Firestone Complete Auto Care From an Oil Change to Transmission rebuilt ripoff Jacksonville Florida

The original post and almost all of the replies are funny and almost none of them are true. Firestone had nothing to do with this transmission going bad and situations like these are very common in automotive repair shops. After many years of situations like these I can tell you a few assumptions of my own.

The original poster is a very frugal poster that does not properly maintain the vehicle. She said she usually says no to recommendations. She said her fluids where black and she brought in a coupon.

Yes coincidences in a manner of speaking do happen at repair shops and here is why. When your vehicle goes in for an oil change it is lifted on a rack about 6-7 feet in the air. This rack lifts the vehicle from four points. Most vehicles weigh about two tons or more. So you are placing all kinds of new stresses on the drive train and structure of this vehicle that it is not used to which can uncover hidden problems. Is a repair shop responsible because your transmission failed during regular service...no. It happens and the transmission would have failed anyways.

Most customers will instinctively blame the repair shop out of ignorance and a desire to get something for free.

To clear a few things up:

I have never heard of a repair shop recycling oil. It may happen somewhere but it would be very uncommon. Motor oil is not that expensive when purchased in bulk. Oil molecules actually change properties after time and just filtering oil would not be sufficiuent to make it look clean or new.

The only place that uses Vaculas to suck motor oil from a vehicle is Mercedes and that is only on newer models that do not have a drain plug. The vaculas have to be high powered and can be costly and inefficient compared to draining oil.

Some Ford transmissions do come with a drain plug. If there is no drain plug then most repair shops use a flush machine and/or replace the filter and gasket.

Draining the transmission fluid and over filling the oil can and does happen albeit infrequently. It is almost always seen by the technician because used trans fluid is dark red and used oil is dark black and are distinctively so. However, this would have been caught during the fuel system cleaning since the vehicle has to run up to 20 minutes to do it properly. An engine overfilled with that much oil will show deffinate runability problems during 20 minutes. The trans would also shift hard when it is driven from the bay to the parking lot even if it is not test driven after the services.

Most entry level employees do not do fuel system cleanings because if one is done incorrectly it can hydro-lock a motor or damage an electronic throttle body.

The op's story is full of holes, assumptions and obvious half truths.

I don't know of any shop, high volume or otherwise, that uses a suck tube to drain a transmission. Why would anyone go through the trouble to do that when the pan is coming off anyway to change the filter. If the filter is not being changed, simply hook up the fluid exchange(flush) machine to the cooler line and let it go.

This wasn't about draining the tranny anyway. It was about the OP attempting an old scam against the repair shop. The scam did not bear fruit, as it never does.

Robert/A/Matt/Nate, you make good arguments, but need to change your linguistics, the various names you use dont mask your thought process and demeanor. Jennifer relies on your experience as a mechanic, yet you claim that it is not possible to drain a ford trans due to a lack of drain plug. Since you are a mechanic, you know that draining oil at high volume shops is usually done with an extractor(like a vacuum for oil for the uninitiated. It is a long tube you stick into the dipstick, goes down into the engine//trans, and sucks the fluid out.) Also, if you want to drain the trans fluid, simply unbolt the pan. I guarantee that anyone going to Firestone asking for a trans fluid change will not be told, "We cant, there is no drain plug" They will either extract the fluid or drop the pan. the gasket is even reusable, but I am sure they'll get charged for a new one.

I can't believe that so many people have argued about this. I understand how everyone thinks that the transmission problems are the result of the black fluid, but I don't get how they think it was caused by the shop.

Topping off the fluid is not going to make it turn black, no matter which way you look at it. The owner of the vehicle obviously did not take care of the transmission.

As for the posters question about why they would be so willing to refund the money for the service is simple... they just wanted you to go away. It's easier to just give you your money back and send you somewhere else, like Ford, for a second opinion. They are saying that you wont be able to prove they caused the damage to your transmission by doing the fuel injection service, because that isn't what cause the problem. Did you ever take it to Ford and have them check it out?

