Oil drain plug came out after negligent 20K dealership service

[catalinbarb]

I picked up my M4 coupe in Germany in Nov 15. I did my 20K service at the dealership in NJ early July 2017. A few days ago, as I was driving the car, I heard a noise/pop underneath, saw smoke coming out of the back. I stopped as fast as I could. The dashboard showed drivetrain error. The car had to be started a few times to be put in neutral (DCT), each time it would shut down. Engine oil leaked out, a lot.

The car was towed to a BMW dealership, who on inspection told me that the drain plug was missing, it was probably not tightened correctly when service was performed. They asked me to contact service manager at dealership where 20k service was done and ask them to pick it up and fix it, as they did not want to assume responsibility for any damage - it would not be covered under warranty. I contacted my dealership, spoke to a service manager and they are towing in the car today to evaluate the situation.

Any suggestions on engine tests I should ask the dealership to perform to ensure no engine damage?

Many thanks.

[AIRHEIR]

Wtf. Pm me dealership name so I can avoid at all costs. Zeez.

I would also think it would be good idea to get BMWNA involved so this issue is documented on your file as well as your cars file. Last thing you want is something to have been screwed up due to this and it fails at a later date and they try to blame u for it. Just my 2 cents.

[LOW4LYF]

What dealer?

[matt123]

If the drain plug came out and all the oil drained out, there is engine damage and you should request a new engine. There is no way the bearings are ok.

[catalinbarb]

Thank you for your replies. The dealership called me yesterday to let me know that they filled the car with oil and everything seems to be OK except for a minor thing that they are looking into. I asked them to do a full engine diagnostic that I want to review before picking up the car. Will update when I hear from them today.

[stevenc]

If you pulled over pretty much right away the engine is likely fine.

Same thing happened on my Supercharged Acura RSX. Car was fine after i had it inspected.

[LOW4LYF]

Originally Posted by catalinbarb

Thank you for your replies. The dealership called me yesterday to let me know that they filled the car with oil and everything seems to be OK except for a minor thing that they are looking into. I asked them to do a full engine diagnostic that I want to review before picking up the car. Will update when I hear from them today.

Same dealer you got the 20K service done?

[kitesurfer]

You are crazy if you just accept the car back. Running an engine without oil pressure for a few seconds will damage it no doubt. This is a 40k engine. Talk with the GM if they do not agree to replace your engine and/or buy your car back. Hire a lawyer, dealerships have E&O insurance to pay for these type of things. The wear on engine brearings, valve trane, ect may show up until down the road.

[kitesurfer]

If they buy you car back you had better post up the VIN and dealer name so no unlucky SOB on the forum get this car as the dealer will likely sent it to auction rather than risk selling it to a local customer

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by kitesurfer

You are crazy if you just accept the car back. Running an engine without oil pressure for a few seconds will damage it no doubt. This is a 40k engine. Talk with the GM if they do not agree to replace your engine and/or buy your car back. Hire a lawyer, dealerships have E&O insurance to pay for these type of things. The wear on engine brearings, valve trane, ect may show up until down the road.

demanding a new engine/car and threatening legal action sounds way more crazy than accepting a car back which apparently is in fine working order. If OP pulled over and shut the engine off quickly as he says then it is likely fine. The engine did not seize and according to the OP its running fine now. Based on what we know, your suggestion is absurd.

On another note - I would definitely have the dealer document what happened and retain some proof of the situation. I am assuming the car is still under warranty so should something go wrong it will be covered. No need to make unreasonable demands.

[AIRHEIR]

PM dealer name bro. I would also ask them to document this on your file as well as the cars VIN. Maybe CPO it for nothing? just a thought..get you some piece of mind

[kitesurfer]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

demanding a new engine/car and threatening legal action sounds way more crazy than accepting a car back which apparently is in fine working order. If OP pulled over and shut the engine off quickly as he says then it is likely fine. The engine did not seize and according to the OP its running fine now. Based on what we know, your suggestion is absurd.

On another note - I would definitely have the dealer document what happened and retain some proof of the situation. I am assuming the car is still under warranty so should something go wrong it will be covered. No need to make unreasonable demands.

OP DO Not Listen to this Donkey.
He obviously does not understand the basic engineering requirements of an internal combustion engine in the slightest.

