Nightmare dealer situation (Updated)

[GreyM340i]

So today I took my one week old 2001 M3 to my local BMW dealership to have the airbag recall done. While I was there I asked the service advisor to have them check the oil because I thought it was a little high from the Porsche dealership I bought it from the week before. They did the airbag recall with no problem and told me the best way would be to just do a oil change and put the correct amount in. Even with 400 miles on the last oil change. I said fine and waited for the service to be completed. When it was done the service advisor said the tech just took a little oil out and topped it off with the correct amount and its perfect no charge. I said great and thanked him before leaving.

Well on the drive home right before I get off the exit for my house I saw the oil light flash on and the engine died right on the turn. There were cars behind me to I quickly pulled off to the side. I didn’t think anything was wrong so tried to start the car when I heard a crazy noise and the engine ran ruff before I quickly turned it off, I open the hood and smelled oil. Looked under the car and saw a puddle oil and oil coming out the car. My heart sank and I quickly called the service adviser and told him what happened and that I was worried the engine was seized. He said the M3 has a sensor and if the oil is low it will turn the car off. Not sure what to believe. Well they towed the car to the dealership and when he called me he said the tech must of not tightened the oil plug good enough and the oil leaked out. Said they filled it up and to them it sounds and looks ok.

As of now he said the tech will run tests on it tomorrow and drive it around to make sure its ok. I’m worried there is internal damage and I will be suck with it later with no one to blame. What should I have done to make sure its really ok? What would you guys do in the situation?

[maupineda]

I would by all means have them remove the oil pan and bearing cap, if all fine you would then need to negotiate a split on the labor, but if crank was damage you have proof they will need to eat the cost of a new engine. Perhaps you can even have them eat the cost of the deep dive, it was their absolute fault.

by the sound of it, you ran the engine with very little oil.

[GreyM340i]

I would by all means have them remove the oil pan and bearing cap, if all fine you would then need to negotiate a split on the labor, but if crank was damage you have proof they will need to eat the cost of a new engine. Perhaps you can even have them eat the cost of the deep dive, it was their absolute fault.

I feel like I shouldn’t pay for anything and that I will never trust this engine again. Ill always be worried about something going wrong. These motors already have vanos and rod bearing issues. Who knows what no oil did to it.

[maupineda]

I feel like I shouldn’t pay for anything and that I will never trust this engine again. Ill always be worried about something going wrong. These motors already have vanos and rod bearing issues. Who knows what no oil did to it.

Totally agree, like I said, you have the right but it may take some persuasion to have them open her up to make sure. Any testing they can do by just running the car won’t give you peace of mind, and your easiest way out is the engine knocks on them when they “test” it, but if it doesn’t then your will be left on your own if they give you the car back and you accept it.

[Nate047]

Daaaaaaaaamn. So how low is the oil level? Like how much actually came out on your drive?

The vacuum in the engine should keep most of the oil in even with a loose drain plug. The reason I say this is because when I first got my car, I did the first oil change and the drain plug came out revealing loctite on it, it had been stripped at some point previous to my ownership and would not thread back in properly. Long story short, I finger tightened it, filled the car up with oil even though it was leaking pretty bad in my driveway, drove it like 45 minutes to my friend's shop, and hardly any oil was lost on that drive. But as soon as I turned off the motor, it dumped oil everywhere. So unless the plug was like TOTALLY loose or not even there, I'd be surprised if you lost that much oil while the engine was running.

What I would do next is call my insurance, tell them what happened so you are on record. That will be advantageous no matter where it goes from there. I would insist that the dealer drop the oil pan and check the rod bearings and crank. And make sure a different tech does the work LOL.

[GreyM340i]

Totally agree, like I said, you have the right but it may take some persuasion to have them open her up to make sure. Any testing they can do by just running the car won’t give you peace of mind, and your easiest way out is the engine knocks on them when they “test” it, but if it doesn’t then your will be left on your own if they give you the car back and you accept it.

I will not pick that car up until we can come to a acceptable agreement. I just don't know what would make me feel good about the health of the motor. This is so annoying since I was so excited about this M3 purchase. I feel like the crank and bearings need to be checked however how do I trust they will be honest? You think BMWUSA would help if gotten involved? Just not sure what to do about this.

[GreyM340i]

Daaaaaaaaamn. So how low is the oil level? Like how much actually came out on your drive?

