I can, but they aren’t going to do anything about it.

 

How do they cut open the filter without draining all the oil?

 

Right? That was my question. I actually called that service manager yesterday morning and told them to drain the oil into a pan and inspect what settles at the bottom. When he called me yesterday evening he said they just took a small sample as it was draining and didn’t actually drain the oil completely into a pan, but at the same time told me they cut the oil filter open. So I’m really confused as to how they didn’t fully drain the oil yet managed to completely remove the oil filter. This whole thing has been an absolute mess.

 

But they did drain the oil, right? Just not into a separate pan to inspect.

Might be time to call a lawyer

 

They told me they did not fully drain the oil, only grabbed a sample. I asked if they drained it into a pan to inspect it and they said no…. I then asked them to do that and the guy seemed annoyed but said they would…. Still waiting to hear back from them. I called my buddy who is an attorney and he basically said that even if I get a lawyer and make them buy me a new motor I’m going to be up to my *** in lawyer fees. I’m screwed either way.
What I cannot wrap my head around is how the oil filter was clean with having that much metal contaminants in the drained oil

 

I’d be there when they did it. The circumstances seem to warrant having you back there.

who knows? Maybe the oil is actually clean for some reason.

 

Problem is the dealership is an hour and a half drive away so being there for it probably isn’t possible.
It’s been drained 3 times previously with as low as 175 miles on the fresh oil and there was lots of metal in there everytime so I highly doubt it was actually clean. I’m going to go get the car and prob take it back to the dealer where I bought it and tell them to drain it again and then tell me there’s not a problem. They know good and well there is. They saw it for themselves, twice actually.

 

I had a feeling this would happen. Did you get anything in writing from the dealership you purchased it from?

 

Me too, and no not really. I requested in writing something stating they would cover any repairs but they never sent me anything. All I have is a text message from the salesman that says the car warranty would be upheld after the 60 day timeframe because the issue was reported prior to the expiration… and also this email from the service manager when I asked him to send me in writing that any repairs would be covered under warranty:

 

I called the service manager today at the Dodge dealership and he told me that we could not move forward with any kind of warranty claim because the GM service tech said they could not find an issue with the car. I said obviously there is an issue due to all of the metal contamination in the oil and you saw it for yourself I don’t know how you could deny that there is a problem. He said he is just going by what he’s being told from the GM service department and they are claiming that everything is fine. These guys at the GM dealership have really screwed me.
i’m going to put about 500 miles on it and then send off a sample to Blackstone labs and see what they say. I know not by any stretch of the imagination this could be normal but maybe it’s not AS big of an issue as I thought…. But that’s probably just being ridiculously optimistic.

 

Make sure blackstone reports will catch that stuff. I have heard that the regular testing doesn’t register the “larger” stuff like glitter

try a different Chevy dealership that is more agreeable/honorable??

 

Right, Blackstone has told me in the past that anything big enough to see with the naked eye won’t show in the report

I asked the service manager about taking it somewhere else and getting a second opinion and he literally told me that it sounded like I wanted to go “doctor shopping to find someone to tell me what I wanted to hear” I did not respond kindly to that.

 

Definitely sucks to hear but I think you messed up by taking it to another dealership. I get that it was more convenient but the original dealership is that one that had all the information on the car. I had a feeling it was going to end like this and I hoped it wouldn't.

BTW, you can remove the oil filter without draining all the oil. Definitely odd that they said the filter element was clean, though. Just a shitty situation all around.

 

Yeah I completely agree however I was just doing what the service manager at the Dodge dealership instructed me to do. It’s a complicated situation because of how everything happened.

