Seized Engine

So today at work i was at wash bay cleaning foot prints i left in a car and one of my coworkers asked me to help him push a Sequoia back to the shop (almost a 1/4 mile). I asked him why, he said"cause it started knocking and then died" long story short he did a t-belt and oil change and some how he forgot to put oil in. he drove it with no oil and it started knocking. he stopped at a gas station and bought oil, engine stopped in the parking lot of the dealership. So my question is, would you be furious if this happend to your Sequoia, even if we were replacing the engine and not charging for the previous work. or would you remain calm and still return in the future????

remember even thought this is a dealership, it still can happen to anyone

 

I think it would make me question whether I would want you guys doing anything else to my vehicle .

 

i could see that... but you'd be surprised how often this actually does happen at other dealers

 

if there was no emotional attatchment to the sequioa, then I'd be calm while you replaced the engine, then trade it in when I got it back..It will never be the same.

 

IF they do it right- a complete engine swap doesn't come with the gremlins a collision/frame rack repair does. I had an engine replaced due to oil starvation and never had any issues with it after that (except the problems that plagued all the 2000 5.2L engines.) I was probably in an ever better place cause it gave me clean and new parts to FI from there.

OP-I would be pretty pissed...and you better believe I wouldn't be coming back to your shop. You guys are the pros and let something like this happen?? Maybe I'm a big picky cause the mechs in the hanger are so careful and have so many checklists and what not- but I wold think putting oil in shouldn't be something that gets forgotten...

 

I would not be furious or livid but I would be reasonably upset. After all, it is just a vehicle but it is my vehicle. An unscheduled engine swap is seriously inconvenient. I can understand a backyard mechanic royally screwing the pooch -- you get what you pay for -- but a certified professional technician should have safeguards and reminders and a number of other measures to prevent such epic failures. Above all, I am more shocked that anyone would actually screw the oil cap back on the cover before adding oil. Do one thing at a time for Pete's sake, or if you must do several things at once, check and recheck to be sure nothing is shorted or forgotten. Everyone's in such a goddam hurry these days, I wish we could all realize it's killing us and just take a breath, relax. This is at least the 3rd dealership-service horror story of its kind, probably lots more out there that I've not seen. Good thing I do my own oil changes. I have found it helps to put the new oil in the work area, so it's kind of in the way and will be very difficult to forget the most important thing.

 

I'd be pissed at the stupidity but I'd take the compensation. I think a new engine is resonable. If the original engine was getting a timing belt it had a few miles on it and now it's getting a new engine so I think that's a fair solution.

 

I would be pissed and would not accept anything but a brand new engine. I can do an oil change my self. I can do some more but I know hardly anything about engines. So if I brought in my car to get oil changed and that happens, I would lose a lot of respect.

 

+1

 

I'd be pissed and would not go back.

 

It was always a problem, now its even more, since all dealerships are trying to lower the cost. So They hire High school kids to do the work. Then again people dont want to pay for "real" mechanic anyway so no wonder dealership are cutting down.
Thats why I do all my work. I can not afford real mechanic and sure as hell I won't let some kido who is probably a virgin touch my engine.
Now since this is free repair you can imagine that swap is going to be done in record time so I would not want that either. I would tow truck to other dealer not associated to the current one, tell them to do it right and send invoice to the dealer at fault.

 

I would never return to the shop, ANY shop. When I work on an engine and the oil is drained, a piece of paper is placed on the steering wheel that says "NO OIL". Once the oil is replaced, the paper is removed.

This should NEVER happen. Only when people decide to cut corners does a mistake of this nature occur. I do not want my vehicle serviced by anyone who cuts corners because other things will be missed as well.

Sorry, but IMO, there is no getting around this. Do your job and do it right or I will not be back, EVER.

 

I'd be pretty pissed but blowing up on people doesn't get anything accomplished. I'd let you guys replace the engine and pay for my rental while it's in the shop. After that, I most likely wouldn't return in the future. As someone else pointed out, if the engine just had the timing belt replaced, it's got some miles on it so you can't be too upset over getting a brand new engine in a higher mileage vehicle on someone else's dime... it's almost a blessing!

 

i can see where all of you guys are coming from about not coming back.. as for the virgin comment, everyone has to pop that cherry , i started on lube rack fresh out of high school on my 18 birthday, wrecked 1 or 2 trucks, now i'm tearing down and rebuilding 3.0L(toyota f#*k up) engine and its only been a year and half... granite the kid that siezed the engine came from job corp and not T-TEN like me

 

I would accept either a new motor or a third party rebuilt motor. And in this case, it sounds like the pistons siezed instead of throwing a rod. The cylinders might be either honeable or bored one size over, crank will probably need turning, and I would replace cam and lifters, if they didn't look perfect. Of course, rings, pistons and bearings. Now you have an engine with one less rebuild cycle available. What is the value of an rebored block vs a virgin block?

If the shop makes it right, I would be OK with it. On the other hand, my FJ60 was a dealership horror story, with one dealer destroying the first engine and a next dealership destroying the replacement engine.

Howard

 

X1,000,000

 

I wouldnt be happy,but as long as the dealer put a BRAND NEW engine and paid for a rental car while mine was being repaired ,i probably wouldnt go balistic.