Took my C8 to a CA dealer at 900 miles for an oil change and to add the 2 quarts for the track fill. Given the car back filthy and on the drive home could smell oil burning. No leaks so figured they spilled some. Smell persisted to 1600 miles. Went to a different dealer and had it checked. The prior dealer apparently "made a complete mess" of the engine trans area, spilling oil everywhere. Everything was tight and no leaks but a total mess. They tried to clean, but after driving the car, I can tell it's not back to good.

Anyone have any thoughts on going back and asking for them to drop the panels and steam clean the engine/trans to get rid of the smell/back to new again? I'm so disappointed a dealer would do this to my brand new C8. The car was flawless when I took it in, now this. Maybe seems trivial, but the overall experience of a car like this is soured. Thanks for any thoughts.

 

I'd agree. They owe you a clean engine bay. Their detail department should easily be able to handle that. I had a similar incident with my C7 during it's first included oil change and the dealership made it right and has taken great care of me ever since. Speak with your service advisor and escalate to the service manager if needed, but the service advisor likely wasn't even aware.

 

You'd probably be better off just pulling the panels and trying to clean it yourself...
Here's a tool that would probably do the trick...

 

Dont use steam. Its pressurized so may blow into electrical connectors. Just use a good degreaser and rinse. Repeat. The engine degreasers are excellent and will cut through the oil. Will need to be done on a lift. The oil is everywhere by now. There will be some degreasers scent left over but it will dissipate

 

I don't think I'd go back to the same dealer the messed it up. Just sayin' ....

 

E TKIT RIDE,
On one of my Corvettes I had a persistent oil seep in the cast aluminum engine casing that was annoying, but not worth the time and expense to remove and replace or repair. Over time there would be enough oil that it blew across the surface of the engine and trans, and I found that if you use a spray-can of "brake cleaner" it will clean the oil off of the oil pan and transmission, RIGHT NOW. It's powerful stuff that cuts oil instantly.
However, this spray-can solution is highly volatile, very toxic, and will take the oil right out of your skin. So wear a mask, eye protection, and gloves, and don't spray this stuff on anything hot, and have a good rag ready to catch the drippings as you spray the oil away. It is best to have a car lift so you can get under the car to maneuver, but boy does it work. Be careful NOT to spray it on any joints or cracks that have lubricated bearings as it might impair the lubricated areas. But it cleans the oil SURFACES right now. Once your undercarriage is really clean, any new oil leaks or seeps will be instantly visible.

I've also used "engine cleaner" stuff that you spray on when the engine is a little warm (but NOT HOT), let it set for a minute, and then spray off the residue with water from your garden hose. Depending on where the oil is, and being careful of all the electrical items, this might work also.

 

You really dont want to use brake cleaner on anything in or close to the engine bay.
It will damage paint, discolor or dissolve plastics and rubber. The stuff is FAR too strong and this is really not a good idea. It may cause more harm then good.

 

GTUnit,

I TOTALLY AGREE with you. Be very careful how and where you use brake cleaner.

 

Thanks for the feedback all of you. @Kracka maybe I will try the first dealer again, unsure.

The second dealer I went to told me they used brake cleaner to try and clean off the oil once it was on the lift and panels removed, so after reading the above, hopefully they used it sparingly. Still feel like I smell oil when I walk into my garage after parking the car warm so I don't think they got it all. I suppose the main thing here is the principal that I took a brand new car in to "over maintain" it (early oil change etc) and this is what I get for my trouble. Also, even though I can't see the engine and trans (my car is a HTC), knowing that they are in this state when they should be factory perfect just pisses me off. I don't even drive the car in the rain to give you a further idea of how I try to take care of it. Maybe it shouldn't bother me to this degree, but it just does. Thanks again for the feedback guys.

 

I guess further proof that loading the 2 extra quarts of tranny fluid is indeed a messy operation!

 

@Blindfingers I certainly regret it at this point!

 

Every engine bay I've ever had steam cleaned come out looking amazing and better than new, even on vehicles that have lived through multiple Minnesota winters. Let the dealer make it right.

 

I honestly wouldn’t trust a random Chevy dealer to fix this. Clearly they didn’t see it as an issue to begin with with their detail to workmanship.

Unless they’re going to reimburse the OP to take it to a proper shop, I’d probably suck it up, get it sorted on my own, and move on.