Category: Oil Consumption

Under no circumstances should the car continue to be driven, the oil loss of 2 liters within a week is significant enough that there is a defect in the engine. The engine is already damaged, the engine has stopped, has not been pulling for a long time, the engine shakes when accelerating, the vehicle stank of oil and the on-board computer shows an engine fault.

Do not drive another 1000 km

Since the engine consumes approx. 2 liters in a week, it does not get very far with the one liter of topped up oil. If the oil loss is not corrected, this irrevocably leads to total engine damage, the engine stalls without sufficient lubrication. Without sufficient lubrication, various types of damage can occur in the engine such as:

• the piston rings seize into the cylinder liner (the piston moves in this), the engine stops.
• the piston rings can break, the metal parts destroy the cylinder liner, get into the combustion chamber and destroy the valves.
• If the vehicle has a turbocharger, the blades can be destroyed or the turbocharger stops, the piston ring parts jam the charger.
• Piston or crankshaft bearings can seize or break, which also leads to the destruction of the engine.

To name just a few of the damages. In the event of all this damage, either the cylinder head or the entire engine must be replaced, which means that less than € 1,000 is sufficient to cover the repair costs.

There are two options when it comes to the workshop

1. The mechanic has no idea how to identify a defect in the head gasket?This is actually easy, unscrew spark plugs to test each cylinder with an appropriate pressure tester. Press the measuring device onto the hole for the spark plugs, let the engine crank briefly, the measuring device displays the corresponding values.
2. The workshop assumes that the engine will be totaled, after all it was moved with too little engine oil, a lucrative business for the workshop. The engine is one of the wearing parts, so the warranty is limited to moving parts and it was driven by the vehicle owner with too little oil, the fault lies with the vehicle owner. The workshop will not have made the statement to drive the engine 1000 km with only one liter of oil refilled and the owner has the burden of proof, but he cannot. You should have the statement given in writing to drive 1000 km with one liter of refilled oil and that the engine will not be damaged as a result, the workshop will never make this statement in writing, which is the proof that the workshop consciously assumes

How should one proceed?

Drive to another workshop and have a troubleshooting carried out. If the mechanic starts the search with the diagnostic device and reading out the fault memory, you get out of the woods, it is better to go to another workshop. If a defective cylinder head gasket is suspected, an absolute specialist will always unscrew the cap for topping up the engine oil and check the adhering oil for water build-up.

Then remove the dipstick and examine it as well. He will also open the cooling water tank and check whether there is oil in the cooling water. Diagnosing another workshop does not jeopardize the warranty. If the workshop from which the car comes goes crosswise in order to repair the defect under warranty, do not discuss it with a lawyer.

There is no other possibility, under no circumstances to get involved in discussions with the workshop, they will play for time. You do not have to worry about the costs of the lawyer, if you have too little income or equity you can apply for legal aid, this will cover all costs, the lawyer can provide the necessary information.