Dealer Forgot to Torque the Oil Drain Plug....

[thebells]

Well, as the title says, I took my car into a Franchise Hyundai Dealer on Friday for a simple oil change and they failed to tighten the drain plug properly. On Sunday night, I was rolling down the highway at 60-65 mph and I hear two knocks on the floorboard - apparently that was my drain plug hitting the ground and then hitting the underside of my Gennie....

I don't know what to say except WTF....

By the time I was able to get out of the flow of traffic, I had covered my wife's Jeep (she was behind me fortunately...) in fresh oil, nearly causing her to have an accident due to obscured vision (this happened about dusk - 6pm or so). When I was able to get Gennie shut down, about 1.5 qts of oil (all that was left except what was in the oil filter) quickly drained out of her.

After being towed to the dealership that did the oil change, they have spent the day trying to diagnose any potential resulting issues. In their defense, they have verbally accepted responsibility and appear to be making a legit effort, but I would appreciate the groups collective thoughts on what to do next.

Currently they have inspected the oil pan for metal shavings and will next do a compression check. Even if everything checks out, I'm very concerned about the long term affects this might have on my motor as well as future oil consumption issues (prior to this the car did not use a single drop of oil). Only 2 Quarts of oil in a motor that takes more than 5 is very concerning to me....

As you can see from my signature, she is 2012 Tech Package car with under 10k miles and she is covered by the HPP warranty to 100k.

Any and all input would be appreciated.

PS - If the dealership doesn't act honorably throughout the process, I'll be happy to provide their name, but for now I'd like to leave that out of this discussion in hopes that they will resolve the issue to my satisfaction.

 

[427435]

Odds (not 100%) are that you will be fine as you weren't at full throttle.

Did the oil pressure light come on before you got stopped?

 

[VanillaGorilla]

Wish i had a good answer for you but two suggestions that couldnt hurt and will help you explore your options. Give Hyundai North America a call and see what they say and call your insurance company. I doubt your insurance will say much but it doesnt hurt to explore your options. Make sure you get an incident report from the dealer for your records.

 

[landtuna]

In addition to the oil pressure lamp coming on it is also important to know exactly how much time the engine was still running after you heard the oil plug depart. Assuming you were not putting the engine at strain after you heard the plug depart it is possible for the engine to run for about 30 seconds without damage - more if you had full synthetic oil in the sump.

The first part of the engine to suffer damage would be the bearings - main and wrist. The pan should be dropped and the bearings inspected to insure they did not suffer damage. The engine itself should be inspected for signs of overheating. If neither of these issues can be found then I would think you are OK.

It might be prudent to arrange an agreement that if, within some reasonable time, damage shows up that can be related to the oil loss it would be covered by the dealership.

 

[Mark_888]

Wish i had a good answer for you but two suggestions that couldnt hurt and will help you explore your options. Give Hyundai North America a call and see what they say and call your insurance company. I doubt your insurance will say much but it doesnt hurt to explore your options. Make sure you get an incident report from the dealer for your records.

I guess it will not hurt to contact Hyundai Motor America, but they are in no way responsible for dealer negligence when doing oil changes, especially since it is not warranty repair or service being paid for by HMA. Also, not sure insurance will pay for dealer negligence either, but I am not an insurance expert.

A lot of people think I am crazy for doing my own oil changes, but I have read too many posts on auto forums similar to this one where a dealer screws it up big time. Even if things seem OK, one will probably never know the extent of any damage that was done to the engine.

 

[thebells]

Thanks folks for the input.

Just got a call from the dealership and the senior service guy just told me the complete opposite of what the assistant service manager said they had done thus far to diagnose any potential problems (1 said compression test done, the other said oil pan inspection done...each said the other test was yet to be done - doesn't inspire a lot of confidence).

Also, all they can provide me are some hand written notes/figures indicating the compression figures for each cylinder, when I was promised photos of the results.

They have offered me a "lifetime" powertrain warranty (not sure yet from who...), waiting on the paperwork for that. But I suspect that it's only good if the car hasn't been starved for oil, which is what has likely happened as a result of their negligence....I understand oil starvation is extremely easy for an experienced technician to identify and that, in my mind, would void any responsibility of the warranty company to cover any related repairs....

Comments welcome....Thank you.

 

[landtuna]

A compression test will not show bearing damage so that is fairly useless (unless the engine was overheated).

I don't know what an "oil pan" inspection is. The oil pan isn't a problem but the bearings are. They need to drop the pan and inspect the bearings for oil starvation. I would also insist on a warranty of some sort that would cover hidden damage as these dealerships are not the sharpest. Perhaps you can convince them to bring in a Hyundai regional tech or manager to confirm findings.

 

[427435]

In another life, I worked for a farm tractor company that also built their own gas engines. The engine lab once took an engine (that had finished it's testing and had no further usefulness other than scrap iron) drained the oil and let it run (no load). The darned engine ran for almost 30 minutes before seizing.

 

[thebells]

Latest update....

Based on the above recommendations (thank you!!), I requested that they inspect the bearings.

However, the dealer claims that in order to inspect the bearings, they would have to remove the engine from my car and tear the bottom of the motor apart.

I'm certainly no mechanic, but this sounds crazy to me. Any knowledge of this out there?

