Q: Can I hold Jiffy Lube responsible for my hood opening while I was driving?
Something crazy just happened with my car. The latch that secures my hood recently stopped functioning correctly. I secured it with a bungie cord. I got my oil changed yesterday. The hood was secure, but it appears that the cord was put back on too tight and it broke while I was driving. Luckily no one got hurt, but it could have caused me to wreck. Now I can't open my hood. I know this sounds crazy, but because the cord was not properly put back on the car I now have a big problem. I need my hood fixed and I can't afford to pay for the repair caused by the cord breaking. Is Jiffy lube some what responsible for this because they put the cord on incorrectly?
A: If you had a properly working latch and they broke it, that would be one thing. But you are blaming them for improperly attaching a bungee cord, for which there isn't a designated proper place in the manual. Further, the bungee cord, being stretchable, shouldn't be used in the first place, and if they had it on tight it was to try to eliminate the stretch. I don't see it.
Tim Akpinar agrees with this answer
A:
It would be very difficult. They are presented with a jury-rigged hood lanyard made from bungie cord, and they worked around it to reseat the hood. You could check with a Maryland attorney if they see things any differently. Good luck
Tim Akpinar
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