Blown engine due to improperly seated oil filter!!

[Namuna]

I'm looking for the advice of anyone who's had experience with this, or would know what to do next...

We have a 2004 Honda Accord (4cyl, EX). At the end of March '07, we got our car's oil changed at a Quick-Lube. This passed Thursday we've come to find out that due to their not properly seating the oil filter...ALL the oil drained out of the car and in so doing the Engine is now toast.

The car was towed to a Honda Dealership repair shop and it was them that informed us of the improperly seated oil filter and that was the cause of engine losing the oil and therefore throwing a rod (or whatever the term it was she used)...The engine is hosed and the estimated repair is $8,000 !!

I've already contacted the Manager of the Quicklube where we got the work done and he's said he's contacted their Insurance to file a claim.

...The problem here though is that even though they did a shotty job of putting the oil filter back on, our Check Engine Light never came on to give any warning whatsoever!?!? So I've got a potential fight to deal with as far as who's to blame.

I imagine this'll require getting a Lawyer, can anyone recommend how to find one who's familiar with situations like this?

Thanks very much for any and all help.

 

[DainBramaged]

The check-engine light has nothing to do with the fact that they fscked up. Most likely, by the time it would have come on, (assuming that it is indeed supposed to come on for that problem) it would have been too late.

 

[Rogodin2]

We have a 2004 Honda Accord (4cyl, EX). At the end of March '07, we got our car's oil changed at a Quick-Lube. This passed Thursday we've come to find out that due to their not properly seating the oil filter...ALL the oil drained out of the car and in so doing the Engine is now toast.

You didn't notice a puddle of oil on your driveway?

Rogo

 

[Gibson486]

how do you not notice oil dripping that fast?

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: Rogodin2

We have a 2004 Honda Accord (4cyl, EX). At the end of March '07, we got our car's oil changed at a Quick-Lube. This passed Thursday we've come to find out that due to their not properly seating the oil filter...ALL the oil drained out of the car and in so doing the Engine is now toast.

You didn't notice a puddle of oil on your driveway?

Rogo

It would have been more than a puddle

 

[Hyperlite]

The low oil pressure light or check engine light issue is troubling, but irrelevant. have the shop's insurance take care of it. But yeah, how did you not notice it?

 

[RedArmy]

Originally posted by: Goosemaster

Originally posted by: Rogodin2

We have a 2004 Honda Accord (4cyl, EX). At the end of March '07, we got our car's oil changed at a Quick-Lube. This passed Thursday we've come to find out that due to their not properly seating the oil filter...ALL the oil drained out of the car and in so doing the Engine is now toast.

You didn't notice a puddle of oil on your driveway?

Rogo

It would have been more than a puddle

Yeah, I fail to see how in a whole month you didn't notice oil on the ground or the strange sounds that would begin to emanate from the engine.

 

[mugs]

I wouldn't expect the check engine light to come on, but I would expect the oil pressure light to come on.

I'm surprised that the quicklube place was even willing to entertain the possibility that it was their fault considering that the oil change was over a month ago. Their insurance company might use that to try to get out of it.

 

[bwatson283]

Originally posted by: Rogodin2

We have a 2004 Honda Accord (4cyl, EX). At the end of March '07, we got our car's oil changed at a Quick-Lube. This passed Thursday we've come to find out that due to their not properly seating the oil filter...ALL the oil drained out of the car and in so doing the Engine is now toast.

You didn't notice a puddle of oil on your driveway?

Rogo

Probably all drained out on the drive home.

 

[bwatson283]

Originally posted by: mugs
I wouldn't expect the check engine light to come on, but I would expect the oil pressure light to come on.

bingo, i agree

 

[thehstrybean]

Originally posted by: bwatson283

Originally posted by: Rogodin2

We have a 2004 Honda Accord (4cyl, EX). At the end of March '07, we got our car's oil changed at a Quick-Lube. This passed Thursday we've come to find out that due to their not properly seating the oil filter...ALL the oil drained out of the car and in so doing the Engine is now toast.

You didn't notice a puddle of oil on your driveway?

Rogo

Probably all drained out on the drive home.

He drove for over a month?


Change your oil yourself.

Did your car have an oil pressure gauge? My Jeep has one, and I check it every time I get in the car and while I'm driving.

 

[Rogodin2]

Probably all drained out on the drive home.

I'm assuming that they crossthreaded the filter, so that it there was a small gap between the seal and the filter (on 1/2 of the seal).

If they didn't put one on at all then it would have been bone dry and left a huge trail for 100 feet-and they would have caught it.

Rogo

 

[bwatson283]

i was guessing that it happened right away and not over a month and half later. that is why i was guessing it drained on the drive home and has been in the honda shop since, he/she didnt post until now.

 

[thehstrybean]

Originally posted by: Rogodin2

Probably all drained out on the drive home.

I'm assuming that they crossthreaded the filter, so that it there was a small gap between the seal and the filter (on 1/2 of the seal).

If they didn't put one on at all then it would have been bone dry and left a huge trail for 100 feet-and they would have caught it.

