My check engine light came on and so i took it to the used car service center from where i purchased the vehicle. I was told my timing chain was bad and needed to be replaced. 2 weeks after the repair while going 75 on the freeway, my car died. It just shut off while driving and all the dash lights started flashing like a new toy on Christmas morning. I managed to get back to my house that was about 1 mile away and called the service department. They came and towed my car and after looking at it said the engine was toast. Luckily Hyundai had an extended warrantee that covered the replacement of the engine. My question is this: when the mechanic was replacing the timing chain should they have noticed that the bearings were being shaved down and metal flakes were being left behind causing the engine to go bad? I was charged quite a pretty sum to replacement the timing chain only to have it all go to hell 2 weeks later. If this is something that should have been noticed i plan to discuss it in great detail with the original mechanic and see if we can come to an agreement of the amount i was charged for the original repair.
When replacing a timing chain, it’s not required to remove the oil pan.
If the oil pan isn’t removed, you can’t see if there’s a problem with rod/main bearings of the engine.
Tester
Thank you. So there would be no way they could have known prior to the engine failing unless they removed the oil pan?
Correct.
Tester
Is this and example of the well known theta II engine problem? If so an argument could be made that at least the oil should be drained from the pan and sieved & checked for an unusual amount metal debris before replacing the timing chain. The problem is that even if that were done no metal shavings might have made their way to the oil pan. Instead they’d probably be inside the oil filter.
Thanks. I guess i am just a little peeved that they charged me to replace the timing chain only to have the engine crap out 2 weeks later. On the upside the engine is being replaced with a new one under warrantee so no charge for that.
Yes, it’s a good sign that the manufacturer is stepping up and doing the right thing by its customers.
I do fault the place who replaced the timinig chain. Chain failure in almost all cases is caused by oil changes not being done often enough or by allowing the engine to operate with a low oil level.
The mechanic should ASSUME the rest of the engine has problems if the timing chain is gone and this should be pointed out to the customer before the chain replacement.
Same thing when someone provides a bad oil pump diagnosis. If an oil pump has legitimately gone bad then the rest of the engine is damaged also.
I had the same service department do an oil change less than a month before the timing chain was replaced. So in a 2 month period there was oil change, timing chain replacement, then engine failure.
Some people detest dealer mechanics but in some cases it is best to have the dealer perform the repair. Your check engine light may have been on because of camshaft/crankshaft correlation faults, this can occur when iron debris accumulates on the cam and crank sensors, they are magnetic. There may not have been anything wrong with the timing chain, just fault suggesting that there was and the mechanic followed though with the recommended repair.
I don’t know what year your Hyundai is but if it is included in the warranty extension provided by Hyundai for the problematic engines, an experienced tech should have recognized the signs of a failing engine.
Look on the bright side . . .
For the price of a timing chain replacement, you’re getting a new engine
From a financial standpoint, you did pretty well
+1
Definitely!
I’m not sure, but I suspect that you are responding to ok4450’s statement about oil changes.
Yes, you changed the oil only two months prior to the timing chain failure, but what about the way that this used car was “maintained” by its previous owner? The biggest problem with used cars is that the new owner rarely knows how the vehicle was maintained by the previous owner(s).
Good point. I am only certain that in the least 12 months that I have owned it I had the oil changed every 3000 miles and i check the fluids on any of my vehicles once a week (my dad insisted that we do this when we were growing up).
You’re obviously keeping an eye on things, as you should be. That approach typically heads off many problems, but not always
Your dad gave you good advice 
Congrats for checking fluid levels once a week . Very few people do that even once a month and in many cases never.
You’re doing the right thing. Odds are the prior owner was not.