They would have told you the same thing. Oh, and it really doesn't matter that you are just 5200 miles past your warranty, because Ford wouldn't have warrantied your transmission after the way you treated it anyway. Owner neglect is all it boils down to.

I understand, I haven't done anything to my transmission either! I neglected it for the past 3 years! Now I am afraid to do anything to it, like mentioned above, I am worried if I change it now that it will start slipping with the new fluid. I have plenty of miles on it and will just wait until it finally goes out to replace it, and I won't be surpised when it does either. That's just what happens when you neglect something like that.

BTW Pablo, there are laws and regulations to using recycled oil, not that every shop follows them of course! The oil must be marked that it is recycled and I am sure there is more to just running it through a filter. Your neighbor should find out if it is actually recycled oil, from what little reading I did about it, they do a pretty good job of making it like new again, but it wont hold up as long as regular oil, meaning he would need more frequent changes. Again, I only read a little about the subject before I got bored (besides it doesn't affect me anyhow) so I can't say for sure. Either way if you suspect it is recycled oil he should probably find out. Also from what I have read, dark engine oil doesn't mean it is burnt or no good anymore. Apperantly the color is not a direct indication of the condition. The oil can turn brown in a matter of a few hours driving.(Again, just from reading I am NOT an expert of course!)

I can't believe that so many people have argued about this. I understand how everyone thinks that the transmission problems are the result of the black fluid, but I don't get how they think it was caused by the shop.

Topping off the fluid is not going to make it turn black, no matter which way you look at it. The owner of the vehicle obviously did not take care of the transmission.

As for the posters question about why they would be so willing to refund the money for the service is simple... they just wanted you to go away. It's easier to just give you your money back and send you somewhere else, like Ford, for a second opinion. They are saying that you wont be able to prove they caused the damage to your transmission by doing the fuel injection service, because that isn't what cause the problem. Did you ever take it to Ford and have them check it out?

They would have told you the same thing. Oh, and it really doesn't matter that you are just 5200 miles past your warranty, because Ford wouldn't have warrantied your transmission after the way you treated it anyway. Owner neglect is all it boils down to.

I understand, I haven't done anything to my transmission either! I neglected it for the past 3 years! Now I am afraid to do anything to it, like mentioned above, I am worried if I change it now that it will start slipping with the new fluid. I have plenty of miles on it and will just wait until it finally goes out to replace it, and I won't be surpised when it does either. That's just what happens when you neglect something like that.

BTW Pablo, there are laws and regulations to using recycled oil, not that every shop follows them of course! The oil must be marked that it is recycled and I am sure there is more to just running it through a filter. Your neighbor should find out if it is actually recycled oil, from what little reading I did about it, they do a pretty good job of making it like new again, but it wont hold up as long as regular oil, meaning he would need more frequent changes. Again, I only read a little about the subject before I got bored (besides it doesn't affect me anyhow) so I can't say for sure. Either way if you suspect it is recycled oil he should probably find out. Also from what I have read, dark engine oil doesn't mean it is burnt or no good anymore. Apperantly the color is not a direct indication of the condition. The oil can turn brown in a matter of a few hours driving.(Again, just from reading I am NOT an expert of course!)

I can't believe that so many people have argued about this. I understand how everyone thinks that the transmission problems are the result of the black fluid, but I don't get how they think it was caused by the shop.

Topping off the fluid is not going to make it turn black, no matter which way you look at it. The owner of the vehicle obviously did not take care of the transmission.

As for the posters question about why they would be so willing to refund the money for the service is simple... they just wanted you to go away. It's easier to just give you your money back and send you somewhere else, like Ford, for a second opinion. They are saying that you wont be able to prove they caused the damage to your transmission by doing the fuel injection service, because that isn't what cause the problem. Did you ever take it to Ford and have them check it out?

They would have told you the same thing. Oh, and it really doesn't matter that you are just 5200 miles past your warranty, because Ford wouldn't have warrantied your transmission after the way you treated it anyway. Owner neglect is all it boils down to.

