Major Oil Leak

[TeeTee]

I was waiting at the dealer this morning as they pushed my truck into the bay. I watched the mechanic take off the oil filter and he immediately said that there were 2 gaskets on. Let's see how this is dealt with. I was very explicit in my direction. Oil all over the undercarriage and along the side of the truck. Oil on the brake pads. Two loose lug nuts. And, potential long term damage to the engine.

Again, thanks to all for your feedback.

-Tim

 

[Ramathorn15]

I was waiting at the dealer this morning as they pushed my truck into the bay. I watched the mechanic take off the oil filter and he immediately said that there were 2 gaskets on. Let's see how this is dealt with. I was very explicit in my direction. Oil all over the undercarriage and along the side of the truck. Oil on the brake pads. Two loose lug nuts. And, potential long term damage to the engine.

Again, thanks to all for your feedback.

-Tim

I had this happen to my old jeep wrangler. The one time I had a small oil change shop do an oil change, they forgot/neglected to remove the old o-ring. I was in a McDonalds drive through the next day when out of nowhere, the jeep stalled and wouldn't even crank over. Had to push it into a parking spot, diagnose the problem, replace the oil and filter, then it took 2 trucks jumping me at the same time to get enough juice to turn the engine over and get the oil flowing.

I called the shop and they apologized but it still ran fine so I didn't take it back. Huge mistake on my part. About 6 months later, I lost all oil pressure and developed a rod knock. I'm certain the semi-seizing of the engine definitely led to premature failure.

Even looking back though, it would be hard to get anything from the shop seeing that it still ran fine after the incident.

 

[Battleship]

Someone on MUD had this happen six or seven years ago, I think his engine seized after it ran dry on the highway. IIRC, the dealer was pretty good about getting him another engine. Maybe you'll swing a lower mileage 2UZ. Good luck.

 

[TeeTee]

Ugh. I went to get it after they called saying it was ready. It was still dirty and had not been road tested. I asked for a written warranty on the motor. They said they put new pads on. I will check when I get home.

 

[SWUtah]

Went through this with a ES300 at Atlanta Lexus dealer. Tech forgot to put oil in the engine after 90k service. Drove away oil light was on had to drive around block to return. Popped hood in service area, oil cap and wrench sitting on engine, no oil on dip stick. They gave me my money back for 90 K service and gave me warranty to 150k miles on the engine for any internal damage. I moved out of state, at 120k miles it would smoke at start up only in the morning. Warmed it up drove around and took it to the local Lexus dealer where I lived in Missouri and traded it in. Did not want to take it back to dealer in Atlanta, so Lexus got it back. I now always check the oil and under the engine after any oil/filter change before I leave the dealer.

 

[Spike555]

Many many years ago the fam and I were heading out for vaca, I had a coupon for a trans fluid and filter change at a Goodyear service center.
Normally I would've done it, but you know...coupon.
Had work done, left shop, parked car. Loaded the car. Next morning left for vacation.
Transmission started shifting funny, wouldn't go into overdrive. Stopped for gas and checked the trans fluid...dry.
Added fluid, finished vacation. Went back to shop.
Invoice said dexron III but not how much was added. And because I added fluid they said it was fine.
I never had overdrive again after that.
That was my first brand new car, 1995 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera SL. It was a piece of s*** that whole time I owned it.

 

[Clutchee]

Ugh. I went to get it after they called saying it was ready. It was still dirty and had not been road tested. I asked for a written warranty on the motor. They said they put new pads on. I will check when I get home.

I would take this to dealer management- from the GM or owner...!
So they messed up, got caught, then didn't even QC their work.... The so called "warranty" they write.... isn't going to replace damage done or what could occur in future.
Oil on underside- can of gunk & power washer would have fixed, brake pads- did they turn rotors & clean rotors with brake cleaner to get oil off?

These are all questions I would want answered face to face with something in writing or new vehicle.

Basically it sounds like they don't care about quality of work put out nor "fixing" a unhappy customer vs. just shoving it out door.

 

[ponytl]

That whole deal sucks... i had about the same thing happen on my diesel pusher bus... cummins put it on the dyno with no coolant in it... melted it down... they had it for 4 months.. ended up fixing it... gave me more than i paid for it and I still have it...

