Firestone forgot the oil

^this is what i would do, you deserve to be compensated for their stupidity and the hassles your going thru. Yea a used engine would "make it what it was" but I would demand compensation in the form of a new engine for my hassles.

And tell them instead of giving you free oil changes (you know they will try) for life to put that towards the new engine. I wouldn't go back there.

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They owe you a new engine installed at the toyota dealership. Then toyota has to stand behind that new engine and how it was installed. You want this to be FACTORY, not some guy behind the firestone place that puts in used engines and might screw something up. Only the Toyota dealership has the complete books on everything to check when replacing an engine. Do it right.

If I was looking at a van and you said, "we had a used engine put in after XYZ", I would keep looking. If you said, "we had the toyota dealership put in a new engine after XYZ" then I would be more interested.

In college I was a mechanic for Honda and now I'm a mechanical engineer that turns all my own wrenches. They owe you a new engine from the dealer.

Austin

Someone mentioned $3000 for a new engine...IF, and that's a big IF you can get a new engine I'd be willing to bet it's just shy of 6-8k. Likely what you will get, even from Toyota would be a re manufactured engine.

Nothing at all wrong with a low mileage used engine. As a mechanic in a previous life, I'd trust a used engine.

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Toyota crate engines running in the 2-3000$ range according to this site push for at least a crate engine.
http://remanufactured.com/Toyota_%20Engines.htm

You will never know how many miles the used engine really has on it unless you see it in the original vehicle with an untampered with speedometer cluster. Lots of places selling used engines lie about the mileage. If they don't want to give you a new engine, get a lawyer!

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I know what I would do, I would have the car towed home, pull the motor out, and pull the crankshaft out of it, have it reground and reinstall with new bearings. Shouldnt cost more than a couple hundred bucks to fix myself, then submit the parts bill to firestone and see if they wanted to kick up that much.

I would also consider the fact that had I paid attention to my gauges and warning lights, the damage to the vehicle probably would not have occurred, so while firestone shoulda woulda coulda been partially responsible by not filling with oil, I am also to blame. They pay for parts, I cover the labor, I am thinking we would both be happy campers.

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They owe you a new engine. They cannot access what would "restore" you with regard to a used engine. I agree, Toyota factory/dealership installed only. If you have to sue, they will lose. They will have to pay your legal fees, which could easily double their costs of their mistake. You have them by the shorthairs and they know it. Yank until you get what they owe you.

This is actually a cautionary tale for anyone who has a vehicle; learn to check your vehicles vitals and learn to do your own preventive maintenance. Many of those quick oil change places pay minimum wage and they make their money on up selling so I always caution people to be careful if you need to use one for some reason and always verify that you got what you paid for.

As far as the new vs used engine, nothing wrong with a used engine but any more I have found a crate motor is not that much more than a good used engine. When I replaced the 6.0 in my GMC pickup I paid a little less than 5K for a new long block and some components and a good lower mileage used engine was about $ 4200. Either would have been fine for my purposes and both had warranties but I went new and dont regret it if for nothing else than peace of mind that I broke it in properly.

Edited to add: I dont know about anyone else who has replaced their own engine but there were slight differences between the crate motor and my old blown motor and to this day, 30K miles later I have some extra parts I never could figure out where they went including a mysterious small wiring harness...but everything works!

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Look at it from Firestone's perspective. To make you whole they should replace the engine with a used one with similar mileage. Your van would then be in as good a shape as when you brought it in.

The problem with this is that you don't know what the replacement engine has been through and you should not have this uncertainty. For you to rest easy in your mind you should demand that the Toyota dealership install a rebuilt engine with a warranty.

The other posters that said you should get a new engine probably meant a rebuilt. A new engine is significantly more money. A rebuilt is closer to what you had and you will have piece of mind.

I would put it to Firestone that you get a rebuilt engine installed by Toyota and warranted. If they baulk then explain that if you don't get the rebuilt, you will sue, and their lawyer's expenses will be far greater than the difference between a used engine and a rebuilt.

One poster said you should pull the engine, grind the crankshaft and replace the main bearings. It's not likely that this is all that's wrong with the engine. The pistons and rings are probably what seized so they need to be replaced. I wouldn't let anyone rebuild your engine and put it back in. There is too much that can have gone wrong that can't be fixed. The high heat may have cracked the block or the heads. The cylinders may have been damaged so badly that they can't be fixed to accept even oversized pistons. Hold out for a rebuilt.

That doesn't fix the cylinder walls and pistons, nor the wrist pins, or the valves and guides, oil pump, cam and lifters or any other moving parts and bearing surfaces in the engine..

NEW ENGINE ONLY! would be my war cry... and if they didn't, I'd let them know I'd see them in small claims court.. .

They trashed your engine by being careless, they owe you...

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Having dealt with engine re-builders, I would not want a rebuilt engine in a 3 year old van. The guy that didn't put oil in your car could be the guy rebuilding the motor at his new job.

I have not read each response, but there is only one answer in this situation. Have Toyota install a new engine which will have a warranty. Firestone should pay for it. You should not have to pay one red cent. Your only cost should be the inconvenience involved.

This will not reduce the value of your vehicle. If anything, it will slightly raise the value, however if you keep it and drive it several years, it's value would be the same as if this never happened.

The transmission is completely separate from the engine with its own oil supply.

New engine with warranty
Firestone pays for it all.
You get on with your life
End of story.

Good luck

B

No clue why the double post occurred.

Why replace a perfectly good engine with no damage? That Toyota motor is apparently a lot smarter than most people here are. The computer shuts it down when the oil pressure drops to a point where continued use may damage it. That's why Firestone was able to merely add oil and send it on its way. Diagnostic test later would confirm that there was no damage since there isn't supposed to be.

Martin

This happened to my mom and she got a brand new engine because of it. It's clear they were at fault.

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With no oil, there was no pressure, Evidently the computer didn't sense that since it allowed her to drive it off their lot.. .

An engine run without oil for a few minutes will have wear damage, computer or no computer to shut it down...

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Never let your fear decide your fate!
Kein Mitleid für die Mehrheit

I haven't heard the word "attorney", as a last resort...?

No motor is ever dry after an oil change. Lubrication continues as long as the oil remains below the evaporation point. Modern cars and their motors are becoming more and more "idiotproof" each year. You have to really try hard to destroy their drive trains. If you have a Toyota, read the manual and report exactly what it says. There are probably other things which will shut that motor down before damage occurs.

Martin

Wrist pins, rings and valves are rarely damaged in a low/no oil situation since they are much harder than the main and rod bearings, in fact these parts really don't get that much oil to begin with...I'm not saying it can run forever but I've not seen damage before in these types of accidents.

I highly doubt cylinders would be damaged to a point of not being able to get 10, 20 or 30 over pistons...it would stop running from lack of compression before that would happen.

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I've seen scoring damage done to engines that ran less than a minute without oil... Not serious damage, but I've seen scores and scratches in bearing areas..

Oil gets slung off surfaces... It doesn't have to boil off... Oil is meant to keep the surfaces from touching, and to provide a buffer between the two parts.. Once the oil is slung out, and the parts start rubbing each other, damage is done...

It may not toast the engine, but it took life from it..

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Never let your fear decide your fate!
Kein Mitleid für die Mehrheit