Oil change at dealership led to huge engine problems

[BLK HOLE]

The engine is done if there's a knock. No passing go.

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[BLK HOLE]

And probably fire the tech if it was his doing.

lol....its a lube guy, not a tech.

 

[AmosMoses]

10,000 miles for first oil change

 

[BLK HOLE]

10,000 miles for first oil change

Extremely normal and typical. Many go higher.

 

[Lunentucker]

10,000 miles for first oil change

 

[Mel]

10,000 miles for first oil change

No, this is not it's first oil change.

 

[Mel]

I'll repeat the story again so maybe others can learn from it.

In the late 80's my wife had a new Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. Took it to dealer for oil change and tire rotation. Tech rotated the tires while the oil drained. Then swapped out oil filter. Lowered lift and popped the hood, took off oil cap, stuck in funnel and poured in the required amount of oil. Put cap back on then hopped in to start. Never saw the puddle on the floor under the car. Motor seized almost instantly.

Dealership said they'd get it replaced under warranty, I said no, this is on you for using students unsupervised to work on cars. They aren't supposed to work without a fully certified Tech to check their work.
Dealership got huffy and I called the Olds Customer Service line and told them the story.

Dealership had to do the new engine themselves. Turned it in on their insurance. Service Writer got canned and dealership got a black mark from corporate.

Moral of the story is, the "free" oil changes aren't worth it because unqualified people are doing the work.

I didn't even know I was getting a free oil change. I was just taking it in for its regular maintenance. I've never had a problem with this dealer and this is where I bought the truck from.

 

[dcmdon]

lol....its a lube guy, not a tech.

My dealer calls him a "lube tech".

 

[Gvsukids]

I didn't even know I was getting a free oil change. I was just taking it in for its regular maintenance. I've never had a problem with this dealer and this is where I bought the truck from.

So why did you get one done?

 

[Mel]

Because It was time for an oil change. Regular maintenance.

 

[BLK HOLE]

My dealer calls him a "lube tech".

And my maid is a cleaning technician.

 

[kevman65]

I don't know when ASE decided to change from "Mechanic" to "Technician" but it seems things started going downhill after that change.

The guys with the "Mechanic" (or Master Mechanic) patches could walk up with a long screwdriver and go around the engine while it was running and tell you exactly where the knock or tap was.

Now the guys with "Technician (or Master Technician) can't tell you squat if the diagnostic computer doesn't tell them first.

You roll the dice in dealership service departments, the lube and tire rotation guys (kids) are generally ASE students from the local school. As I said before, they are SUPPOSED to work with either direct supervision or have all their work checked by a certified Tech. Doesn't happen, costs to much to have a Tech shadow a student.

I have a mechanic that has his own shop. He is an ASE certified Master Mechanic. Still proudly displays all his certs on the wall of his office. He doesn't have all the diagnostic equipment a dealership has and he won't work on the computer side of an engine. But I'll be damned if Mr. Old School can't diagnose something with a screwdriver correctly just about every time. I have taken his diagnosis back to the dealership on several occasions and VIOLA` they finally find the problem.

 

[HooliganActual]

My dealer calls him a "lube tech".

In my previous life, we had folks that went around and lubricated the industrial machinery that were called "greasers". But everyone used the term in a condescending way; so we started calling them "Anti-Friction Technicians"

 

[Sprinkler-Fitter]

It had to be bad............ and I'm surprised these didn't detect and warn of the lack of pressure. Like - no red light? No CEL for oil pressure loss?

Hell, even my 73 would tell me if I lost oil pressure before any damage was done. (I am a former tech so know how it all works - but no warning??)

How would your 73 tell you if you lost oil pressure before any damage was done? Wouldn’t you have to be staring at the gauge the whole time?

 

[Minty JL]

Is it fixable?

Only way to really know is to tear the motor down and inspect. They might pull the oil filter and look for metallic material (beyond normal) and drain the remaining oil and inspect. If the oil and filter have a substantial amount of metallic material........engine replacement. The oil and filter inspection should only take the Master Tech about 30 minutes to do.

In reality that effort and labor is a waste of resources. If they observe and hear the rod knock, they will or should just replace the entire motor.

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