1st service nightmare

[CharChar]

Wow guys. Thanks for all the replies.
Sorry for the delay in responding, ive been camping out of cell service range.
I actually didnt realize until i stopped for gas and smelled burnt oil, so i popped the hood. i think a few drops got on the header, or on the turbo shield. Since i didnt have much choice i cleaned it up as best as i could in the parking lot. 150 miles later, 20 off road im home.
Its still pretty slick with oil, but at this point im not sure i trust the dealer to do anything about it. Seems like yall are split on washing vs not.

Sponsored

 

[JimG_AZ]

I never said it was corrosive. You act as if everything under the hood is just metal. Get under the hood with a power washer and you can bet there will be even more issues related to water intrusion / penetration into electrical connections. They even make note of that in the owners manual, see below.





Actually the Owners Manual warns about pressure washing the motor and the possible damages that can occur, how you have to cover the battery, power distribution box, air filter, coils, spark plug wires and spark plug well, etc.

And I would be surprised if the dealership does any of that. They'll have the new guy that works at the wash rack pressure wash the motor, and won't cover up anything.

You may be right about not trusting the dealer to do it, but it is a reasonable bet that they steam cleaned the motor on every used car on the lot. I wonder what their failure rate is on electrical components after doing this.

So what do you consider to be an acceptable resolution to this?

 

[HenryMac]

You may be right about not trusting the dealer to do it, but it is a reasonable bet that they steam cleaned the motor on every used car on the lot. I wonder what their failure rate is on electrical components after doing this.

So what do you consider to be an acceptable resolution to this?

Thanks for the reply.

I'd ask to discuss the issue with the Regional Ford Service Manager. I'd ask the regional manager to have a dealership use the Motorcraft Engine Cleaner and Degreaser, applied per the specification of the Owners Manual and I would supervise it being done to ensure they are indeed following the specifications of the manual in regard to covering the battery, coils, etc.. Fool me once, stupid you. Fool me twice, stupid me.

I'd then require them to document what they had done in writing: Acknowledging that the dealership employee did not properly seat the dip stick, that their lack of proper procedure created a problem, and that they degreased the engine to correct the problem. I'd have this documentation written in the Owners Manual in the Scheduled Maintenance section of the manual, signed and dated by the Dealer Service Manager.

That way if the degreasing process does create an issue, it will be well documented.

 

[Texasota]

Thanks for the reply.

I'd ask to discuss the issue with the Regional Ford Service Manager. I'd ask the regional manager to have a dealership use the Motorcraft Engine Cleaner and Degreaser, applied per the specification of the Owners Manual and I would supervise it being done to ensure they are indeed following the specifications of the manual in regard to covering the battery, coils, etc.. Fool me once, stupid you. Fool me twice, stupid me.

I'd then require them to document what they had done in writing: Acknowledging that the dealership employee did not properly seat the dip stick, that their lack of proper procedure created a problem, and that they degreased the engine to correct the problem. I'd have this documentation written in the Owners Manual in the Scheduled Maintenance section of the manual, signed and dated by the Dealer Service Manager.

That way if the degreasing process does create an issue, it will be well documented.

Mistakes happen and it is highly unlikely there was any maliciousness on the part of the tech or the dealership. This seems like an overreaction that accomplishes nothing except to destroy your working relationship with the dealer's service department.

Some paper towels and engine gunk will have the splattered oil cleaned up in 10 minutes.

 

[HenryMac]

Mistakes happen and it is highly unlikely there was any maliciousness on the part of the tech or the dealership. This seems like an overreaction that accomplishes nothing except to destroy your working relationship with the dealer's service department.

Some paper towels and engine gunk will have the splattered oil cleaned up in 10 minutes.

If a relationship is destroyed due to holding the dealership accountable for their error, so be it.

If it happened to your 2002 GMC, agreed, not as big of a deal, that's a $3,000 truck. We're talking about a brand new $40,000 truck.

 

[Msfitoy]

This happened to my wife's Explorer...they left the oil cap off and it was a bigger mess! When it comes to routine maintenance (tire rotation, oil change, wash, etc) it DIY always...

 

[Ranger #6]

I did that on my '05 MINI (left the filler cap off after doing an oil change). Fortunately, I had only idled it in order to prime the filter before doing a final oil level check. After some regular soap, water and an old rag (and about 15 or 30 minutes of elbow grease, and me cussing at myself) it looked (almost) as good as new.

Steam/power washing alone won't work, and may do more damage than good. Soap on an old rag, with gentle rinse should do the trick.

