‘It was too good to be true’: Mercedes driver says dealership offered him free oil change. It backfires
Given how often oil changes are required on cars—and how expensive they can be—it’s no surprise that people might want to save a quick buck on their oil change.
That said, getting a deal on an oil change isn’t as easy as one might think. For example, one driver recently shared his negative experience shopping for an oil change, claiming he was quoted around $150 for the process and told he would have to wait for 2 hours. Another simply warned other drivers about places that will continually try to upsell you while you get your oil changed.
Recently, TikTok user John Nyakango (@nyakango_j) took his car in for what he thought would simply be a free oil change. What happened next shocked him.
Driver warns against free oil change
In a video with over 136,000 views, Nyakango says that, after noticing that his oil level was low, he decided to start calling around to local Mercedes dealerships for an oil change. Soon, he found a dealership that offered the first oil change for free.
However, upon arrival, the dealership informed him that his tires were in dire need of replacement. Nyakango does not dispute that his tires were in poor condition, saying, “They were bald. I don't know, I honestly don't know how I was driving on them.”
The dealership promptly quoted Nyakango around $3,100 for new tires, which the TikToker declined. Instead, he simply insisted that he get his oil changed.
Upon starting the car for the first time post-oil change, he noticed that the “Check Engine” light was on. Thinking this may be typical after an oil change, he called a friend, who informed him that it was not normal to have such a warning come on immediately following an oil change. Immediately, Nyakango began to question whether the dealership did anything to spur this.
“They did something, cause why is the check engine light turning on right after I get an oil change?” he asks.
Frustrated, he returned to the dealership, who said that they could hold his car for several days and charge him for a diagnostic test to figure out why the light was coming on. This struck Nyakango as improper, as the problem only began after he had visited the dealership.
How an oil change became a popped tire
“I was like, ‘Bro, I'm not paying for something y'all did,’” he summarizes.
Instead, he drove off the lot. At this point, he was met with another surprise: one of his tires rapidly losing tire pressure. After losing all the air in his front tire, he tried to refill it at a gas station. This did not work. He then called Mercedes auto service—which brought him right back to the original dealership. To make matters worse, they scraped the underside of the car while unloading it from the tow truck.
“I told him, ‘Right after I drove off the lot, my tire pops. The whole day, y'all were pitching me tires, and right after I leave, it pops,’” the TikToker recalls. “‘Like, something's fishy. Like, what's going on?’”
“He just starts telling me, ‘All your tires were bald. We were telling you the whole time you need new tires,’” Nyakango continues. “I was like, ‘I know. I know. If my tire popped yesterday, it'd be alright. If my tire popped the next day, I would have been like, ok, but…right after I drop off the lot, my tire pops—like, something's fishy.’”
Despite hours of waiting and arguing, all Nyakango managed to get from the dealership by the conclusion of this saga was a free diagnostic. He also ended up replacing his tires for around $2,600, a price that included installation and warranty.
@nyakango_j F*ck mercedes #fyp #amg #foryoupage #mercedes ♬ original sound - John Nyakango
Commenters have mixed opinions about the situation
In the comments section, users were divided about both the situation and how it was handled by all parties involved.
First, some were quick to join in suspicion about the dealership.
“Wait you went to a dealership and they didn’t wash your car after servicing your car??!!!” asked a user. “That’s a red flag.”
However, others blamed Nyakango, both for not handling the situation sooner and for thinking that the dealership might have something to do with his tire issue.
“First mistake you did is leave the dealership when you saw the check engine light,” said a commenter.
“You needed tires…. They can’t make your tires magically pop down the road,” stated another.
“You had bald tires and accelerated onto the highway with v8 and confused why your tires blew out?” asked a user. “The check engine might come after the reset the reminders. so if you have aftermarket exhausts/muffler or emissions related modifications and leave the dealership, you'll run a fault code stored in the computer. happens if it is not the correct values and will run you other issues down the line.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Mercedes Benz via email and Nyakango via Instagram direct message.
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