 

[chipsterguy]

I was waiting at the dealer this morning as they pushed my truck into the bay. I watched the mechanic take off the oil filter and he immediately said that there were 2 gaskets on. Let's see how this is dealt with. I was very explicit in my direction. Oil all over the undercarriage and along the side of the truck. Oil on the brake pads. Two loose lug nuts. And, potential long term damage to the engine.

Again, thanks to all for your feedback.

-Tim

Care to share the name or location of this dealership so that others in your neck of the woods may avoid?

 

[Ninja Cruiser100]

May be time to lawyer up...this kind of careless incompetence is one thing, to not clean the car speaks volumes about how little they care about you as a person.

 

[TeeTee]

OK....final update.
I picked the truck up yesterday afternoon. New oil, filter, front pads, washed and cleaned underneath, and a 500 mile warranty. I was not looking to be punitive. I just wanted things to be made right, and to protect myself going forward.

What I do know is that if I was not there looking over their shoulder as they removed the oil filter, they would have made up a different reason for the leak and I would have been on the hook. It was obvious that they did not want me there in the bay with them. I made it equally obvious that I did not care what they thought. What really bothers me in all of this is that there are people who get taken advantage of all the time in situations like this. A car dealer is like the jungle. Nobody is going to look out for your best interest and you will be eaten alive if you are not careful. When they screw up, you have to be a prick sometimes.

Educating myself is one of the best means I have to fight back. Thanks to all of you for your assistance. You helped me be an educated prick.

-Tim

 

[labcab]

I had a place tell me during a state inspection that my front lower ball joints were bad and that they'd have to replace the control arms on both sides as the ball joints aren't sold separately~$1500. When they wouldn't let me in the bay to show me, I told them to slap on a rejection sticker.

It wasn't until after I received the $50 Moogs and had my whole front end apart that I realized there wasn't any play. The Toyota dealer confirmed the joints were good and sent me on my way with my $13 state inspection.

Sadly, the two folks that checked out while I was waiting for my rejection sticker just paid their (coincidentally) $1500 bills without question.

That place moved into a big fancy building the following year...

 

[Sandroad]

OK....final update.
I picked the truck up yesterday afternoon. New oil, filter, front pads, washed and cleaned underneath, and a 500 mile warranty. I was not looking to be punitive. I just wanted things to be made right, and to protect myself going forward.

What I do know is that if I was not there looking over their shoulder as they removed the oil filter, they would have made up a different reason for the leak and I would have been on the hook. It was obvious that they did not want me there in the bay with them. I made it equally obvious that I did not care what they thought. What really bothers me in all of this is that there are people who get taken advantage of all the time in situations like this. A car dealer is like the jungle. Nobody is going to look out for your best interest and you will be eaten alive if you are not careful. When they screw up, you have to be a prick sometimes.

Educating myself is one of the best means I have to fight back. Thanks to all of you for your assistance. You helped me be an educated prick.

-Tim

In the "old days" (pre-social media and Internet reviews), dealers could get away with bad behavior because there was no easy way for other customers to find out. Now, Google Reviews and Yelp Reviews and other on-line review sites and social media provide an excellent tool for informing others. If anyone has a bad experience at a service department, be sure to let others know about it on review sites so they can be an "educated prick".

 

[SWUtah]

OK....final update.
I picked the truck up yesterday afternoon. New oil, filter, front pads, washed and cleaned underneath, and a 500 mile warranty. I was not looking to be punitive. I just wanted things to be made right, and to protect myself going forward.

What I do know is that if I was not there looking over their shoulder as they removed the oil filter, they would have made up a different reason for the leak and I would have been on the hook. It was obvious that they did not want me there in the bay with them. I made it equally obvious that I did not care what they thought. What really bothers me in all of this is that there are people who get taken advantage of all the time in situations like this. A car dealer is like the jungle. Nobody is going to look out for your best interest and you will be eaten alive if you are not careful. When they screw up, you have to be a prick sometimes.

Educating myself is one of the best means I have to fight back. Thanks to all of you for your assistance. You helped me be an educated prick.

