Vent: That time a customer blamed me for their blown head gasket

Had a guy roll into the shop last Tuesday with a '94 Cummins 12-valve, coolant pouring out. He swore it was my fault from a oil change I did 4 months ago. Pulled the head and found a crack right between cylinders 3 and 4, had nothing to do with me. Showed him the crack with a flashlight and he still argued for 10 minutes before paying. Anybody else get blamed for stuff that was already broken?

2 comments

2 Comments

rosed3224d ago

Swore it was my fault from a oil change I did" - you really think a random oil change guy is gonna admit he accidentally left a bolt loose or something? A crack between cylinders doesn't come from thin air, maybe it was already there, but maybe you overtightened something or used the wrong coolant that made things worse. Customers don't just pull accusations out of nowhere, sometimes you gotta look at your own work first.

cole_hall23d ago

rodsed32, three years I did warranty engine work. A crack between cylinders almost always comes from heat stress or a manufacturing flaw, not a simple oil change. Your best move is to quietly check the coolant for exhaust gases before you blame yourself, then call the shop owner not the tech if it's positive.