The first time I took the car back for this whole situation they had a different shop manager and what he told me to do is drive the car around and get some miles on it and bring the car back and at that point they would get GM involved and they would determine whether the motor needed a teardown or what. Fast forward about a month I bring the car back and the shop manager who I had spoken with the first time was no longer there. So dealing with a new manager he told me to take the car to a GM dealership and have them diagnose it because they did not want to touch it being a Dodge dealership. At that point I should have said no and told them to deal with it but they would have just taken the car to a local GM dealer like I did and it would have been three hours away from where I live so I felt more comfortable taking it to a dealership closer to my town. I guess looking back I screwed up and should have just left the car with them and told them to deal with it but unfortunately I think I would be right where I am now either way.

Crazy thing is I just got a call from the manager at the GM dealership and he said that his tech drained the oil into a pan and inspected it and said that it looked fine that he didn’t see anything he would be concerned about. I also cut open the oil filter that was on it from the previous oil change and it was very clean so now I’m just super confused and not sure what to think. I would like to be optimistic and say that maybe I’m OK however I personally saw the drained oil from the three previous oil changes and it looked the same each time with a bunch of metal debris in there so I think this GM dealership is just full of crap and do not want to mess with it.

 

I could see them not wanting to touch a vehicle that they didn't sell.

 

This is very simple, I am suing this dealership and taking everyone's name from the dealership prior to the lawsuit so Dodge knows who to be pizzed at and giving them one more chance to make this right.....otherwise not a good career move for all involved, period. Just how I handle situations like this. Once you go in on the offensive, watch what happens.....

ps - if necessary, based on conversations above and pushback, get 3rd party verification of the issue and move forward

 

I don’t disagree with this at all, but the problem I’m having now is the GM dealership reported there was no issue with the motor, so that immediately took all liability off of the Dodge dealership. They are completely unwilling to move forward at this point because of it. I will take it somewhere and get a second opinion but I do not think it will matter. As far as suing, yes I would love to do that if they refuse to make it right however my concern is that even if I were to be successful with a lawsuit I’m still going to owe out the *** in lawyers fees by the time it’s all over with, and that’s even if I win the case. I’ve never had to file a lawsuit before but I’m just assuming is going to cost a lot of money. By the time I pay for that I probably could have just bought a new motor. Again I’m just guessing here

 

They'll call your bluff.
They know how much it will cost you in attorney fees. They'll take their chance. By the time this gets going the paperwork, peoples statements bhal blah blah.
This is a bad situation all around. It made me sick to my stomach when i read your update. Sorry bro,
The past couple yrs with these cars really kicked you in the teeth.
I really hope for some reason after changing the oil repeatedly flushed out all the debri that continued to make the debri. I'm just hoping for some reason this was a fluke that debri was in the oil. I'm really hoping your next oil change is clear and debri free. Always hoping for the best for you thinks work out. Hang in there. Easier said than done, i get it.

 

Thank you brother! You’re right it’s been a couple of really stressful and aggravating years with these cars. I’m not giving up on it just yet, still trying to be optimistic about it. You could be right it might have just been something weird going on to cause some debri and multiple oil changes could be clearing it out. I cut the filter open from the last oil change that had about 800 miles on it and it was clean, very strange. I’ll put about 500 more on her and change it again. I’ll report back on that and I’m also gonna send a sample off to Blackstone to see if they can confirm an excessive wear issue. I appreciate your empathy and support buddy!

 

The point here is that you become the squeaky wheel at the dealership and at the regional/divisional level of the Dodge dealership to where the intent is not to actually follow through with the lawsuit (and associated cost) but to let everyone understand you’re not going away easily or quickly and that the GM of that dealership should know that this is not going to reflect well on him or her over the long haul; by the time you are done, they are going to be happy to make this right no matter what it takes.
You need to be emailing all levels above the dealership, including corporate, and also sending certified letter letters to regional, divisional and corporate level, referencing this dealership, and all named individuals that have been involved. Is it going to be easy, no but you will get results, I promise you.

I’m sorry you’re going through this but if you follow the steps and are persistent I promise you will get results. Nobody at the dealership or district level wants the heat that this will bring.
Good luck.