

Motor1 has contacted Norris via Instagram and TikTok direct messages and Subaru via email. This post will be updated if either party responds.

 

 

 

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