I understand, I haven't done anything to my transmission either! I neglected it for the past 3 years! Now I am afraid to do anything to it, like mentioned above, I am worried if I change it now that it will start slipping with the new fluid. I have plenty of miles on it and will just wait until it finally goes out to replace it, and I won't be surpised when it does either. That's just what happens when you neglect something like that.

BTW Pablo, there are laws and regulations to using recycled oil, not that every shop follows them of course! The oil must be marked that it is recycled and I am sure there is more to just running it through a filter. Your neighbor should find out if it is actually recycled oil, from what little reading I did about it, they do a pretty good job of making it like new again, but it wont hold up as long as regular oil, meaning he would need more frequent changes. Again, I only read a little about the subject before I got bored (besides it doesn't affect me anyhow) so I can't say for sure. Either way if you suspect it is recycled oil he should probably find out. Also from what I have read, dark engine oil doesn't mean it is burnt or no good anymore. Apperantly the color is not a direct indication of the condition. The oil can turn brown in a matter of a few hours driving.(Again, just from reading I am NOT an expert of course!)

I can't believe that so many people have argued about this. I understand how everyone thinks that the transmission problems are the result of the black fluid, but I don't get how they think it was caused by the shop.

Topping off the fluid is not going to make it turn black, no matter which way you look at it. The owner of the vehicle obviously did not take care of the transmission.

As for the posters question about why they would be so willing to refund the money for the service is simple... they just wanted you to go away. It's easier to just give you your money back and send you somewhere else, like Ford, for a second opinion. They are saying that you wont be able to prove they caused the damage to your transmission by doing the fuel injection service, because that isn't what cause the problem. Did you ever take it to Ford and have them check it out?

They would have told you the same thing. Oh, and it really doesn't matter that you are just 5200 miles past your warranty, because Ford wouldn't have warrantied your transmission after the way you treated it anyway. Owner neglect is all it boils down to.

I understand, I haven't done anything to my transmission either! I neglected it for the past 3 years! Now I am afraid to do anything to it, like mentioned above, I am worried if I change it now that it will start slipping with the new fluid. I have plenty of miles on it and will just wait until it finally goes out to replace it, and I won't be surpised when it does either. That's just what happens when you neglect something like that.

BTW Pablo, there are laws and regulations to using recycled oil, not that every shop follows them of course! The oil must be marked that it is recycled and I am sure there is more to just running it through a filter. Your neighbor should find out if it is actually recycled oil, from what little reading I did about it, they do a pretty good job of making it like new again, but it wont hold up as long as regular oil, meaning he would need more frequent changes. Again, I only read a little about the subject before I got bored (besides it doesn't affect me anyhow) so I can't say for sure. Either way if you suspect it is recycled oil he should probably find out. Also from what I have read, dark engine oil doesn't mean it is burnt or no good anymore. Apperantly the color is not a direct indication of the condition. The oil can turn brown in a matter of a few hours driving.(Again, just from reading I am NOT an expert of course!)

I must agree with Robert on this case. The only time transmission fluid would be black is if it is Burned up. Engine oil is not BLACK. Please, go buy a bottle and pour it out so that you can se yourself. Also, the viscosity of the two types of liquids is very nearly identical, ounce again, don't believe me or Robert, go buy two bottles and compare them.

Robert is a Mechanic. The rest of you ARE NOT.

Something was wrong with the tranny before the car was brought in. Transmission issues do come up unexpectedly. Trust me, before I bought my new car I had 3 very used cards. I learned how to ride by the seat of my pants, and I also learned that it is hardly EVER the mechanics fault. Whomever stated that if something goes wrong with your car after a mechanic touched it that is probably the mechanics fault needs to learn a lot more about cars.

I will admit franchises such as firestone and value brakes will rip consumers off for mediocre things. They will tell you that you need an engine flush, or new rotors even when you don't. I just don't think they are going to trash your car such as the OP stated. If they did, they would genet bad word of mouth and you would never come back, not exactly what they want.

