flytrade

I have written here before that my 2015 C7 - which is 3 months old today - has an excessive oil consumption problem. The latest fix was to change out the PCV valve. After 700 miles it used 2 quarts of oil.

Now corporate wants the dealer to take the car and do a leak-down test on each cylinder, as well as another test on the engine - I don't remember the test exactly. My concern is that no matter what they find, the engine will need major repairs or a replacement. In either case that will mean the car is greatly diminished in value. Even just doing these tests will generate maintenance records on the car that will diminish the value when I go to sell it. I can imagine a potential buyer asking why a 3 month old car would need a leak down test????

I feel like I'm between a rock and a hard place, and my only option is to exercise my rights under the Florida Lemon Law. Your thoughts, opinions and what I should be thinking and doing would be greatly appreciated.

Glen e

Lemon law is pretty cut and dried in florida, i have represented two mfrs in that state. It does not really matter what the problem is, if it meets the time down and/or repair attempts criteria. See a lawyer specializing in that field for a quick qualification meeting.

Good luck.

mksz51

I don't know anything about the Florida lemon law but in Iowa you can exercise the Lemon Law if your vehicle has been repaired 3 or more times for the same issue, has been out of service 20 or more days, and the issue results in something considered "dangerous" to the vehicle operation. Again - Florida may be different - but you wouldn't meet the standard in Iowa. I think you need to participate with your dealer on this. I understand your concerns but I think you are overly concerned about diminished value secondary to documentation of repairs. Your goal should be to have the car repaired. It really MIGHT be a fairly simple problem (valve guide, etc.). Good luck.

Larry/car

Your getting excited! My car used a quart in the first 1,000 miles, 2,000 miles later there is no appreciable oil use. Drive the car and push the engine as much as possible to seat the rings. Oil consumption will diminish with mileage. I am thinking the cylinders glazed during initial break in process, now they are not sealing properly (that is what they want the test to determine). A repair would include disassembling engine, honing the cylinder walls, and replacing piston rings. Document oil consumption with dealer and continue to operate vehicle, just watch oil level. The engine isn't going to fly apart. Simple check, have dealer remove oil filter, cut open and inspect filter for debris. Probably clean with no contamination. Don't over react!

flytrade

Thanks Larry, but that has been accomplished. The car has almost 6K miles and is still using 2 quarts in 700 miles. The dealer has verified the use of oil.
I'm going to bring the car back to the dealer on Friday for the leak down test. We'll see what happens after that, but I hope someone here has already gone through this process and can offer some insight.

Steve_R

As others have said already, Lemon Laws are pretty well defined as to what applies and what doesn't.

Having a test done, even two times, won't diminish the car's value and won't allow a Lemon Law claim.

10mm_

My car used about 2 quarts in the first 400 miles IIRC, some new engines just use oil.

Go beat on it and have fun and seat those rings, my car hasn't used a drop in the last 900 miles.

HighTeq

Driving back from the museum to CA, i stopped in Oklahoma City to get the 500 mile oil change done. The service writer told me he added 9.8 qts of Mobil 1.

At Spring Mountain last week they did an inspection on my car and it was down 4.5 qts with 6500 miles on it. With no leaks and blackened exhaust tips. Either it didn't get filled correctly at 500 miles or my engine is very thirsty?

Off to the dealer it goes...

Red08

Tell GM to buy the car back and they can do all the testing they want

DAFFYDRUNK

Just out of curiosity, how did you break the car in? The second I drove off the lot I drove mine as hard as I could while still technically within the manual's break in guidelines. Varied throttle and gears religiously the first 500 mi. At almost 900 miles, the dip stick shows nearly no oil consumption. Maybe a pint down if you wanna split hairs. Within about 2mm of where it read the day I brought it home.

bbrown450

I went thru a "buy back" with GM on my 2013 Caddy ATS and they were more than fair in the process. A bit of advice you should take a calm but firm approach and have a timeline of the events with details to back that up. Do not use the words "lawyer or law suit" unless you want communications to totally shut down. Let them know that you are beyond repair on the situation with your current car, have enough exposure to file a LL claim but would prefer to settle this between you dealer and GM. Also be prepared to give what you percieve a solution,
Best of luck

C2367

You do not have to get a lawyer, contact the BBB and they are the ones that take care of the lemon law. Talk to them and see if your able at this point to move on the lemon law. It did not cost anything, the BBB was great.

flytrade

Thanks for all your advice. I bring the car back to the dealer on Friday for a leak down test. I'll let you know what they find and what they decide to do about the car.

Jim Barker

Its been a few years ago when I got screwed by the same engine plant they use now. The expanders for the rails of the oil rings on two cylinders were overlapped instead of being butted properly and mashed into place resulting in no tention on the oil rings. From day one a Quart every 100 miles and foul a plug in 1800 miles. Besides a puff of blue smoke on take off. Warrantee at local dealership changed the cylinder heads and took 1200 Rpm's from the L-72 because the spring pockets were deeper in the new castings and they just traded parts, No shimming as should have been done. I feel for you and hope GM does the right thing for you. Since I was going to drag race that car I fixed the heads and rings myself while blue printing the engine!

pewter99

ridiculous....if the rings are not seated by now they never will be

cheapthrills

Best advice so far. Work calmly but firmly with the dealer, "L" word unless things are just never going to happen. I have been through this as well with a Chrysler. The "buy back", because they hate lemons was more then fair but did take some time. I'm in FL and the car had reached it's lemon status buy FL law.

10mm_

People who drive their cars easy or long distances on the freeway when they're new can see higher oil consumption or for longer periods of time.

CriticalmassGT

Let them do the leak down test. Just be aware, they may find nothing wrong. It's not the same engine, but some Coyotes take about 10k miles before they stop consuming oil. Mine hasn't had the issue from day 1 it didn't use hardly any oil, but plenty of others have had to go thousands of miles before consumption dropped to near zero. It just all depends on what was happening the day the engine was built at the factory I guess. The rings SHOULD be seated after 6k miles, and tolerances for modern engines SHOULD reduce oil consumption. But what should be and what is, isn't always the case.

2 quarts in 700 miles definitely sounds like an issue though. That's a lot of oil going somewhere in a short distance.

10mm_

I was fortunate that my coyote didn't use oil at all but I have seen the same thing.

I sure hope they are checking the oil the same exact way each time, hot on level ground etc.

flytrade

When I talked to the service manager yesterday he said the leak down test will tell them whether they want to repair the engine, replace the engine, or replace the car. My position is either repairing the engine, or replacing the engine, severely diminishes the value of the car. Therefore the only fair option is to replace the car.

I realize the service manager at the dealership is just the messenger between myself and corporate headquarters. However, I hope corporate headquarters does the right thing without escalating this situation any further.