One Simple Mistake Can Turn A Standard Oil Change Into A $20K Headache

For many of us, our vehicles rank among our most expensive and valuable possessions. It’s not only a big investment, but also a necessity for daily life. It takes us to work, gets our kids to school, and carries our groceries. It’s something we take care of, from rotating the tires to those vital oil changes that help keep the engine healthy. Typically, a maintenance issue that drivers face once or twice a year, or about every 7,000 to 10,000 miles, regular oil changes keep your engine well-lubricated, clean out debris, and protect engine parts from wear and tear.

You can often get your oil changed at the dealership where you bought your car or a mechanic, but many drivers instead choose fast-service locations where you simply drive in and wait, like Jiffy Lube or Valvoline. These locations typically offer faster service than your dealership, don’t require an appointment, and are sometimes less expensive. A Florida woman, however, will likely make a different choice the next time she needs an oil change — once her car is up and running again, that is.

Local ABC affiliate WFTV Channel 9 reported on Shannon Gerdauskas, who took her Mercedes to a Take 5 Oil Change in Deland in October 2025. Instead of changing her oil, an employee accidentally drained her transmission fluid instead, and she drove away without that fluid being replenished. She experienced issues almost immediately and returned to the shop, where the mistake was discovered. The estimated cost of repairs was more than $18,000, and Gerdauskas was almost on the hook for it.

If you’re asking yourself, why was the customer almost responsible for the damages when they were caused by Take 5 Oil Change, Gerdauskas persistently asked the same thing. She did everything right but Take 5 uses another company to handle damage claims. That company, Fleet Response, approved a transmission flush but not the transmission replacement that her dealership says her vehicle required, denying her claim. It was only after WFTV got involved that Take 5 agreed to cover the repair costs and issued a statement to the new station: “While situations like this are rare, we strive to resolve matters fairly and transparently.”

These incidents may not happen often, but Gerdauskas is far from alone in her story. In February 2025, Baton Rouge CBS affiliate WAFB reported on a woman who took her 2018 Hyundai to Walmart for an oil change, only to discover the following day that they failed to put the oil drain plug back in. It caused almost $10,000 in damages, and Walmart agreed to cover only $6,000. And in late 2025, Motor1.com shared a story of a man who found an oil-soaked rag in his brake system after he experienced problems following an oil change at a Texas Take 5 location, posing a “serious safety hazard.”

Of course, don’t allow horror stories to prevent you from regularly changing your vehicle’s oil! We recommend that you take your vehicle to a trusted location that is clean and well-maintained, check reviews from other patrons, and look for locations with certified technicians that don’t pressure you to add extra services.