The ultimate new car owners’ horror story: A college student was given a new front wheel drive car by her parents. After 1,200 miles, it was due for its first oil change at the dealer, but a fellow student offered to change her oil for free. He figured this would be a good way to get her attention. She reluctantly allowed him to change the oil because it seemed so important to him to do so.
He crawled under the front of the car and removed the transmission drain plug. She commented that the oil seemed awfully thick. He said that was the way it is supposed to be in new cars. After reinserting the transmission plug, he put four quarts of oil in the engine. Now there was no oil in the transmission and twice as much as there should have been in the engine. She drove a few miles and the car quit working properly. The dealer towed it away, and after preparing a careful estimate, reported that the damage was not covered by the warranty, being abuse, and repairs would cost $2,400. Her friend got her attention all right!