Oil plug fell out on the highway, oil change people admitted fault, what do I do?

I got my oil changed last Wednesday and today (9 days later) on the highway on my way to work I hear a thud, and then I see smoke billowing out the backside of my car. I drive about a mile or so more and then pull over after the oil light comes on. AAA tows me back to National Tire %26amp; Battery who admits that they didn't tighten the plug correctly. The car seems to be running fine now, but what if my engine is screwed up? Should I do anything else?Oil plug fell out on the highway, oil change people admitted fault, what do I do?
If NTB admitted fault and they have corrected the problem and the car is fine, then I think you are done. You might take it to a dealership and have their service department check it out for you. However, this is probably on your dime. Document in writing dates, times, and names of people at NTB that spoke to you about this. Down the road you may need this information is something goes wrong. However, it sounds like you, and NTB got lucky.Oil plug fell out on the highway, oil change people admitted fault, what do I do?
You drove it a mile or more without oil I would say you engine is toast. See if National Tire will pay for the damages and they should but if you kept driving their insurance may not pay for a complete rebuild. Good luck.Oil plug fell out on the highway, oil change people admitted fault, what do I do?
The engine should be perfectly fine as long as you shut it off the moment the oil light came on.



Your engine had oil pressure and enough lubrication up to the point when the oil pressure light came on. The engine can also run for a very short time without oil pressure without damage.



Did you know that every time you change your oil, when the engine is first started, it has no oil pressure for up to 5 seconds? However the owner is usually not around to hear all of the engine clatter when the engine is started. Anyone who changes their own oil has experienced this first hand.



If the engine now runs fine, and has no unusual noises that weren't there before this incident happened, there is no damage.



However I would press to have National Tire %26amp; Battery to pay for your towing, the current oil change, the oil change that they did, the replacement oil plug, and the cost of the rental car if you used one while your car was incapacitated.



It isn't really right to press for a complete rebuild if the engine wasn't really dammaged. Don't become one of those people who will sue at the drop of a hat to attempt to get sopmething that you really don't deserve. Let your concience be your guide and do the right thing.



By the way, I have a story to tell. Last year at a local car show they had a car blow up contest. They had an old junk car which they drained all of the oil from the engine. You placed $1 bets on how long the engine would run without oil.



They started the car and ran it at full throttle. It kept running for more than 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, since it was still running thet started pouring sand into the valve cover and into the carburetor. It still ran for another 5 minutes.



I do have to say that in about the first 30 seconds or so something in the engine broke, sounded like a valve or a valve spring, and the engine would not rev much higer than 4000 RPM.



I wouldn't recommend attempting this.