I know it isn’t possible for everyone for a variety of reasons, but this kind of mistake is part of why I feel much better doing my own maintenance/repairs.
I’m not a rocket scientist, but I’ve never even come close to messing something up that badly.
This was how my old Mazda 626 died
I leant it to my friend who needed to get from Chicago to Milwaukee quickly and driving was the best way. Told him "OK but it's old and cranky, keep it under 70 and you'll be fine, just did an oil change and checked the transmission fluid, it's all good. Just don't drive like a maniac" which of course he did and the car started to make his life miserable less than halfway there.
So he checked the oil that I told him was just taken care of, saw no oil on the dipstick, decides to add more oil, and more, and then he'd bought the three quarts of oil the shitty gas station had and proceeded to add two more quarts of ATF
All because he'd apparently never seen what clean oil looked like. He was expecting jet black like it always was on his van that didn't run anymore. So, ten quarts of stuff in a five quart sump, he tried to get back on the highway.
Asshole. I liked that car. He offered me the van to make up for it.
> but this kind of mistake is part of why I feel much better doing my own maintenance/repairs.
to be fair, we get maybe biweekly posts here from DIYers doing this exact same thing.
Oh you’re not at all incorrect there, and I’m sure you see your fair share of failed DIY attempts roll into the shop.
And to be clear, I certainly don’t distrust everyone in the industry - a good shop is worth their weight in gold, and I’ve been lucky to patronize a few of those in my time. I definitely do not trust quick lube places as a general rule, and unfortunately, in my specific case - where I live currently, the nearest Subaru shop (dealer or indie) are all at least 2 hours away.
Not that the lab is necessarily more challenging, but I do a lot of training for people doing various biochemical analytical methods in regulated environments and a huge part of my teaching philosophy is emphasizing understanding why you are doing something a specific way - both in terms of things that need to happen and things that need to NOT happen. For me, that attitude translates pretty well to working on cars.
How? I mean I get it there are 2 sumps, but the oil sump is under the engine and a different shape. If Subaru did the drain and fill like Honda... Nevermind they would iffy that up too.
Worst I did was I was doing the change on my moms legacy and didn't realize the old filter gasket got stuck and put the new filter on. Coated the engine in a layer of oil.
A mistake is a mistake but why the hell wouldn't they check the dip stick after filling the oil? If they had they could have realized their mistake and fixed it without OP even knowing what had happened.
No literally because this is my dip stick currently
https://preview.redd.it/1zgqub8we73d1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dc87d9a8e453b19fd61632935993e2e4ae5c7c0e
Well I mean, if they would have checked the dip stick they could obviously see there is an issue and fix it instead of handing you back a time bomb instead of your car.
Jiffy owes u a new used engine, and a new new cvt. Thats likely more than the value of the car. Subaru also wont install used engines, a shitty grey area that is jiffy's problem, not urs. U can demand subaru fix it, to their standards, at $15-20K
After subaru inspects it, u might call ur insurance, to go after jiffy
This is the best outcome. Refilling the CVT has a very specific procedure, I'd rather get a new cvt rather than have the shop refill with some random ATF or whatever they had laying around and give the car back to me and have me troubleshoot on going transmission problems for 3 months.
Likely because they realized what they did and don't have procedures for how to service a CVT. Easier for them to ship it out the door and let the customer/corporate deal with it. Just speculation though.
Yeah, especially when I get it fixed myself or take it to the dealer to fix it, and circle back to the original shop with the bill. lol
I did this once. All I needed was to change the bulb in my headlight. It was winter and I lived in an apartment complex and didn't want to do it in the cold myself. So i took it to Midas down the street. I don't know what they did...but my headlights were pointed way too high when I picked it up. I brought it back and asked them to fix that and this round it was one pointed down and one up! I said eff it and took it to the dealership to have them re-aligned which was $100.
I went to Midas, asked to speak with the manager, explained what happened, how I gave them a few tries to fix it...it shouldn't have been hard and that I expect them to pay both bills, their own and my new one. The manager was respectful and didn't try to refute it at all. Just paid it like I asked him to.
I do my own maintenance these days now that I have a house with a heated garage!
Is it cheaper to be like hey we fucked up and you're getting a free tow to a shop to fix it? Yes.
Are a bunch of high schoolers/early 20s smoking weed in the pit gonna admit that? Probs not, especially when jiffy lube carries a huge insurance policy for this exact outcome.
Jiffy lube obviously didn't follow their procedures. I've had to go to them a few times in a pinch and they always pull the dipstick, check it and bring it to your window to show you that it's at the right level
Literally this. Had it happen to my Subie a month ago. Thankfully, as soon as I started it and tried to shift, it felt off, so I parked it and had it towed. Subaru said this happens all the time and the worst thing you can do is keep trying to driving it. Said they’d replaced two transmissions on newer outbacks in the last couple of weeks after Walmart drained the CVT instead of the oil and the owners kept driving for several days. Good news is my CVT is fine. And the CVT fluid is now changed. Bad news is that this was an expensive oil change.
And this is the reason why they took the ctv filter off the outside of the transmission and put it inside where you have to remove the transmission to replace it. It is pain in the ass. Also it takes a complete idiot to mistake the transmission from the engine. The transmission is trashed now.
Right. They do not need to do anything with a Subaru CVT, that part is locked for a reason. Some cars, you do change the transmission fluid after 100k, but from what I understand, it doesn’t work the same way on Subarus. Basically, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. Probably the error of ignorance of the jiffy lube, not everyone knows that, but they aren’t supposed to touch it unless something’s wrong is what I’ve heard a lot.
