Oil filter destroyed

Dual wheels

looking for some guidance please, timing chain went on my bmw 520 141 reg, got hard to find a mechanic to do the replacement, when I got someone to do the replacement he rang me to say there was a further problem and sent me a photo of the oil filter which looked like a black honeycomb, it was destroyed, he said I have 2 options that he may be able to rebuild the engine or to put in a new engine and that he would “open it up” and come back to me and let me know which was the best option, any idea what would have happened here? A friend told me it’s possible that whoever was doing the servicing didn’t replace the filter and it’s destroyed the engine… any rough idea what this is going to cost me? Thanks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058358238/oil-filter-destroyed

Upload the photo, the description of honeycomb could describe the inside of any oil filter

Dual wheels

oil filter

easygoing39

DA F3CK,that filter must be the one fitted at the factory!!!

Dual wheels

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122334871#Comment_122334871

IMG_0551.jpeg

looks like it was never changed? How could the service mechanic not know to change this?

hoodie6029

Sorry for your trouble OP. what’s the mileage on the car? With long life oil, the servicing interval is 25,000km. If someone missed the filter at one service (a 101 thing that should always be changed) it could be in there for 50,000km.

Dual wheels

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122334901#Comment_122334901

thanks I think it’s 180k miles, presumably this is what has caused the damage?

easygoing39

In my opinion that filter has'nt been replaced in a long time.How often has the car been serviced (km's/ months) ,and what milage is on the car now? Regarding the timing chain,Im guessing it stretched or became noisey??

magicbastarder

On my car (Octavia) the spring tensioner for the timing chain is a piston operated by oil pressure; so I suspect oil issues could be at play if the same system is used by BMW.

Dual wheels

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122334920#Comment_122334920

it was serviced around 6 months ago, around 180k miles on the car now, on the chain yes there was a rattle

hoodie6029

That filter looks completely clogged. If he cuts the filter open I presume it will be the same to the core. This is most likely the source of your problem, IMO.

Did he do the previous service?

drury..

Thats the risks sometimes with asking for a 'service'

Dont always know what you're going to get

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122334974#Comment_122334974

Can happen even if itemised on the bill. My old lad got so paranoid about it that he marked the old filter and checked after the service. This happened because he found that the plugs were not changed after a so called main service.

Dual wheels

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122334972#Comment_122334972

no the guy who did the service said he wouldn’t touch a timing chain so I had to go to someone else

Dual wheels

any idea what this is roughly going to cost me?

drury..

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122335077#Comment_122335077

I hand my mechanic the oil and filter every year

Id certainly never take a 'service' at face value having seen what the rogue types do , which can be as little as topping up the oil or throwing any old sh1te in

Wailin

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/vAHp1wTP9cDr61M6/

Luna84

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122335107#Comment_122335107

Couple of grand I suppose. I have no idea of the true price as everyone is different. That mechanic would probably charge some labour for tearing down the engine. He is not going to do it for free. Since the oil filter was blocked the main and rod bearings could be toast then a new chain and labour. Piston walls could be slightly damaged too from lack of oil.

Couple of grand again if you go the replacement used engine. Labour for removing old engine and replacing new(used) engine and then the cost of the engine as well.

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122335138#Comment_122335138

Actually not knowing what oil would be used is what drove me to do my own oil /filter changes on my smax. I buy the oil and filter from Ford dealer and keep the invoice in the service book.

Dual wheels

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122335151#Comment_122335151

so either way I’m looking at a couple of grand, great

CoBo55

Wait until he inspects the engine first, it might not be as bad as he's making out.

hoodie6029

Is it worth getting a solicitor involved? If you’ve service records from your previous mechanic and now evidence that what he said was done actually wasn’t, you could make a claim against him. You could get the cost of this covered. That may take months and you’d have to pay for the repair in the meantime but it’s worth a shot.

easygoing39

No way in hell was that filter replaced when your car was last serviced 6 months ago,in fact I would'nt be surprised if it was last changed 6 years ago.If this new mechanic has replaced the timing chain why has'nt he just changed the oil and oil filter and started the car?? You could be lucky and the engine may run fine!

kirving

Did the bad oil cause the timing chain to break, or did the timing chain breaking cause internal damage to the engine which has then been picked up by the filter?

In any case, that oil filter looks awful. I've done oil changes long after I thought they should have been done, and never saw something like that.

Dual wheels

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122335478#Comment_122335478

he said he tried that but it’s not working properly so I guess there’s more damage done?

CMOTDibbler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122335654#Comment_122335654

Without a doubt the filter is the cause. That clogged it would reduce oil pressure significantly and then there's all the particles getting recirculated instead of being filtered out. You'd also have to factor in the strong possibility that the engine oil wasn't changed regularly either.

