Engine blew. Warranty won't cover. Any advise?
 

My rod bearing recently went out on my 2015 FRS. I took to the dealership so my warranty could cover, as I'm still under the 60K warranty. The dealership took a look at the car and decided warranty won't cover because they said it was low on oil and it was a cause of neglect. I did an oil change about 3K miles before the incident, and Toyota says the car only had 3 quarts of oil. I tried fighting them on it and told them it's not normal for a car to burn half its oil capacity in just 6 months or 3K miles. They still refused to cover. I asked them to tear the engine apart and determine the real issue. They found that my timing cover had a leak but said the leak was too slow to be the issue. They called back and they didn't need to tear the engine apart to determine it was my fault. I'm convinced it could've been a bad piston ring. Especially since the day after the engine went out, I put my stock headers back on and found oil residue inside the actual header itself. The car never threw any codes, not even when the engine started knocking. Nor did the low oil light go on. Is there anyone who has some sort of advise to help me out here? Or maybe someone has gone through the same issue. Any advice helps, thanks!

Lawyer up !!!

22R

Agreed lawyer up and ask for the Toyota reps number. Call often and ask for every manager you can get a hold off. Keep working your way up the totem pole. Send emails. Be a problem for them until they fix it. If you can find a place to park it near there lot do it and put a sign on it saying "lemon bought from blank" or something to that effect (nothing illegal or untrue though as you could be held libel). The fa-20 can burn a lot of oil between changes and they know that. My motor blew around 72k and was said to be a quart low and i check a lot. I had a tough fight and didn't get it all covered because of mileage but i did get a couple grand of go away and stop bothering us money from the dealership.

You would think it is no loss to the dealer to replace a motor because they get paid by the factory. In truth, the dealer gets paid at a reduced level for warranted work. Times are good for dealers right now and they would rather get paid regular rates.

I had a motor blow in a new car with 3K miles back in 1981 (yes I am that old). Had to lawyer up. I was lucky enough to have a family friend for a lawyer. Didn't go to court because the threat alone was enough. The dealer took a month to repair it, out of spite. Dealers would eat their own kids, so don't expect anything approaching reason or morality.

Good luck.

When you saw oil in your header did you not think to check your oil level? The oil light is set to 4.5psi, it would have to be nearly out of oil before the light turned on. Did your car blow smoke? Maybe the dealer is blowing smoke and your car wasn't really low on oil. You didn't check it yourself when the bearing went?

When I took the headers off the engine was already dead. I already knew the engine was low oil. I only changed them so the dealership wouldn't give me a hard time about having aftermarket headers.

Call Toyota customer service directly and complain. Be prepared to prove maintenance with receipts. Be polite but firm, one quart low will not make it blow up. Complain until they call your dealer and make them warranty it.


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So were you regularly checking your oil or not?

Oil check! The dipstick is there for a reason ...

This first. It can do no harm and costs you nothing.

I sent a letter to Toyota Corp about some work I had done at a certain Toyota dealer that may be on Steven's Creek (any lawyers reading?). I got back a form letter saying they were sorry about my experience. The dealer called to find out if I was going to file a complaint with the Calif Bureau of Auto repair.

Most of the people on auto forums have some experience in mechanics. We know there are a dozen ways to spin a bearing. It often comes down to one persons word against another. That makes this whole thing a bit of a crap shot, either way.

Good luck.

FWIW - the dealers are notorious for not being of any help. The head gasket was leaking on my 2013 BRZ with 29k miles... to the amount of a quart every 1k miles.

THREE TRIPS to the dealer with oil spraying the inside of my engine bay and they said "We can't find the oil leak".

MY final trip I had placed a paper towel right over the leaking head gasket and showed the service advisor. ONE WEEK LATER, they called to say "we can't find the leak." When I went to pick up the car... the same oil soaked paper towel was in the same spot I had left it on the engine!

I sold the BRZ back to the dealership through their used car sales dept. They asked if anything was wrong with the car. I said, "according to your mechanics, nothing is wrong with the car." They bought it on the spot.

I am now driving a 2015 BMW 435i.

If you are losing oil to the amount of about 1 quart every 1k miles, check the topside head gasket under the intake runners. You can/will see oil pooling on top.

You need to delete where you said you had aftermarket header, manufacturers peruse forums for this kind of shit,.

That sucks, I'd have at least checked/filled the oil before I brought it in with a blown engine. I don't know, it will be tough kind of he said she said. If you don't have receipts I think you are SOL.

I experienced a similar situation last year. I brought the car into the dealership. The technician was able to tell my ECU has been flashed and reflashed back to original ROM. They used that as a basis to deny my claim.

I decided to repair the car out of my own pocket. I bought an used engine and had a reputable shop install it. Months later, I got a marketing letter from a lawyer. I got in touch with them and told them my story. I provided all the paperwork with the purchase of the car and repair records. At the end, I accepted an offer from Subaru for $3k.