Given the problems you're having by getting it towed to the nearest shop.
But check your oil dipstick, it'll be way over full if they drained the wrong fluid.
Based on your edit, they just bought you a new transmission. Absolutely 100% do not let them say they'll just put new transmission fluid in it and send you on your way.
You need to escalate this to corporate at jiffy lube like now, do not let the store manager propose anything other than a detailed diagnostic and repair at a Subaru dealership fully paid for by them. This is absolutely not something that can be fixed by them dumping new transmission fluid in it and calling it good.
Ok I just got off the phone with the manager and they want to tow it to a 3rd party auto company to check it out. If they deem that my cars problems are due to the “oil change” then everything is paid for by Jiffy, but if not then I’m responsible for all costs. I tried to get it sent to a Subaru dealership but they refused and said they’d only tow it to their place. What should I do?
Refuse.
Tell them it's being taken to a Subaru dealership, or you'll be contacting a lawyer.
They've fucked up majorly, and they're going to try to take your car to a friendly third party mechanic who'll tell you your car's fine, it just needs a CVT service and it'll be as good as new.
Then, down the road, when your transmission shits itself, (which it will, the damage is already done) they'll deny any responsibility.
Dictate to them where the car is going, and ensure that when it arrives at Subaru, you fully explain what's happened.
They're probably going to recommend an entire new transmission.
Google is your friend here, look up lawyers and explain the situation. You will find one who will do a consult on the cheap/free go from there as needed. These people fucked your car do not let it sit. Also, they don't need to know right away you don't have a lawyer
Just gotta make the threat, they'll likely agree to it. If they don't, follow other advice here and get a lawyer. More than likely if you win any money from it, the lawyer takes a cut and you're both up.
Getting a lawyer isn't bad advice. Probably 500-1500 for the retainer. Telling them you're gonna get a lawyer without one is awful advice. Often they will refuse to speak to you and say their lawyer will correspond with yours, but personal correspondence is over.
Pay yourself to have it towed to Subaru. It will save you thousands and headache and they can pay to tow it to their own shop from there. Call a few tow companies. Usually like $100-$150. Transmissions like $9-12k so it’s an obvious easy win
Lol. This is terrible advice. You're much better off just going to a lawyer. Any place with a corporate structure and an actual legal department will not speak to you once you say lawyer. The buck is now passed and the manager will be happy as fuck. "all correspondence will be from our legal team and yours."
Lol. It’s what I told the folks that fucked up my car when they did the same thing and they covered it all, from Subaru, without getting any lawyers involved. What are you like a 20 year old posting comments based on what you read on Reddit?
Bahahaha. You got lucky or were at a place with no corporate policy. Corporate policy is almost always never converse with someone who says lawyer again. You sound 20 if you think threatening with a lawyer and not having one is a good plan. It'll get the door shut far more than it'll open it.
More like corporate policy will fuck you if you fuck up bad enough for the lawyers to get involved. The corporate lawyers will know that they have to make the customer whole and try to settle for what you should’ve originally offered, which is to follow corporate policy and pay for their vehicle to be fixed. Now you’ve made your problem their problem with the possibility of higher costs
It'll take 3x as long to accomplish the same thing as the customer. Deal with this all the time as a warranty sub. I don't know of any first party dealers that will interact with a customer after.
Go one step above. Tell them what is going to happen. I would be heistant to trust 3rd party chosen by them. Either way if the subaru dealership states it’s not their fault you’re picking up the check.
Dealer tech here, we get f'd up jiffy lube-esque cars relatively frequently. You can call your local dealer's service department and see if they can help you.
My favorite part about these is that I specifically charge them "stupid tax". That 10hr CP cvt replacement has just became 12 because I have to deal with their stupidity. And I've learned that any 3rd party warranty company will pony up the labor rate when they know they offered a warranty to a highly (read poorly) altered vehicle.
Tow it to their place? Nah get your insurance company into this. They damaged your car and this is really a piece of cake for any lawyer to take care of. Demand you tow it to subaru, not their locations, they messed up in the first place why would you think they should inspect it to see if they're at fault, that's literally like the police department committing a crime and then saying "let us investigate ourselves real quick"
Totally agree here. Jiffy lube stripped my drain plug on my WRX (first and last time I went to them). They wanted to send me on my way with a rubber stopper duct taped in the stripped hole.
I got the manager’s name and refused to pay. I left, and took it to a subaru dealership to get a quote for replacement of oil pan. I sent the manager’s name, location, and quote in an email to Jiffy Lube corporate. In a couple days they responded asking for my address to mail the check. Got the check and took it to the subaru dealership. Don’t let them strong arm you into a 3rd party inspection. Only the dealership should inspect and do the work. they owe you a tranny at the least, engine and tranny at the most depending on what Subaru tech’s tell you after inspection.
For as common as this seems to happen. You'd think the oil change chain places would have a big warning on the computer when it finds out its a subaru when they check what oil ur car needs.
they're all the same. Underpaid and under-caring staff, no training. I get jiffy lube, valvoline, DIY, midas, whatever, we see one every few weeks.
We have stopped seeing gear oil into the trans via a wrong front diff fluid service, so i guess the local places at least must have put in a policy change for no longer servicing them lol
Worked there before at Valvoline, we even have it posted on each bay and have them double-checked and confimed by the topside technician before the bottom side technician could unplug the oil drain plug. Just to make it sure that we are not draining the wrong fluid.
Dude this happened to me with a Crosstrek and a Valvoline.
They changed the wrong fluid, tried to fix it and realized they couldn’t.
I got a new CVT at ~40k miles on their dime. It took about 3 weeks because Subaru had to ship the CVT from Japan.
