The dealer tell me that I have major eng damage to my car due to the removal of the tube in oil filter by a 3RD party which resulted in crush-ing the filter and chocking off the oil to the eng. Isn’t the eng protected from damage with the by-pass valve??
HUH? WHAT TUBE in the oil filter? Never heard of such a thing. I think they are trying VERY HARD to weasel out of an expensive warranty repair.
Who is the third party? Iffy Lube?
Where is the car? I don’t understand about a “FILTER TUBE”. …don’t know what it is. If you could have an independent mechanic look at it, he may be able to help you. If you could take a cell phone picture of it, and post it here, someone might have an idea. I’m sure someone here would walk you through the posting of the picture to here.
Questions
-
How many miles had past between the last oil change, and the alleged oil filter collapse?
-
where did you last have the oil changed, and what brand filter did they use?
-
Does anyone still have the alleged filter in question.
“I don’t understand about a “FILTER TUBE”. …don’t know what it is”
I think if you look inside the filter through the middle hole you will see a tube with a bunch of holes. Not all filters have a tube however, some use a nylon plastic cage.
I can only guess that is what the OP is referring to as the “filter tube”.
A few questions. Is the outer part of the filter crushed or has the inner part collapsed here?
Is this one of those very dubious in quality, unbranded filters (usually a white or yellow box with few markings) sold by a fast lube facility (a.k.a. the 3rd party here)?
And what did the engine do; knock, oil light on, seize up, etc.?
Final question would be - how long has it been since that filter was installed?
If the filter has collapsed internally it’s possible that chunks of the filter element could have come loose and blocked an oil galley.
If a defective oil filter caused this problem and this can all be documented then you probably have some recourse against this 3rd party, which is assume is a fast lube facility.
Or, is it the stud extension, screwed into the engine block, which screws into the oil filter (or, which the oil filter screws onto)?
One can only go by what the OP wrote. Quote “removal of the tube in oil filter”.
Also if the part you are referring to was missing, there would be no means in which to hold the filter on. Is that not correct?
It is the metal tube that the cannister filter in the oil filter assembly slides onto. I wasn’t precise enough. The oil change was at 500 mi with synthetic oil and the problems started @ 2400 mi. I have the filter in my possession. I have not identified it to this point. The Repair Shop uses NAPA filters and this one doesn’t match. It’s not a Fram, Purolator or STP. The filter looks like it’s paper and not of the NAPAGold filter quality. The pursuit continues.
At this point it sounds like a defective oil filter that needs positively identified. With the damages, and cost involved its may be time to seek a Attorney.
The oil filter in this car looks to be a replaceable filter cartridge element, where the housing gets reused. Is this what it looks like http://info.rockauto.com/WIX/DetailWIX.htm?www.wixfilters.com/filterlookup/PartDetail.asp?Part=57047 If so, is it that plastic tube that was missing? Sounds like a part may have been forgotten in replacing the oil filter element. The filter collapse may not be the result of a defective filter. Someone with direct experience in replacing this filter could better answer.
I don’t know about the By pass valve maybe someone else does
The 2006 Hyundai Sonata is the first year which has a cannister oil filter-instead of a spin on- & i understand this is becoming common as it’s more environmentally friendly.
I read a very similiar account of an engine being destroyed on an 06 Sonata when that same “tube” was not installed before the new filter cartridge was.
Looks like your Camry has also switched to the canister style oil filter.
Forgot to mention that the “tech” at the quicky lube failed to realize that the tube MUST be reused. A new filter cartridge does not include a new tube.
Dont ever go to a quicky lube.
This is a FLAWED DESIGN. The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) should be notified, and a CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT should be pursued. This should never have come to market. The car maker’s excuse of, something like, “It’s not our fault. Instructions were put out.”, is unacceptable. In my view, they (the car maker) are culpable of knowingly selling a defective product.
If you have the same engine as my wifes 2007 Lexus, then the filter is a canister filter. You only replace the paper element inside the filter.
As for the filter NOT looking like the NAPA-Gold (i.e. Wix) quality…it’s probably because Wix may or may not make a filter for it yet. And right now they are buying it from some other source. I have 3 filters for my wifes Lexus right now (Purolator, Fram and Lexus)…And the only way you can tell the difference is the Box.
I’m dying from curiosity… who was the 3rd party? Spouse? Friend? Quick lube joint or some auto repair shop other than the dealer? Regardless of whether the by-pass valve should have protected the engine, whoever neglected to make sure that tube was in place is the one who should be footing the bill for your new or rebuilt engine.
Then again, there’s always the chance that the dealer is full of b.s., and that it was a sticky or otherwise malfunctioning bypass valve and pressure regulating valve that caused the filter to collapse in the first place, not a missing center tube.
The 3rd party was a service station I have been dealing with for 15 years. The tude in in the oil filter cap assemby and would have to be intentionally removed to be absent. Then again, the dealer might be doing what you so clearly presented.
Wix does make a filter for it, the NAPA-Gold # 57047 that fits the Lexus 2007-2008 RX350 V6 3.5L. It also fits the Camry V-6.