-Tim

Tim how low did your oil get? How many miles did you drive with low/no oil? From my experience, low/no oil may not kill your engine within a few thousand miles but it will equal the wear you would experience on a well lubed engine in hundreds of thousands of miles. After you get your warranty and all documents in order I would talk with a lawyer and sue for a new engine. You also might want to talk with the owner about warranting your engine for as long as you own it. At this point no one knows the amount of damage that may have been done.

 

[TeeTee]

Tim how low did your oil get? How many miles did you drive with low/no oil? From my experience, low/no oil may not kill your engine within a few thousand miles but it will equal the wear you would experience on a well lubed engine in hundreds of thousands of miles. After you get your warranty and all documents in order I would talk with a lawyer and sue for a new engine. You also might want to talk with the owner about warranting your engine for as long as you own it. At this point no one knows the amount of damage that may have been done.

You bring up a good point about accelerated wear on the engine, SWUtah. I was not thinking in those terms to be honest. I was thinking more along the lines of engine failure within a certain timeframe.

I am not sure how low the oil got when driving home. I know that I poured about 3 quarts in and it still was not registering on the dipstick. When I started it, it puked all over my garage. I would have to guess that I was near catastrophic failure. The question is, how do you determine the damage and the remaining life of an engine with 150,000 miles.

 

[Ninja Cruiser100]

Go back to the dealership and ask the question. If you don't get the right answer demand an engine replacement. If they say no send the General Manager/Owner a certified return receipt letter outlining your concern/demand. I would also indicate that you are willing to seek counsel(lawyer) if necessary.

 

[SWUtah]

You bring up a good point about accelerated wear on the engine, SWUtah. I was not thinking in those terms to be honest. I was thinking more along the lines of engine failure within a certain timeframe.

I am not sure how low the oil got when driving home. I know that I poured about 3 quarts in and it still was not registering on the dipstick. When I started it, it puked all over my garage. I would have to guess that I was near catastrophic failure. The question is, how do you determine the damage and the remaining life of an engine with 150,000 miles.

My experience as stated in the previous post it happened at 90k and started smoking at startup at 120 k miles. The 100 series engine is good for over 500k miles so I think they owe you either a new engine or a warranty that covers you for as long as you keep your 100 series. JMHO

 

[bctlex]

You bring up a good point about accelerated wear on the engine, SWUtah. I was not thinking in those terms to be honest. I was thinking more along the lines of engine failure within a certain timeframe.

I am not sure how low the oil got when driving home. I know that I poured about 3 quarts in and it still was not registering on the dipstick. When I started it, it puked all over my garage. I would have to guess that I was near catastrophic failure. The question is, how do you determine the damage and the remaining life of an engine with 150,000 miles.

Wow that is a lot of oil that are missing from your engine.

I agree with @SWUtah "so I think they owe you either a new engine or a warranty that covers you for as long as you keep your 100 series". IMO 500 miles warranty is not enough. If not lifetime, I probably be ok with 100K miles warranty, but I only drive 10K/year, so thats ~10yr for me.

 

[abuck99]

In the "old days" (pre-social media and Internet reviews), dealers could get away with bad behavior because there was no easy way for other customers to find out. Now, Google Reviews and Yelp Reviews and other on-line review sites and social media provide an excellent tool for informing others. If anyone has a bad experience at a service department, be sure to let others know about it on review sites so they can be an "educated prick".

A good place to start:

www.pissedconsumer.com

Pushing for a warranty that covers your engine is the lowest cost alternative for them, so maybe you push hard for engine replacement knowing in the back of your mind the best you can get is a warranty. A toyota extended mechanical warranty, or 3rd party mechanical warranty for 100,000 miles over & above your current mileage would be more than adequate: probably in the neighborhood of $1500-2000 retail (50% less +/- is their cost)

 

[bucfl]

I had an issue purchsing a used honda for the wife from a local prominent Cadillac dealer. It would skip gears at a certain MPH. Took it back to the dealer 2-3 times and had aHonda dealer look at it. Neither could determine the issue. They were not budging on taking the vehivle back, so i called a couple news stations and asked if they would do a story. I called the dealer back and asked to speak to the GM and that weekend i walked out with my down payment and dealer took vehicle back.

Call the GM and speak to him and tell him your concerns. If you are not satisfied call the BBB and explain you situation. I have used them as well before to get my money back from T-Mobile. You have a right to dispute and feel good about what you pay for.

www.BBB.org