Help! My used cars engine has seized 6months after purchase

Foxy-Stoat_3

You say you checked the oil level, I assume you do not periodically check the oil's operating pressure?

If the sump is full of oil and the oil pump fails suddenly, that will kill an engine or the oil pickup gets blocked...that can also be terminal for engines.

You need to determine the cause of the fail before talking about compensation.

fivetide

colino wrote: »

If you want to throw money at getting compensation, you better try and remove this thread. Checking the oil once a month isn't enough. You don't do the checks every week, as a minimum, because you expect to top them up, it's because you want to spot when there's a leak or a loss that you can do something about.

Given the OP states the car had plenty of oil in it I can't see how checking it even every hour would have made a difference. The car has enough oil in it from the OP's account it just wasn't getting round the engine.


OP - when you changed the oil why did you do it? When had it had a change before then? Did you use the right oil? Did you use any flushing stuff? That seems to be the last time the oil was truely messed with.

As Foxy-Stoat says though, what is needed is to determine why the oil didn't get round the engine. The change is the first place to start.

martinthebandit

Sorry but I agree with other posters, not a chance of any comeback on the dealer.

A word of advice though for the future £3300 is just the wrong amount to spend on a car, you either need to buy nearly new or cheap, in the middle is where the heartache is.

Personally I spend about £1500 on my cars, gives me plenty left over to spend on maintenance.

bigjl

If oil pressure dropped then the oil light would have came on long before the engine siezed.

The only thing i can think to make it the dealers responsibility would be if they took the bulb out of the warning light.

Otherwise chalk it up to experience.

The 1.7 lump is a hardy one and would either be the Isuzu lump or a Vauxhall/Opel engine not the 1.3 or 1.9 Fiat engines.

Certainly i have not heard any stories about major issues with the 1.7d.

It is the engine fitted to most Astra diesel patrol cars.

Retrogamer

eg0u91c8 wrote: »

Surely, after paying £3300 from a specialist dealership for a car and it only lasting for 6 months before it's rendered unroadworthy, is unjust and warrants some form of compensation?

Yes, you're right.
However, you would need to prove that there was a fault / issue when you bought the vehicle which led to this. Not sure how you would prove that however


Did the car come with full service history? If so, how many miles / time was between oil changes?

I'd wager that someone has missed or had a late service at some point and parts of the oil filter have broken up and got oil jourals or pick up pipe on the oil pump. This would have slowed down the oil flow to the extent the engine will die

Ultrasonic

Foxy-Stoat wrote: »

You say you checked the oil level, I assume you do not periodically check the oil's operating pressure?

I'm not sure from your post whether you are suggesting that the OP should have been regularly checking oil pressure or not? I must admit I have no idea how a typical driver could check oil pressure (short of a warning light not being on)? I've certainly never done it.

SailorSam

martinthebandit wrote: »

Sorry but I agree with other posters, not a chance of any comeback on the dealer.

A word of advice though for the future £3300 is just the wrong amount to spend on a car, you either need to buy nearly new or cheap, in the middle is where the heartache is.

Personally I spend about £1500 on my cars, gives me plenty left over to spend on maintenance.

Wasn't there a long thread on here about the bangers people had bought, and the advantages and pitfalls of different cars.

Update,
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/861921

forgotmyname

You have the right to take them to court but on your evidence expect to lose with one simple question to you.

How did you manage to drive it for 6 months with no oil pressure.

Ultrasonic

I also suspect the oil change carried out by the OP 3 months ago may be raised as a potential issue if this did go to court...

TrickyWicky

Engines need oil. IF it ain't circulating there should be a warning light showing (unless the bulb has been taken out).

Even then if you take off the oil cap with the engine running (and hot) you should see oil flowing round the cam(s). Granted that tells you diddly squat about the pressure but you can at least see that it's flowing up from the sump.

Sounds to me like you ragged it down the motorway, ignored the screaming sounds from the engine (after all, it's a diesel and will live forever right?) and now it's gone pop you want someone else to sort it. Yes I've seized an engine in the past and have heard the awful horrifying sounds that come from metal against metal at 3000rpm.

As forgotmyname says, if they 'obviously' sold you a car that had a duff oil pump how did it drive for so long? - You're not going far with that claim I'm afraid. First thing that springs to my mind is that if you KNOW it was dead when they sold it to you (which you seem certain is the case) then why did you continue to drive it knowing it would cause further damage?

As Ultrasonic also points out, the fact you've done tinkering with the oil could possibly suggest you yourself screwed something up too.

Oopsie..