lachase13

Oil filter blow out and complete loss of oil. I'm mad at myself for this screw up, however here is my situation. I couldn't get to the dealer due to a couple reasons so, I had the oil and filter changed on my 09 G37S Convertible at a local auto store (should have known better). Picked up the car and drove home, about 1/4 mile everything seemed fine. Drove to work next morning about 4 miles, everything still OK. Left work and drove about 0.3 miles and all of a sudden my dash lights up every light and the car dies. Stopped the car and looked under the hood and oil was all over and a drip trail was on the highway. Walked back to the corner stop sign where I had pulled on to the highway and there was a HUGE oil bath all over the corner (all my engine oil).The G is now at my dealer and they have checked out the engine. The filter was put on dry and blew out the gasket the engine has jumped a couple of teeth on timing and will no run. The mechanic, shop foreman and service Mgr. all say I need a new long block because of all the tight tolerances on the Q37 and there is no way of telling what gamage has occured with out a complete engine tear down. This would cost almost as much as a new long block The car is 4 months old with only 4900 miles. Now the auto service center customer service tells me being the engine has a low oil limiter on it and no damage to the engine would occur due to this, they are willing to pay to reset the timing gears and the oil and filter. I feel there must have been some internal damage and don't want to chance a premature engine failure and think they should foot the fee for the long block. Any thoughts on potential damage and what avenue I should pursue? I'm looking into a lawyer as a min. Thanks for any comments or recommendations.

hispeed-lowdrag

iTrader: (7)

wow...that sucks to hear!!

If there is any paperwork from the shop that did the change I would show that to an attorney as well as any kind of certifications they claim to have...that seems like such a simple thing that any certified mechanic should have gotten it right

Weiboy718

iTrader: (10)

first of all is i would never take my brand new car to these independent service centers to begin with.

sorry to hear about your situation, hopefully you can get it resolved with these people.

CodeG

You should demand replacement cost for a new engine from the service shop + other expenses. Because if the engine shut down normally due t lack of oil, there would be no timing gear problem.

Adam West

iTrader: (3)

That really sucks. I think the auto shop that did the oil change is feeding some BS with the 'low oil limiter' - I don't even know what that means, but they are trying to cover themselves. I'm willing to take a bet that if you lost oil pressure for some time and dumped oil all over that the bearings (mains, rods) in the engine are going to have some significant damage, among other items that rely on the oil for lubrication (e.g. valvetrain). Bearings aren't too bad to replace, but it does require a complete engine teardown and inspection to know for sure. I'd try to go after the auto shop place that initially did the work since they either used a faulty part or improper installation. A new long block would be the best but most expensive solution that way your guaranteed a new engine, but a new short block or machine shop rebuild would most likely work too, but you still have to figure out if the valvetrain was hurt.

gshb

a new vq37 with all the trimmings will cost you 9k through nissan. not sure if you can just buy the block. maybe see if there are undamaged engines in the junkyard?

superchargedg

iTrader: (1)

Get a lawyer as that is probably the only way you will get the other shop to pay for it.

SM_Shadowman

Yeah, if you are going to be contacting a lawyer, I'd just listen to whatever he says. It's a good idea, but...

I'm wondering if your lawyer fees are going to take a sizable chunk out of your recovered costs. But a new engine + labor might cost more than the maximum for small claims court so I suppose that's going to be your best bet.

-1000 on the junkyard idea. Dropping in a used engine on a nearly brand new still-under-warranty car should be completely unacceptable.

SkyMG37x

Don't know how the auto center is able to provide expert info on your engine - I would only trust the dealer to determine what's needed. The auto center f'ed up - they need to start working on solving your problem. Aside from the lawyer route I would politely discuss the possibility of bringing this to your local TV or newspaper consumer advocate.

mylastknight

Your intentions were good and this could have happen to anyone, even at the dealer. People are not perfect. If it happen at the dealer they could have said the same thing that they would only repair the damaged parts not replace the engine. The auto shop should have insurance so I am not sure why they wouldnt pay the deductible and take care of it properly. If the attorney is involved they you have have them sue with additional the fees to cover attorney involvement. I have seen where locals over torque lug nuts then have to pay to have them completely replaced, and they do!

I am sorry that it turned out baddly.

James

Greg Lecewicz

it's time for you to call GTM and treat yourself with their new engine after collecting from your insurance company.

lachase13

Just thought I should post an update on my G37S Vert. After a number of phone calls and some wasted tries by the dealer's shop (at the insistence of the chain Auto Shop{Mavis Discount}) to try getting my trashed engine to run, I'm getting a whole new long block through Infiniti and paid for by Mavis. The engine is in and almost completed as I type. Hopefully I will be getting my G back today with a brand spanking new engine. I have to give credit to Mavis's Customer Care Dept. for standing up and making good on replacing the engine. I've learned a painful lesson from all this, no more service outside the Infiniti Dealer's shop. Thanks for all your reply posts.

The Jewbag

iTrader: (1)

It was Mavis that f*cked up? They mounted my new tires and put one of the rear tires on the front rim. Idiots.

SM_Shadowman

Did you ever find out what it was that caused the problem? It's hard to believe an oil change could really end that badly unless they forget to replace the drain plug or something. So you said "the filter was put on dry," does that mean they didn't rub any oil onto the filter gasket before they screwed it on? And that was enough to cause the whole thing to come off? Or was something also tightened improperly, etc?

DanMardik

iTrader: (7)

Yea, whatever happened to this? Any updates?