Thank you.

 

[palloverspec]

Latest update....

Based on the above recommendations (thank you!!), I requested that they inspect the bearings.

However, the dealer claims that in order to inspect the bearings, they would have to remove the engine from my car and tear the bottom of the motor apart.

I'm certainly no mechanic, but this sounds crazy to me. Any knowledge of this out there?

Thank you.

Dude. I would not worry about this. Don't let any grease monkey tear your engine down to look at the bearings.

If I were in your situation, I would ask myself the following questions.

1. Do I put synthetic oil into my car and do I regularly get my oil changed?
If yes, the probability of damage is very slim.

2. Am I protected if something happens?
I have a 100,000 mile warranty, and the dealership has stated they will
cover my powertrain for life.

3. Do I plan on keeping my car for the rest of my life?
I am 44 years old and the probability of me keeping this car until I die
is very slim.

4. Will I do business again at this dealership.
Sure. They know who I am, and that they screwed up, so why not take
why not take advantage of them. Shoot, maybe even get a good deal on a
2015 and an excellent deal on a trade-in.

Take it from me dude. I wish I was in your situation. My car is currently burning oil at 1 quart every 1500 miles and the district manger has given me the big "BIRD."

Maintain your car and drive it like you stole it.

Cheers mate.

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[Mark_888]

2. Am I protected if something happens?
I have a 100,000 mile warranty, and the dealership has stated they will
cover my powertrain for life.

One potential problem with this is that the warranty is offered by Hyundai Motor America, not the dealer. The Hyundai warranty does not cover the engine if it was subjected to abuse, such as running the car without oil (even for a short time).

However, I suppose it is possible that the dealer would not disclose to Hyundai the fact that they know the car was run without any oil for a short time, but if they did, there is no way that Hyundai is going to fix the car under warranty due to a dealer screw-up.

 

[NSXNEXT]

Whatever "warranty" is provided make sure it is in writing, covers any engine related issues resulting from potential oil starvation, and what their resolution will be.

If it were me I would make sure it indicates there is no cost to you for any engine related issues. Might have to (dare I say it) have an attorney review the warranty prior to you signing.

 

[FastDEW1]

Your engine will be fine. If the engine had two quarts left, it is fine. The engine would have to be at full load and no oil for any damage to happen in a short time. The bottom end is not where the damage would occur first - It will be the top end, smaller bearings on the cam. I would not have the dealer tear anything down as you are only asking to create a problem by doing so. Just get a written agreement that they will cover the engine if a future failure occurs and move on. Thats what I would do. Please do not think I am dismissing this - I fully understand your stress knowing your engine ran low on oil....

 

[thebells]

Does anybody know what the compression readings should be? They sent me pics of the gauge reading for each cylinder. They ranged a bit between about 190 and 200 psi.

 

[Gunkk]

Find a new dealer.

That dealer is full of crap and lying to you to try and bullshit their way out of having to buy you a new engine.

How do I know?

200:14.7 = 13.6:1
190:14.7 = 12.9:1

The standard spec is 11.5:1. See: http://www.hyundainews.com/us/en/media/pressreleases/33807

Now all that said, there's a 95% chance you're fine if you got the car down to idle and shut it off 30 or so seconds of seeing the oil light or hearing that drain plug drop out.

If the car doesn't make any unusual thumping (crank bearing) or loud clacking (lifter/cam) noises while idling, then it's fine. You'll hear injector ticking pretty loudly on a GDI engine, which is normal.

If you're still not sure and willing to drop a couple Bens to find out, then take it to an independent engine shop, tell 'em what happened and have them inspect for damage.

Sorry to hear about your misfortune.

 

[427435]

It's too late now, but a sample of those last 2 quarts of oil should have been sent to Blackstone Labs.

Tell the dealer that you want a free oil change in a few hundred miles and to have him pay for an oil analysis of a sample taken then. If the bearings weren't hurt (likely), the results of the oil tests will show that.

 

[Mark_888]

It's too late now, but a sample of those last 2 quarts of oil should have been sent to Blackstone Labs.

Tell the dealer that you want a free oil change in a few hundred miles and to have him pay for an oil analysis of a sample taken then. If the bearings weren't hurt (likely), the results of the oil tests will show that.

Maybe, but it is possible that any metal shavings were trapped in the oil filter, and won't show up in the oil analysis.

 

[thebells]

Ok, I have requested that the dealer have a Hyundai Service Rep come out and review their findings and sign off on their conclusions, warranty status, etc. As of yet, I have not received a reply from them on this request.

Prior to this, I called Hyundai CS and this was not something they could help with, the dealer apparently has to make that request....

I'm really getting tired of all of this crap, just because some young tech was too busy to make sure his work was performed up to spec.

The comments and input here continue to be invaluable. Thank you all and please keep them coming as my saga continues.

 

[GenesisCaptain]

So, the lesson is, if the dealer leaves the plug out, drive it until you destroy the engine. Then, there is no question that the dealer has to replace the engine.

 

[thebells]

GC,

I'm holding out hope otherwise, but sadly I believe that what you suggest might well be a reasonable conclusion....

This dealer has a pretty good reputation in town, with many other brands under their flag, so there is still a chance they can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.