OK guys so i need to know if i have a case here. I took my car to jiffy lube for an oil change and my owners manual for my car specifically says 5w30 0r 5w40 synthetic only. They put 5W20 synthetic in my acr and a month later my engine is done. My question is do i have a case. Will the use of the wrong oil with the wrong visciouscity cause such a thing to happen. Its a 2000 BMW with 120000 miles. please advise .
Wrong oil
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When did you find out that they had put the wrong oil in--if you found out right after they did the oil change and then ran the oil knowing it was in there--No case--really don't think that you have a case in any event--Hard to prove that 20 wt oil made any difference--but small calims ct might find for you and the Jif Lube might make it right rather than have bad publicity and be pulled into ct
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ironman --
Where are you in New Jersey ?? Are you talking about the Jiffy Lube on Route 36 ?? They hire the worst help in that place......they should not be allowed to touch a BMW. Their workers don't know what your owners manual calls for. They have Pennzoil and that's about it.
As far as your particular case.....I think you would have a hard time proving that the wrong viscosity oil caused your engine to seize a month later. Difficult to connect the dots on that one.
Where are you in New Jersey ?? Are you talking about the Jiffy Lube on Route 36 ?? They hire the worst help in that place......they should not be allowed to touch a BMW. Their workers don't know what your owners manual calls for. They have Pennzoil and that's about it.
As far as your particular case.....I think you would have a hard time proving that the wrong viscosity oil caused your engine to seize a month later. Difficult to connect the dots on that one.
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It would be tough to prove your case. I doubt that the oil weight is the cause of your engine failure.
Good Luck.
Good Luck.
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why would you go to Jiffy Lube with a BMW to begin with?
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First thing you need to find out is what was the cause of your engine failure. After that, then you can consider who/what is at fault.
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Maybe...but first you need an analysis of your engine, with a teardown to see what failed and why. Either way, a long, and painful process...may not be worth fighting. Wrong oil weight is unlikely to cause engine failure though....particarly a thinner viscosity...unless you are driving on the track or very hard on the street.
I agree that oil viscosity did not cause the failure..... I would find out what your actual engine problem is first , then figure out what could have caused it.
1) oil level when engine stopped running
2) condition of filter.... Proper oil filter? ( once I watched an oil changer working on a Mercedes in a 19.95 oil change deal place ..... He had not a clue what he was doing with the german style cartridge type filter..... He ended up installing it wrong.... So I said something to him.... The owner would have been blindsided .... )
3) find it hard to believe your engine is toast based on the info furnished .... No low oil warning light first? No noises first.....
As far as getting jiffy lube to stand behind this failure.... You would need definitive proof they messed up with the filter or the oil pan plug..... Oil viscosity .... Especially syn oil .... Would not ruin a good engine. You said you used jiffy s brand of syn ( Penn) ..... Pennsoil has a high level of detergent vs the competition.... If your engine was ultra dirty , you may have plugged the filter....
1) oil level when engine stopped running
2) condition of filter.... Proper oil filter? ( once I watched an oil changer working on a Mercedes in a 19.95 oil change deal place ..... He had not a clue what he was doing with the german style cartridge type filter..... He ended up installing it wrong.... So I said something to him.... The owner would have been blindsided .... )
3) find it hard to believe your engine is toast based on the info furnished .... No low oil warning light first? No noises first.....
As far as getting jiffy lube to stand behind this failure.... You would need definitive proof they messed up with the filter or the oil pan plug..... Oil viscosity .... Especially syn oil .... Would not ruin a good engine. You said you used jiffy s brand of syn ( Penn) ..... Pennsoil has a high level of detergent vs the competition.... If your engine was ultra dirty , you may have plugged the filter....
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The weight of the engine oil had nothing to do with your engine failure. However, if the tech failed to put enough oil into the engine (the I6 takes 6.9 qts which is quite high, the V8 takes more), then you have a case. What was the cause of the engine failure?
1- Why kind of prescription drugs were you on to even consider taking a BMW to a Jiff Pop?
2- Repeat question #1.
3- Repeat question #1.
DIY, Dealer or european Indie. I don't think I've ever had my personal cars oil changed IN MY LIFE! I even did my company cars oil changes for the most part. quicker and easier.
2- Repeat question #1.
3- Repeat question #1.
DIY, Dealer or european Indie. I don't think I've ever had my personal cars oil changed IN MY LIFE! I even did my company cars oil changes for the most part. quicker and easier.
