Help, BITOGers! Dealership error - engine lost oil

[crustacheous]

you make the claim with your own carrier not the dealers!

argue diminshed value and demand to be "made whole" by your own insurer

 

[Leo99]

Originally Posted By: Hootbro
Originally Posted By: Leo99
Don't waste time with Blackstone. The first dealer screwed up. Demand a new car from them. Settle for full pro-rated retail book value for the 2016 towards a new 2017.


What planet you live on? At best, it will be an insurance claim with the dealers liability insurance carrier to be sorted out. Be lucky to get a new short block rebuild and may even get a junk yard pull of comparably miles put in. There is no getting a new vehicle here.


You have to aim high.

 

[Nickdfresh]

Originally Posted By: Leo99
Originally Posted By: Hootbro
Originally Posted By: Leo99
Don't waste time with Blackstone. The first dealer screwed up. Demand a new car from them. Settle for full pro-rated retail book value for the 2016 towards a new 2017.


What planet you live on? At best, it will be an insurance claim with the dealers liability insurance carrier to be sorted out. Be lucky to get a new short block rebuild and may even get a junk yard pull of comparably miles put in. There is no getting a new vehicle here.


You have to aim high.


That's aiming delusional, and they'll just laugh at him...

 

[crustacheous]

https://www.google.com/search?q=diminish...me&ie=UTF-8

make the claim with your own carrier, and demand your deductable from the negligent party

Delusional is a fool who thinks he's going to negotiate with an "adjuster" on His own, you have right to legal counsel through your own carrier

 

[CKN]

Originally Posted By: Hootbro
Originally Posted By: Leo99
Don't waste time with Blackstone. The first dealer screwed up. Demand a new car from them. Settle for full pro-rated retail book value for the 2016 towards a new 2017.


What planet you live on? At best, it will be an insurance claim with the dealers liability insurance carrier to be sorted out. Be lucky to get a new short block rebuild and may even get a junk yard pull of comparably miles put in. There is no getting a new vehicle here.



Yep-I have never heard of anyone getting a new vehicle....their job is to put the vehicle "in like condition" prior to the incident. This could mean a rebuild or "like motor" from the junkyard.

 

[Nick1994]

If it were me, I'd stomp my feet and throw a fit that it gets a new long block, NOT a short block.

 

[ABursell]

Originally Posted By: MoparMan1891
So far, my buddy (with my instructions) has asked them to do a tear down and inspect the lower crankcase parts. I suggested a leak down test as well.


Maybe I'm missing it but, why did he have to instruct them to do anything? When he brought it back and explained what they did shouldn't they have known what to do?

Or, are they already denying it?

 

[MoparMan1891]

Originally Posted By: ABursell
Originally Posted By: MoparMan1891
So far, my buddy (with my instructions) has asked them to do a tear down and inspect the lower crankcase parts. I suggested a leak down test as well.


Maybe I'm missing it but, why did he have to instruct them to do anything? When he brought it back and explained what they did shouldn't they have known what to do?

Or, are they already denying it?


The service advisor said : "I'll take a look" and ended the call. Gave me the suspicion that he wanted to get this mistake off his back, so I told my buddy to give him clear instructions, pictures and a loaner vehicle till its resolved.

My buddy also paid something around $125 for the tow truck to tow the car from middle-of-nowhere till the Indiana dealer and an additional $150 for that dealer to inspect and do the oil change.
Not letting the dealer #1 off easy, till we have this amount refunded too.

Tow charge + additional service + short/long block replacement + ++...

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: Hootbro
Originally Posted By: Leo99
Don't waste time with Blackstone. The first dealer screwed up. Demand a new car from them. Settle for full pro-rated retail book value for the 2016 towards a new 2017.


What planet you live on? At best, it will be an insurance claim with the dealers liability insurance carrier to be sorted out. Be lucky to get a new short block rebuild and may even get a junk yard pull of comparably miles put in. There is no getting a new vehicle here.
exactly! They are responsible for fixing the car to how it was before the mishap. They are not going to give him a new car. Maybe a junkyard engine,rebuilt or a new crate engine will go in it. The toyota dealer here uses a local rebuilder that I know reasonably well.

 

[crustacheous]

lets face it R&R of the longblock in itself often causes damage to wiring and associated connectors and plugs
my experience with dealers is this: your car gets beat up scratched and weathered during these High priority repairs

the facts are this: overhead cam aluminum engines often have steel cams riding on aluminum cam towers with tight tolerances in the oil gallies and passages. heads starved of oil(or subjest to metal frags) are junk, period. shortblock out of the question! no need to teardown because you don't want that engine back at all

aside from the above 6 quarts of hot oil was distributed to the undrcarriage at 65mph it's going to be a long time befor the damage can accurately be appraised or diagnosed. 5 years from now as the car sits on hot days with the windows up the smell of engine oil will be with you like summers eve

insurance companies total cars these days inlieu of repairs, many times, do to unforseen damage, damage that can manifest in later years

"made whole" is just that Having an asset worth what it was befor the dealers negligence

 

[North to Alaska]

Does anyone recall the 2GR-FE 3.5L oil supply hose failure on several Toyota models from about 2005 - 2010?
Oil hose would start dumping and about a mile down the highway, the engine was toast.
Toyota did a big recall on those line.

Anyway, the moral of the story is that his engine is toast. Dealer should not even be given the choice of looking at it.
There is no rebuilding it.

As crustaceous pointed out, rebuild simply is out of the question. Replacement of motor or car, whatever. But rebuild???? Not on your life.