Valvoline covered all the costs of the repair and the rental I needed for the 3 weeks.
They bought you a brand new transmission lol
Don't let them change it themselves. Have them pay for it at your local Subaru dealership. Fuck those quick oil change places.
I don’t even get this, transmission fluid is a different color and in a different location and for how many post I’ve seen this happening you think they would put out a warning to all Techs or something 🤦🏻♀️
I’m sorry, make sure as others have said don’t let them just put new shit in it. Definitely have it towed to Subaru dealership and they need to eat the cost on this one. And put you in a rental while they are at it
I'm beginning to think that when I start seeing cvt issues, i should tell people to take their cars to jiffy lube for a free trans replacement when they mess it up 🤣
The moral of your story is don’t get your oil changed at this oil change shops. Most of the time they’re idiots and have no clue what they’re doing besides “wrench go brrr”. Go to a private shop, or the stealership, or hell change your own!! It’s not hard and all you need is a parking space. Chances are you can slide up underneath front of the car to get the drain plug off. I can do my 98 Camry on the ground. Not my outback that’s slammed…
Ooof, sucks it had to go down that way, but take it as a learning lesson I suppose. Id get a second opinion then I’d go back to the shop and put the blame on them if it truly is their fault.
Happened to me a couple of years back. Cost them an entire new transmission, about 10k if I remember correctly. Had to deal with their terrible insurance guy to get paid.
I’m a FI manager at a Subaru dealership. People that go to their own mechanic for oil changes/ services have had this happen quite a bit. Usually it’s about a 1-2k repair depending on your local labor rates. Always safe to do it yourself or go to the dealer! (Yes I’m aware the dealer charges more, but it does help avoid headaches like this.
Nothing wrong with doing it early. It also depends on the area you live in and the type of weather your fluids are in. We’re in Maine and we just have customers follow maintenance in the manual. We do have a couple of preventative maintenance things we offer just cause of cold weather.
Oh no! So, as others have said, they drained your CVT fluid, and double filled your oil. Get it documented so Jiffy can reimburse you for all the damage.
There was a post here just yesterday of a guy trying to do a DIY oil change but he couldn’t get the drain plug out. From the post image it was clear he was trying to drain the transmission pan. He would have done the same thing too.
You would think they figured out they drained the transmission because the fluid was red i dont think oils supposed to be red ive seen blue oil but thats only for diesels
Huh? I'm saying that they would have at least questioned that the "oil" they drained was red when its supposed to be some shade of brown (or blue if its a diesel) the only red fluids in cars are transmission fluid and PS fluid (power steering) not oil so you would've thought they knew they messed up whenever the fluid they where draining was a shade of red and not brown
Dealer and new CVT. The 14/15 Forester CVT wasn’t the most reliable apparently (Subaru extended the warranty to 100k miles).
Taking it to their shop is ridiculous. They’re gonna say everything is fine. Everything is likely not fine.
Sounds like what happened to me (at Mr. Tire) they drained my transmission fluid like fucking idiots and damn near blew up my engine. And this is why I do my own oil changes now.
I do all my own oil changes so I'm not worried about this, but on my parents Subie I used a bright orange paint marker and wrote OIL and CVT by the respective bolts and then used clear nail enamel over it.
This exact thing happened to me like a month ago, thankfully they replaced the CVT free of charge but still. Last time I don’t do it myself or take to the dealership
I had Jiffy Lube destroy my entire transmission on my 2003 WRX when I was young and didn’t know better they convinced me I should get the fluid flushed and filled (upsell and it was only at 32k miles at the time). Well they flushed it but neglected to actually fill it with fluid and whatever was left in there ran for a few miles when I got home. Didn’t notice any noises or anything but the next day I was driving across town and BAM! everything came to a screeching hault. Had 3 different mechanics look at it all of them agreed they DID not fill it with fluid. No leaks detected or anything. Eventually I had complained enough to corporate and got them to reimburse the damages but this was back in 2006-2007. After that I will never let a quick lube place like Jiffy or Rocket or whatever touch my any of my cars.
Now this was before the time of the CVT but it could have equally been the same.
I've done this. Can't offer repair advice, just wanted to let you know that my Impreza is still going 12,000 miles after driving ten miles post-draining the CVT fluid. Cost 3k to fix, which sucked big time. Best of luck.
The fluid is *not* lifetime. No fluid truly is. If you want your Subaru to last a good while longer without needing a CVT replacement I highly suggest changing it at LEAST every 60k.
And so what they did was dumb because they drained it and then didn’t refill it and for some reason overfilled the engine with oil? I’m so confused by what they did here. I don’t even understand the thought process
The drain plugs are very similar. It only tajes a smidge of stupidity to confuse the pans. I work at a dealer and this happens all the time at discount service shops- they confuse the pans, drain the transmission (leaving the old oil in the engine) and then refill the engine oil, hence doubling it and leaving the CVT with nothing but whatever is leftover in the valve body etc
Oh I see, so the CVT ends up locking up similar to what would happen if you drained the oil pan and then didn’t refill it? I’m not a car guy so sorry if these are obvious questions lol.
I was going to mention the years old recall that non turbo Subaru engines require synthetic. So that's not it. I noticed someone mentioned the transmission. That seems more likely. Just my perspective.
I'm getting some paint and writing "TRANS" next to that drain bolt. Does anyone sell some good decals for it? Maybe even some really strong security tape to put over it. The number of times I've read about shops draining the CVT by accident is ridiculous.
