My Dad took the Crossfire to get its oil changed at the dealership. When my dad picked it up, he drove it home without knowing what was going to happen. Then, while mid-corner, the battery light came on, and the car lost its power steering. He told me that the car could barely turn, as if the steering wheel was set in concrete. Well, he crippled the car home, and called the dealership. He told me to watch the car thinking that it would catch on fire because of the strong smell and fog of oil. Well, after pushing the car outside of the garage, we opened the hood and found oil all over the place, smoke coming from near the brake fluid reservoir, as well as a damaged accessory belt. The tow truck came and brought the car back to the dealership. The culprit…someone forgot to tighten some sort of sealing ring (I think it was for the oil filter), and the hot oil escaped it’s boundaries, burned the accessory belt, caused the belt to tear, which then caused the power steering to fail. Well, the mechanics cleaned the mess up decently, but I was kind of frustrated when I found dots on my grille (see the last pic), as well as some remaining oil and dirt marks on the easy-to-see engine cover. After all this, the dealership said they were sorry for the inconvenience. It surprised me that this was their only response…the driver could have got into an accident and all they say is sorry? They did not even refund our over $200 for this oil change/service.

 

More pics:

 

You have got to be kidding me! I would have raised holy hel*. I suggest you and your dad go back there RIGHT NOW AND GET YOUR MONEY!

 

After the dealership cleaning

 

 

make them change all rubber hoses that were coated by oil and order new parts that are stained also. and get $200 back.

 

Dan's right oil deteriorates rubber. I would demand an engine cleaning as well. With those pics you have an excellent case for small claims court. You would win hands down. Make them clean it until it looks like new; refund your money, and replace all the belts that were coated with oil.

 

Were you ever able to get that burnt oil off the motor cover and stuff?? That's a horrible deal. You got ripped off. Sorry to hear it.

VJ

 

Very messy indeed...I wonder what I'll do if it happens to my XFIREX!

 

I'd call Oceancontainer! But he's probably in jail!!!

 

The oil came off of the engine cover...the service department did a good job cleaning their own mess for the average person, but for me, having traces of oil, as seen in the after pics, is unacceptable, so in a couple of days I will fix that. My Dad doesn't want to argue with the service department, but I'll try to convince him to do so. Dan, who is Oceancontainer? Also, what can happen if the rubber is deteriorated?

 

I don't think I would have been able to handle the situation as you did. I would have FREAKED OUT. You must be a very patient person. I would go back tomorrow and demand my $200 back and have the entire engine bay cleaned by a specialized shop, not the dealer. I would also suggest to the dealer that the next few oil changes WILL be on the house. If they refuse, call Chrysler. Make note that this is a $35K+ Luxury sports car and it should be treated that way. I would have gone postal if this happened to my PT Cruiser, let alone my xfire.

Once again, I give you props on your ability to "Keep Cool." I can't put into words how pissed I would have been.

 

Oh, on a side note.

A few weeks ago my dad had the oil changed in his Magnum R/T at a local dealer. The dealer has an ongoing ad for $9.95 oil changes. My dad sent my younger brother up to the dealer to get the oil changed. He made it very clear that he would pay extra to have the Mobil 1 that the owners manual suggests put into the vehicle. Even after my brother requested it the service rep insisted that the car can handle regular oil and that it wouldn't be a problem. Since my bro isn't the most confrontational guy he just shrugged his shoulders and waited while the tech changed the oil. Later when my dad got the car and the bill from my brother he found out that the correct oil was not used. The next day my dad called the GM (a friend of the family) and explained to him what happened. Needless to say, the dealership gladly put the right oil in at NO extra charge and offered the next oil change and tire rotation on the house.

Just an example of what a 5-star dealer should do to keep the customer happy...

 

Care to name the dealer?

Pete

 

I want to give you all the name of the dealership, but I know that my Dad would not really care too much about the car, as it is a lease, and so he never really got angry at the dealership. For him, it seems that as long as the car is running, it's good for him. Me on the other hand, well, I am pretty frustrated that the dealership did not even give my Dad a refund.

 

I just don't want to go there. If you are not comfortable with the name, how about the location?

Pete

 

No Name? Why!!!

 

He's a member, check list and his posts. He'd rip that service guy a new as*hole!

 

I think I would be worried about the engine running on low oil pressure.

If they left the oil filter loose the oil would be coming out at pressure say 60 PSI and that accounts for it being all over the place.
What damage could have been done to the engine?

Imagine if you went a long drive after having it serviced and the power steering belt had not broken.
It's a good chance all of the oil would have left the engine before the oil pressure light would have come on.
The thing with oil pressure sensors are they are set very low.

 

Send your photos to Chrysler...they will not be happy. I had oil smudges on my carpet and on my leather door panel on a 2000 Passat. When VW called to ask about the service I dumped on the dealer. The next afternoon the owner called and asked me to please come in and see him. VW had faxed them the complaint and gave them 24 hours to talk to me make sure I was happy and insure the car was cleaned to my satisfaction. It was, they corrected immediately when I showed it to them.

The dealer then used the incident in his training program for the techs.