The Toyota engines were destroyed by the oil dump. I'm surprised that car actually started up... I'm not a mechanic and some of you may have seen engines run after an oil dump like that.

 

[SirTanon]

One other thing that you might try, since you plan to put them on the hook for the cost of repairs, rental/loaner, tow, etc.. etc.. Would be to present them with two options, and let them pick:

1) Dealer #1 pays to replace the engine with a quality new (or certified and warrantied used) long block, plus cover your rental for the entire time they have the car, plus reimburse you for the to expense, your costs with dealer #2, and any other related incidental charges, and then warranty the repair (engine, parts, & labor) for at least as long as the original factory warranty covered the car

or..

2) Replace the car with a new '16 or newer, with equivalent features.

Given the time, paperwork, and effort involved in fixing the 'old' car, they may simply choose to make things easier and give you a new one.

 

[raytseng]

new car? snowballs chance in [censored].

however an equivalent 2016 the dealer may have as a test drive, showroom ,or loaner vehicle? maybe!

 

[surfstar]

If only they had used ProLong!!!

 

[mehullica]

Subaru doesn't make a long block available to dealerships. You'll have to get a short block, heads, cams, & any other metal on metal part piece by piece. Don't let them reuse anything because it "looks" ok. The only way to get a long block would be off the assembly line which will require district/regional area manager approval & that's only if any of the other parts from the parts catalog are on a national backorder

 

[PimTac]

I would be careful ordering dealer #2 to do any work. You just might get stuck with that bill since Subaru didn't initiate the work order.

 

[crustacheous]

Originally Posted By: PimTac
I would be careful ordering dealer #2 to do any work. You just might get stuck with that bill since Subaru didn't initiate the work order.


Hear me now, comprehend me later

If dealer # 1 can't change the F&*%^$#%^ oil why on earth would you retutun there for major repairs?

turn in a claim to your own insurance comapany, and have the car repaired at the dealer of your own choosing
personally I'd stay the heck away from dealer #1

I'd also file a claim for Diminshed value after repairs

see https://www.google.com/search?q=Diminshe...me&ie=UTF-8

 

[CKN]

Originally Posted By: crustacheous
Originally Posted By: PimTac
I would be careful ordering dealer #2 to do any work. You just might get stuck with that bill since Subaru didn't initiate the work order.


Hear me now, comprehend me later

If dealer # 1 can't change the F&*%^$#%^ oil why on earth would you retutun there for major repairs?

turn in a claim to your own insurance comapany, and have the car repaired at the dealer of your own choosing
personally I'd stay the heck away from dealer #1

I'd also file a claim for Diminshed value after repairs

see https://www.google.com/search?q=Diminshe...me&ie=UTF-8


That's painting with a "broad brush". While I understand where your coming form-the mistake at the dealership was human error-nothing more. The guy who changed the oil won't be the same one (in all likelihood) that will be rebuilding (or whatever) the new motor. The guy who changed the oil had a bad morning-his wife yelled at him,OR his girl friend dumped him, his Starbucks coffee was cold. It happens. He may be out of a job by now as well.

I would really like to know how one could prove a "diminished claim" -when if done properly his car will be returned with a good motor-like it was before. Most insurance companies are not too keen going down the road of "diminished value". "This term just get batted around on BITOG by arm chair appraisers.

Now-assuming there is "diminished value"-the key play in the game would be keeping the car until it's just about fully depreciated.

 

[Nigel_The_Great]

Originally Posted By: MoparMan1891
Hello all,

This post is to seek help for a really good buddy of mine.

I'll provide details and hope to keep the story short :
Car : '16 Subaru Legacy, 2.5L 4 cyl.
Last oil change : 3/15, at a Subaru dealer

We were travelling to Chicago on 3/17. Noticed smoke in the rear view mirror. Immediately got off the highway into a McD 0.3 miles away. We shut off the engine just as soon as the Low oil pressure and low oil level lights came on. Definitely clanking from the engine.

Towed it to a really friendly dealer in Indiana for brief diagnosis on 3/18, Saturday.
The DRAIN PLUG WAS MISSING!!!!
Dealer filled fresh 5 qts of oil and a new filter. Technician says the car hesitates over 3000 RPM and slight knocking sound when its up on the hoist. "At least a short block replacement is needed" is what he mentions on the service receipt.

We drove back home (~250 miles) yesterday, keeping the eRPM below 2000. No weird noises noted, except a whining noise when letting off the gas at idle, where the oil pressure is the lowest.

How do I help my buddy, who isn't well versed in engines?

1. Have the Subaru dealer who did the oil change 2 days before the failure provide a new short block?
2. Thorough inspection of rods, bearings, metal shavings in the pan, Used oil Analysis?
3. Contact Subaru Corporate?

Please share your thoughts and ideas.


At the very least Dealer #1 needs to know that this happened. It is the up to them if they want the car back or have Dealer #2 swap the engine. I would not let them try to repair the failed unit at all.

 

[MoparMan1891]

Hello, and an update!

The dealer #1 ran a host of tests and put on ~200 miles on the vehicle. Service manager showed us the report and guarenteed that the engine was safe, since we shut it off within a minute of losing oil.

We didn't ask for the engine to be disassembled, since that would lead to some other error while rebuilding. The car runs fine and it got another fresh (free) oil change.

The service manager offered my friend a free 36k or 40 k service (worth $1000) and also extended his warranty from 5y/60,000 to 5y/100,000mi, IF all service work was done at his dealership.

Not a bad outcome, thanks a lot to you all for the support.