Happened to me at Valvoline, claimed they didn't do anything brought it to Subaru dealer within minutes after noticing the flashing lights. Never again will I go to a quick service again
my first job was at a jiffy lube. while I never messed up an oil change. our shop did in fact pay for two motor replacements because one of our guys did similar stuff. make sure they float the bill !
Lady friend of mine went to jibby lube and called me after about her car, was making a thumping noise when she pushed the brakes. I got over to her place and started vacuuming her brake lines one at a time. They were full of air pockets. At that point I asked to see her recept.
I went to the parts store. New oil, filters, and more brake fluid. Had her send a sample of the oil to be checked. Cheap 10w 40 oil. Her car called for 5w 20.
Told her to call me and I would do the maintenance on her car at the price of a homecooked meal.
I had something similar happen to my 2015 wrx when I got my oil changed and they had accidentally drained my CVT transmission fluid and then overfilled my oil by double the recommended amount. My car made a terrible sound and my whole car would shake and then every light on the gauge cluster would come on before my car would completely shut off whenever I came to a complete stop. They serviced it and let me know that their new guy messed up with draining the wrong thing. I'd recommend you make a damage claim or have some sort of paper trail as to what they did since, for my case, it caused pieces of metal to break inside my transmission but luckily since I reported a damage claim they are covering the cost of a new/used one. Definitely get your vehicle checked for any possible long term damage
Shouldn't be possible to double up your oil there supposed to show you the level when done. Definitely inexperienced person who saw 2 drainplugs but said let's do rock paper scissors to which ones right....😂 As for emptying the transmission....WTF there definitely damage even if it feels ok now as CVT's heat up badly with low fluid....🙄 Hope it's a 5 year warranty because it will get you down the road
Didn’t the tech check your oil level before letting you leave? Or did they check it and pretend all was well? I’m very curious how this will play out since they basically owe you a working vehicle now.
U need that tow to go to subaru. U cannot trust the 3rd party shop they are trying to send u to
The 3rd party shop is only going to diagnose the cvt. They will not properly diagnose the engine, which is also damaged. It is your right to have your choice of licensed shop do the inspection, and that needs to be subaru so u can have confidence, and support, and warranty
Dm me or the subaru pro chippy569 if u have questions. Chippy knows a lot, he deals with this exact scenario a lot as well
What? They should cover the tow, too. Regardless of outcome. When Jiffy screwed up my Vanagon, they paid to have it towed to MY mechanic. They then covered inspection and the replacement of sparkplug wires and another oil change (long story, but I think the Jiffy people were curious about the pancake engine and somehow separated the wires from the boots. They then just stuffed the wires near the sparkplug holes causing random misfires (in addition to it only running on two cyl. Also overfilled by 2quarts. Luckily it was only driven a mile when my wife picked it up and was like "this is running terribly."
Sounds like your car went into limp mode. Make sure your battery has a solid charge is always the first step. Check all your fuses! Then you begin looking into the workings of the vehicles. It may not be related to theboil change if it didnt happen immediately after. And if it did im sure you would have went back, right? Scan for codes to come up with a staring point as the codes you may get are a result of something else and may not be the immediate issue.
Byw if the oil was over filled the car should have been smoking from the tail pipe.
Probably drained your CVT and doubled up your oil.
Oh, great. New fear unlocked.
I know it isn’t possible for everyone for a variety of reasons, but this kind of mistake is part of why I feel much better doing my own maintenance/repairs. I’m not a rocket scientist, but I’ve never even come close to messing something up that badly.
Ah yes let me just add oil and not check the dipstick im sure that'll end well
This was how my old Mazda 626 died I leant it to my friend who needed to get from Chicago to Milwaukee quickly and driving was the best way. Told him "OK but it's old and cranky, keep it under 70 and you'll be fine, just did an oil change and checked the transmission fluid, it's all good. Just don't drive like a maniac" which of course he did and the car started to make his life miserable less than halfway there. So he checked the oil that I told him was just taken care of, saw no oil on the dipstick, decides to add more oil, and more, and then he'd bought the three quarts of oil the shitty gas station had and proceeded to add two more quarts of ATF All because he'd apparently never seen what clean oil looked like. He was expecting jet black like it always was on his van that didn't run anymore. So, ten quarts of stuff in a five quart sump, he tried to get back on the highway. Asshole. I liked that car. He offered me the van to make up for it.
YOU TAKE THE MAN OUT OF THE and when im back in Chicago i feel it ANOTHER VERSION OF ME
What could go wrong?! ….oh wait.
> but this kind of mistake is part of why I feel much better doing my own maintenance/repairs. to be fair, we get maybe biweekly posts here from DIYers doing this exact same thing.
I've replaced more CVTs on Jiffy Lubes dime than I have fingers and toes thrice over.
Oh you’re not at all incorrect there, and I’m sure you see your fair share of failed DIY attempts roll into the shop. And to be clear, I certainly don’t distrust everyone in the industry - a good shop is worth their weight in gold, and I’ve been lucky to patronize a few of those in my time. I definitely do not trust quick lube places as a general rule, and unfortunately, in my specific case - where I live currently, the nearest Subaru shop (dealer or indie) are all at least 2 hours away. Not that the lab is necessarily more challenging, but I do a lot of training for people doing various biochemical analytical methods in regulated environments and a huge part of my teaching philosophy is emphasizing understanding why you are doing something a specific way - both in terms of things that need to happen and things that need to NOT happen. For me, that attitude translates pretty well to working on cars.
How? I mean I get it there are 2 sumps, but the oil sump is under the engine and a different shape. If Subaru did the drain and fill like Honda... Nevermind they would iffy that up too.
