firesweep

I'm probably going to be SOL but a while back I took my Jeep in to a local dealer for routine maintenance. I never got any message, beep or light except "Change Oil". I called the dealer and they said the tech must have forgotten to reset it and told me how to do this.
I drove the Jeep without issue for about 3000 Miles and noticed a ticking noise. I thought it was my exhaust but checked my oil and it was bone dry. (Jeep had 50,000 Miles and never used or burned oil so I never thought to check) Anyways, I immediately added the correct oil and then drove it to my work and had our own service tech perform an oil change and rotation etc. Upon inspection the tech seen metal in the pan. He said the life of the motor was greatly diminished. I asked how I can prove the dealership failed to put oil in the car and he said "You Cant" and at the least there is records that you maintained the Jeep.

After the service the ticking noise went away so I didn't think anything of the issue. The Jeep ran fine, had decent power and still no warning lights. So now I am due for another oil change and I'm at 4000 Miles. The Jeep held its oil fine with no burning or leaks. However... Yesterday the Jeep's engine began knocking loudly on the highway and died. I pulled over and had it towed home.
I checked the oil again this morning and it's still full. So now I worry because 1. I performed my own oil change and 2. I didn't call the dealership once I noticed the Jeep was without oil. It would have been nice to have had a engine light, oil light SOMETHING! But even with the loud knock and dying motor, I have no warning lights.

Did I just kill all chances of an honored warranty? Technically, with all maintenance technically performed. My warranty should be valid.
Anyone have any input? Hopefully encouraging news.

Thanks

5150cliff

You know, this world is full of people with little or no integrity. Your dealer, and mine, I'm sure has some of these types working for them. Unless you actually checked the oil at the dealership and brought it to their attention then and there, there's little you can do to convince them that it's their fault. We should be able to 'trust' someone, especially a dealership, to work on our cars and not have to check if the work actually got done. But this is not in the realm of reality. Just do what you must which includes going back to the dealer, telling them what you've just told us, and hoping for the best. I know that this is making you sick to be worrying about what they're going to say. I hope that someone there does in fact, have some integrity and takes care of it. I'm not going to give you false hope though. Probably not going to be good news. Sorry....

brandonbooth

Is the jeep still under warranty? If it is still under warranty then I would take it to Jeep have them figure out what is wrong with it and they will maybe end up putting a new engine in it. No offense but as soon as you realized there was no oil in it you should have let it sit. Had them tow it and that way they would have known they fucked up. If you ran for 3k miles with no oil and then noticed it and then just did a routine oil change knowing there were shards of metal in the oil pan. I mean you kind of hid their fuck up and they could just deny. Nobody wants to admit they just cost corporate 5k in damages or more.

Ncb

How many quarts did you have to add? I doubt you drove it for 3,000 miles with out any oil. It would have seized quickly with out oil. Plus why would you drive for 3,000 miles with out ever checking the oil?

firesweep

Thanks for the replies everyone. Yeah Hindsight is 20-20 but I "Assumed" that the car would be alright once OIL was put back in. I usually buy a new car every year and never needed to check my oil. I have it changed every 3000 miles on all my vehicles. Only my classic cars get the daily check since they use/burn oil. My 2011 Ram 2500, 2013 F-150, 2012 Fusion never use/burn oil. They are all all very low miles mind you. I also have a 2002 Mustang GT that has over 120,000 Miles and it too doesn't lose oil.

Definitly my bad on not checking but one would think I would have some type of warning light?
I would have called the dealership once the tech seen metal in the pan but the ticking noise was gone and from past Warranty fights with other cars, I know Chrysler Service guys cannot do much for repairs without failure. I guess I will play it by ear. My Jeep in in the shop and I will talk with them on Monday since the appointment for service isn't until later this coming week.

I was able to find out online that my warranty shouldn't be voided by having another shop perform my oil change. I'm going to just expect the worse and hope for the best. If anything, I can always to the Hemi upgrade.

ronjenx

The only warning light is for low oil pressure when the oil is gone.

Gman*2007

Good luck hope it works out for you. If not, prime time for the hemi.

k0260

oh man, this sounds like a really shitty scenario. Hopefully you're able to come out on top. I'm religious about doing my own simple oil changes and regularly checking the level

SteveC

So, when you say the oil was "bone dry", you mean it didn't show on the dipstick? Is that what you mean? If they didn't put any oil at all in the engine I don't see how you could have driven one mile without the engine seizing.

hluckoff

If the dealer forgot to put oil in your Jeep you would have known that long before you got home with your Jeep. It would have made a lot of noise and red lights would have shown on your dash and more than likely would have died before you got to far. If you drove it 3000 miles without once checking the oil and then when the engine knocks and you find your low on oil well that's you bad and not the dealers fault. I can't believe there are people that never pull a dip stick to check oil. There are so many things that can go wrong with cars or anything mechanical that you really need to keep an eye on things even if it's brand new.