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My only recent experience with Jiffy Lube was a few weeks ago. My daughter was in town for the weekend and needed the oil changed in her Mazda SUV. It was cold and miserable out so I told her to take it to Jiffy Lube for a $39.99 oil change rather than me crawling under it in the slush and cold. I had just replaced the fuel filter and air filter and plugs 6000 miles before. She came home with a bill for $139.00!!. They had replaced the fuel filter and air filter because it was, "recommended" by their computer and put $60.00 worth of synthetic in it rather than the 5/30 dyno I told her to get, "because the car has high mileage". I was less than happy and went down to the place. Long story short, they refunded her money and no member of my family will ever go near Jiffy Lube again. I think they are like so many places, they hire guys right out of the spin dry when they're all pumped up to make a good life; give them little training and pay them nothing.
:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
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Oil is oil with respect to what you're intimating.
How to choose the right motor oil for your E39 (by quality, cold-start, warm viscosity, slipperiness, and cost)
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Hi Ed,
I never try to start a firestorm - I simply apply logic & emotion (just like you and everyone else does), hence the discussion thread:
- How to choose the right motor oil for your E39 by quality, cold-start, warm viscosity, slipperiness, and cost.
It turns out I believe that a human being's current motor oil selection is predetermined by their personality - well before they ever purchased a specific BMW.
Hence, as you know, we've collectively opined on the three or four BMW religious types (depending on the fluid, as coolant choice involved a fourth risk-taker experimental personality type):
- Fundamental BMW fluids decision-making religious camps (1)
Specifically for motor oil, the three religious types will debate endlessly simply because the PEOPLE (not the oil) are different:
- Algorithms specific to motor oil selection (1)
The three fluid types can perhaps be best summarized as the following:
1. BMW recommendations only
2. BMW recommendations + oils that meet BMW specifications
3. BMW recommendations + oils that meet BMW specifications + oil that meets high industry standards (e.g., API / SAE standards)
Getting to the point, this thread is all about viscosity - and specifically - how viscosity reputedly ruined an engine.
So let's look at what the BMW owners manual says about viscosity:
Let's see what the Bentleys say about viscosity:
Bentley:
My owners manual says this about viscosity:
Now let's look at what the OP intimated:
- He says his owner manual "specifically says 5w30 0r 5w40 synthetic only".
- He says the indy purportedly put in "5W20 synthetic".
- The OP doesn't state the ambient temperature - but - since the 5 weight cold viscosity is the same in all three oils listed, I'll assume we're talking warm-running temperatures so we're talking about the 20 vs the 30 vs the 40 weight oil at engine temperature.
- He then intimates the 20 weight oil somehow ruined his engine (and only asks "if I have a case here").
A case?
- Note: We wholly omit any representations the indy made with respect to agreements, contracts, statements, etc.
- More importantly (as someone already noted), inexplicably, there is no diagnostic cause and effect established (maybe the engine overheated, for example?)
- So, it's way (way way way way) too soon to even discuss whether or not there is 'a case'.
But, we 'can' discuss what engine-temperature viscosity is appropriate for our bimmers.
Of course, BMW specifically omits any mention of 20-weight oil - so we need to dig a bit deeper away from the BMW Marketing Wizard-of-Oz, and a little deeper into engineering logic to find the answer to the OP's question.
Here's a chart of 20 weight oil in context with the 30 and 40 weight oil:
EDIT:
Here's another BMW-specific opinion on choosing E39 motor oil viscosity:
Note: It's hard to find SAE 20 mentioned anywhere in BMW land, so, this reference is kind'a old, but see "The Ultimate Engine Oil Guide for E36 M3... First stop for any information/questions"
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While most of us will agree, the 5w20 oil did not destroy the engine, we need to keep in mind that quoting the dated owner's manual or service manuals for 1997-2003 is kinda useless as it typically recommends based on available viscosities at the time of printing and/or production.
5W20 was introduced in 2002 and only adopted by Ford and Honda at the time for CAFE requirements.
Same goes for LL-98 vs LL-01 vs LL04 oil specs as being recommended due to then current oil technology.
Take a look at most recent BMW manuals and I'll bet we'll see 5w20 and 0w20 recommendations on many model lines many of which are backwards compatible and some will argue flow quicker, so protect faster than older higher viscosity oils.
5W20 was introduced in 2002 and only adopted by Ford and Honda at the time for CAFE requirements.
Same goes for LL-98 vs LL-01 vs LL04 oil specs as being recommended due to then current oil technology.
Take a look at most recent BMW manuals and I'll bet we'll see 5w20 and 0w20 recommendations on many model lines many of which are backwards compatible and some will argue flow quicker, so protect faster than older higher viscosity oils.
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