Shoutout to the guy who put motor oil in his transmission

Had a customer last Tuesday who swore up and down his 'tranny fluid' was fine because it was 'basically the same stuff.' Drained his transmission and sure enough, dark brown motor oil came out. Now his car shifts like it's having a seizure. Has anyone else dealt with someone mixing up fluids like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

claire99221d ago

Oh man, that is a rough one. I had a neighbor once who was convinced that windshield wiper fluid and coolant were the same thing because they were both blue. Dumped a whole jug of Rain-X in his overflow tank and wondered why his engine started smoking. The worst part is he argued with me for ten minutes saying, "But it's all just water and soap, right?" Your guy with the transmission fluid is even more crazy though. I guess some people just see "oil" and think it's all interchangeable.

richardrodriguez21d ago

Oh man, you've got ME fired up now. Is it something in the water where people just decide fluids are all the same? I had this guy bring in his Ford Ranger last spring, swore up and down he'd been "topping off" his power steering with brake fluid because it was "the same color" and "both go in the steering column." I almost lost it. He'd been doing it for SIX MONTHS. The reservoir was this nasty, foamy sludge and the pump was screeching like a dying cat. I asked him why he thought it was okay and he said, "Well, they're both hydraulic fluids, right?" NO, DUDE. No they are NOT.