SuperLube Horror Story

Quoting myself from a mitsubishi forum. Everyone should find this interesting, to say the least.

Originally Posted by SinShiva

Hello, I have a 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS. I'm officially a convert from vdub. The 2.4L engine is a beast. I've eaten up everything from the typical 'stangs to Porsches in Tally, FL. I know this probably reflects more on the skill of the drivers in town, as I would love me a Porsche...

Anyway, a few days ago i was driving on I-10. I was riding in 5th gear only going about 70/75mph. The car stopped dead in transit. I pulled over. Car was towed to a mechanic that I respect. I know the motor seemed to be leaking oil, but i mistakenly thought it was due to the age of the motor, at 92k miles. I was adding a couple of litres every few days. The engine just kept humming.

Anyway, on the side of the road, I tried a couple of times to restart the car. It would turn over, but die immediately. So, I removed the oil cap and smoke pours out. I sat and waited til the smoke stopped and tried starting it up again. The car turns over again and idles at ~400rpms. I tried to put it in gear and it found the task disagreeable; died again.

The mechanic informed me that there was an oil leak caused by a loose oil filter. (!!!) Talked to Superlube about the problem and they sent a guy out. They wont warranty anything because it's likely been too long since my last oil change. Turns out, they have no record at all of our most recent oil change. From their records, the last change was at 72k miles. So happens, we had an oil change done at their affiliate 'supercenter', which they also had a record of at their home office. This is the last oil change we had according to both superlube and 'supercenter's records at their home office. This is where it gets interesting; The oil filter has markings of being from Superlube, as proven by their District Manager in Tallahassee, FL. I asked him if it were possible that superlube supercenter could have put the old one back on when we got the oil changed; DM said "Impossible." We called the store he was representing and they admitted to 'losing invoices'.

Again: Last record of an oil change from either of the places as verified by their unified home office says last change was the supercenter. the oil filter has markings of having been from superlube, not their supercenter. Thus, the actual most recent oil change came from superlube, but they have no record of it. They refuse to honor anything. Aside from a seized motor, there are no broken parts or seals (SuperLube DM verified himself), and I know the oil was relatively clean, aside from the fact that it was all puddled under the motor.

The only reason I have a 'dead' motor is because somebody at SuperLube did not tighten the oil filter. My mechanic claims that it would be a chilly day in hell for the oil filter to come off of it's own accord. Superlube District Manager tried to tell me that the viscosity of the oil could have done nasty things. He's a dip****.

Now, I understand that a seized motor is a _bad_ thing. However, even after the engine stopped abruptly while driving, I did actually manage to get it to start up. Several times, in fact. the last time it actually kept running until I put it into gear. I made no further attempts.

Does anybody think I could potentially unseize this motor? The thing seemed damn near indestructible to me. In the past, I had a timing belt break off at 82k miles. Was driving the car at a low rpm and it stopped. That was when i learned what an 'interference engine' was. Replaced the timing belts (and water pump) and NO DAMAGE!

I repeat my question, can this beast be saved? Should i spring for an attempt at having the mechanic do so? I have negative funds, so it'll be difficult for me to do much beyond that. Otherwise, it's figuring out how to get a new engine...

F*ck SuperLube.

Originally Posted by SinShiva

As some of you may have read in my prior post, I explained that SuperLube would not honor their commitments to customer satisfaction as well as pride in their service. Their Vice President has indeed elected not to replace my motor.

My mechanic agreed to a sworn affidavit in regards to an oil filter properly adhered would not under any circumstances come off and that a loose one would over time/mileage, exacerbate the problem. We also spoke with Mitsubishi (REF: 1237402207), in which they said the same thing, after speaking with their own mechanics. Mitsubishi also said that the amount of mileage one could travel on a loose oil filter before the leak becoming too fast and seizing the motor would indeed not be quantifiable. We asked this question directly because the Vice President of SuperLube said that nobody could travel with a loose Oil Filter for even 100 miles. (or less)

Their Vice President said their warranty is 3000 miles or 3 months. Mitsubishi owners, keep in mind that Mitsubishi's warranty is good for 7500 miles. Perhaps the reason for this being that their mechanics have the strength in their hands to properly adhere an Oil Filter.

SuperLube, your negligence is intolerable. Unfortunately, I feel it has become my responsibility to alert the Mitsubishi, VW/Audi and other worthier automobile communities. Of course, other media outlets such as YouTube will become invaluable in my endeavors.

Finally, SuperLube's Vice President tried to use this forum (Club3G) against me claiming that I said I was 'racing'. I don't believe I've made that indication anywhere.

I am following up merely to inform the people of this forum SuperLube's intentions after learning of their own mechanics' negligence and to alert the users that they will use this forum against you.

Cheers.

Your first post and you're bitching about SuperLube and an oil change on your Mitsubishi Eclipse? Obviously this is spam and doesn't belong in a BMW forum.

P.S. learn how to change you own oil and avoid the fast and cheap oil change places.

Sorry to hear about that.

Your motor is toast. Chalk it up as an expensive lesson learned. Two lessons.

1 -- Don't use cheap oil change shops.

2 -- If your car is loosing two litres of oil every few days don't keep driving it until you've fixed the problem.

I see nothing BMW related here, why is this posted to Bimmerfest?

If you're trying to spam a story about a bad experience with a service provider, you need to own up to your own contributory negligence. (a) where is your copy of the receipt from your last service? Why are you depending on the vendor? (b) when your car suddenly started burning a couple quarts of oil "every few days" your mistake was not getting it checked out or at least spending ten minutes investigating it yourself and noticing the oil around the filter and/or puddled underneath. (c) does your oil pressure warning light not work? Why did you not stop the car immediately when it came on and check the oil level?

Sure, I'll accept the problem possibly started with the oil change place messing up. Your actions (or lack thereof) turned it from a simple fix to a dead engine.

On your next car, I recommend doing your own oil changes or going to a reputable mechanic vs. one of those bargain places and proactively paying attention to the car.

I don't know if I can belive anything said by someone who starts of by saying the 2.4 in a Eclipse is a "beast" and can beat Porsches or even Stangs.

Sent from my thumb to your eyes