My case was far worse. My father had to let my sister borrow his car (1983 240D which is now my car) for a period of time, while she was at school, while he repaired her 1986 BMW 325. Well before coming home from Virginia my dad told her to have the oil changed. She proceeded to have the oil changed and then got on the road to come home. My sister knows nothing about the technical part of cars. So she had no idea what to look for after the oil is changed. So she paid and left and got on the road. Well she was more than half way into her 4 hour journey she thought she saw smoke from under the hood. Her roommate said no there is no smoke so they continued. When she realized the engine WAS smoking she pulled over and popped the hood. A large cloud of smoke came from under it. She had no clue what caused this, her roommate was of no help either. So she proceeded to call AAA. Diagnosis, the mechanic did not put the oil cap back on. The smoke was caused by a combination of no oil cap and no oil in the engine. Oil covered the whole engine compartment and the sides of the car. The oil took off the stripping. My father is very meticulous about his cars, he keeps them in tip top condition. So she had the car towed to have the oil replenished, get a new oil cap and clean the engine. My father almost had a heart attack in the driveway when she finally got home. Shortly afterwards the engine went out and it is believed to be because the car was driven with out oil for a prolonged period of time at high speeds. Needless to say my father was not a happy camper. So he bought a 1989 300E. This all happened in 1994. Last summer we put a new engine in the 1983 240D for me to take to school in Florida, the car runs like a champ except for a few minor problems but I would never drive any thing besides a Mercedes