The first oil and filter change was carried out for my (new this year) Sonata GL, last month by a garage local to me. 3 weeks after this work, I noticed rattling from the engine, and on checking the oil level found there was very little oil in the engine. It was towed to the Hyundai dealer who confirmed the filter had been incorrectly fitted and was leaking. The Hyundai dealer made good the oil and filter change, and ran diagnostics confirming the engine was OK at this time. But on his invoice (which was paid by the original garage that did the work), he states that future engine problems are a possibility as the engine was run for a period with very low oil. The Hyundai dealer said that damage due to incorrect fitting of oil filter is not covered unter warranty, and Hyundai know of the oil leak as they captured this info when I asked them to tow me.

So my question is this.... to what extent should I now 'cover my bases' legally in case of future engine problems due to the oil leak? Should I clafity with Hyundai what their position would be? Should I obtain some kind of warranty from the original garage to cover any gaps there may now be in my warranty? Should I do nothing until such time as problems arise? Any advice welcome...

thanks, Andrew.

 

surprised your engine light didn't kick on. Sorry to say, Hyundai will be looking for an excuse to void your warranty. Hyundai will most probably not specifically say what their position will be until the next car probelm. I can't figure out how the filter was incorrectly fitted. It's either screwed on securely or not.

 

they left the gaskett from the old filter .... so the new one never made a good seal. The 'check engine' light didn't show, but the oil level was so low that it surely would have if driven any further. I suppose I'll just wait and hope for no engine probs. I have the invoice from the Hyundai dealer to put it right, which makes it clear the filter was badly fitted. I'm hoping that this. plus the original invoice for oil and filter change 3 weeks prior to that, will cover me legally if there are problems in future.

 

is it posssible the engine rattling noise was not from/in the engine but from the loose filter dangling from the threaded connection? One could argue that since the engine light didn't kick on, the engine was still running in the "safe zone" even though the oil level was low. Unfortunately, what you describe can happen to the best of mechanics. wish you well................

 

If I were you, I'd get something in writing from the original garage that did the work, stating any future engine problems that Hyundai will not warranty because of their error, they will cover the full costs of the repair for you.

If they will not, I'd seek legal advise, as you do not want the expense of replacing the engine for an error that wasn't your fault.

 

My sister-in-law had a similar problem but with a Chevy Lumina....Pep Boys put the wrong size filter on the vehicle and all the oil eventually ran out and the engine blew.She took the car to the Chevy dealership and they told her that the wrong size filter was what screwed the engine up,so she went back to Pep Boys and told them the problem and they looked up in their system and found that it was their fault....wrong filter.She had no problems getting them to pay for a new engine...if i were you id complain to the garage that put the filter on incorrectly and tell them they are liable if any future engine problems that may arise due to their screw-up.If they scoff at you then legal advice from an attorney maybe the next step....good luck.

 

thanks everybody for your helpful posts .... Andrew.

 

Yes, this is an open-and-shut case; the oil change place should pay for a new engine. They will try to argue that the engine is still running, but due to their negligence and their negligence alone, the oil leaked out of the car and shortened the engine life. They are professionals; they should do this right. Repair shops generally have insurance to pay for things like this but if they use it too often their rates go up. That's not your problem; MAKE THEM PAY FOR A NEW ENGINE!!

 

We also have a santa fe that had the same problem, we were told not to trust the light, it only comes on when the oil is empty, because the car ran with so little oil it now has a tapping noise in the engine which is a lifter of something so they told us which means a lot of work and while without the car, although other than the noise it still runs well for now.

 

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