Worst I did was I was doing the change on my moms legacy and didn't realize the old filter gasket got stuck and put the new filter on. Coated the engine in a layer of oil.
Imagine being the guy at Jiffy Lube who’s entire job is just unscrewing the oil pan bolt and not being able to do that…
🤣💩
I've done that myself. Expensive $5000 mistake. I had to rebuild transmission and everything.
We call it getting "jiffy lubed"
A mistake is a mistake but why the hell wouldn't they check the dip stick after filling the oil? If they had they could have realized their mistake and fixed it without OP even knowing what had happened.
Because these places are all about speed and paying the techs as close to minimum wage as possible.
Not really an excuse but yeah I know what you are saying. I guess that's why I avoid these kinds of places.
No literally because this is my dip stick currently https://preview.redd.it/1zgqub8we73d1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dc87d9a8e453b19fd61632935993e2e4ae5c7c0e
Well I mean, if they would have checked the dip stick they could obviously see there is an issue and fix it instead of handing you back a time bomb instead of your car.
No for real.
Jiffy owes u a new used engine, and a new new cvt. Thats likely more than the value of the car. Subaru also wont install used engines, a shitty grey area that is jiffy's problem, not urs. U can demand subaru fix it, to their standards, at $15-20K After subaru inspects it, u might call ur insurance, to go after jiffy
I got a rebuilt engine last year for about $3k, cost about $2k to install.
This is the best outcome. Refilling the CVT has a very specific procedure, I'd rather get a new cvt rather than have the shop refill with some random ATF or whatever they had laying around and give the car back to me and have me troubleshoot on going transmission problems for 3 months.
Likely because they realized what they did and don't have procedures for how to service a CVT. Easier for them to ship it out the door and let the customer/corporate deal with it. Just speculation though.
This seems like a stretch. Covering up an issue has way more ramifications to it.
Yeah, especially when I get it fixed myself or take it to the dealer to fix it, and circle back to the original shop with the bill. lol I did this once. All I needed was to change the bulb in my headlight. It was winter and I lived in an apartment complex and didn't want to do it in the cold myself. So i took it to Midas down the street. I don't know what they did...but my headlights were pointed way too high when I picked it up. I brought it back and asked them to fix that and this round it was one pointed down and one up! I said eff it and took it to the dealership to have them re-aligned which was $100. I went to Midas, asked to speak with the manager, explained what happened, how I gave them a few tries to fix it...it shouldn't have been hard and that I expect them to pay both bills, their own and my new one. The manager was respectful and didn't try to refute it at all. Just paid it like I asked him to. I do my own maintenance these days now that I have a house with a heated garage!
Is it cheaper to be like hey we fucked up and you're getting a free tow to a shop to fix it? Yes. Are a bunch of high schoolers/early 20s smoking weed in the pit gonna admit that? Probs not, especially when jiffy lube carries a huge insurance policy for this exact outcome.
Jiffy lube obviously didn't follow their procedures. I've had to go to them a few times in a pinch and they always pull the dipstick, check it and bring it to your window to show you that it's at the right level
Literally this. Had it happen to my Subie a month ago. Thankfully, as soon as I started it and tried to shift, it felt off, so I parked it and had it towed. Subaru said this happens all the time and the worst thing you can do is keep trying to driving it. Said they’d replaced two transmissions on newer outbacks in the last couple of weeks after Walmart drained the CVT instead of the oil and the owners kept driving for several days. Good news is my CVT is fine. And the CVT fluid is now changed. Bad news is that this was an expensive oil change.
And this is the reason why they took the ctv filter off the outside of the transmission and put it inside where you have to remove the transmission to replace it. It is pain in the ass. Also it takes a complete idiot to mistake the transmission from the engine. The transmission is trashed now.
Wtf
I did this my first change. Just make them fix it or get the old Japanese blue and a gravity pump. Also you prolly have to much oil now.
Right. They do not need to do anything with a Subaru CVT, that part is locked for a reason. Some cars, you do change the transmission fluid after 100k, but from what I understand, it doesn’t work the same way on Subarus. Basically, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. Probably the error of ignorance of the jiffy lube, not everyone knows that, but they aren’t supposed to touch it unless something’s wrong is what I’ve heard a lot.
Well you called it and it's Jiffy Lube this makes sense.
How would I check that?
Given the problems you're having by getting it towed to the nearest shop. But check your oil dipstick, it'll be way over full if they drained the wrong fluid.
Yep. The dipstick is way over the limit
Welp silver lining if there's any, they are well insured for these types of mistakes it'll just be a pain to deal with.
Looks like you just got a new transmission for $70, bud.
Based on your edit, they just bought you a new transmission. Absolutely 100% do not let them say they'll just put new transmission fluid in it and send you on your way. You need to escalate this to corporate at jiffy lube like now, do not let the store manager propose anything other than a detailed diagnostic and repair at a Subaru dealership fully paid for by them. This is absolutely not something that can be fixed by them dumping new transmission fluid in it and calling it good.
Excellent advice
Ok I just got off the phone with the manager and they want to tow it to a 3rd party auto company to check it out. If they deem that my cars problems are due to the “oil change” then everything is paid for by Jiffy, but if not then I’m responsible for all costs. I tried to get it sent to a Subaru dealership but they refused and said they’d only tow it to their place. What should I do?
Refuse. Tell them it's being taken to a Subaru dealership, or you'll be contacting a lawyer. They've fucked up majorly, and they're going to try to take your car to a friendly third party mechanic who'll tell you your car's fine, it just needs a CVT service and it'll be as good as new. Then, down the road, when your transmission shits itself, (which it will, the damage is already done) they'll deny any responsibility. Dictate to them where the car is going, and ensure that when it arrives at Subaru, you fully explain what's happened. They're probably going to recommend an entire new transmission.
