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Automotive/Oil pan damaged during oil change
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QUESTION: I just had a place attempt to do an oil change on my 2002 Saturn SL1 and they broke the oil pan bolt and the weld in the pan which meant I had to have the pan replaced at great expense. $536.00
I am being told this is a common problem and it just happens without warning. I think not and want the garage to change the pan or pay for the repair to be done. Does that make sense.
PS They have changed the oil for me for the last few years.
Thanks in advance for your advice.
ANSWER: I would certainly argue the point with them, if I were you, given that it was they who broke the bolt and the weld!
Incidentally, I cannot speak as to the prices of parts for Saturns, but do know that I paid an amount that was sufficiently small that it did not warrant being remembered when I replaced the pan on the 351W in my E250 van. That replacement was made simply because it was less hassle than straightening out the sealing surfaces of a pan that had warped over time. The price does sound to be a bit much but, then again, I am not aware of the specifics of either the hardware or the mounting configuration of the Saturn pan, and do not want to simply assume. Could this be another case of a what should have been a simple job being made extraordinarily difficult by virtue of design-for-sequential-robotic-assembly taking precedence over down-the-road maintenance or repair?
One more unintended conseqence ... or it it?
Good luck ... EGK
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: I finally wrote a registered letter to both owners of the company after their customer relations was slow and unresponsive. I suddenly received a call back from customer service with an apology. Their original offer of $250 was raised to $375 after the letter to the owners. I took the money and skipped small claims court fearing less money and or plenty of wasted time in small claims court. Do you think that was fair for all parties involved ? By the way the pan cost approximate $125, oil change $40 and the rest labor. (this is Long Island New York prices.)
Good site, I will be back !
In the overall scheme of things, it sounds as if they opted to charge you for the part price of the pan and for the oil (naturally!), but pay you back for the labour - that rather implies that they at least felt that they had some justifiable issues with the pan design, and were not going to "eat" that particular cost! Again, I know nothing about the Saturn, so my comments are purely conjecture. My sense however is that you are right in that this is probably the best point at which to leave this issue behind. It might be informative to do an information search on Saturn oil pan problems however. If there WAS a problem with the original pans, one hopes that an engineering or manufacturing change went into effect for the pans produced since, both for the production line and for the replacement parts markets, meaning that the problem you had was only a one-shot "flash in the pan" - sorry, I couldn't resist! Otherwise, there could be a repeat performance of the problem, and who wants that!
Regards ... EGK
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Answers by Expert:
Ernest (Ernie) Kenward
Expertise
The challenges I most enjoy are thoughtful technical questions of a trouble-shooting nature in both electrical, power electronic and mechanical systems, mainly automotive but also machine control and small-machine PLC applications. Please note, however, that I am NOT a walking shop manual for every car in existence! While I have been described by colleagues and students as having an encyclopedic knowledge of automotive and transportation equipment in general, I do NOT have a collection of shop manuals and detailed specifications for every vehicle in existence! What I DO have is a good collection of literature and hands-on experience with 1950s to 1980's Ford products (plus a developing database of information and practice with the Mercedes diesel cars), along with an engineering perspective and the ability to design and implement custom control, electrical and mechanical subsystems for vehicles. For that reason, I am happy to make my thoughts and efforts available to those who are similarly making a point of learning about their vehicles. In regard to manuals and specifications, your automotive parts shop, automotive parts houses and, often, the public library are good resources for these. I also have a good track record for trouble-shooting and solving emissions problems in older carbureted vehicles. Doing the latter requires that one has the interest and makes the effort to learn how combustion systems are intended to work and can appreciate how the various systems and settings interrelate - there are no short cuts nor "quick fixes" here; this is a job definitely doing properly and with one's eyes open, as the payoff is not only an honest pass of an emissions test, but an engine which will perform with its intended power, economy and reliability!
Experience
A key skill in my work and hobby pursuits both is STRATEGIC TROUBLESHOOTING. As well as being a Power and Driveline resource on the Edsel Owners' Club "E-Team" for several years, I am a senior instructor in Electrical Engineering Technology at a leading Canadian polytechnic, my area being Electrical Power and Industrial Control, development and delivery of courses in electrical and electronics design and manufacturing, and in AutoCAD and related CAD/CAE software.
Hobby-wise, I have 30-plus years of experience in auto restoration, mostly in electrical and mechanical systems. Ongoing projects include a 1959 Edsel Corsair and my 1978 Ford E250 custom class-B motorhome conversion.
My vehicles become engineering test beds for electrical and mechanical upgrades as promising ideas present themselves. This often includes the design and production of circuit boards to restore or enhance features for which no OEM replacement parts are obtainable, or where better operating specifications or reliability can be had via current concepts. Regarding the E250 motorhome conversion, I designed and continue to revise a custom power distribution system, managed in recent years by a Programmable Controller (PLC); this has made many revisions as easy as uploading new firmware as I develop it.
Similar design and rework is underway on a sixties-vintage travel trailer, also PLC managed. The Moeller Electric "Easy Relay" mini-PLCs offer a wealth of control and monitoring options for such projects, among them "smart" energy management and charging automation to avoid the sulfation-induced early failure that often befalls deep-cycle batteries used in RV and other auxiliary power applications.
My current project is the ongoing care and restoration of my daily-driver Mercedes 300CD turbo-Diesel, a car which I find to be a pleasure upon which to work, owing to its structural integrity and the - mostly - logical access of its parts and systems for adjustment, maintenance and repair.
Organizations
IEEE - senior member ... past WCC Student Activities
SME - senior member ... past chair, greater Vancouver chapter chair 318
Edsel Owners' Club - have served in various capacities on chapter executive during earlier years
Education/Credentials
Degree in Physics, UBC
Awards and Honors
Certificates of appreciation from both IEEE and SME for work in student and chapter activities
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