Oonkuboo
Rolling Meadows,#2Author of original report
Wed, November 25, 2009
I have stated in the original posting that I took the vehicle back to Walmart the next day. Also, it is entirely possible to drive a vehicle WITHOUT oil at all, though it would likely cause immediate damage....which is entirely the point.
Even if you are a mechanic, it is hard to make authoritative statements without examining a vehicle yourself, so don't presume anything by reading a posting online as to what could or could not have happened. Statements such as: "that story sounds funny" or "this or that COULD not have happened because....." should be checked at the door since as I have stated, it would take a trained mechanic some time to ascertain what happened and what did not happen. If Walmart maintains (and they do) that they don't have licensed mechanics in their employ changing oil and if they don't how then are they able to make mechanically sound judgments as to what damage could or could not have taken place? It would seem reasonable in a situation such as this that they would have a licensed mechanic on retainer.... to definitively state the likelihood of this or that damage. but they don't. It would cost too much money.
The way Walmart appears to deal with claims of potential damage to vehicles is to have UNTRAINED, UNLICENSED, NON-MECHANICS give their conjecture to their UNTRAINED, UNLICENSED NON-ADJUSTERS who then make a decision which saves the company money and their job.
THERE IS NO WAY THAT SLUG I TALKED TO ON THE PHONE IS AN INSURANCE ADJUSTER. There is no way. An insurance adjuster would gather evidence, have the vehicle inspected, etc etc etc. But if your investigation consists of looking at grainy photos of OIL ON THE DIPSTICK...........
you're an idiot.
dave
valparaiso,#3General Comment
Tue, November 24, 2009
i too have problems with walmart insurance adjusters. read my problem i had when i had the fuel injection celaning done. two cracked heads with no previous problems with my truck. engine light on when i left walmart. dealer found heads cracked and i had to pay. the adjuster said was from previous overheating??? ok. why didnt i have the engine light on prior? let me know if you get anywhere with yours. i am going to court with mine. GOOD LUCK
Walmart Proud
Mt. Vernon,#4UPDATE Employee
Sun, November 15, 2009
I'm not sure if you're telling the whole story. If our store makes a mistake on a vehicle and we know it is our fault we make sure that we take care of it. Alot of time CMI approves it when we disagree with the claim and we pay it. However, when you are mentioning a photo of oil on the dipstick I believe you should of said VIDEO! We have cameras all over in our TLE shops as well as down in the pits. I just don't think this story is correct.
Flynrider
Phoeix,#5
Thu, September 10, 2009
"I consult with another mechanic who informs me that my vehicle has a canister type oil filter which has a check valve on it, and that if the filter is installed backward no oil will flow throughout the engine."
Personally, I wouldn't let anyone from Walmart near my vehicle, so don't take this as a defense of them.
One critical piece of info would easily prove this one way or the other. You didn't say that the mechanic actually did find the oil filter mounted backwards. That would have been the end of the issue.
The reason I ask is that it's unlikely you could have driven the car for most of the day without oil flowing through the engine. Your oil pressure light would have been illuminated as well. It's also unlikely that you would have been successful in driving the car for the rest of the week.
I can certainly see why Walmart would be skeptical of this claim. Additionally, by waiting a long time to make a claim, you make it look even more suspicious. Look at it from their point of view. You show up weeks or months after an oil change claiming that they damaged your engine, with a story that doesn't quite jibe.