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My Car

Asked almost 4 years ago - Chicago, IL

I took my car into Jiffy Lube last year on April 13 2007 for a Transmission Oil change. I pulled into the place of business at 12:45 in the afternoon, i they told me it would take 30 to 45 minutes till my car was ready. 1:30 came and they were still working on it, 2:00 came around and i ask the guy what was taking so long he said they are still working on it. I had to be at work at 3:00 so i called my manager and told her that i was getting my car worked on and that i will be late. At 3:30 they were finished with my car and as i got in everything was fine but when i pulled off and was going over the hill my car started acting funny, so i called my dealership and told them i was having a problem with my car they told me to bring it in to them so they can look at it. That wednesday my dealership called me back and asked me who was the last ones to work on my car and i told them Jiffy Lube they did an transmission oil change, they told me that my transmission wire were disconnected and the the transmission was no good. I called the jiffy lube that i took my car to and told them what had happend and asked them for the corp number and the guy hung up on me, so i went on there website and got the number and gave them a call and told them what happend they gave me someone that would handle my case and i gave them the dealership number so they can contact them and i gave the dealership there number, as time went on the dealership got in contact with me saying that they could not get in contact with the person that was handling my case so i called them and i couldnt get in contact with them. When my car was finished my dealership gave me a call to let me know my car was done they also said they got in contact with the person that was handeling my case and they told him what the cost was for the repair to the car and they told my dealership that they couldnt get no one to come out and have a look at the car so they are not responsible for what happend to it. So i lost my car and i couldnt get back and forth to work for quite some time and i alomost lost my job because i didnt have reliable transportation

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Attorney answers (1)

Stephen J. O'Brien

Reputation Level 14

Answered almost 4 years ago. General Practice Lawyer in Pittsburgh, PA.

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I do not practice in your state but your basic claim is for damage to your transmission and expenses for the repair, and possible lost wages. First, you need your dealership to explain that what was wrong with your transmission is more than just some unconnected wires. i.e. that the problems with your transmission were caused by the poor work performed by Jiffy Lube. It is possible that the wires were not connected but the transmission was already in poor condition. If the dealer will provide you with a statement then you may be able to file your compliant before a lower level court or request civil arbitration. If you can substantiate that Jiffy Lube damaged your transmission then you have a potential claim for damages stemming from such action, such as the dealer repair coast and other out of pocket expenses, which could have included car rental fees. The lost wage claim is unlikely, since you are under a duty to mitigate your damages, meaning minimize your damages, staying home from work becuase you did not have a car is unlikely to be compensable. You can proceed in same claims courts with or without a lawyer. A lawyer is helpful even in small claims. Get the statement from your car dealer first. Without it, I don't believe you have a case.

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