The fact of the matter is, everyone thinks as long as you keep gas in it and the oil changed, your car will be fine. WRONG. Transmissions need to be serviced, spark plugs replaced, tune ups done ect. Rip off's concerning mechanics can easily be taken care of by knowing just the basics about your car.

I must agree with Robert on this case. The only time transmission fluid would be black is if it is Burned up. Engine oil is not BLACK. Please, go buy a bottle and pour it out so that you can se yourself. Also, the viscosity of the two types of liquids is very nearly identical, ounce again, don't believe me or Robert, go buy two bottles and compare them.

Robert is a Mechanic. The rest of you ARE NOT.

Something was wrong with the tranny before the car was brought in. Transmission issues do come up unexpectedly. Trust me, before I bought my new car I had 3 very used cards. I learned how to ride by the seat of my pants, and I also learned that it is hardly EVER the mechanics fault. Whomever stated that if something goes wrong with your car after a mechanic touched it that is probably the mechanics fault needs to learn a lot more about cars.

I will admit franchises such as firestone and value brakes will rip consumers off for mediocre things. They will tell you that you need an engine flush, or new rotors even when you don't. I just don't think they are going to trash your car such as the OP stated. If they did, they would genet bad word of mouth and you would never come back, not exactly what they want.

The fact of the matter is, everyone thinks as long as you keep gas in it and the oil changed, your car will be fine. WRONG. Transmissions need to be serviced, spark plugs replaced, tune ups done ect. Rip off's concerning mechanics can easily be taken care of by knowing just the basics about your car.

I must agree with Robert on this case. The only time transmission fluid would be black is if it is Burned up. Engine oil is not BLACK. Please, go buy a bottle and pour it out so that you can se yourself. Also, the viscosity of the two types of liquids is very nearly identical, ounce again, don't believe me or Robert, go buy two bottles and compare them.

Robert is a Mechanic. The rest of you ARE NOT.

Something was wrong with the tranny before the car was brought in. Transmission issues do come up unexpectedly. Trust me, before I bought my new car I had 3 very used cards. I learned how to ride by the seat of my pants, and I also learned that it is hardly EVER the mechanics fault. Whomever stated that if something goes wrong with your car after a mechanic touched it that is probably the mechanics fault needs to learn a lot more about cars.

I will admit franchises such as firestone and value brakes will rip consumers off for mediocre things. They will tell you that you need an engine flush, or new rotors even when you don't. I just don't think they are going to trash your car such as the OP stated. If they did, they would genet bad word of mouth and you would never come back, not exactly what they want.

The fact of the matter is, everyone thinks as long as you keep gas in it and the oil changed, your car will be fine. WRONG. Transmissions need to be serviced, spark plugs replaced, tune ups done ect. Rip off's concerning mechanics can easily be taken care of by knowing just the basics about your car.

I must agree with Robert on this case. The only time transmission fluid would be black is if it is Burned up. Engine oil is not BLACK. Please, go buy a bottle and pour it out so that you can se yourself. Also, the viscosity of the two types of liquids is very nearly identical, ounce again, don't believe me or Robert, go buy two bottles and compare them.

Robert is a Mechanic. The rest of you ARE NOT.

Something was wrong with the tranny before the car was brought in. Transmission issues do come up unexpectedly. Trust me, before I bought my new car I had 3 very used cards. I learned how to ride by the seat of my pants, and I also learned that it is hardly EVER the mechanics fault. Whomever stated that if something goes wrong with your car after a mechanic touched it that is probably the mechanics fault needs to learn a lot more about cars.

I will admit franchises such as firestone and value brakes will rip consumers off for mediocre things. They will tell you that you need an engine flush, or new rotors even when you don't. I just don't think they are going to trash your car such as the OP stated. If they did, they would genet bad word of mouth and you would never come back, not exactly what they want.