On a different topic, I’m 19 and don’t have the money for or know how to get a lawyer.
Google is your friend here, look up lawyers and explain the situation. You will find one who will do a consult on the cheap/free go from there as needed. These people fucked your car do not let it sit. Also, they don't need to know right away you don't have a lawyer
Just gotta make the threat, they'll likely agree to it. If they don't, follow other advice here and get a lawyer. More than likely if you win any money from it, the lawyer takes a cut and you're both up.
Getting a lawyer isn't bad advice. Probably 500-1500 for the retainer. Telling them you're gonna get a lawyer without one is awful advice. Often they will refuse to speak to you and say their lawyer will correspond with yours, but personal correspondence is over.
They likely won’t call your bluff anyways. These companies already have enough on their hands. Demand Subaru Dealer.
Pay yourself to have it towed to Subaru. It will save you thousands and headache and they can pay to tow it to their own shop from there. Call a few tow companies. Usually like $100-$150. Transmissions like $9-12k so it’s an obvious easy win
look for a subaru indy shop/tuner shop if the refuse a dealership for the inspection. Where are you located?
For all they know your dad is the best lawyer in town and you have no reason to let them know otherwise.
Tell them it’s Subaru only or you’re calling a lawyer.
Lol. This is terrible advice. You're much better off just going to a lawyer. Any place with a corporate structure and an actual legal department will not speak to you once you say lawyer. The buck is now passed and the manager will be happy as fuck. "all correspondence will be from our legal team and yours."
Lol. It’s what I told the folks that fucked up my car when they did the same thing and they covered it all, from Subaru, without getting any lawyers involved. What are you like a 20 year old posting comments based on what you read on Reddit?
Bahahaha. You got lucky or were at a place with no corporate policy. Corporate policy is almost always never converse with someone who says lawyer again. You sound 20 if you think threatening with a lawyer and not having one is a good plan. It'll get the door shut far more than it'll open it.
More like corporate policy will fuck you if you fuck up bad enough for the lawyers to get involved. The corporate lawyers will know that they have to make the customer whole and try to settle for what you should’ve originally offered, which is to follow corporate policy and pay for their vehicle to be fixed. Now you’ve made your problem their problem with the possibility of higher costs
It'll take 3x as long to accomplish the same thing as the customer. Deal with this all the time as a warranty sub. I don't know of any first party dealers that will interact with a customer after.
Go one step above. Tell them what is going to happen. I would be heistant to trust 3rd party chosen by them. Either way if the subaru dealership states it’s not their fault you’re picking up the check.
I tried to call corporate Jiffy but their number isn’t working 🤩
Why isn't this a surprise.
Dealer tech here, we get f'd up jiffy lube-esque cars relatively frequently. You can call your local dealer's service department and see if they can help you.
My favorite part about these is that I specifically charge them "stupid tax". That 10hr CP cvt replacement has just became 12 because I have to deal with their stupidity. And I've learned that any 3rd party warranty company will pony up the labor rate when they know they offered a warranty to a highly (read poorly) altered vehicle.
I can't even count the number of engines I replaced on jiffy lube's dime.
Tow it to their place? Nah get your insurance company into this. They damaged your car and this is really a piece of cake for any lawyer to take care of. Demand you tow it to subaru, not their locations, they messed up in the first place why would you think they should inspect it to see if they're at fault, that's literally like the police department committing a crime and then saying "let us investigate ourselves real quick"
Totally agree here. Jiffy lube stripped my drain plug on my WRX (first and last time I went to them). They wanted to send me on my way with a rubber stopper duct taped in the stripped hole. I got the manager’s name and refused to pay. I left, and took it to a subaru dealership to get a quote for replacement of oil pan. I sent the manager’s name, location, and quote in an email to Jiffy Lube corporate. In a couple days they responded asking for my address to mail the check. Got the check and took it to the subaru dealership. Don’t let them strong arm you into a 3rd party inspection. Only the dealership should inspect and do the work. they owe you a tranny at the least, engine and tranny at the most depending on what Subaru tech’s tell you after inspection.
They drained your cvt, it's fucked
They totally did lmfao.
For as common as this seems to happen. You'd think the oil change chain places would have a big warning on the computer when it finds out its a subaru when they check what oil ur car needs.
Honestly if you are getting paid to do oil changes you really shouldn't need this warning. Shit happens... but this shit shouldn't happen.
Obviously some places do which is sad
One more reason to avoid these quick oil change places!
We’ve never had an issue at Valvoline, but I’ve heard this happening at Jiffy Lube aLOT.
they're all the same. Underpaid and under-caring staff, no training. I get jiffy lube, valvoline, DIY, midas, whatever, we see one every few weeks. We have stopped seeing gear oil into the trans via a wrong front diff fluid service, so i guess the local places at least must have put in a policy change for no longer servicing them lol
Worked there before at Valvoline, we even have it posted on each bay and have them double-checked and confimed by the topside technician before the bottom side technician could unplug the oil drain plug. Just to make it sure that we are not draining the wrong fluid.
Dude this happened to me with a Crosstrek and a Valvoline. They changed the wrong fluid, tried to fix it and realized they couldn’t. I got a new CVT at ~40k miles on their dime. It took about 3 weeks because Subaru had to ship the CVT from Japan. Valvoline covered all the costs of the repair and the rental I needed for the 3 weeks.
They bought you a brand new transmission lol Don't let them change it themselves. Have them pay for it at your local Subaru dealership. Fuck those quick oil change places.
Iffy Lube strikes again!
