Damage caused by oil.

[mudnut]

Not going to be specific, because things are going to get ugly between the parties involved. I have a relative who bought a brand new 4x4. He took it in for a service and some tool left the oil cap off. By the time my relly got home, there was oil everywhere.

The dealer retrieved the vehicle and cleaned it up but my relly is furious. What damage could the residual oil do to sensors, wiring and rubber components? Is the vehicle doomed to trouble in the future?

[Hodge]

At least it'll never rust!!
No seriously...
I am not an expert but damage caused by oil being flung around the engine bay will be minimal I reckon. I mean lets face it, our motors cop water, grease, dirt, mud all the time, surely all that is worse than the oil.

What I would be worried about more is, was the cap off completely??? If so, shit could have fallen INTO the motor? More oil on the outside than inside of the motor... motor running low on oil ? How long was the drive? It all depends.

[GQtdauto]

I'd be pissed too , how much oil did it spit out and what's the consequence not to mention sensors etc .
Tell your friend to talk to the manager / owner of the car yard and if still not happy go the head office of that brand in OZ .

[mudski]

Not much really would happen. This exact thing happen to a friend of mine. We then drained the sump and it lost around 300ml of oil from a 5ltr'ish capacity after an hour long trip home where we discovered the cap missing. The oil will atleast help the electrical plugs seal up. Lol. It was just a mess and a lot of cleaning had to be done.

[mudnut]

I think it would be 40-50 minutes of driving, so there should be plenty of oil in the engine still. Being a new motor there should be stuff all blow by pressure to force too much out.

[Rumcajs]

Well as long as it wasn't ZD30, that would pump the oil out of the sump empty in 1/2 hour and then seize......those engines are breathing like peeved off dragons on a good day....

As long as it didn't starve the engine of lube then it is just a mess, however if it was me then I'd sue the dealer for a new car again! A lot of those electrical plugs in the engine bay are not exactly oil proof or oil contamination can be an issue down the track.

Regards

[mudnut]

That is what he has said. He refused to have the vehicle back. I wonder what his chances will be.

[the evil twin]

That is what he has said. He refused to have the vehicle back. I wonder what his chances will be.

I assume it was the 1,000 K 'complimentary' service and oil change ?

On legal grounds - Buckleys, damage will be minimal to none and covered by warranty.

On customer relations grounds - maybe 1 in 10 dealer principals may decide to cop a couple of K loss and replace the vehicle and sell the original as a 'demo'

[mudnut]

I only have third- hand info, for now, but will know more tomorrow.