Hi, I had a couple of oil leaks in my Clubman repaired -- not cheap!

Afterwards I drove some relatives around. At the end of their weeklong visit we noticed a rattle when the engine started -- I went to check the oil: dry dipstick. "Oh no, not another leak!" I thought. I put two quarts into it, noise went away, drove it to the dealership again, feeling rather cross that they hadn't caught such a large leak. They called back and said that there was no leak! That "maybe" the tech had forgotten to refill the engine, that it seemd okay now and I could pick it up for no charge unless I wanted them to replace the timing chain (an extra $2300).

I drove over 300 miles on an empty engine. How can I know if my car has been trashed? I'm afraid to drive it now.

 

Damn. If you only put 2 quarts of oil in to top her off, then she was probably running low...not dry. BIG difference.

However, I would have the dealership document, in writing to you, what they think happened...especially if they think the technician did not (fully) refill the vehicle with oil. If they are even halfway reputable, and they are admitting fault (half the battle right there), they should fix anything that may arise from that. You may need to continue up the food chain at the dealership to get some resolution, so be prepared to fight for your cause.

 

Thanks. I put in two quarts but even then the service advisor said "it's about halfway" when he checked the dipstick when I brought in the car.

The paperwork going *in* says "car was just in" and "customer added two quarts" while the return receipt only says "customer declined timing chain replacement" -- they didn't even say "sorry" on the phone.

What should I be watching for? How will I be able to say that any particular issue was tied to this, rather than just "oh well, things happen"?

Car has ~80K miles on it.

 

Yeah, that's pretty dry then. Like I said, i would get something in writing from the dealership...and keep pushing up the food chain until you get what you want. Then you have something definitive that holds them responsible. And I would get going on that ASAP...the longer you wait, the more leverage they will have to say "not our problem". If the dealership is halfway reputable, the should do the right thing.

As for potential problems...a blown head gasket...cracked heads...bent rods/bearings...scored cylinders...etc. It can do a lot of damage. It may be worth your time (and money) to have another MINI dealer (if that's an option), or an independent mechanic that you trust, have a look to verify that there are no residual issues. You may also see if you can force the dealership to pay for that...I would have little confidence in their ability, and if you want them to cover any residual side-effects, they would have a massive conflict of interest in checking over the car. But I guess it depends on how much you trust them.

 

How was the oil light not on?!

 

bummer

but sad to say not all that unusual. I always chuckle when I see threads about not using quicky oil change places and only trusting the dealer .... I've twice had dealers give me the car back only to discover there was no oil in it . . . first time was over 20 years ago. Now I always pop the hood and check the dip stick myself - right there right then. And I look for damage and signs that they actually did the work. I had a dealer tell me I needed new pads on my 02S but there wasn't a finger print in the brake dust to suggest they'd gotten near them ... not to mention I'd put on new pads myself only a few weeks b4.

My prefered quicky oil place brings me out to the car and shows me the dip stick b4 they ask for $$.

I'm not encouraging you to use a quiky - I'm telling not to trust the dealer either!

 

They now speculate that the dipstick reading no oil may be due to a timing chain issue when there actually is oil... does this sound legit?

 

Is your MINI in at a MINI dealership? Ive never heard of a timing chain causing your dipstick not to read oil....maybe someone else can chime in on this one... very strange to me..lol

 

If it is at a MINI dealership...find a new MINI dealership. If it's not at a MINI dealership...find a MINI dealership.

Just my $0.02 on that topic...

 

Records are the best way and they have to keep them and document everything for your mini. They are at fault if not filling all the way.

 

Yes, it is a dealership, one I've used for several years now, so at the moment I'm inclined to let them try to verify the state of the motor -- though I appreciate any sanity checks the wisdom here can suggest! Their speculation is that some fault in the timing chain guide is obstructing the dipstick (and that when I added two more quarts to get a partial fill reading, I was not over-filling the engine).

 

Hummm honestly I just never heard of that ever happening.. But my gut feeling is that they have no idea what there doing.. Or they are trying to blame something else because of there own mistake of not putting any oil or the wrong amount of oil in yours..lol.. So this is at a MINI dealership?

 

When I dont change my own oil and have a shop do it I always ask them to show me the dipstick before I leave. if you do this you will never leave with low or no oil. I sell insurance to automotive related businesses and some of my quick lube businesses use this method to protect them from having a customers auto leave with no oil. A dealer will carry garage liability which covers damage to a customers auto from the work they perform.

 

Another thing you wanna to make a note of is don't forget you said the motor started making noise...you added oil then the noise went away... that is a very good sign that the motor was extremely low or just about out of oil..IMO..