Engine running with no oil!

[OM VT3]

Originally Posted by outie

How much is an engine and how much is a new car? That's just too much to ask for even if the dealer is 101% at fault.

its not to much to be asking for! my dealer gave me a new car because it had a dint on it that i found

[JCtx]

Originally Posted by quality_sound

This is why I do as much of my own work as possible and my own oil changes. For as simple a job as it is dealerships seem to screw it up WAY too often.

That's exactly what I decided to do my own maintenance as well. Something like this is a catch 22, where the customer usually loses. Why? Dealer can argue you should have seen the low oil-pressure/low oil level warning light(s), and turn engine off immediately; otherwise it constitutes negligence. Winning against corporate lawyers is not easy at all. They use any trick on the book to get their client off the hook, regardless if right or wrong.

And the most pressing issue to me would be I could not lie to potential buyers and not disclose the issue, which would basically render the car unsellable. Only trading it to the selling dealership would be acceptable to me, but at a huge loss and giving that dealership another sale . That's why paying $120 for an oil change is cheap insurance to me, not to mention easily worth the piece of mind. Plus I enjoy working on my cars. That 'free' OP's oil change ruined his ownership experience, destroyed his piece of mind, and basically converted his engine into a ticking bomb nobody knows when it'll go 'BOOM!'. Good luck OP, and please keep us updated.

[Moe's M4]

Originally Posted by gasman

So I take my car to the dealership for scheduled oil change. After 2 days, WTF, I get my car back. My wife picked it up from dealership Saturday morning and drove the 10 miles home. Saturday night we were on our way to dinner when I start smelling something burning. Immediately I pull into a parking lot as My oil light comes on and I hear loud knocking noises coming from my motor. I turn off the car and as far as I could see there was a trail of oil coming down the highway and was still pouring out from under my car. I have the DCT so to get it in neutral the tow guy briefly started it again. Of course the knocking resumed for the few seconds it took to get it in neutral. I spoke to the GM this morning and told him just putting oil back in my car and returning it to me is not an option. Obviously, after the pending investigation, if this was negligence on the dealership(not putting in the plug tightly, or the filter tightly) what recourse to I have? I'm not sure how to proceed but with obvious metal to metal contact( loud clanking noises) there must have been some internal damage???

Definitely your M3 engine got damaged, and I would ask the service dept to replace it with a brand new engine. Do not accept a "fix" to your damaged engine, as it may give you more problems in the future. They messed up, then have them pay their mistakes...

[thai357sig]

Originally Posted by V1.47fan

It's just a car. No matter how great you think it is, you can replace it. If you lose your life you can't go buy you another life.

Who the hell is talking about losing their life! STAY ON TOPIC PLEASE!

OP paid $70K, for his car. Why should he just suck it up when it is evidently the dealers fault? You make no sense. You probably come from a long line of wusses. Feel sorry for your kids.

[drey]

The more I reflect on this there are only two ways to go:

1. They need to make you a GREAT deal on a new car and god help the poor schmuck who ends up with your car and the standard warranty.

2. They need to replace or rebuild your motor now. As some have observed, promises and extended warranties are worth NOTHING if this dealership goes out of business, a new GM decides not to honor the agreement, etc. Time is not on your side in this scenario....

[Kyoshi71]

Originally Posted by SehrSchnell

Wow, I agree with you on the first part, but your second statement was kinda harsh... there was really no reason to be such a dick about it.

Agreed. The 1st part, I was like, "Wow, you read my mind." But then he went way overboard and started swatting flies with a 12 gauge.

[Frozen Black Panther]

well what happened

[SonnyJack]

Originally Posted by That Nice Guy Beck!

well what happened

Hopefully 'no news' is 'good news.'

[satinghostrider]

Just make sure your bearings dont look like this if you are able to get them to pull out a few bearings. I hardly think so since its alot of work. Sometimes dealers can "hide" the problem by running a much thicker oil. You might find the car sluggish but it might appear to you that everything is fine cause there is no sound. Just be careful. There is a reason why most of them are called stealerships.

[JCtx]

Originally Posted by elmariachi

Sometimes dealers can "hide" the problem by running a much thicker oil.

Thicker than 10/60? Maybe molasses .

I personally think thick oil could be the cause of the problem, not the solution, especially in the north. Thick oil takes too long to start lubricating the engine after every COLD start. Too bad BMW doesn't allow owners to use 5/40 (or 0/40) like all other high-performance engines, with the same or higher specific output, and same or higher redlines (Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche for sure). They only specify 20/50 or 10/60 for track environment, which is the minority of owners. Having to use freaking 10/60 in winter when you don't track the car is crap IMO, and only causes unnecessary wear and tear on the engine every cold start. Just my opinion, but we're forced to use it to avoid voiding engine warranty; an ironic situation IMO. Oh well. Have a good one gang.

[frenchM3dreamer]

^ that's what my bearings (one of them at least, further away from the oil pump) looked like when my engine went KABOOM...