Call the dealership and complain to the service manager; insist on new hood insulation. Maybe they'll add some FordPass points for your next visit. After hanging up with the dealership, go get an old rag and just clean it up yourself. The longer you wait, the worse the spotting will get.

 

[Msfitoy]

I did that on my '05 MINI (left the filler cap off after doing an oil change). Fortunately, I had only idled it in order to prime the filter before doing a final oil level check. After some regular soap, water and an old rag (and about 15 or 30 minutes of elbow grease, and me cussing at myself) it looked (almost) as good as new.

Steam/power washing alone won't work, and may do more damage than good. Soap on an old rag, with gentle rinse should do the trick.

Call the dealership and complain to the service manager; insist on new hood insulation. Maybe they'll add some FordPass points for your next visit. After hanging up with the dealership, go get an old rag and just clean it up yourself. The longer you wait, the worse the spotting will get.

Still have the gen1 MINI? I'm trailering my 03 R53 to the Dragon next year behind my Ranger

 

[Ranger #6]

Still have the gen1 MINI? I'm trailering my 03 R53 to the Dragon next year behind my Ranger

Nope; I sold the R53 to make room for Ranger #6. We still have the wife's R56 sport ("Punkin", orange and black).

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Nope; I sold the R53 to make room for Ranger #6. We still have the wife's R56 sport ("Punkin", orange and black).

Hi Rob,

I crewed for a Mini Cooper S in the SCCA before I became a Race Driver myself. 1275 cc...almost impossible to wrench on anything at the track...Miserable car, but it went like stink...14 to 1 CR and a three main bearing crank. Yikes! Anyway went open wheel with my FSV... Fond memories of the MINI...Changing subframes in the paddock grass...UG!

best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co.Retired

 

[JimG_AZ]

Thanks for the reply.

I'd ask to discuss the issue with the Regional Ford Service Manager. I'd ask the regional manager to have a dealership use the Motorcraft Engine Cleaner and Degreaser, applied per the specification of the Owners Manual and I would supervise it being done to ensure they are indeed following the specifications of the manual in regard to covering the battery, coils, etc.. Fool me once, stupid you. Fool me twice, stupid me.

I'd then require them to document what they had done in writing: Acknowledging that the dealership employee did not properly seat the dip stick, that their lack of proper procedure created a problem, and that they degreased the engine to correct the problem. I'd have this documentation written in the Owners Manual in the Scheduled Maintenance section of the manual, signed and dated by the Dealer Service Manager.

That way if the degreasing process does create an issue, it will be well documented.

You will need to have a legitimate issue with your truck before you will get the Regional Service Advisors attention. From my experience, they will not talk to you over a mess made by the oil change tech.

 

[DavidR]

At the risk of getting flamed, I wouldn't overreact too much to this. As someone said, mistakes do happen, and it's annoying as hell especially on a new vehicle, but at least this one didn't cause any permanent damage that you will have to deal with the shop about. It just needs to be cleaned. I would still let the shop know what happened though, even if you don't plan to ever go back.

I've power-washed our engines for 30 years on a dozen different cars and have never had a problem, BUT, you do need to be careful. Set the washer nozzle to the widest fan spray pattern and then make sure to keep a reasonable distance. Under those conditions, the actual pressure is not extremely high by the time it hits the engine, so you might want to also use a little Simple Green, but it still does a better job than just a garden hose.

 

[Indy650]

i would avoid the pressure wash. dont want to push any water past the seals, or the connectors. Good soap spray down and a low pressure rinse would be smarter

lord knows we already have enough wonky connector issues going around.

The connectors are waterproof and should all have a water resistant dielectric grease so unless you sit there and hold the pressure washer full blast I really doubt it would become an issue. I have pressure washed many an engine bay I just keep it on the wide low pressure spray never use the narrow high pressure wand setting.

edit: oops sorry DavidR I just seen you pretty much already mentioned what I said.

 

[Msfitoy]

Hi Rob,

I crewed for a Mini Cooper S in the SCCA before I became a Race Driver myself. 1275 cc...almost impossible to wrench on anything at the track...Miserable car, but it went like stink...14 to 1 CR and a three main bearing crank. Yikes! Anyway went open wheel with my FSV... Fond memories of the MINI...Changing subframes in the paddock grass...UG!

best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co.Retired

1275cc...classic Mini...here's my 16 year old new-classic

 

[P. A. Schilke]

1275cc...classic Mini...here's my 16 year old new-classic

Hi Sid,

Track car?

best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

Sponsored