Oil warranty problem

[johnnyjo]

my question.......i have a type S GT 2.2 diesel honda civic only new but because i have overfilled the oil level by 1 litre of oil honda says that my warranty is no good as the oil has caused damage to the engine. but i can't find anything on my warranty to verify their decision .........i need help on this matter .....????????

[NEEMSTAR]

ouch
well maintaining oil levels are solely the responsibility of the owner so i don't think you have a leg to stand on mate...

hopefully someone will come and disprove me

just out of interest how did you overfill it by so much and what damage has been done? costs?

[Jack The Lad.]

Has the oil got into the clutch johnny.?

[pcr]

It might be worth getting an expert opinion. OK, you overflled the oil and the engine is damaged but do not take the dealer's word that the two are linked. What is wrong with the engine ?. I bet overfilling happens all the time without any serious consequences.

[SluffGuy]

Overfilling by 1 litre is quite a lot - I'd imagine it's the large amount that's caused the problem.

I don't think you have much recourse.

[johnnyjo]

if engine switched on it escelerates to full power and will not switch off followed by a lot of smoke and a tapping sound from the engine only way i could turn off engine was to put it in gear & jam the brakes it was like a vehicle possessed out of a horror movie but honda dealers blame it on excessive oil..........

[johnnyjo]

if engine switched on it escelerates to full power and will not switch off followed by a lot of smoke and a tapping sound from the engine only way i could turn off engine was to put it in gear & jam the brakes it was like a vehicle possessed out of a horror movie but honda dealers blame it on excessive oil..........

[Milano Type S]

Thats sounds like the engine is running on it own oil. Possibly a turbo failure?

[angie4m]

If you have overfilled the oil then they are correct- warranty on the engine is void. It states in the handbook that you should check your oil levels on a regular basis and it even gives advice on the best way to fill it. Not only that it also has a warning advice telling you not to overfill the oil level as doing this will cause damage to the engine.

Its a sore one, but they do advise you how to check and top up oil levels and if you have failed to do this properly then you cannot expect Honda UK to be held responsible for your error and pick up the bill to rectify it.

If you had realised that you had overfilled it at the inital stage you could have drained the oil before driving the car and start over again.

[johnnyjo]

my question.......i have a type S GT 2.2 diesel honda civic only new but because i have overfilled the oil level by 1 litre of oil honda says that my warranty is no good as the oil has caused damage to the engine. but i can't find anything on my warranty to verify their decision .........i need help on this matter .....????????..................................... ....................if engine switched on it escelerates to full power and will not switch off followed by a lot of smoke and a tapping sound from the engine only way i could turn off engine was to put it in gear & jam the brakes it was like a vehicle possessed out of a horror movie but honda dealers blame it on excessive oil..........Any Ideas

[johnnyjo]

Originally Posted by angie4m

If you have overfilled the oil then they are correct- warranty on the engine is void. It states in the handbook that you should check your oil levels on a regular basis and it even gives advice on the best way to fill it. Not only that it also has a warning advice telling you not to overfill the oil level as doing this will cause damage to the engine.

Its a sore one, but they do advise you how to check and top up oil levels and if you have failed to do this properly then you cannot expect Honda UK to be held responsible for your error and pick up the bill to rectify it.

If you had realised that you had overfilled it at the inital stage you could have drained the oil before driving the car and start over again.

quote.... Their Is a difference to a suggestion & A Warning ...Quote the warranty says could damage your engine ..Not ..WILL...

[hondatech]

Originally Posted by johnnyjo

if engine switched on it escelerates to full power and will not switch off followed by a lot of smoke and a tapping sound from the engine only way i could turn off engine was to put it in gear & jam the brakes it was like a vehicle possessed out of a horror movie but honda dealers blame it on excessive oil..........

your dealer is spot on johhny,because of the high oil level once the oil it gets hot it gets drawn up into the intake system via the crankcase breather system & enters the inlet manifold as oil mist(not unlike injected diesel) which starts to burn rapidly.whilst the diesel injection system injects a controlled metered amount of diesel fuel on each injection pulse,once the oil mist starts to burn you have no means of controlling the speed of the engine & if not stopped by stalling the engine it will rev to destruction !! this also used to happen on older style of diesel engines (non common rail) if there was a fault with the governor for example on the fuel pump this could allow the pump to keep injecting past the maximum governed speed of the engine & they just use to rev up until they blew up unless you managed to stall it.
diesel fuel itself has whats called a `rising characteristic` that is for a given amount of fuel the engine will rev up & up untill it blows up,thats why diesel engines are governed to prevent themselves from overevving & causing damage.
has your engine sustained any major damage ? if you managed to stall it & saved the engine from any major damage then by draining the oil back down to the correct level it may be ok !

