Engine oil leak on A3

[SsjDeano]

Hi all,

Forgive me if i'm posting this in the wrong place but i could do with some advice. If i am then please let me know where i should be directed to.

Basically my Mother in Law has a 2017 petrol Audi A3. She had it serviced at Audi Newcastle, drove it home and after roughly 5 miles a loss of oil pressure warning light appeared on her dash. She pulled over and there was a big puddle of oil on the ground underneath her car. Her car was then recovered and she didn't have her car for 3 days.

Now she's been contacted by Audi and they're informing her that the oil filter was faulty. This caused her engine oil leak. Is this legit? If anyone can help me with any sort of advice i would really appreciate it.

[cliffcoggin]

Faulty or not, the garage that fitted the filter is responsible for rectifying the problem and any associated engine damage. Is the garage disputing that or somehow trying to shift the blame?

[Magnet]

Hello Dean,

I would most certainly go along with Cliff's logic on this. Car was sound before they serviced it. 

Is the dealership saying they are not going to stand the cost of repair, or in my book, a replacement engine? 

If so , I would say it's a trip to the C A B or similar. 

Kind regards,

Gareth.

[SsjDeano]

17 hours ago, cliffcoggin said:

Faulty or not, the garage that fitted the filter is responsible for rectifying the problem and any associated engine damage. Is the garage disputing that or somehow trying to shift the blame?

No the garage isn't disputing anything but their handling of the situation hasn't been great. They're saying because the engine was switched off so quickly on the road, that there's no lasting damage. But to say that the filter was faulty is what sounds fishy to me.

I thought it may have been left loose or the sump plug at least. While my Mother in Law was trying to ring Audi and find out what was happening with her car, she was continually being told to call back later in the day. No mention of any sort of a refund for the inconvenience caused to her on the Friday night her car broke down. But also she hasn't had a single apology by anyone from the service derpartment which is what she is most upset and disappointed about.

[SsjDeano]

13 hours ago, Magnet said:

Hello Dean,

I would most certainly go along with Cliff's logic on this. Car was sound before they serviced it. 

Is the dealership saying they are not going to stand the cost of repair, or in my book, a replacement engine? 

If so , I would say it's a trip to the C A B or similar. 

Kind regards,

Gareth.

Hi Gareth, 

Yes the car was sound before the service. It's in good nick and is still quite new which is why my Mother in Law is quite upset about what happened.

I can't fathom as to how an oil filter could be 'faulty' and this is the supposed cause of the oil leak. Apparently there's no lasting damage to the engine Audi are saying, probably because as soon as she had seen the warning light appear for 'engine oil pressure low' she pulled over straight away and switched the car off.

I was working nightshift at the time so i didn't get the chance to look at her car before it was recovered and she hasn't really recieved any empathy or apology for what happened. I'm not sure if that's because Audi are trying to cover their tracks in blaming a faulty part. I think she's going to write a letter of complaint about it.

Thanks for the reply!

[Magnet]

Hello Dean,

I would say it's time to give up trying to analyse the situation and either accept it as it is (and personality I wouldn't) or do something about it - which I would. 

I think the 'faulty' oil filter is likely to be a red herring (although it could be, and will be VAG's fault if it is) and the oil loss is more likely to be from its incorrect fitting. 

'No lasting damage'?  Highly questionable, since any engine which has been run low on oil to a point where the oil pump fails to pick up oil to pressurise, is unlikely to have survived without any damage - lasting or otherwise. 

If it were mine, I would be urgently sending a recorded delivery letter to the dealer general manager and a copy to the head of Audi Customer Services outlining the circumstances, and stating that you will hold them responsible for any associated engine issues - particularly within the guarantee period. I would reinforce this with noting a total lack of apology and a general discontent with the way this situation was subsequently dealt with. 

See what comes back from this, and then decide if you are going to return to this dealership for any subsequent servicing.

Let us know how you get on Dean.

Kind regards,

Gareth.

[cliffcoggin]

I would think it more likely that the filter was not installed correctly rather than being faulty, but that's not really important. What is important is the possible damage to the engine, which can not be assessed without stripping it. As long as the garage will stand by their new car guarantee you should be covered for any problem that develops in the future.

As for the lack of apology, that's discourteous and irritating but words are cheap. Actions are what count.

[SsjDeano]

3 hours ago, cliffcoggin said:

I would think it more likely that the filter was not installed correctly rather than being faulty, but that's not really important. What is important is the possible damage to the engine, which can not be assessed without stripping it. As long as the garage will stand by their new car guarantee you should be covered for any problem that develops in the future.

As for the lack of apology, that's discourteous and irritating but words are cheap. Actions are what count.

Ok thanks for your help really appreciate it!

[SsjDeano]

8 hours ago, Magnet said:

Hello Dean,

I would say it's time to give up trying to analyse the situation and either accept it as it is (and personality I wouldn't) or do something about it - which I would. 

I think the 'faulty' oil filter is likely to be a red herring (although it could be, and will be VAG's fault if it is) and the oil loss is more likely to be from its incorrect fitting. 

'No lasting damage'?  Highly questionable, since any engine which has been run low on oil to a point where the oil pump fails to pick up oil to pressurise, is unlikely to have survived without any damage - lasting or otherwise. 

If it were mine, I would be urgently sending a recorded delivery letter to the dealer general manager and a copy to the head of Audi Customer Services outlining the circumstances, and stating that you will hold them responsible for any associated engine issues - particularly within the guarantee period. I would reinforce this with noting a total lack of apology and a general discontent with the way this situation was subsequently dealt with. 

See what comes back from this, and then decide if you are going to return to this dealership for any subsequent servicing.

Let us know how you get on Dean.

Kind regards,

Gareth.

Ok i will do all those things thanks for your help!