Customers of a major oil change chain reported Channel 2 Action News a quick and cheap oil change caused thousands of dollars in damage to their vehicles.
Robin Porterfield told it Channel 2 consumer researcher Justin Gray She went to Take 5 in Athens because it was close to the hospital where her wife is being treated for cancer.
““When I left, everything seemed fine,” Porterfield said.
Shortly after, she told Gray that her car was making a loud knocking noise.
“It was like, bam, bam, bam, really bad,” Porterfield said of being able to get to a friend’s house and inspect the noise.
“We took the dipstick out. All that was on it was a little black piece on the end,” she said.
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Ben Brown described the same situation when the low oil pressure light came on in his 2021 Jeep after stopping at a Take 5 in Charlotte.
“I opened the oil tank and smoke was coming out. Not a good sign,” Brown said as he pulled out the dipstick and wiped it clean, there was no oil in it.
Porterfield’s car has been out of service for more than six months, and with little public transportation in rural Clarke County, getting around is difficult.
“It was like a domino effect. I mean, I lost my job. I couldn’t go to work,” she said.
Porterfield told Gray that her wife has also missed several oncology appointments.
Porterfield says she called almost every day for three months before a district manager finally spoke to her,
“She said, if you put oil in the car it will void the warranty and there’s nothing we can do for you,” Porterfield said.
She told Gray that it was the manager of Take 5 who told her to put the oil in the car so he could go back to the company to have it checked.
“He says, well, you can put in a quarter to come back here. So I did,” she said.
Take 5 towed Jeeps from Ben Brown.
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“They determined the oil filter was broken. Apparently there’s a gasket that holds the oil filter on. It’s cracked,” Brown said.
After an independent mechanic determined the solution was a new engine, which would cost $13,000, Take 5 went quiet, according to Brown.
“He turned me down. He never wrote back. I feel abused. I mean, I’ve been through it,” he said.
Multiple lawsuits against Take 5 allege similar oil change nightmares.
A lawsuit in Texas alleges Take 5 destroyed the engine of a 2013 Dodge Charger by draining the oil and not changing it.
A report from the Office of Inspector General for the City of Jacksonville, Florida, found that between July 2021 and August 2023, “there have been 45 complaints from officers to the Sheriff’s Department attributing problems with their vehicles to substandard work performed by Take 5.”
Clay Brooks is a mechanic at Cooper Lake Automotive. The Marietta-based company has been servicing cars for four decades. Brooks told Gray that a simple oil change is much more complicated than it used to be.
It used to be that a universal tool was needed to open an oil cap. Now if a mechanic uses the wrong device, the oil cap could crack.
“When speed is your priority. I think that’s the case in any profession: the faster you try to go, even if you’re an absolute expert, you’re more likely to make mistakes if you focus on volume,” Brooks said.
Porterfield’s car is still untouched at a mechanic. She told Gray she is afraid to have anyone make repairs because of the fine print of the Take 5 warranty
This means you’re dependent on expensive Uber rides for everything.
“These people will not take responsibility. They will find any way they can to avoid taking responsibility,” Porterfield said.
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Take 5 does not specifically address the case, lawsuit or inspector general’s report, but tells us in a statement: “Customer satisfaction and quality service are of the utmost importance to Take 5. Our oil changes are consistent with warranties and warranties from vehicle manufacturers. help ensure a long engine life. Our services are backed by a 30 day or 1,000 mile warranty, provided customers adhere to the warranty terms. Even in cases where warranties have expired or been voided by a customer, we make every effort to achieve a satisfactory outcome, as our goal is to provide all our customers with an enjoyable and convenient experience.”
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