Opinions Please

[nangel]

I have a Grand Prix GXP 08 which I recently had to bring into the dealership to have accessory pulleys replaced. When they had it in there they said that the oil pan gasket is a known problem and they would repair under warranty at no cost since known issue. Prior to bringing the car in to them we had never had any problems with oil, no spots not even specks left under the car even after sitting in the garage for days, no low oil, infact it was full when we brought it into them, and no warnings on the car.

A few days after getting our car back from the dealership we were driving around and noticed a tick, along with this the low oil pressure warning kept coming on when we had to brake quickly or harder or had to make a sharp turn, so we stopped at an auto parts store and checked the oil. Turns out there wasn't none on the stick. So we ended up adding 5qts of oil to fill it. The next day we called the dealership and explained all of this to them and expressed our concerns with the tick and driving around for a few days with no oil. There was no oil on the ground in our garage or anything prior to us filling the oil and again no problems prior to bringing to dealership.

They had us bring the car back to the dealership. The mechanic stated that he had noticed a small leak when the car was originally brought into him and that he had tightened the oil cooler line and thought that it fixed the problem since no leak was found after test drive. (note this was not told to us at any time prior to our complaint nor was it in any paperwork in inspection from that dealership). They ordered parts after a day of lookin at it and the next day the parts were in and it was fixed under warranty for the cooler lines.

We voiced our concern that we thought we were getting screwed and lied to because what kind of coincidence that we weren't told anything about the prior leak nor had we had any problems at all with leaks/low oil but a few days after they worked on it then it needed 5 qts but they stuck to their story and insist it was not their error.

OPINIONS PLEASE......
i feel like they are just trying to skip out on any liability for problems to my engine that may develop due to driving without any oil that they apparently either forgot to put in (since there was no oil on our garage floor) or leaked out in immediately after leaving their shop before ever getting into our garage.

[MagicRat]

Welcome to the forum.

If all your oil got dumped on the ground, you would know. It would be hard to miss and would leave an oily mess around the engine and on the underside of the car. So I don't think the oil leaked out.

It's possible the mechanic did not drain the oil before dropping the pan. I expect he has done a few of these and knows he can drop the pan full of oil and swap the gasket, then reinstall with the original oil. This will save him some time, (most mechanics are flat-rate, so saving time means more money in pocket) and save the cost of new oil.I expect some spilled out and he neglected to refill.

Originally Posted by nangel

low oil pressure warning kept coming on,.

The key word here is "kept". It sounds as if it came on, then went out and you continued to drive. In my opinion, this was an error. Any kind of oil pressure warning requires you to stop the engine as soon as it is safe to do so, and investigate the issue, even if the light goes out.

So, yes the dealer screwed up. But I think that you made the situation worse by continuing to drive the car

I do not think you can get warranty repair for a possible problem that has no symptoms. In my opinion, keep lots of notes and all receipts so you have a chance of compensation if a problem occurs in the near future.

If you are very concerned, you could drop the pan again and have another mechanic inspect the engine bearings. If they show normal wear, then IMO you have no concerns. But if they show signs of oil starvation you may have a case for more warranty repair. But I suspect even with such evidence, you may have to fight for the repair.

[tblake]

I've seen cars have low oil and take corners too fast, causing the oil to shift over to one side of the pan momentarilly. Causing the pump to take a gulp of air. One car in particular wiped all crank bearings like this and needed a new crank.

Air isn't meant to lubricate. I would check with the shop to see if they can figure out what is ticking.

[BNaylor]

Originally Posted by nangel

When they had it in there they said that the oil pan gasket is a known problem and they would repair under warranty at no cost since known issue.

That is B.S. The oil pan gasket leaking issues was with the SII/III 3800 equipped GP's and not the LS4 5.3L V8. Both of my GXPs have no such issues. Dry as a bone. Plus the oil pan is aluminum versus stamped steel so it has better surface mating and sealing.

Also, keep in mind the LS4 engine holds 6 quarts of motor oil.

[Blue Bowtie]

Originally Posted by tblake

Air isn't meant to lubricate.

Actually, air bearings have been in use since the early '80s. Perhaps the flat-rate mechanic was simply trying to upgrade the engine...



I'd agree that there may be engine problems in the future, and maintaining all paperwork will be critical.