Rogo

Or they could have left the old rubber sealer on there. I've done that before one time. Luckily I caught it before I added any oil, but another guy that I work on cars with had that happen with his wifes car (he took it to some quick-lube place)...On the drive home she heard a loud "pop!" and saw smoke. Luckily she shut off the engine in time. That could have really sucked...

 

[crispy2010]

This happened to a person on the wifes side. The place didnt put the drain screw back in. Allthough the engine seized on the freeway on her way home. The place paid for a new engine. I would think you would have seen oil somewhere, after a month of driving!

 

[dethman]

life lesson: avoid all quick lube, jiffy lube, ez lube, and stupid ass place with 'lube' in the title.

 

[fisheerman]

I may be able to shed some light on this

Back in the day I use to be an assistant manager of a Jiffy Lube (same as quick lube except penzol backed)

anyway this problem probably occured from what as know as double gasketing.

what happens is sometimes when you remove an old oil filter from a car the existing gasket in the old oil filter will stay on the motor block oil intake and not come off in the filter. we always taught to check and double check this to make sure that the old gasket was in the filter. but believe it or not people would still forget to check (what do you expect for minimum wage?)

if the old gasket is still on and you place a new filter on the car you end up with a gasket on top of a gasket. In this scenario when the pressure would build you would get blow by from inbetween the gaskets and all the oil would be out of the car.

alot of times this wouldn't happen until the car got hot so upon leaving the shop or even possible for a period of time you wouldn't notice oil leaking. once it did fail it would spew.........

Id be willing to bet this is what happened in your case.

one think as others mentioned though how did you not see the oil or even the temp gauge of the car overheat?

engine don't fail because of the oil not being there, they fail from the resulting heat buildup with the lack of oil.

weird....

-fish

 

[DaWhim]

I just can't trust my car with those guys. I do my own oil change in 15mins.

 

[Rogodin2]

dethman

Most people don't change their own oil or open the hood and 'know' what they're looking at.

If everyone did that there would be no need for the universal 'jiffy lube'.

Hopefully soon the zombies will have to realize how precious the fuel is that they burn without thought.

Rogo

 

[OS]

I used to have that exact car, 2003 i4 accord, and had a similar situation but it was my own fault. I changed the oil but left the drain bolt loose and it fell out while i was test driving it. There was no warning on the dash until i had already lost most of the oil, only then did I get the oil pressure light. Fortunately this only happened a block away and i drove right back keeping rpms low as possible. I had no apparent problems after, the car ran fine and a lab oil analysis showed no damage at all.

The CEL does nothing for this sort of situation. The car will not directly detect low levels of critical fluids (oil, tranny, coolant) which is why it's important to check the levels yourself. The liability is all on the shop, not the manufacturer, and as you mentioned they already have insurance for this sort of thing.

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: Namuna
I'm looking for the advice of anyone who's had experience with this, or would know what to do next...

We have a 2004 Honda Accord (4cyl, EX). At the end of March '07, we got our car's oil changed at a Quick-Lube. This passed Thursday we've come to find out that due to their not properly seating the oil filter...ALL the oil drained out of the car and in so doing the Engine is now toast.

The car was towed to a Honda Dealership repair shop and it was them that informed us of the improperly seated oil filter and that was the cause of engine losing the oil and therefore throwing a rod (or whatever the term it was she used)...The engine is hosed and the estimated repair is $8,000 !!

I've already contacted the Manager of the Quicklube where we got the work done and he's said he's contacted their Insurance to file a claim.

...The problem here though is that even though they did a shotty job of putting the oil filter back on, our Check Engine Light never came on to give any warning whatsoever!?!? So I've got a potential fight to deal with as far as who's to blame.

I imagine this'll require getting a Lawyer, can anyone recommend how to find one who's familiar with situations like this?

Thanks very much for any and all help.

CEL won't come on, as oil level isn't part of the OBD standard. You shoud have had an oil pressure warning light on the cluster though.

 

[Pacfanweb]

I worked at the largest dealership in the Southeast, and I saw cars come in from lube shops all the time with stuff like this. And ths was just Fords....I'd hate to see the total number of all the other makes this happens to.

I never had a problem....usually the manager at whichever location it was would stop by, look at the damage, and authorize the repair. Or they would have already looked at it and assumed responsibility before it was towed over.

I was on a first name basis with the manager of one Quick 10 store...he had some real winners working for him....engines, transmissions, even a transfer case on one truck they had to pay for.

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: crispy2010
This happened to a person on the wifes side. The place didnt put the drain screw back in. Allthough the engine seized on the freeway on her way home. The place paid for a new engine. I would think you would have seen oil somewhere, after a month of driving!

wtf you'd lose all of that oil before you pull out of that place.

 

[Pepsi90919]

there is nothing about losing oil that would iluminate the MIL, as has been said 300 times in this thread.

however, your RED OIL PRESSURE LIGHT was on, which you conveniently didn't see.

 

[PeeluckyDuckee]

I don't trust any oil shops to change my oils either. Costly and you'll always wonder if they did things right, as in all the bolts and filtered tightened and put on right.