The fact of the matter is, everyone thinks as long as you keep gas in it and the oil changed, your car will be fine. WRONG. Transmissions need to be serviced, spark plugs replaced, tune ups done ect. Rip off's concerning mechanics can easily be taken care of by knowing just the basics about your car.

As for BLACK oil, I believe many oil change shops recycle their used motor oil back into folks cars. I've read that many simply screen filter it and put it back into the fill tanks.

Why? A neighbor goes to one of those 16.99 places. I do my own and have shown him my oil compared to his " new" oil which appears to be black as coffee. Mine, on the dipstick is nearly crystal clear with a hint of yellowish. Both a week after changing.

Transmission wise I've heard of well used transmission fluids being changed causing the transmission not to work. Why? The old fluid is so contaminated with particles that it acts as a liquid sandpaper providing the transmission with enough friction to engage. Then when slippery new stuff is added, there is not enough friction for the clutches to grip. I got this from " my honest mechanic" on the web.

Furthermore, I read that putting oil in a tranny will not actually hurt it since the trany fluids are all oil based. And oil is not a substance that'll hurt anything mechanical.It may slip more than you want but it doesn't cause damage and can simply be changed out for tranny fluid which is a little less slippery than pure oil.

As for BLACK oil, I believe many oil change shops recycle their used motor oil back into folks cars. I've read that many simply screen filter it and put it back into the fill tanks.

Why? A neighbor goes to one of those 16.99 places. I do my own and have shown him my oil compared to his " new" oil which appears to be black as coffee. Mine, on the dipstick is nearly crystal clear with a hint of yellowish. Both a week after changing.

Transmission wise I've heard of well used transmission fluids being changed causing the transmission not to work. Why? The old fluid is so contaminated with particles that it acts as a liquid sandpaper providing the transmission with enough friction to engage. Then when slippery new stuff is added, there is not enough friction for the clutches to grip. I got this from " my honest mechanic" on the web.

Furthermore, I read that putting oil in a tranny will not actually hurt it since the trany fluids are all oil based. And oil is not a substance that'll hurt anything mechanical.It may slip more than you want but it doesn't cause damage and can simply be changed out for tranny fluid which is a little less slippery than pure oil.

"In fla. you cant "hold" on to someones car that doesnt pay. Thats auto theft. If the owner refuses to pay, they CAN call the police, and you will have to release the car. It becomes a civil matter."

WRONG! He/she can call the cops all they want. The cops can do NOTHING. The person will have to go to the Clerk of Court, and PAY the entire repair bill, PLUS Court Costs, PLUS a few other incidental fees, in order to get a "release" that is given to the repair shop. THEN, and ONLY then, is the vehicle released without payment to the shop. The shop only needs to file suit against the offending parties to get the money. Very simple. In other words, the car will not leave without the bill being paid. NOBODY actually does that. They know they will have to pay the bill anyway, so they either pay the shop, or they hand over the title.

"As for the black oil in the tranny. An over filled trans wont turn the oil black especially in a day, also motor oil in the tranny wont do that in a day or two either. Could just be coincidence. A clooged transmission cooler can kill a transmission. Sorry fact of the matter is Ford makes rotten transmissions. Their last decent unit was the C-6. My mother had a Taurus and its tranny was junk"

Exactly.

In fla. you cant "hold" on to someones car that doesnt pay. Thats auto theft. If the owner refuses to pay, they CAN call the police, and you will have to release the car. It becomes a civil matter. As for the black oil in the tranny. An over filled trans wont turn the oil black especially in a day, also motor oil in the tranny wont do that in a day or two either. Could just be coincidence. A clooged transmission cooler can kill a transmission. Sorry fact of the matter is Ford makes rotten transmissions. Their last decent unit was the C-6. My mother had a Taurus and its tranny was junk.

Larry, new engine oil is not black, therefore, adding a little engine oil to the red transmission fluid will not turn it black.

Incidentally, transmission fluid is nothing more than a 5w oil with red dye and additives. Some heavy duty automatics even require 10w30 to work. Fleet vehicles(police, taxi's) in the 50's and 60's also required 30w engine oil. Dexron was the miracle cure.

