A man claims Valvoline Instant Oil Change "completely disabled" his wife’s Nissan Pathfinder and then refused to pay for the damages. Why are people saying they're not surprised? TikTok creator Wolfgang (@wolfgangkw2) is a Tennessee-based trucker who generally posts about his life on the road. He was recently covered by Motor1 after U-Haul allegedly charged him $198 for damage he says he didn't do. In a TikTok posted over the weekend, he lays out what he says happened after his wife visited Valvoline Instant Oil Change for a routine service. "The Valvoline Instant Oil Change on Sunset Drive in Johnson City, Tennessee, did nearly $700 in damage and completely disabled my wife’s 2022 Nissan Pathfinder," Wolfgang says to start the video. "And now they’re refusing to cover in full the damages that I’ve had to pay for that they caused. Here’s how it happened." How Did Valvoline Allegedly 'Disable' This Family’s Nissan Pathfinder? According to Wolfgang, his wife was at the Instant Oil Change to get a simple oil change when the technician removed the engine air filter to show it to her and ask if she wanted it replaced. She declined, but we says hat happened next started a chain of events that cost the family several hundred dollars and days of stress. "They didn’t latch the housing back, so it was open, sucking in tons of debris, which ultimately…caused a mass airflow sensor failure…[and] left my wife and four kids in this car a few days ago stranded," he says. "Thankfully, they were close to home. She had to limp the car back to our driveway. I was on the phone with the dealership. I travel a lot for work, so I’m not home." Did a Quick Oil Change Turn Into a Mass Airflow Sensor Failure? When his wife described the problem to him, Wolfgang immediately suspected a mass airflow sensor failure related to the air filter housing not being properly shut. That reminded his wife about what had happened during her recent oil change and led the couple to conclude that the technician hadn’t correctly closed the air filter housing when returning the filter. Wolfgang then took his wife’s Pathfinder to the Nissan dealership for a diagnostic check, which cost more than $165. "Found mass airflow sensor covered in debris," Wolfgang says, reading from the dealership report. "Attempted to clean the sensor. Was unable to salvage the sensor. Sensor failed." That leads Wolfgang to file a claim with Valvoline’s off-site claims department, but he was disappointed that he still hadn’t heard anything back from the management of the specific Valvoline location that worked on his wife’s car. So she went there in person with the service paperwork from the Nissan dealership. What Did the Valvoline Manager Allegedly Say? Wolfgang says the manager eventually greeted his wife after making her wait an extended period. "And the guy basically says, 'I reviewed the security camera; we put the filter back in the box,'" Wolfgang says. "I’m sitting here like, [mind blown]. I’m like, Well, yeah. Nobody’s saying they didn’t put the filter back in. They didn’t latch it back, obviously." Wolfgang says that the manager eventually allowed his wife to review the security footage herself, and she claims it’s impossible to tell from the angle whether or not the technician actually closed the air filter housing properly. Even more bizarrely, Wolfgang’s wife purportedly told him the manager said she would need to get a "subpoena from a court" if she wanted a copy of the footage. Then the manager allegedly accused the couple of going to the Nissan dealership with the "presupposition" that Valvoline had done the damage, and that’s what led to the diagnostic report she was showing him. "How is that us influencing the tech at Nissan to put anything on there that would try to shift culpability to Valvoline?" Wolfgang asks. "That’s just obvious facts putting two and two together who did this." How Did the Valvoline Claims Process Work Out? Wolfgang says he was told by a Valvoline claims representative that his claim might be denied because he’d already proceeded with repairs. He says he was stunned to hear this because the Pathfinder is a family car, and therefore, the family couldn’t wait to be reimbursed for the repairs. All in all, Wolfgang says the entire experience cost him about $650. When he finally did get confirmation that he would receive a claims check, he learned that it would only cover the replacement mass airflow sensor—not the diagnostic fees or associated labor hours. "I would almost rather them have spit in my face as opposed to only being willing to reimburse half of my claim," he says. "If you go there, you need to pop your hood and make sure all the stuff…that they’ve tinkered with trying to upcharge you? Make sure they put it back properly. Because now I’m out $350." Varying Opinions of Quick Oil Changes In the comments section, viewers weighed in on the specifics of this story and the realities of quick oil change chains in general. "This is exactly why I take my vehicle to the dealership for maintenance," wrote one. "Seems like Valvoline is giving y’all the run around and won’t take responsibility." "Every Valvoline oil change comes with a 14-point inspection," said a second person, responding to Wolfgang’s point that his wife did not consent for her air filter to be removed. "When she showed up and said, ‘Hey, I want my oil changed,’ she signed a thing stating the price and everything and [it notes] they also do a 14-point [inspection]." "Leaving an oil change, I stop in the parking lot and check myself to make sure it is not leaking oil, the cover plate is intact, and the intake is secure," said a third viewer. Others offered an inside perspective of Valvoline. "I worked at Valvoline as a manager in the beginning of my career and their main goal is to not pay out any claims," one said. "Deny deny deny and when they can’t get out of it they pay as little as possible." A second wrote, "Former Valvoline employee here. Yeah they constantly try to fight to not pay for claims. Just deny everything and move on was the 'unofficial' moto." On Consumer Affairs, Valvoline is currently rated 1.3 out of 5 stars based on 555 reviews and ratings. While customers praise the customer service and communication, they also note inconsistent service quality as the main con of using Valvoline services. That is also the sentiment expressed in a Reddit thread posted to r/MechanicAdvice a year ago. Commenters said inconsistent service quality can be a problem at any quick oil change place, and doesn’t seem to be a problem unique to Valvoline. Motor1 contacted Wolfgang via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We also contacted Valvoline via online contact form for comment. This story will be updated if either party replies. We want your opinion! What would you like to see on Motor1.com? Take our 3 minute survey. - The Motor1.com Team