Image Credit: WSB-TV / YouTube.If you have ever wondered whether a quick oil change from a national chain is really as simple as it looks, a Douglas County, Georgia woman's story might make you think twice. Gian Johnston McGladen says a routine stop at the Take Five on Thornton Road left her with a totaled engine, and the proof is sitting right in her back seat. Not a metaphor. An actual chunk of her 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee's engine, pulled out by a mechanic and handed back to her like a very expensive souvenir.This isn't an isolated complaint either. Channel 2 Action News consumer investigator Justin Gray was at that same Thornton Road location earlier this month looking into a nearly identical situation involving another driver. Two ruined engines, two customers, one location. That's the kind of pattern that gets attention, and it should.Johnston McGladen says the trouble traces back to an oil change where the oil pan wasn't properly reinstalled. When she brought her concerns to the shop, she says the manager told her she had forfeited her warranty because she didn't return the vehicle to them first. In the meantime, she's without a car, leaning on rideshares just to get to work, which is not exactly a small inconvenience for most working people.AdvertisementAdvertisementHere's the part that should matter to every driver reading this. It wasn't long ago we told you about Regina Lee, whose 2023 BMW X3 suffered engine damage after an oil change at that very same Take Five, this time reportedly because the oil drain plug wasn't properly reinstalled. Two different cars, two different mistakes, same shop.When the Big Brand Isn't Who You're Actually Dealing WithChannel 2's consumer advisor Clark Howard made a point worth remembering here. National chains like Take Five are typically run by local franchise owners, not the corporate parent. So when something goes wrong, you're not negotiating with a big company that has a reputation to protect nationwide.You're negotiating with whoever owns that particular store, and results can vary a lot from one location to the next.The Owner Responds, Sort OfAfter the first story aired, the franchise owner did email Regina Lee saying he looked forward to resolving things, but he declined to increase what he'd pay toward a new engine. He also told her he wasn't thrilled she'd gone to the media. When Gray reached out again, the owner said taking care of legitimate complaints is the business's responsibility, but drew a line at what he called people trying to game the system.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Chinara Group's vice president initially agreed to an interview, then went quiet.Lessons LearnedClark Howard's advice is simple and honestly makes sense. Building a relationship with a local, independent mechanic might cost a little more upfront, but you get accountability and trust that a rotating staff at a quick-change chain often can't offer.Keep your receipts, document everything, and if a shop tells you that you voided your own warranty by not driving your busted car back to the scene of the crime, that's worth pushing back on. A five-minute oil change should never turn into a five-figure headache.If you want more stories like this, follow Guessing Headlights on Yahoo so you don't miss what's coming next.
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