Oil Pressure Warning Light on after service at halfords

moneysavinghero123

Hi There,

Looking for some advice, I recently took my car (Seat Ibiza 1.2 TSI ) for a major service at a local Halfords Autocentre, the service included full oil change, spark plug replacement, road test etc. Five hours later the car was ready for collection, it took some time to get to halfords due to rush hour traffic, finally got to the centre and staff were shutting shop for the day and my keys were inside the joining halfords retail store.

While walking back to the car the manager stated the documents, log book etc were in the car, and then mentioned the oil pressure had come on during the roadside while corning? I dismissed this staying the car was perfectly fine before the service took place (which it was ) I went back to the car and checked the advisory sheet which stated the oil warning has come on during cornering, I was unable to query this more as the manager left and drove off.

I started the veh to be greeted with a loud rumbling, tractor noise coming from the engine at first I thought it might that the oil hasn't settled and drove the car out of the car park, got onto a stretch of dual carriageway and bing! the oil warning light appeared, I pulled over ASAP and rang the AA, the patrol was unable to work on the veh because of how serious the fault is, requires immediate garage attention, the AA patrol thinks 90% oil related, like oil pump, blockage or wrong type. This was also checked with VW/SEAT breakdown tech at the AA call centre.

So my car is left stranded roadside, and my just wanted some advice from anyone with experience with this kind of issue or any mechanics out there who maybe able to help.

The garage must of known or caused some kind of fault while carrying out the oil change, why didn't they contact me before they completed the service.

Why did they still roadtest possibly knowing there was blockage or damaged caused during the service.

How do I handle the situation when returning the car tomorrow, and they dismiss or refuse to look or repair my car.

Many Thanks ahead for any replies.

Strider590

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/dashcam-footage-shows-halfords-worker-5517765


With that in mind, they shouldn't have road tested it, as it was just a service......

It sounds to me like they took it for a spin, having forgotten to put any oil back into it.

I went back to the car and checked the advisory sheet which stated the oil warning has come on during cornering

Really the only way this can happen is if you haven't enough oil in it OR it's being driven stupidly hard.
Over filling with oil can also cause massive amounts of damage, as if the engines crank shaft starts splashing into the oil, causing it to froth up, the oil pickup pipe will be unable to suck up oil, no oil gets around the engine and it goes bang.

[Deleted User]

DO NOT GO TO HALFORDS.

A quick Google search will tell you this and Kudos to Strider for the Mirror link.
Reading that I almost laughed at the irony of the Halfords "mechanic" being caught by a dashcam bought at Halfords, bar the fact it is not his car :mad:

bigjl

Certainly sounds like they have driven it without oil and knocked out the bottom end.

Luckily when the engine is stripped it will be easy to tell what theu have done.

LandyAndy

Would never have happened to a Nissan GTR / M3 / Yaris.

Strider590

I should point out that what happened at that Halfords (the link) is not uncommon and it's not limited to Halfords, this even happens at main dealerships.

Unless your car is a slow old barge, it's best never to let it out of your sight.

Whereas motor mechanics used to be seen as a respectable career, in which one could earn good money, it now seen as "dirty" and poorly paid, the colleges course are full of those kids that drive about in knackered old hatchbacks sporting Burberry hats.

I recently stopped using a "trusted" garage after seeing one of the technicians leaving the estate pulling handbrakes turns in his old fiesta and after a friends car was seen being driven at high speed after he left it there for MOT.

Trust nobody with the keys to your motor.

arcon5

So because you've seen a couple of incidents and read of a few more online we should now all distrust a whole industry? A massive industry at that.

Based on that logic we should all hang up our car keys and stop driving because 21 people died in Lincolnshire in the first quarter of last year as driving isn't safe! (example figures).

We should also stop posting letters because roylamail are reporting to be loosing 250,000 letters per week:eek:. Lets ignore the other 40 million letters they deliver fine.

Strider590

arcon5 wrote: »

So because you've seen a couple of incidents and read of a few more online we should now all distrust a whole industry? A massive industry at that.

Based on that logic we should all hang up our car keys and stop driving because 21 people died in Lincolnshire in the first quarter of last year as driving isn't safe! (example figures).

We should also stop posting letters because roylamail are reporting to be loosing 250,000 letters per week:eek:. Lets ignore the other 40 million letters they deliver fine.

Nope, not because of a few stories, but because if you value your car (or even PAJ), you should not trust it to anyone....... Unfortunately what cannot be trusted is human nature.

arcon5

Well I value my life, I still entrust it to the airline company, the bus company blah blah blah.

I'd be interested to know how people should get their car repaired if they can't trust anybody! And don't suggest everybody stay with the car at all times because that's not practical.

Strider590

No it's not always practical.

AdrianC

arcon5 wrote: »

I'd be interested to know how people should get their car repaired if they can't trust anybody!

I trust myself, so I DIY as much as possible.

For jobs I'm asking others to do, I only use people who I feel I can trust. Not High St chains.