The OP said the transmission fluid was black. The ONLY thing that turns tranny fluid black is the fluid being burned up. This happens after many miles, not one day.

Once again, I never said mechanics don't make mistakes. Let's pretend the oil changer added engine oil to the tranny. It would have been 5w30, as this is what nearly all the bulk tanks get filled with at those places. It will have the exact same flow properties as Dexron3 or MerconV, so the little bit added will have ZERO effect on the operation of the tranny. Filling the tranny with several quarts would not be good, but these places usually add up to a pint at most. Any more than that and profits are being eaten up. In reality, the place probably added nothing. They told him/her they added nothing. When questioned, they told the OP that topping off the fluids is part of the service. This does not mean they added anything to this particular tranny. If something is already full, why add more? At no time did Firestone say they added any fluid of any type to the tranny on this vehicle. In fact, they said they did not. The sheet the oil change guy uses is a cheat sheet with all the things he/she has to do. As he/she does them, he/she checks them off. They don't mark down how much, or if nothing at all was added. Is this item done?...Check mark!...all done.

The OP knew he/she had tranny problems, and as everyone does, added more tranny fluid himself/herself. They do it every single time. If something doesn't work right, it must need more fluid. Have a failing fuel pump? Put more gas in the tank. I see it every day. If the fuel pump doesn't work on 1/4 tank, let's fill it up. If the engine knocks with 5 qts in it, let's add some more. If the tranny slips, keep adding more. I've drained more than 5 gallons out of a 350 Chevy engine at one time. I found a tranny with so much in it, it was coming out the vent tube.

Every single day.

The OP said her brother found the transmission fluid to be black when it should be red. She never said the fluid was burned. She also said the transmission was overfilled ("over the allow mark line on the dipstick").

The OP took her car in for an oil change. What are the chances that the minimum-wage kid doing the oil change knows engine oil from transmission fluid? Based on the description of the problem and how it came about my bet is that the dope-head kid put four quarts of engine oil in the transmission. That explains the black fluid and the overfull transmission.

Don't say it does not happen. I saw a kid in a shop I once worked in drain the engine on a Renault and then put four quarts of engine oil in the gas tank. (The fuel filler was located under the hood next to the engine.)

Firestone ruined this person's transmission.

The OP said her brother found the transmission fluid to be black when it should be red. She never said the fluid was burned. She also said the transmission was overfilled ("over the allow mark line on the dipstick").

The OP took her car in for an oil change. What are the chances that the minimum-wage kid doing the oil change knows engine oil from transmission fluid? Based on the description of the problem and how it came about my bet is that the dope-head kid put four quarts of engine oil in the transmission. That explains the black fluid and the overfull transmission.

Don't say it does not happen. I saw a kid in a shop I once worked in drain the engine on a Renault and then put four quarts of engine oil in the gas tank. (The fuel filler was located under the hood next to the engine.)

Firestone ruined this person's transmission.

The OP said her brother found the transmission fluid to be black when it should be red. She never said the fluid was burned. She also said the transmission was overfilled ("over the allow mark line on the dipstick").

The OP took her car in for an oil change. What are the chances that the minimum-wage kid doing the oil change knows engine oil from transmission fluid? Based on the description of the problem and how it came about my bet is that the dope-head kid put four quarts of engine oil in the transmission. That explains the black fluid and the overfull transmission.

Don't say it does not happen. I saw a kid in a shop I once worked in drain the engine on a Renault and then put four quarts of engine oil in the gas tank. (The fuel filler was located under the hood next to the engine.)

Firestone ruined this person's transmission.

"The customer is always wrong". The creed by which Robert lives, ask him, he'll tell you. All of you motorists are out to cheat him.

The OP complains about his/her transmission fluid being burned up(black) a day after getting his/her oil change done. The two issues have NOTHING to do with each other.

