Jiffy lube victim - transfer case
I recently bought a used Mazda CX5 with 117k kms. As a preventative maintenance, I decided to change all the fluids in the car. Engine oil, transmission fluid, differentials, and transfer case.
After a few days, during driving on expressway with my family, I heard a faint extra noise coming from the front of the car. and within a minit, there was a big shudder where the car kinda vibrated. This happened twice in split second. I pulled over immediately on the should of the expressway. Opened the hood and there was a burned smell inside. it smelled like burnt clutch. The car did not shut off. I put it in gear and drove a little forward and backward, did not feel any grind. As it was late night, I slowly drove the car back home. There was a small whining noise coming from under the car. When I reached home, I noticed some oil drips in the drive way.
Next day, I took the car to a jiffy lube nearby and told them the story( now I think this was a mistake as I should have taken it to an indipendeant shop). They checked and told me that the transfer case drain plug was only hand tightened and the oil was dripping from there. They talked with the jiffy lube branch who initially did the job. The manager said, they will top up the transfercase fluid after tightening the drain plug for free. He also wrote that down in the bill saying that the drain plug was only hand tightened.
He said to get in touch with the branch who initially did the job to get some clarity on next steps.
After the first job, I drom 1300kms when the shudderring happened, then I drove 70 kms to home with the whining noise. After the top up of the fluid, I had to go to work and drove 120kms in 2 days ( no noise noticed).
Im affraid whith the shuddering, there could be catastophic damage to the transfer case. How do I proceed from here?
Will a warranty from the shop be enough? stating they will replace if any premature failure happen? or should I demand for a new transfer case?
If they deny, do I have a strong case to pursue legal actions? TIA