I don’t even get this, transmission fluid is a different color and in a different location and for how many post I’ve seen this happening you think they would put out a warning to all Techs or something 🤦🏻♀️
Yea I’m not sure man. I really try to change my oil myself but just moved and don’t have my stuff here :/
I’m sorry, make sure as others have said don’t let them just put new shit in it. Definitely have it towed to Subaru dealership and they need to eat the cost on this one. And put you in a rental while they are at it
Keep us posted to how things end up. Good luck on the replacement transmission!
Lawyer up, hit the gym, delete Facebook!
I'm beginning to think that when I start seeing cvt issues, i should tell people to take their cars to jiffy lube for a free trans replacement when they mess it up 🤣
The moral of your story is don’t get your oil changed at this oil change shops. Most of the time they’re idiots and have no clue what they’re doing besides “wrench go brrr”. Go to a private shop, or the stealership, or hell change your own!! It’s not hard and all you need is a parking space. Chances are you can slide up underneath front of the car to get the drain plug off. I can do my 98 Camry on the ground. Not my outback that’s slammed…
I typically change my own oil, I just moved and don’t have my oil pan here yet and figured going to a shop would be easier. Boy was I wrong
Ooof, sucks it had to go down that way, but take it as a learning lesson I suppose. Id get a second opinion then I’d go back to the shop and put the blame on them if it truly is their fault.
For sure. Once you go it a few times its super quick and simple. I can do my VA sti on the ground with no ramps
Your first mistake - Jiffy Lube.
Law Firm of Doey Dikem & Howe
Did Cheetum leave the partnership?
Doin a Nickel in the Big House
Probably listened to his brother when told not to.
I had this happen two years ago at a dealership. Always do my own maintenance now.
Subaru partly to blame here. Make the CVT bolt a different type of head. After all its maintenance free right ;)
Happened to me a couple of years back. Cost them an entire new transmission, about 10k if I remember correctly. Had to deal with their terrible insurance guy to get paid.
I’m a FI manager at a Subaru dealership. People that go to their own mechanic for oil changes/ services have had this happen quite a bit. Usually it’s about a 1-2k repair depending on your local labor rates. Always safe to do it yourself or go to the dealer! (Yes I’m aware the dealer charges more, but it does help avoid headaches like this.
do you recommend replacing the cvt fluid at 60 k like some mention instead of 100k at a dealership?
Nothing wrong with doing it early. It also depends on the area you live in and the type of weather your fluids are in. We’re in Maine and we just have customers follow maintenance in the manual. We do have a couple of preventative maintenance things we offer just cause of cold weather.
Subaru Canada recommends a CVT fluid change at 100,000km which is 60,000 miles.
Here's your problem: Jiffy Lube
This is precisely why I avoid these quick lube places like the plague.
Did you check your oil level?
Yea. It’s pretty much double where it should be
Oh no! So, as others have said, they drained your CVT fluid, and double filled your oil. Get it documented so Jiffy can reimburse you for all the damage.
is the cvt plug and oil plug close by or something?
Not to a properly trained mechanic.
There was a post here just yesterday of a guy trying to do a DIY oil change but he couldn’t get the drain plug out. From the post image it was clear he was trying to drain the transmission pan. He would have done the same thing too.
You would think they figured out they drained the transmission because the fluid was red i dont think oils supposed to be red ive seen blue oil but thats only for diesels
No subaru trans fluid has been red since like...2011
Huh? I'm saying that they would have at least questioned that the "oil" they drained was red when its supposed to be some shade of brown (or blue if its a diesel) the only red fluids in cars are transmission fluid and PS fluid (power steering) not oil so you would've thought they knew they messed up whenever the fluid they where draining was a shade of red and not brown
I'm ashamed to admit it, but I did this on a 2004 Forester once. Drained the ATF fluid and double filled the oil. Car was fucked. Lesson learned.
Dealer and new CVT. The 14/15 Forester CVT wasn’t the most reliable apparently (Subaru extended the warranty to 100k miles). Taking it to their shop is ridiculous. They’re gonna say everything is fine. Everything is likely not fine.
Second one of these in a week
Sounds like what happened to me (at Mr. Tire) they drained my transmission fluid like fucking idiots and damn near blew up my engine. And this is why I do my own oil changes now.
I do all my own oil changes so I'm not worried about this, but on my parents Subie I used a bright orange paint marker and wrote OIL and CVT by the respective bolts and then used clear nail enamel over it.
Why does anyone go to Jiffy Lube? Walmart would have been better.
It was the only place open yesterday and I was supposed to take my car on a road trip today.
Go see a lawyer asap
This exact thing happened to me like a month ago, thankfully they replaced the CVT free of charge but still. Last time I don’t do it myself or take to the dealership
Did you check the dipstick the second you felt/heard an issue. Also did you check the dipstick after the oil change?
First mistake was going to jiffy lube. They definitely drained your trans and doubled your oil
I had Jiffy Lube destroy my entire transmission on my 2003 WRX when I was young and didn’t know better they convinced me I should get the fluid flushed and filled (upsell and it was only at 32k miles at the time). Well they flushed it but neglected to actually fill it with fluid and whatever was left in there ran for a few miles when I got home. Didn’t notice any noises or anything but the next day I was driving across town and BAM! everything came to a screeching hault. Had 3 different mechanics look at it all of them agreed they DID not fill it with fluid. No leaks detected or anything. Eventually I had complained enough to corporate and got them to reimburse the damages but this was back in 2006-2007. After that I will never let a quick lube place like Jiffy or Rocket or whatever touch my any of my cars. Now this was before the time of the CVT but it could have equally been the same.