He/she owns a Ford(told to go to the FORD dealer), and NO Ford AUTOMATIC transmission/transaxle has a drain plug. They did not drain ANYTHING from his/her tranny. Topping off the fluid will not change the color in any way either. If the tranny requires MerconV, adding a little Dexron3 will do no harm. The fluid turned black because it was burned up from MANY miles of use, not because she drove around for a day. I never said mechanics don't make mistakes. I said there is no way they could have added OLD oil to the tranny. That was one theory offered by Andrew. In your case Dan, fluid was drained, but not added. And as you noted, NO damage was actually done to your tranny. Thank you for making the case AGAINST the OP.

Transmission scams are very common. I have a Cougar at my shop right now. It is the result of a two part scam. Person "A" brought it in asking for a tranny flush, and a new radiator. When it was done, person "B" showed up telling me I had to give him HIS car because HE didn't authorize the work, person "A" did. "B" also wanted to know if the transmission worked now. Surprise! The tranny was bad all along. Sucked to be both of them. I had already road tested the car and noted the lack of upshifts on the work order. I also informed them both of the law. The part that said it doesn't matter who owns the car. All that matters is that I have a signed work order. With that, I can hold the car. I now have a clean title on it. They tried two unsuccessful scams. The old "transmission doesn't work now" scam, and the "owner didn't authorize the work" scam.

Neither of these scams EVER work. There is even a ROR in this site about someone who tried the "owner didn't authorize the work" scam, and failed. He and the owner were mad because it didn't work, and the owner lost her car.

Irate has no claim.

Dan, you are saying that you had your vehicle in for an oil change and had your trans fluid mistakenly drained instead of the crankase. That happens. However, this did NOT happen in this case.

How do I know this? It's simple: If the shop had drained the trans fluid by mistake and added more oil to the engine, the transaxle would be empty and the engine would have 2X the amount of oil it should have.

The OP states that the transmission, NOT the crankcase was overfilled. The OP also says nothing about an overfilled crankcase.

I agree with Robert that you probably never changed the trans fluid since the car was purchased. This is more likely the cause of your trans failure, coupled with an unreliable transaxle assembly.

To the original poster:
Yes, it is possible to have transmission problems from an oil change. The last time I had an oil change done, the transmission was drained and motor oil added to the motor. As you cannot completely drain a transmission simply by removing the plug the car ran for several miles with only minor problems. When I checked it I found the transmission empty and added almost the exact amount the manual said could be drained by removing the plug. The motor was also overfilled. I was fortunate enough to have an honest mechanic who promptly pressure flushed the transmission and repeated the oil change.
Bottom line - mechanics CAN screw up. It doesn't sound like you still have any of the transmission fluid left, but unless the transmission was actually pressure flushed, you might be able to take a samply for analysis. It probably wouldn't be cheap and I don't know where you could take it, but would beat the cost of a new transmission. Your comment that the transmission was over filled should be a flag that SOMETHING was added to the transmission, but you'll probably have to prove what it was.

To the original poster:
Yes, it is possible to have transmission problems from an oil change. The last time I had an oil change done, the transmission was drained and motor oil added to the motor. As you cannot completely drain a transmission simply by removing the plug the car ran for several miles with only minor problems. When I checked it I found the transmission empty and added almost the exact amount the manual said could be drained by removing the plug. The motor was also overfilled. I was fortunate enough to have an honest mechanic who promptly pressure flushed the transmission and repeated the oil change.
Bottom line - mechanics CAN screw up. It doesn't sound like you still have any of the transmission fluid left, but unless the transmission was actually pressure flushed, you might be able to take a samply for analysis. It probably wouldn't be cheap and I don't know where you could take it, but would beat the cost of a new transmission. Your comment that the transmission was over filled should be a flag that SOMETHING was added to the transmission, but you'll probably have to prove what it was.

