i wrote B this:
again im so sorry about the car. did he say what the cause might be. ive talked to several people. did the guys at jiffy lube check the back differential?

if they did, they might not have tighten the bolt or put back the plug. and the all oil in the rear differential might have leaked out. i changed the oil in the rear differential late last year. It should have been fine. i would ask them and find out. i dont know if they have some sort of guarantee. but if they were indeed the cause they shoudl be held somewhat responsible.

and B wrote:
i will look further into what jiffy lube did. i have a total summary of their service, but they did not apaprently check either front or rear differential -- part of their "signature service" includes checking front differential only (no mention of rear), but that was checked off as N/A -- "not applicable." they did check differential fluid and that was rated "ok." i'll look into it further. . . .