Am I being ripped off? - READ ONLY

8 messages, Last post on Jan 29, 2004 at 3:11 PM

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What is this discussion about? Saturn S-Series, Engine, Oil, Sedan

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#1 of 8 Am I being ripped off? by mmjingles Jan 27, 2004 (1:14 pm)
My daughter has a 97 Saturn. The car broke down, towed it to the dealer. First phone call was to say the oil hasn't been changed in 11,000 miles, impossible she hasn't put 11,000 miles the on car yet. Next phone call was to say because there was no oil in the car there is damage to the #4 cylinder furthest from the pump, the main & rod bearings have spun and a new timing chain is needed. Is this possible from oil in the car? By the way she has changed to oil, but can't find the receipts. So now I have to drive 90 miles to the New Jersey shore to go to the shop where she had the oil changed, some fun huh!
#2 of 8 by alcan Jan 27, 2004 (4:05 pm)
What's the maintenace history of the car? How long has your daughter had it, what servicing has she had done, where was it previously serviced, any receipts?
#3 of 8 by Mr_Shiftright HOST Jan 27, 2004 (6:30 pm)
Not clear on this post at all. Are you saying she bought the car brand new in '97 and that it has less than 11,000 miles on it, or are you saying that she bought it used and the dealer's records show no oil change for 11,000 miles at a Saturn dealer? Also, what's the receipt business all about? Is this car under some kind of extended warranty or something? What does is matter to the dealer if you changed the oil or not?
#4 of 8 by alcan Jan 28, 2004 (7:20 am)
I re-read the first post, noticed he mentioned that she'd had the oil changed. If there's an extended warranty involved, no problem. The shop which serviced the car will have a record and should be able to supply a duplicate receipt. Still about as clear as mud, though.
#5 of 8 by Mr_Shiftright HOST Jan 28, 2004 (8:46 am)
Yeah, but if they drained the oil and about two teacups came out the oil pan, the extended warranty may not apply at all. I'm pretty sure warranties exclude owner negligence--- in the absence of evidence of a huge and sudden oil leak I mean---even then, it's dicey, like if you left the oil filler cap off and it was missing upon inspection.
#6 of 8 by soggydog Jan 28, 2004 (3:04 pm)
Oil change or not, It would seem that the oil level was not being checked at regular intervals. I think Saturn considers one quart per 1K acceptable consumption limits. So After 3K you could be down to one quart, and causing serious damage to the engine.
#7 of 8 it's probably pig iron with more than a quart by swschrad Jan 29, 2004 (12:47 pm)
anything under 2 quarts is certain to be doom to any engine... even if the pumped parts are still getting any protection, the splash-lubricated stuff is almost certainly not. when you're done playing swords with the dipstick, you have to put it back in the engine, and check it periodically for oil on the bottom. if you don't, you walk. bravo and a gold star if you maintain the oil level between the "add" and "full" marks with a minute of draining time or more after shutting the engine down. I have more than a sneaking suspicion that is at the bottom of the case here; The Voices insist that this car has gotten gas and washes and little other care for some period of time.
#8 of 8 by soggydog Jan 29, 2004 (3:11 pm)
If you go over to Saturnfans.com you will find a long running topic about the S series engine using a lot of oil after 50K. I work in a shop where I see how silly people can be about checking engine oil. I confronted one guy about his equipment being out of oil, it was not showing on the dip stick at all. He said it does have oil and proceed to start the engine and shut it off then pulled out the dip stick and said see. Then I said, you dip stick, you have to wipe it off first, then check the oil.