Posting on behalf of a buddy from work.

His CTS overheated this morning (wife was driving). He just got a call from the shop saying it had "overheated, and that now, oil was leaking out from it everywhere. Also, the battery was completely drained. You basically need a new engine. $4000 - $5000."

Shop also said it failed a "dive test" after he filled it up with 4 quarts and charged the battery.

He's diligent with oil changes, and got it done a few months ago at a Jiffy Lube.

More to come as he gets updates, but something seems fishy to me...any thoughts?

1/21/2008 2:41:15 PM

is it still under warranty? if yes, let cadillac takes care of it.

1/21/2008 2:42:58 PM

anybody who gives a shit about their car doesn't do this:

Quote :

"and got it done a few months ago at a Jiffy Lube."

1/21/2008 2:43:01 PM

^beat me to it about jiffy lube.


^^Unless Jiffy Lube fucked something up, which appears quite common these days.

1/21/2008 2:59:07 PM

Okay, shop says it is "gushing oil" from the following places while running:
-oil filter housing assem
-all valve covers
-cam shaft seal
-rear main seal

So it'll never run again.

While driving, his wife never saw any temperature warnings.

1/21/2008 3:00:05 PM

i'd contact jiffy lube about this. at least make them prove that they couldn't have fucked it up. just an fyi, jiffy lube is the #1 buyer of remanufactured engines in the U.S. think about that.

1/21/2008 3:12:55 PM

Jiffy Lube fucked it up.

Tell him to take it to a legitimate auto shop next time to do regular maintenance.

Every single time somebody took my car to Jiffy Lube something came back screwed up. I got some free screwdrivers out of the deal once as well (since they decided to leave them in the engine compartment and all).

I would go bug the Cadillac dealership too if you've still got a warranty. If jiffy lube says it wasn't their fault then maybe it was just a lemon.

1/21/2008 3:32:10 PM

what the hell were they using screwdrivers for on an oil change?

1/21/2008 3:33:40 PM

^I guess it's a new Jiffy Lube method.

1/21/2008 3:53:16 PM

Quote :

"his wife never saw any temperature warnings."

stock temperature gauges tend to be "buffered" so that the needle doesn't move until the engine is already in a very dangerous temperature range.

1/21/2008 4:12:24 PM

Quote :

"Shop also said it failed a "dive test" after he filled it up with 4 quarts and charged the battery. "

Way more info needed to determine root cause or blame Jiffy Lube. If all they did was change the oil and it has been running fine for three months I'd guess they probably aren't responsible. Besides, if the oil was low before it overheated she should have seen some oil pressure indicators sometime in the last, oh I don't know, three months that she has been driving it.

1/21/2008 4:23:19 PM

Quote :

"what the hell were they using screwdrivers for on an oil change?"

Not sure, I just noticed the hood looked crooked when I got home so I popped it open. Sure enough, along the front under the hood there was a flathead and a phillips screwdriver sitting there. In true jiffy lube fashion they also got oily handprints all over my car along the front.

If I had to guess, I'd say they had Chuck Norris stab the oil filter with a screwdriver and turn it off instead of using a strap wrench.

1/21/2008 7:16:46 PM