Garage forgot to tighten sump bolt...
Discussion
Had my bike in at an authroised dealer for its running in service last week, left the dealership and 10 miles later the sump plug falls out and deposits all of the oil everywhere. The first I knew of it was trying to figure out why the bike was redlining but not accelerating. Rear tyre was soaked in oil, luckily I had left a roundabout 100m earlier and was on a straight.
I am not a compo kind of person, so I wondered what would you do/insist on in this situation?
I am not a compo kind of person, so I wondered what would you do/insist on in this situation?
MOBB said:
Yep rear tyre was spinning like crazy before I realised what was happening
Bike is a 2022 Tuono 660
I switched it off when the oil pressure warning light appear a few seconds later
Jeez that's bad. Easy mistake to make but a professional business should have processes to avoid it for that reason.Bike is a 2022 Tuono 660
I switched it off when the oil pressure warning light appear a few seconds later
I'd reject the bike and demand a replacement. It's brand new ffs and any first owner would want to nurture it and know it's been treated correctly (warm up carefully, service it regularly etc). What's the point in doing that once you know it's been run without oil, even if only for a short period. It could have damage inside to bearings, rings, piston, bores etc that may not manifest in any discernible way for quite some time.
I wouldn't even settle for a replacement engine because then you don't have original matching numbers.
I had the same a few years ago when the dealer didn't tighten the mount bolts for my front brake calipers and one fell of mid journey, just as I was taking the slip road off the A12 onto the M25, It still frightens me today thinking about what might have happened.
But, like the OP sump bolt, nothing did happen. On the assumption the low oil pressure light never came on then the idea of a new engine is totally over the top. If the light didn't come on while the engine was running then the engine was never starved of oil and is fine.
People make mistakes. The key is to ensure those mistakes don't then cause problems. When my brakes event happened, I got the dealer to explain to me the processes that would be put in place to ensure that such an event could never happen again. I made sure that everyone up to the directors were aware of the issue and the proccess being put in place. I belive the lessons were learned so I see that as a result and the best possible outcome.
But, like the OP sump bolt, nothing did happen. On the assumption the low oil pressure light never came on then the idea of a new engine is totally over the top. If the light didn't come on while the engine was running then the engine was never starved of oil and is fine.
People make mistakes. The key is to ensure those mistakes don't then cause problems. When my brakes event happened, I got the dealer to explain to me the processes that would be put in place to ensure that such an event could never happen again. I made sure that everyone up to the directors were aware of the issue and the proccess being put in place. I belive the lessons were learned so I see that as a result and the best possible outcome.
Id be fkin livid!!!
not only is there a potentially damaged engine due to having no oil circulating, there was also the potential you could have killed yourself had you been taking a bend when the sump plug dropped out.
Yes, mistakes can be made but A professional mechanic shouldn't be making the simple mistake of forgetting to tighten, then double checking something as critical as the sump plug hasn't been done correctly. I OCD my sump plug and check it probably 3 times when changing oil myself as I know the danger of what happens if goes wrong!
not only is there a potentially damaged engine due to having no oil circulating, there was also the potential you could have killed yourself had you been taking a bend when the sump plug dropped out.
Yes, mistakes can be made but A professional mechanic shouldn't be making the simple mistake of forgetting to tighten, then double checking something as critical as the sump plug hasn't been done correctly. I OCD my sump plug and check it probably 3 times when changing oil myself as I know the danger of what happens if goes wrong!
Similar thing happened to me in an MG Metro (yes). In for a service, drove 3 miles home and the next morning went on a longer journey and the engine seized.
The garage argued initially that as I’d ‘used it successfully overnight’ it wasn’t their fault but eventually admitted they had forgotten the oil and sump plug. They rebuilt the engine.
The garage argued initially that as I’d ‘used it successfully overnight’ it wasn’t their fault but eventually admitted they had forgotten the oil and sump plug. They rebuilt the engine.
black-k1 said:
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But, like the OP sump bolt, nothing did happen. On the assumption the low oil pressure light never came on then the idea of a new engine is totally over the top. If the light didn't come on while the engine was running then the engine was never starved of oil and is fine.
.....
I disagree.But, like the OP sump bolt, nothing did happen. On the assumption the low oil pressure light never came on then the idea of a new engine is totally over the top. If the light didn't come on while the engine was running then the engine was never starved of oil and is fine.
.....
Even if the light had not come on. The oil pump on a revving engine will often pump enough oily air to keep the light out long after damage starts happening. The oil light switch is only a few PSI.
The OP says the light did come on.
its difficult because nothing major happened, thank God. You can complain all you like but I think it will just get serviced again and you might get a service or two out of them. I'd have it noted somewhere by them what has happened but it has a 2 year warranty on it anyway and if its not right I think you'll know pretty quickly. Not saying its right but this is how it will end up, if you get more than this well done.
piddy44 said:
shurm said:
its difficult because nothing major happened, thank God. You can complain all you like but I think it will just get serviced again and you might get a service or two out of them. I'd have it noted somewhere by them what has happened but it has a 2 year warranty on it anyway and if its not right I think you'll know pretty quickly. Not saying its right but this is how it will end up, if you get more than this well done.
The only guy talking sense here. Those suggesting new engine or new bike? Wishful thinking I'm afraid. The only way that was happening was if you'd binned the bike due to the oil on the tyre or if you'd pulled into the side of the road & given it some revs to seize the motor & then called recovery.
As it stands, they'll 'inspect' the engine, tell you that there's no damage & offer you your Yr 1 service for free. Other than that + an apology, I suspect you'll just cause yourself a load of unnecessary aggro without getting anything more than the above. BTW, make sure they fully refund you the cost of your run-in 'service'.
Guess if you've PCP'd it, you won't be paying the balloon to buy it at the end of term!! Personally I'd have slowed right down, let the engine seize & binned it & had a low speed 'off'. Hindsight eh?
Go in and have a grown up conversation with them. No need for histrionics or some of the threats mentioned by posters on here.
I'm sure the dealer will look after you.
What is it about oil changes that is so hard ? I have had two cars where the oil was drained, filter swapped, drain plug put back in, and then no oil put back in. Different garages both times too. Luckily, I noticed fairly quickly before any damage was done though. Then recently I had an oil change done on my old Landie while it was in for an MoT. All done OK, apart from not tightening the filter up properly, so leaving a huge pool of oil under it when I got home.
This happened to me last year.
Fortunately I found the leaking oil all over my garage floor & detected the loose sump plug before anything bad happened. But I could have easily been in the OP’s situation if I lived further away from the garage. It’s only 3 miles away.
I had a very serious and calm conversation with the garage with the outcome that next service would be at their expense. Not sure I’d be so calm if all the oil had escaped whilst riding.
Fortunately I found the leaking oil all over my garage floor & detected the loose sump plug before anything bad happened. But I could have easily been in the OP’s situation if I lived further away from the garage. It’s only 3 miles away.
I had a very serious and calm conversation with the garage with the outcome that next service would be at their expense. Not sure I’d be so calm if all the oil had escaped whilst riding.
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