Mechanic Oil Change Mishap

Hi Anyone/Everyone,

Last Friday I got an oil change. Since then my car has smelled funny- figured some was spilled on the engine, no big deal.

Last night, driving home from work, my engine made a tick-tick-tick sound and the check oil light went on. I pulled in at home and realized they hadn't put the cap back on the engine.

I called the shop, they came over, told me "caps fall off all the time" and the most I got out of it was a free oil change. It's not a chain, it is a reputable shop in town, but it's small. I'm concerned about wear and tear on the engine. any help?

Thank you very much.

Welcome to the forum!

I would disagree that oil caps fall off all the time. If they are aware of oil fill caps falling off all the time, they are doing something wrong.

How far did you drive the vehicle after the check oil light went on? Not that it probably matters here, but what vehicle and engine did this happen to?

-Rod

It's a 2009 nissan altima coupe. Not positive about the engine. I drove it for about four days, maybe 200 miles total.
I agree about the engine caps. I'm just frustrated with the mechanic's lack of responsibility.

Thank you for your help!

What "Check oil" light was it?

If it was just telling you the oil level was too low, then don't worry...... 4 days of no cap is not long enough to do any appreciable damage, imo.

But if the light was for low oil pressure then you may have a concern.

never, ever seen a cap fall off that was installed correctly. If the cap was left off the 2.5l engine the oil will blow out the hole all over the underside of the hood and engine. the is cap probably on the tech's bench.

if you shut the engine down right away you should be alright. Anything after that is speculation. Does it run quiet now that the oil is topped off? If yes, get them to get a new cap and be on your way; it will be difficult to prove wear (maybe compression test or measure blowby as nissan did when there 2.5l engines had bad rings from the factory ). If it has a permanent knock, go for a new engine.

actually you could measure oil consumption as a indicator of engine wear. Nissan did this when they were going throught their oil consumption issues with the 2.5l (along with 2 other methods, oil analysis and blow-by pressure measurements).

they would measure the amount the oil was down on the dipstick. The tsb had a chart as to what was acceptable for the range driven. Of course this information was only available to nissan dealers and I can't locate it in the aftermarket tsb system.

get your free oil change and keep that documentation. let them know you will be monitoring for oil consumption. If it is excessive, new engine time.

The oil level has to be filled to the correct fill line to start. This engine needs a 10min drain time after the engine is off to get an accurate reading.

Thank you very much everyone. ConsultIII - When I checked the oil myself (about an hour after I turned it off) on the stick there was only about ½ a centimeter on the very bottom showing. It was pretty low.

MagicRat- It was just the oil can light, I believe that means oil level.

I guess moral is: most likelihood the engine is fine. JIC, keep all documentation and further this only if necessary.

I informed the shop about my concerns and that I would be holding them liable… The shop owner got back to me and told me he’d like to discuss this.

I am so bad at playing hardball. I always feel bad for the small shops.

You should be good, because 2-guarts was probably still in the engine!
It could of been worst, see
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=1059218 Bad Engine!

Shorted oil, too much oil, stripped oil drain plugs, over torque drain plugs, and wrong oil!
Than they blame it on the customer ''No thanks''