A driver’s Buick Encore was due for an oil change, so they took it to a Walmart in North Carolina, but things took a turn when an employee told them the car was no longer safe to drive.
The owner shared the details of their unfortunate experience on the r/legaladvice subreddit. In the post, they explain that they had only asked for an oil change and declined additional services. They waited inside the store, then heard their name called over the intercom and headed to the Auto Care Center, where an employee told them something had gone wrong with the vehicle’s radiator.
According to the post, the employee initially told them they noticed the radiator was leaking and removed the cap. They then said antifreeze shot upward, and a piece of the cap broke off and fell inside the radiator.
The owner later received a different explanation, which made them question what actually happened to their vehicle. They then contacted Walmart corporate and asked others for advice on what to do next.
A Different Explanation
Walmart Oil Change now car is undriveable
by
u/Ancient_Sir_6255 in
automotive
After the employee told the owner what happened, they also said the vehicle couldn’t be driven and needed to be pushed out of the service bay.
The owner called for assistance and returned to the vehicle with them. They popped the hood to look at the engine, and while they were looking, the same employee came back and gave a different explanation.
This time, the employee said when they opened the hood to perform the oil change, antifreeze instantly shot up and had gotten everywhere. The employee then said they saw a piece of the cap fall into the radiator and decided it was not safe to perform the oil change. This differed from the first explanation, prompting the owner to file a report with Walmart Corporate.
They then received a response from a manager who said they had reviewed the store’s camera footage. According to the post, the manager told them the employees hadn’t touched anything near the radiator, and it in fact burned the technician.
The manager also said the footage showed the vehicle being driven out of the parking lot, and the owner told them the only way they could get the car out was with duct tape. They further explained in a comment that it was their dad who duct taped the radiator hose together and drove the car a quarter mile back to his house.
According to the post and replies, the owner also said the vehicle is a 2015 Buick Encore that was bought used with 80,000 miles. They also recorded a video of one of their interactions with an employee and posted it on YouTube for further context.
The owner also said they have a picture of the vehicle from three days earlier that shows the hose still attached. They questioned how the coolant could have suddenly sprayed out if the hose had already been loose.
Commenters Offer Some Advice
One commenter who claimed they work at Walmart and in the shop said not to take your car to Walmart for an oil change. They emphasized that what they’ve seen from technicians there is insane and claimed half of them don’t even know righty-tighty or lefty-loosey.
Another commenter said that opening the hood wouldn’t cause antifreeze to suddenly spray out and said someone would have had to remove the radiator cap. They also recommended the owner find an independent mechanic to inspect the damage.
The owner made another comment saying they are hoping Walmart will pay for the damages, but now they are backtracking and saying it was like this when they received it. There haven’t been any other updates to the post, so it’s unclear whether Walmart will accept responsibility for the damage.