I had my oil changed by Tate Boys Tire & Service. Three days later my car lost all of the oil out, while I was driving. Long story short, they did not get the filter in properly and my engine is ruined. My car is older but I have always attended to mechanical issues, had oil changed regularly, front end maintence, brakes, tires, etc.
My vehicle has 120,000 miles on it and they have offered to put in an old
motor with 110,000 miles. Offering a 6 month, 6,000 mile warranty.
How do I know I what kind of motor I am getting, am I just someone elses problems?
Is it appropriate to ask for a full inspection of engine bearing surfaces. Seeing the report of removal and disassembly of the engine to verify the camshafts, main rod, and cam bearings and verify there is no damage to the cylinder walls. Do I ask who is the warranty from and who will be honoring it? Will you please advise?
I am a Public Health Registered Nurse and have been overwhelmed with the Covid-19 Pandemic. Please
note this incident happened when I was bringing my 86 year old father home from the hospital after cardiac surgery. This has been very stressful for me to deal with their “honest mistake” and I feel I am not responsible to be put in a less than ideal situation. I am not comfortable with their offer.
I value integrity and to do what is right. I worked many years in surgery and never did we remove the
diseased or damaged and replace it with an equivalent. I feel it is appropriate to replace with a new or remanufactured engine, since they are responsible for the damage.
For whatever it’s worth, I agree. Tell them you don’t want a used engine and if they balk find a lawyer. Get everything in writing if possible and keep a timeline.
That 14-year old SUV is worth roughly $5K. May I suggest something? Rather than getting wrapped up in a long ordeal with an unclear outcome, why not ask them to give you the value of the vehicle? Here are some adverts of this make and model: https://www.carfax.com/Used-2006-Cadillac-SRX_z30255
They are trying to return your car to the condition it was before their mistake. That is the best you can ask for. The oil change place is trying to do the right thing.
That said, it might be more fair to let them buy the car from you. Take the 5 or 6 thou you can expect on a newer car.
Legally, they are probably obligated to make you whole, i.e. put you in the position you were in prior to the engine failure, which was a car with 120,000 miles. You’re theoretically coming out ahead. Thank you for your service on the front line, and I hope your father is doing well. I would, however, leave those facts out of any negotiations regarding the engine. They are irrelevant.
If you really like the car, and if a mechanic looks it over for you and tells you that it’s fundamentally sound, no rot or rust, no signs of leaks in the seals, the transmission is working properly, etc., then the idea of paying the difference between their used engine and a rebuilt engine makes a lot of sense. You had a used engine after all. On the other hand, if you are resigned to getting rid of the car then either sell it to them for a price that suits you or have them replace the engine, drive it a month or two and finally decide if it’s a keeper or not and if not sell it privately.
And if they do end up replacing the engine, they owe you a rental.
On the rental theme, they should rent a car for you u til you settle with them. This could be with a used engine or a when they buy your car. When you get the rental, don’t delay a decision. If they are going to do right by you, you should do right by them.
Thanks for your work. I am not a lawyer but would ask if they would pay for a reputable shop to put in an engine the shop deems worthy. They screwed up an oil change and trusting them to do a motor replacement a big gamble in my book.
I would argue that if a used engine runs well for 6 months, it will probably run well indefinitely. That is more than enough time to discover if the engine has poor compression, poor oil pressure, leaking seals/gaskets, etc. I would ask that a new timing chain and guide set be installed into this engine before it is installed into your car. The effort to do that is trivial, and timing chain/guide wear is an issue if the previous owner did not change the oil often enough.
It would be very unreasonable to ask for a comlete teardown of any engine that would be furnished. To do this would essentially mean rebuilding it. Given that many used engines, transmissions, etc have problems ranging from comparatively minor to major I would want any guarantee in writing. This would be in regard to leaks, noises, and compression loss.
IF a used engine is installed I would strongly suggest the connection of a vacuum gauge once it is up and running. This is dirt simple to do and can tell you in a heartbeat if there are any compression issues, subtle misfires, etc, etc. Ideally, the gauge should be have a rock steady reading of 20" to 21" inches although that can vary a bit (slightly lower) with altitude, air temp, and so on.
If the gauge needle is erratic or too low then it’s back to the drawing board…
And insist that the transmission front pump seal be replaced at the same time. This is a MUST. The last thing you want is another engine installed only to have the transmission start puking transmission fluid out and which means the engine must come back out to replace a 10 dollar seal.
Nobody else has mentioned this. Did you notice the oil light come on? If you had pulled to the side of the road and shut down you would have saved the engine. This exact thing happened to my GF years ago. She had taken her Isuzu Trooper to a quicky oil place and they didn’t tighten the drain plug. And it fell out. She called me and said “I remember when you told me to never drive far if the oil light comes on, I just pulled over”. I told her you saved your engine.