The vacuum in the engine should keep most of the oil in even with a loose drain plug. The reason I say this is because when I first got my car, I did the first oil change and the drain plug came out revealing loctite on it, it was stripped and would not thread back in properly. Long story short, I finger tightened it, filled the car up with oil even though it was leaking pretty bad, drove it like 45 minutes to my friend's shop, and hardly any oil was lost on that drive. But as soon as I turned off the motor, it dumped oil everywhere. So unless the plug was like TOTALLY loose or not even there, I'd be surprised if you lost that much oil while the engine was running.

What I would do next is call my insurance, tell them what happened so you are on record. That will be advantageous no matter where it goes from there. I would insist that the dealer drop the oil pan and check the rod bearings and crank. And make sure a different tech does the work LOL.

I think more than half of the oil was gone when I stopped maybe more I couldn’t tell. It must of been leaking the whole drive home.

[Estoril]

I will not pick that car up until we can come to a acceptable agreement. I just don't know what would make me feel good about the health of the motor. This is so annoying since I was so excited about this M3 purchase. I feel like the crank and bearings need to be checked however how do I trust they will be honest? You think BMWUSA would help if gotten involved? Just not sure what to do about this.

Prepare for them to tell you that they will charge you a daily store fee (not cheap) if you don't pick it up promptly. They have played this game thousands of times (and well) and are waaaaay ahead of anything you think of.

BMWNA is unlikely to be much help unless you have a past record of new BMW purchases.

[GreyM340i]

Prepare for them to tell you that they will charge you a daily store fee (not cheap) if you don't pick it up promptly. They have played this game thousands of times (and well) and are waaaaay ahead of anything you think of.

BMWCCA is unlikely to be much help unless you have a past record of new BMW purchases.

My last 3 BMW’s have been from this dealership and my M340 was this past September 2021. I’m hoping they will agree to take the oil pan off and inspect with images the rod bearings and crank.

[maw1124]

My last 3 BMW’s have been from this dealership and my M340 was this past September 2021. I’m hoping they will agree to take the oil pan off and inspect with images the rod bearings and crank.

This they will probably do. And they’ll probably let you stand there and observe when they do. Best of luck, and please do report back. These are stout beasts, so unless you see metal shavings everywhere my guess is you’re good. But do alert your carrier.

maw

[Icecream]

My last 3 BMW’s have been from this dealership and my M340 was this past September 2021. I’m hoping they will agree to take the oil pan off and inspect with images the rod bearings and crank.

What bad luck, sorry to see this.
I don’t think this model M3 will shut off with low oil, newer ones probably do. If you heard noises and it stalled, I don’t think the dealer is in for a good time. Just be nice to them, if the SA pushes back, escalate it nicely, don’t be a jerk, it was a mistake that will cost this dealer several thousand to remedy. I wouldn’t accept the car until the bottom end is opened. They will agree eventually. At a minimum, check the oil filter right now with you and the SA present (so they don’t play games) and use a flashlight. Any sparkles, they own it. No sparkles, open bottom end. If you take it home without them doing anything and the engine blows next week you will own it. Tell them all you want is conformation the bottom end is ok and you will walk away happy. You shouldn’t have to pay for a thing.

[Slideways]

Were you able to check the oil dipstick after it came to a stop? And did you get a yellow or red oil light? It would have been best to have them capture the remaining oil and write down the amount. Usually, the oil light (and beep alert) will give the driver enough time to shut off the engine to prevent damage.

[cobra]

man I'm sorry that really sucks.

[GreyM340i]

The red oil light came on and then the car shut off on the exit mid turn. When I checked the dip stick I thought I saw some oil on it however not sure because I didn’t have anything to wipe the stick with. There was also some smoke when I opened the oil fill cap. Problem now is they filled up the car with new oil when they got it back and may of changed the filter without me getting to check it. Good thing is they did admit that it was their fault when I talked to the SA. I have been nice the whole time and never got loud or anything. Just told him I’m very concerned about the noise I heard and the health of the engine. He said they will check it tomorrow and take it for a drive. Don't think they’re opening the bottom end tomorrow not sure what tests he was talking about the tech will do.

[cobra]

For what it's worth, the first noise you usually hear when you run an engine low or out of oil is the cam chain slapping because the tensioner loses pressure. It's a terrible noise but shouldn't really cause a permanent issue.

Of course it entirely depends how long you ran it with no oil. The next thing to go would be the rod bearings or main bearings.

Smoke/vapor coming from a hot engine oil fill port is not uncommon and I'd consider it normal.

Just remember when negotiating, start high and end up somewhere in the middle where you will be happy.