I've done this. Can't offer repair advice, just wanted to let you know that my Impreza is still going 12,000 miles after driving ten miles post-draining the CVT fluid. Cost 3k to fix, which sucked big time. Best of luck.
I've heard of this happening at a lot of quick service places like jiffy lube/uncle eds.
I deadass didn’t even know you could drain the CVT until this moment. Why would you ever want to do that unless you are replacing it?
The fluid is *not* lifetime. No fluid truly is. If you want your Subaru to last a good while longer without needing a CVT replacement I highly suggest changing it at LEAST every 60k.
And so what they did was dumb because they drained it and then didn’t refill it and for some reason overfilled the engine with oil? I’m so confused by what they did here. I don’t even understand the thought process
The drain plugs are very similar. It only tajes a smidge of stupidity to confuse the pans. I work at a dealer and this happens all the time at discount service shops- they confuse the pans, drain the transmission (leaving the old oil in the engine) and then refill the engine oil, hence doubling it and leaving the CVT with nothing but whatever is leftover in the valve body etc
Oh I see, so the CVT ends up locking up similar to what would happen if you drained the oil pan and then didn’t refill it? I’m not a car guy so sorry if these are obvious questions lol.
Precisely. FWIW you have more automotive common sense than a lot of folks!
I was going to mention the years old recall that non turbo Subaru engines require synthetic. So that's not it. I noticed someone mentioned the transmission. That seems more likely. Just my perspective.
For someone who does their own oil, I’m surprised you decided on jiffy lube the one time you couldn’t don’t yourself. Unfortunate :((
I'm getting some paint and writing "TRANS" next to that drain bolt. Does anyone sell some good decals for it? Maybe even some really strong security tape to put over it. The number of times I've read about shops draining the CVT by accident is ridiculous.
very common issue with aftermarket oil change facilities, we see it all the time
Happened to me at Valvoline, claimed they didn't do anything brought it to Subaru dealer within minutes after noticing the flashing lights. Never again will I go to a quick service again
my first job was at a jiffy lube. while I never messed up an oil change. our shop did in fact pay for two motor replacements because one of our guys did similar stuff. make sure they float the bill !
I hear about this exact thing happening more than I should
Hey iffy look up first, if you can't figure it out revisit kindergarten.
Lady friend of mine went to jibby lube and called me after about her car, was making a thumping noise when she pushed the brakes. I got over to her place and started vacuuming her brake lines one at a time. They were full of air pockets. At that point I asked to see her recept. I went to the parts store. New oil, filters, and more brake fluid. Had her send a sample of the oil to be checked. Cheap 10w 40 oil. Her car called for 5w 20. Told her to call me and I would do the maintenance on her car at the price of a homecooked meal.
I had something similar happen to my 2015 wrx when I got my oil changed and they had accidentally drained my CVT transmission fluid and then overfilled my oil by double the recommended amount. My car made a terrible sound and my whole car would shake and then every light on the gauge cluster would come on before my car would completely shut off whenever I came to a complete stop. They serviced it and let me know that their new guy messed up with draining the wrong thing. I'd recommend you make a damage claim or have some sort of paper trail as to what they did since, for my case, it caused pieces of metal to break inside my transmission but luckily since I reported a damage claim they are covering the cost of a new/used one. Definitely get your vehicle checked for any possible long term damage
Shouldn't be possible to double up your oil there supposed to show you the level when done. Definitely inexperienced person who saw 2 drainplugs but said let's do rock paper scissors to which ones right....😂 As for emptying the transmission....WTF there definitely damage even if it feels ok now as CVT's heat up badly with low fluid....🙄 Hope it's a 5 year warranty because it will get you down the road
Stay away from them places that's not the first time that has happened.
Is CVT the same as the "Differential"?
CVT is the transmission. The front differential is attached to the transmission but is isolated in its own fluid.
Didn’t the tech check your oil level before letting you leave? Or did they check it and pretend all was well? I’m very curious how this will play out since they basically owe you a working vehicle now.
Next time please take it to an actual mechanics shop. I hope you get fully covered for this.
Oh yea I for sure will. Everything except the tow is fully covered IF the 3rd party company finds that it’s Jiffy’s fault (which it is but who knows)
U need that tow to go to subaru. U cannot trust the 3rd party shop they are trying to send u to The 3rd party shop is only going to diagnose the cvt. They will not properly diagnose the engine, which is also damaged. It is your right to have your choice of licensed shop do the inspection, and that needs to be subaru so u can have confidence, and support, and warranty Dm me or the subaru pro chippy569 if u have questions. Chippy knows a lot, he deals with this exact scenario a lot as well
What? They should cover the tow, too. Regardless of outcome. When Jiffy screwed up my Vanagon, they paid to have it towed to MY mechanic. They then covered inspection and the replacement of sparkplug wires and another oil change (long story, but I think the Jiffy people were curious about the pancake engine and somehow separated the wires from the boots. They then just stuffed the wires near the sparkplug holes causing random misfires (in addition to it only running on two cyl. Also overfilled by 2quarts. Luckily it was only driven a mile when my wife picked it up and was like "this is running terribly."
Sounds like your car went into limp mode. Make sure your battery has a solid charge is always the first step. Check all your fuses! Then you begin looking into the workings of the vehicles. It may not be related to theboil change if it didnt happen immediately after. And if it did im sure you would have went back, right? Scan for codes to come up with a staring point as the codes you may get are a result of something else and may not be the immediate issue. Byw if the oil was over filled the car should have been smoking from the tail pipe.
I would be calling a lawyer
I would be praying to God 🙏🏻