Corsa vxr engine melting

[neiljohnson]

Was asked to have a quick look at a mates Corsa Vxr as it wasnt running right. Turns out was a small misfire which i thought would be easy enough to sort out.
How surprised was i to find nothing wrong with the coil pack or plugs but low compression on cylinder 4. Put a bore scope in there and the piston has melted!
I have seen this on modified cars a few times but never a bog stock one and having looked on the web it would seem its not an uncommon fault.
Does anyone know exactly what causes it?? clearly its a fueling issue of some sort!
The car is going to the dealers to be sorted under warranty but surly its just going to keep happening?

[steve vxr]

theres been a few of these happen on the vxronline forum

[neiljohnson]

Well it gets better. VX have refused to repair the car under warranty! Their latest reason (after coming up with various other ones) is that because the car has a pre decat pipe its modified and therefore thats the reason the engines melted!
Having the fact the car was bought as it is from a VX main dealer and also the pipe is a VX approved part that is listed in the accessories available for the car has had no bearing on their decison at all. So they sell parts for the car that void the warranty?
They have changed their story so many times its unreal and have bounced around between nothing wrong with it to engine failure (melted no 4 piston) and valve clearance issues!

[MattW]

That’s appalling, I certainly would not give up on it, if the parts are VX supplied and authorised there is no way they can legally claim that fitment of those parts void the warranty.

I am no lawyer but at the very least I would be taking them to small claims court over this. I would anticipate they are throwing up a brick wall in the hope you will give up and go away, for that very reason, I would for one, wouldn’t let it drop.

Can I suggest you post this in GG, you will probably get a far more informed opinion (advice) than I can offer.

Matt

[Munter]

Did the dealer refuse or has VX head office been contacted and refused.

If not I'd suggest you start talking to head office rather than take a service desk monkeys word.

[Soovy]

Right.

Is the decat pipe a Vauxhall item? If it is then they should honour thwe warranty.

If it isn't then it's tough.

[neiljohnson]

Vx have refused on the dealers report the decat pipe is not made by Vx but is the approved part they sell threw the dealers which is standard fit on the artic special edition the part has not been fitted by my mate it was on the car when it was bought from a Vx dealer (not the one the car is at now)
They now want £300 odd for removel of the cylinder head wont let him inspect the car himself (closed workshop door when he turned up at the dealer) and stated 'cant collect it now because bits of the car are all over the workshop' they also still havent decided weather the piston is melted or the valve clearances have managed to close up holding the valves open???????? (not sure how this is possible having been in the trade for 12 years and never heard of it) i must admit it is the worse case ive ever heard and am in complete disbelif at how he has been treated. I think if this was me i would have probably been arrested by now!

[Soovy]

neiljohnson said:

Vx have refused on the dealers report the decat pipe is not made by Vx but is the approved part they sell threw the dealers which is standard fit on the artic special edition the part has not been fitted by my mate it was on the car when it was bought from a Vx dealer (not the one the car is at now)
They now want £300 odd for removel of the cylinder head wont let him inspect the car himself (closed workshop door when he turned up at the dealer) and stated 'cant collect it now because bits of the car are all over the workshop' they also still havent decided weather the piston is melted or the valve clearances have managed to close up holding the valves open???????? (not sure how this is possible having been in the trade for 12 years and never heard of it) i must admit it is the worse case ive ever heard and am in complete disbelif at how he has been treated. I think if this was me i would have probably been arrested by now!

So who was the pipe fitted by?

If it was fitted by a Vaux dealer he's OK.

[neiljohnson]

He has no recipt for the pipe being fitted so does not know but surley if its a Vx approoved part then it shouldnt matter?? he is the second owner and the part was on it at purchase from a Network Q Vx dealer.

[Soovy]

neiljohnson said:

He has no recipt for the pipe being fitted so does not know but surley if its a Vx approoved part then it shouldnt matter?? he is the second owner and the part was on it at purchase from a Network Q Vx dealer.

Well, he can't prove it was an approved fitted part then.

He's going to struggle.

[Munter]

Soovy said:

neiljohnson said:

He has no recipt for the pipe being fitted so does not know but surley if its a Vx approoved part then it shouldnt matter?? he is the second owner and the part was on it at purchase from a Network Q Vx dealer.

Well, he can't prove it was an approved fitted part then.

He's going to struggle.

Unless the part has some kind of VX identification stamped in to it to identify it?

[neiljohnson]

Its an idea and if the dealer ever let us see it again ill look

[Herman Toothrot]

neiljohnson said:

Well it gets better. VX have refused to repair the car under warranty! Their latest reason (after coming up with various other ones) is that because the car has a pre decat pipe its modified and therefore thats the reason the engines melted!
Having the fact the car was bought as it is from a VX main dealer and also the pipe is a VX approved part that is listed in the accessories available for the car has had no bearing on their decison at all. So they sell parts for the car that void the warranty?
They have changed their story so many times its unreal and have bounced around between nothing wrong with it to engine failure (melted no 4 piston) and valve clearance issues!

What do you expect though? A Decat will allow the turbo to spool quicker give more boost, without a remap you have no idea what AFR's its running or if its detting itself to death. Your fault if you were daft enough to "tune" a car without understanding whats going on.

[neiljohnson]

the car has not been modified at all it is as supplied by the vx dealer in feb of this year, the de cat pipe is standard on the artic model, also i would like to add the car had an ecu under warranty earlier this year so why did they not mention the fact it was 'modified' then? This whole situation sucks as the reason he bought the car in the first place is because he was fed up with breaking down in his starlet

[John D.]

I'm surprised a decat pipe is an approved mod by Vauxhall (or any manufacturer for that matter). Surely they can't be seen to offer something which breaks the emmissions rules.

Or am I reading this wrong?

[Munter]

John D. said:

I'm surprised a decat pipe is an approved mod by Vauxhall (or any manufacturer for that matter). Surely they can't be seen to offer something which breaks the emmissions rules.

Or am I reading this wrong?

Oh I'd think they can. The car they sell as a car has to meet regulations. What the customer then decides to do to the car is up to the customer and it's the customer who has to get the car through the MOT.

[John D.]

Munter said:

John D. said:

I'm surprised a decat pipe is an approved mod by Vauxhall (or any manufacturer for that matter). Surely they can't be seen to offer something which breaks the emmissions rules.

Or am I reading this wrong?

Oh I'd think they can. The car they sell as a car has to meet regulations. What the customer then decides to do to the car is up to the customer and it's the customer who has to get the car through the MOT.

I see your point. I'm still slightly dubious though.

[neiljohnson]

The pipe only removes the first of the two cats in the system so the car is still fully road legal & does not break any rules as it still has the second one. I believe the part is actually made by Remus who also make a Vauxhall approved exhaust for the Astra (the nurburgring edition has it as standard) if Vauxhall are appropving these parts and selling them through their dealers as well as fitting them to the special edition models from new how can they void the new car warranty???

[neiljohnson]

Just found this http://pistonheads.com/sales/1301791.htm strange how it has an engine replacment booklet is now for sale and on the same mileage as the one i have posted about (27k)

[neiljohnson]

On contacting the previous owner turns out the car had a stage 1 Thorney remap as well as the pre decat pipe
The car was supplied like this but has a new ecu which was done under warranty a few months ago.
The car was bought through the Network Q dealer network which comes with its own warranty but the sales manager from the supplying dealer has suggested he contact Thorney to see if they will fix it for him!!!!
Beware anyone who buys a car from Vauxhall !!!!