Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  06/20/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I recently purchased a car from a private dealer in January. By April my transmission was damaged from my car being serviced with Castrol Transmax ATF/CVT Universal Automatic Transmission Fluid in January before I bought the car. The transmission was topped off with this fluid mixing with the OEM original fluid. When I contacted Castrol for reimbursement of damages including rentals, ride shares & a new transmission, they asked for a Mechanical Report in Company Letterhead issued by a licensed mechanic indicating Mode and Cause of Failure from ****** to send to Castrol’s quality team. In their findings after a month of follow ups to the business, even after telling me to wait only two weeks, they found that Castrol cannot guarantee compatibility with competitive fluids as they do not know their proprietary formula. However, BP Lubricants USA, Inc. has no label stating it cannot guarantee compatibility, no warning labels to not use as top off on their Castrol Transmax ATF/CVT Universal Automatic Transmission Fluid 1 Gallon bottles. The term “universal” is very misleading not only for myself, but other consumers as well. I’m seeking help to have BP Lubricants USA, Inc. take accountability for their misleading transmission fluid by replacing my transmission since their product destroyed my transmission & reimbursement for rentals & ride shares used due to their negligence. It’s clear they’re doing their best to not take any profit losses or accountability.

  Business response

  06/26/2023

  To whom it may concern, On April 25 2023, the complainant called Castrol Customer Service to complain about damage to his vehicle, alleging that it was due to using Castrol product in the transmission.  We contacted the previous vehicle owner, who confirmed to have serviced the vehicle in January 2023 as the OEM Transmission output shaft seal had to be replaced because it was causing a leak. He confirmed that he only topped off the OEM original fluid with Castrol Transmission Fluid, which created a mix of both products. Castrol cannot guarantee compatibility with competitive fluids as we do not know their proprietary formula. Therefore, Castrol always recommends a complete drain of the transmission and re-fill with the Castrol fluid. This should include draining the torque converter, which holds about one-half of the ATF volume -- dropping the pan will not cause the torque converter to drain. Based on the above, Castrol is not responsible for the damage caused. We trust that this information addresses your concerns. Castrol Customer Relations 

  Customer response

  06/26/2023

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.  I understand that they do not guarantee compatibility with other fluids & they recommend draining the transmission fluid before use of their product. But there’s no indication on their AFT/CVT Universal Transmission fluid product of the information they are claiming as to why they’re not at fault for my transmission failure. I only found out about this AFTER reaching out to their corporate office. Which means this can happen to literally anyone who purchases their product. If they stated this on their bottle I would understand the previous owner would be at fault. But there’s nothing in writing on the bottle that indicates such.   Regards,  **** ***************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