RTV ahoy. If in fact any engine does blow-up from RTV/silicone blocking the oil pickup tube, then Toyota/Subaru should in fact warranty the engine because it would be a "manufacturing defect".
Another GR86 blown and warranty denied
- Thread starter TiGeo
- Start date
Oh come on, you spoil the fun !
Searching around/reading shows that these also apparently can suffer from oil starvation due to the design of the oiling system/oil flow in general which seems to be separate from the over-done RTV that was the known cause of the "famous" failure last year that Toyota denied the claim then back-pedalled after getting drug over the coals about it. Who knows with the one we are talking about in this thread...I'm sure it will come out exactly what the cause was in the coming weeks.
Seems this is the motherlode of info/repository on this:
https://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=150455&page=83
Some other info:
https://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=133679
Here's a law firm trying to get a CA together:
https://lemberglaw.com/toyota-gr86-engine-oil-problems/
Quite a bit of info on the forums regarding 20W oils as well (to be expected) and the bickering that goes on about the possible impact to the warranty, that the manual overseas shows 5W30 as well, blah blah blah. Even some saying use 5W20 (why bother?) etc. and of course that subaru recommends 40W for track use and on it goes. Next time I go to the track I'm polling all 86/BRZ/FRS owners as well as Supra owners on what oil is in their engine.
Of course in the scheme of all these that have been sold and tracked, failures get a lot of press so to say but most of them arne't having any issues. I always see 2-3 of these when I go to the track...very popular.
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So does a Supra, when we all know it's a BMW
I'm not arguing that.
Toyota brands them.
Toyota markets them.
Toyota sells them.
Toyota services them.
And Toyota should stand behind them too.
Or are you suggesting that Toyota should defer all warranty work the Subaru/BMW? If not, I don't get the point in bringing it up.
Because it's a flaw in the Subaru engine assembly process.
Many people that are aware of the problem, try to get Subaru & Toyota to drop the oil pan and reseal it properly, if denied, then they get a reputable shop to do it to prevent the known defect.
Just like the Cam follower problem on the Audi EA113 engine. Those of us with a EA113 engine, such as the BPY, replaced the cam follower proactively, even though Audi never actually solved the problem of cam follower wear in the first place. Their "fix" was only for in case of the cam follower wore a hole and the HPFP punched a hole through and had metal to metal contact with the cam (their fix was a harder cam, but does not address the root cause).
Tires for example, are not covered by any auto manufacturer (unless you buy a separate wheel-tire protection package), so tire defect warranty claims are the responsibility of the tire manufacturer, not the auto manufacturer's warranty.
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You forget a key point about warranties and this situation that repeats itself.
Information stored in the ECU is also examined by Toyota when it comes to warranty coverage decisions.
Track events count as "Misuse, for example racing or overloading"
Here's BMW:
If you take your BMW out and participate in a track event, and you blew up your engine, BMW won'
t cover it either.
The issue here is that HPDE isn't a competitive event.
You're still driving the car beyond that is considered to be "normal use" of a vehicle, and when they pull the stored ECU data, it will prove that it was driven beyond what is covered in the warranty.... Toyota also states "overloading" as misuse, which the stored data will prove.
It's really no different from Subaru providing a complimentary 1-year membership to SCCA, and heaven forbids, you actually use your SCCA membership at an autocross, and you get issues that crop up and Subaru denying a warranty claim.... yes, this happened in the early 2000's surrounding the introduction of the Impreza WRX.
Yes I understand - they will always consider closed-course HPDE a no-go. The thing here is I can drive my car harder on the Tail of the Dragon so I blow it and it's not covered? It's really a bad deal to have a sports car that can't handle basic sports car things.
Define "overloading." They haven't. Overloading, to me, means exceedance of the GVWR. Did the GR86 driver do that?
And HPDE does not meet the definition of "misuse," (per their own advertising) "racing," or "competitive event."
Ford (and probably others too) check the ECU for any aftermarket tune. If the ECU has been flashed it's an automatic warranty void on any engine issues ... even though the ECU flash may not technically have caused the issue. It's an easy out for the car makers.
In my experience it depends on the dealer and the specific issue.
Come in with an aftermarket tune and a melted piston? Yeah, denial.
Other issues? Maybe not. BMW wastegate rattle and VW timing chains come immediately to mind.
Yeah, some dealers may look the other way, but not many vs those who try to deny warranty for any reasons. And on the other end of the scale, I've read guys on the Mustang forum claim that Ford voided the warranty on the whole car for an ECU tune. It's all over the map.
Obviously, and logically, an ECU reflash shouldn't void the warranty on things not effected by the tune ... but, who really wants to spend time and money to take them to court for being overboard?
As I've noted before, I've tracked every BMW on "my" side of the garage(going back to 1988 at Watkins Glen in my 1973 Bavaria). Absolutely no failures of any kind. My Club Sport was my instructor car from 1996 to 2012 and I never experienced a mechanical issue on road or track. When I owned my F22 the service advisor performed a pull-ahead on a complimentary oil change so-as he put it-"You'll have a sump full of fresh oil when you hit the track."
I guess with the current gen they're finally faster than my minivan...
iirc, my Tundra 0 to 60 is 6.0-6.5 sec and BRZ is 6.6-7.1
Granted a huge displacement difference between the two but I can also buy bark.
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