DELAND, Fla — What was supposed to be quick trip for an oil change left Shannon Gerdauskas of DeLand with major concerns about her car.
Recalling that day in October, Gerdauskas said, “I was like ‘Oh, my God, is something wrong with the car?’”
It was a simple mistake made at the Take 5 Oil Change in DeLand that could have cost her nearly $20,000.
“I will never use them again. And I would advise everybody I know to never use them again,” she said.
Shannon Gerdauskas said she’s been without her car for more than two months, after a worker at Take 5 accidentally drained her transmission fluid and let her drive away.
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As you can tell from the name, Take 5 Oil Change specializes in oil changes. But Action 9 found similar complaints across the country from drivers who say technicians drained fluids from their car and didn’t replace them – at times leaving drivers on the hook for huge repair bills.
“I’ve been using Take 5 for about ten years now. I’ve brought all my vehicles there,” Gerdauskas told Action 9 Consumer Investigator Jeff Deal.
She considered herself a loyal customer, but since the October incident her opinion of Take 5 Oil Change has soured. She took her small Mercedes to the DeLand location for a basic oil change. Just minutes after leaving the shop, she realized something wasn’t quite right.
“It was shifting by itself. So, it was like, trying to go into reverse and neutral as I’m driving down the road,” she explained.
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Gerdauskas drove right back to Take 5 where she said workers were honest about making the mistake.
She said, “He was like, ‘Oh my God, oh my God. I am so sorry. We actually, oh my God, we emptied the transmission fluid instead of the oil.’”
A shop worker later followed up with text messages that included a claim number and a message apologizing. A follow up text message explained her transmission was mistakenly emptied.
According to Shannon Gerdauskas her dealership told her the transmission needs to be replaced. The cost estimate for the replacement and a flush was estimated at more than $18,000.
“They were just like, ‘Okay, this needs a new transmission, like the transmission is shot. You know, it’s going to fail eventually,’” she said.
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Take 5 uses another company called Fleet Response to handle its claims. Gerdauskas said that company, kept insisting she only approve the transmission flush and told her that’s the first step toward getting a replacement.
As part of a recorded voice message from Fleet Response, a representative said, “Once that is done, they can go ahead and approve the transmission replacement, because the service advisor is already stating that you possibly need the transmission replacement.”
But after she approved the flush, she said Fleet Response still has not been willing to approve a transmission replacement. In an email it wrote, “The outcome and final decision in regards to the transmission unit, is denied.”
Take 5 told Action 9 it paid for the flush and closed the claim in mid-November after the dealership informed them the transmission did not need to be replaced.
Shannon Gerdauskas showed Action 9 a text message she said she got from the dealership in early October that clearly states the vehicle will need a transmission replacement.
And Action 9 found a history of similar claims involving Take 5.
WFTV’ sister station in Charlotte, North Carolina interviewed Ben Brown last year.
Brown said, “I pulled over, opened up the oil reservoir, and smoke was coming out of it.”
He ended up needing a new engine.
Robin Porterfield of Georgia said Take 5 drained her oil and never replaced it.
She described the aftermath like this, “It was like bam bam bam, really bad.”
In 2023, the City of Jacksonville even issued a report documenting 45 complaints from officers saying Take 5 did “substandard” work on patrol vehicles, costing money for “additional repairs” and officers’ time on the street.
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Shannon Gerdauskas is afraid to drive her car and concerned just a flush might leave her with more transmission trouble down the road.
“My transmission was not damaged before it entered their shop. So, it’s like, just pay for what the damage you did,” she said.
Shannon later provided an email from her dealership service advisor about the need for a transmission replacement. The email was dated October 24th, 2025. Action 9 forwarded that email to Take 5.
The service advisor message reads:
As per our conversation, attached is the estimate requested.
We have not done anything to this vehicle other than diagnosing the vehicle.
The vehicle needs transmission replacement as the vehicle was driven with no transmission oil.
Let me know if you need anything else.
After receiving that message, checking with the dealership again and reviewing the details Take 5 agreed to cover the costs of a transmission replacement and an extended warranty for the work.
A spokeswoman for Take 5 Oil Change provided this statement:
At Take 5 Oil Change, customer service and satisfaction are among our highest priorities. We take all customer concerns seriously and are committed to working with customers when issues arise. We have committed to covering the full cost of the transmission replacement for this customer. While situations like this are rare, we strive to resolve matters fairly and transparently. We value the trust our customers place in us and remain focused on delivering high-quality service.