Dont Let the Dealer Tell you Otherwise; The only way to determine the degree of damage an engine has sustained is a complete tear down to Inspect, Crankshaft, Connecting Rods Bearings, Lifters, Valves, Cyclinder Wall, Timing Chain ect....I will repeat again...An engine run for just seconds without oil pressure will do lasting damage.

As similar situation happened to a friend of the family...Dealer gave her the its OK BS. & about 10k miles later complete engine failure.... Good Luck

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by kitesurfer

OP DO Not Listen to this Donkey.
He obviously does not understand the basic engineering requirements of an internal combustion engine in the slightest.

Dont Let the Dealer Tell you Otherwise; The only way to determine the degree of damage an engine has sustained is a complete tear down to Inspect, Crankshaft, Connecting Rods Bearings, Lifters, Valves, Cyclinder Wall, Timing Chain ect....I will repeat again...An engine run for just seconds without oil pressure will do lasting damage.

As similar situation happened to a friend of the family...Dealer gave here the its OK BS. & about 10k miles later complete engine failure.... Good Luck

I understand how an engine works. I also understand that based on what the OP has stated, the engine runs smoothly now despite the temporary loss of oil. The engine did not seize.

As you stated, the only way to know for 100% certainty the extent of any possible damage would be to tear down the engine and inspect it. Since that wont happen and the engine runs just fine, what else is there to do? Good luck having the dealer replace an engine that runs smoothly (according to the OP) because there MIGHT be damage that is currently unknown and unidentifiable but could show up thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of miles later.

[guess2098]

I will ask dealer to doc it and also report to bmw a. To sue a dealership, good luck. They have more $ than you do and for this case, no one will do it for free as not too much money they can get.

If it is a lease car, I will return it when lease end. If it is a purchase, will ask bmwna to give you extra like 6 year 100k warranty at least for engine

[kitesurfer]

-If BMW catches word, this engine was run with out oil and you have a failure you can be sure as sh*t they are not going to cover a new engine... I would be careful as to what notes are in the system already with the Tow Driver Report / Technician, ect.

-If you had purchased the car, I would only accept the dealership buying the car back ordering a new one and having them eat the difference.

-If you leased the car , I would get in writing a written statement acknowledging the situation is their fault and stating in the event that you have any sort engine failure they will replace free of charge ...If BMW NA does not....Good luck as this will likely not happen without an attorney.

[apexit]

Expecting a new engine likely won't go anywhere. I'd get an extended bumper to bumper warranty in writing for 100k miles after the incident. No deductible either

[Mandi90TT]

Originally Posted by kitesurfer

-If BMW catches word, this engine was run with out oil and you have a failure you can be sure as sh*t they are not going to cover a new engine... I would be careful as to what notes are in the system already with the Tow Driver Report / Technician, ect.

-If you had purchased the car, I would only accept the dealership buying the car back ordering a new one and having them eat the difference.

-If you leased the car , I would get in writing a written statement acknowledging the situation is their fault and stating in the event that you have any sort engine failure compenent failure they will replace free of charge ...If BMW NA does not....Good luck as this will likely not happen without an attorney.

Yeah, good luck with any of that. You definitely dream big.

[CaryTheLabelGuy]

Loss of oil pressure will kill an engine is mere seconds. Just because it didn't "seize" up doesn't mean there isn't serious and lasting damage on rotating surfaces and especially bearing surfaces.

New engine is a must here. Sorry, not sorry. This was very negligent and must be dealt with properly. In the very least, I would demand a full tear-down for inspection.

[kitesurfer]

So what ever came of this...took the car back as is?

[a1gio2]

Like Remo said in Casino - "Why take a chance?" I hope you got a new engine or new car.

[FirstF80InSpace]

How does a drain plug just "pop" out? It's threaded on. I'm assuming if it wasn't tightened properly, it would already be leaking oil. I can't imagine how a drain plug would unexpectedly pop off without some prior warning that it wasn't tightened down properly.

[catalinbarb]

Thanks to all who posted their thoughts/advice. Overall I am satisfied with what Princeton BMW did to resolve the problem. They just replaced their service management, BTW.

So, after the oil drain plug was installed and oil filled, car had weak acceleration. Issue was diagnosed to be faulty Vanos unit. Both Vanos units were replaced, engine was retimed, issue resolved. Dealership performed cylinder compression test, it was normal.

I received a 100k/6yr powertrain warranty extension at no cost, dealership cost is $2495. The dealership also covered my rental car expenses incurred due to incident ($230).

What do you think?