To the original poster:
Yes, it is possible to have transmission problems from an oil change. The last time I had an oil change done, the transmission was drained and motor oil added to the motor. As you cannot completely drain a transmission simply by removing the plug the car ran for several miles with only minor problems. When I checked it I found the transmission empty and added almost the exact amount the manual said could be drained by removing the plug. The motor was also overfilled. I was fortunate enough to have an honest mechanic who promptly pressure flushed the transmission and repeated the oil change.
Bottom line - mechanics CAN screw up. It doesn't sound like you still have any of the transmission fluid left, but unless the transmission was actually pressure flushed, you might be able to take a samply for analysis. It probably wouldn't be cheap and I don't know where you could take it, but would beat the cost of a new transmission. Your comment that the transmission was over filled should be a flag that SOMETHING was added to the transmission, but you'll probably have to prove what it was.

To the original poster:
Yes, it is possible to have transmission problems from an oil change. The last time I had an oil change done, the transmission was drained and motor oil added to the motor. As you cannot completely drain a transmission simply by removing the plug the car ran for several miles with only minor problems. When I checked it I found the transmission empty and added almost the exact amount the manual said could be drained by removing the plug. The motor was also overfilled. I was fortunate enough to have an honest mechanic who promptly pressure flushed the transmission and repeated the oil change.
Bottom line - mechanics CAN screw up. It doesn't sound like you still have any of the transmission fluid left, but unless the transmission was actually pressure flushed, you might be able to take a samply for analysis. It probably wouldn't be cheap and I don't know where you could take it, but would beat the cost of a new transmission. Your comment that the transmission was over filled should be a flag that SOMETHING was added to the transmission, but you'll probably have to prove what it was.

There are no fluids going IN a car that are black. Only oil/transmission fluid that has been used up is black.

Nobody puts used oil into a car. The old fluid is drained into a tank. The new fluids come out of the hose. There is no way to screw it up.

As for the theory that if anything goes wrong with someone's car being the fault of the last mechanic working on it, nope. The transmission has nothing to do with an oil change. It is a wholly seperate issue. Nobody likes to hear they need a huge repair bill, but that's life.

The usual scam when dealing with transmissions is the customer drives in and parks in front of the open bay, or a parking space that doesn't have to be backed out of. The mechanic drives the car in, and does whatever work is requested. When the car won't back up, or has no upshift out of low gear, suddenly the mechanic must have done something. The transmission worked like new when the customer brought it in. Sure...it's a very old scam. They teach the new guys about that one in trade schools. No shop falls for it.

I had one girl try and say I was responsible for her flat tire, 6 hours after I replaced her water pump. Her "Daddy" told her the crap about the mechanic being responsible for everything. He was wrong. So are you.

Irate has no claim.

I disagree with the last guy. My guess is that if the oil in your transmission fluid was black, the idiots at the shop probably filled it with the wrong kind of oil! I'm no car expert so I don't know what car fluid would be black (other than engine oil but that only turns black after it has been used), but maybe something weird happened when they mixed the incorrect oils. All I know is this: when you take a car into the shop to fix some minor problem, and it comes out of the shop with MAJOR problems immediately after, that is no coincidence. The idiots at the shop screwed something up. This is why it would be nice if everyone had the knowledge to work on their own cars...unfortunately, not everyone has that kind of time. W/o proper knowledge the repair shops can always take advantage of you, or claim they did not create a problem when they screw up.

Getting your oil changed and a fuel injection cleaning has nothing to do with your transmission.

The fluid doesn't burn up in a few blocks. It takes thousands of miles to burn up to the point it's black in color. The fluid on your car is supposed to be flushed every 30K miles. was it? The transaxle also has a TSB for a low pressure problem that appears when the car is shifted into reverse. Was that an issue that was ignored? Low pressure is low pressure. I am not very sure how you determined a "low pressure" condition anyway. There is also one for leakage from the transaxle. Another problem not taken care of?

You may have an issue with the transaxle being burned up, but Firestone had nothing to do with it. Also, don't trust anyone to "top off" your fluids. With the one exception of washer fluid, anything that needs to be topped off, has a LEAK. Very few oil change guys know the difference between one ATF and another. Putting the wrong fluid in a tranny will damage it.