[angie4m]

Originally Posted by johnnyjo

my question.......i have a type S GT 2.2 diesel honda civic only new but because i have overfilled the oil level by 1 litre of oil honda says that my warranty is no good as the oil has caused damage to the engine. but i can't find anything on my warranty to verify their decision .........i need help on this matter .....????????..................................... ....................if engine switched on it escelerates to full power and will not switch off followed by a lot of smoke and a tapping sound from the engine only way i could turn off engine was to put it in gear & jam the brakes it was like a vehicle possessed out of a horror movie but honda dealers blame it on excessive oil..........Any Ideas

Right lets start at the begining, you say 'I have a type S GT 2.2 diesel honda civic only new' Care to explain this? Are you trying to say this is a new car? If so a couple of questions, if it is a new car why the hell did you top up the oil and do you know how to check the oil levels properly?

Again as said before by myself and others Overfilling the engine oil can damage the engine and by 1 litre is an awful lot. Its you duty you check your oil levels on a regular basis when cold and if you have to top it up then you should do it in small stages leaving it for 5 mins, checking the level and then adding a little more if needed and carrying on like this until its at the Maximum level.

The handbook from Honda advises you on how to maintain your car and its oil levels. They also warn that overfilling the oil can damage the engine. Its therefore not a faulty engine but an issue caused by you, therfore its not covered by the warranty.

[angie4m]

Originally Posted by johnnyjo

quote.... Their Is a difference to a suggestion & A Warning ...Quote the warranty says could damage your engine ..Not ..WILL...

It states in the warranty conditions in the service book under section g. Defects due to neglect, mistreatment or use other than that indicated in the owners' manual or use beyond the limitations or specifications of Honda (e.g. maximum load, passenger capacity)

I would say that you fall into this - you have negelected to check and top up oil levels properly and have damaged you engine. Its a shame you didn't consult page 370 when you decided to top up the oil.

Also Advising you not to go above the max line otherwise you could cause engine damage is not a suggestion and if you think it is, you shouldn't be in charge of a car!

[TTDegs]

maybe a tad strong there Angie, but certainly some good points


Over filling with oil may damage the engine.

This means that if you over fill it by a few ml, then the chances are pretty good that you will be ok
Over filling it by a whole ltr - is kinda pretty much guaranteed to cause a problem I'm afraid
And one which isn't covered by the warrenty

It's a bit like the warning on page 295:
"serious amage may occur if petrol is used in diesel engines"

It doesn't say will occur - becuase if all you do is fill it up with petrol you will probably get away with it.
If you add £5 of petrol to a tank which was almost full of diesel - you may get away with it (I wouldn't try personally though!).



Hopefully hondatechs post will prove good news though - let us know how it goes

[angie4m]

Maybe TT, but I wouldn't say that the Do not fill above Max line, doing so could cause engine damage is a suggestion though. Its quite clear that they are telling you not to go above the max line and advising that doing so may cause engine damage. I've never heard of anyone put 1 litre of oil straight in an engine like that before. So if they think that is a suggestion, i'd hate to see what else they think is a suggestion.

Still confused if this is a new car and if so why they did it in the first place. Opening line aint quite clear.

[Vet_2010]

When I was fitting new sidelight bulbs just after I'd collected my car from the dealer I thought I'd check the oil level and they had actually overfilled it! I rang them and they said it "shouldn't" cause any harm as it is a new engine and will be using alot of oil, but I thought it best to stick with the margins given and just check it reguarly. After reading this I'm certainly glad I did, If something had gone wrong I reckon the service guy would have had a bout of amnesia and remembered nothing about me calling them
I hope you get something sorted johnnyjo, although as others have said there really isn't any excuse for not checking the oil, especially in a new car. I don't know about everyone else, but I've got wee castrol stickers everywhere stating I should check the oil everytime I fill up with fuel... which off course I do

[angie4m]

Originally Posted by Vet_2010

I don't know about everyone else, but I've got wee castrol stickers everywhere stating I should check the oil everytime I fill up with fuel... which off course I do

I hope thats not at the same time as filling up as the engine should be cold when you check the levels. Just like when you check the tyre pressure, the tyres should be cold otherwise you get an incorrect reading.

I check it once a week but fill up about once every three weeks but still use the car in that time frame. Always check it on the drive in the morning usually

[Vet_2010]

Originally Posted by angie4m

I hope thats not at the same time as filling up as the engine should be cold when you check the levels.

I thought it didn't really matter whether it was hot or cold, you should still always have the oil within the min and max values. Just when the engine is hot it will be nearer the max, although you've less chance of roasting yourself on something under the bonnet when its cold

[NEEMSTAR]

i check my oil by taking the car for a run, letting it warm up , then parking on a flat for 5 mins before checking it
that's the way i was taught but there are many different schools of thought