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122335470#Comment_122335470

That's all well and good but the OP would need to actually be able to prove it to get anywhere and with known timing chain issues in E60 and F10 diesel BMWs it could be difficult to get someone qualified to state conclusively that the fault lies with the lack of filter replacement in God knows how long!

hoodie6029

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122335993#Comment_122335993

Ah yeah, i know it’s a bit of minefield alright but a call to a solicitor is no harm. Even a contribution to the cost by the old mechanic would be something.

drury..

Dont waste your time

You'd be creating 2 problems needlessly where currently there's 1

Luna84

I agree you will get no where trying to sue the mechanic. Too many variables and will waste your own time going to see a solicitor. But if you enjoy a lot of hassle go right ahead.

enfant terrible

What about small claims court only costs 25 euro, no solicitor needed.

hoodie6029

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
If the OP has no receipts or service records, there is no point but if he does, it’s worth a shot.
We are all legally entitled to work to be carried out competently. Unfortunately the majority view on this forum has always seemed to be that you’ve no recourse for bad workmanship.

The OP is looking at putting a new engine in a ten year old car because it looks like the filter (and probably the oil) he paid someone to change wasn’t done on more than one occasion by the looks of it. He should absolutely explore what legal remedies are open to him.

Whocare

Seviced 6 months ago ok but was it regularly Seviced before that . As even if oil and filter was changed 6 months ago and before that vehicle got very little Sevicing engine could have been all Sludged up inside and it Clogged new filter 6 months on so not last man problem

Dual wheels

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122336264#Comment_122336264

yea always got it serviced regularly with the same man

mk7r

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122340404#Comment_122340404

Obviously it didn't 😅

drury..

Yall be paying for the new man and the old man in legal costs if ya go chasing him

Mechanics and garages are not known for coughing up easily for mistakes etc.

enfant terrible

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122340461#Comment_122340461

Small Claims Court cost 25 euro, can claim up to 2000 euro back, no solicitor needed.

drury..

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122341133#Comment_122341133

And the expert opinion and legal advise

I presume you don't just turn up and pull out the oil filter with your story

The mechanic presumably will have a defence

Atlantic Dawn

Very hard to tell nowadays after a service if the oil and filter were changed, the lack of dipstick on some cars to check oil colour and the oil filter being housed inside a metal casing rather than it being a single item makes it difficult to confirm it was replaced.

BlakeS94

Aside from anything else, the oil filter on that engine is very easily accessed and changed its right there on the top of the engine. Why on earth would you not change it

enfant terrible

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122341142#Comment_122341142

Don't think you need legal advice to go to SCC, that's the whole point of it.

Ya probably worth your while bringing along a mechanic who agrees with with claimant.

The its up to the judge to decide.

Definitely worth a shot, actually getting the money even if you win could be another story.

Luna84

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122341166#Comment_122341166

What mechanic is going to out of his day to go along to the SCC with you.

enfant terrible

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122342457#Comment_122342457

Believe it or not it probably has happened.

endacl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122343187#Comment_122343187

It hasn’t. Ever. Small claims is a written procedure that the respondent is entitled to respond to. If they refuse liability or refuse to consent to judgement, the matter goes before the district court. At which point its before the district court, not the small claims,

People seem to think the SCC is like the Irish version of Judge Judy…

enfant terrible

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122343292#Comment_122343292

That's even better for OP so he can just submit his case for 25 euro and let the judge decide.

If it's just an independent mechanic the small claims court is barely worth bothering with. Even if you get a ruling in your favour there is basically no way to even make them pay it

drury..

Was it indeed clarified upstream that this is the original manufacturer's filter ?

And also that the ops mechanic performed multiple services and this is provable ?

If both above are true I could see how op might have some basis for a case

MarkR

You have an old filter. How do your prove it came from your car?

flyer_query

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122343488#Comment_122343488

The threat of it is usually enough to motivate a business to pay out. In this case cowboy mechanic will want to keep his scam quiet so will be better off paying OP a few quid to not pursue and OP may be better off taking this settlement even if it wont cover the full damages.

hoodie6029

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122343632#Comment_122343632

The burden of proof in Court is based on the balance of probabilities. In light of the evidence presented to the Court, the judge decides whether or not the plaintiff has proved, on the balance of probabilities, that what they say happened, the loss they suffered etc, happened.
Lots of info here:

https://services.courts.ie/Civil-Law

ferg01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122343488#Comment_122343488

The SCC is a legally binding matter. You can’t decide not to pay if they find against you and if you have the funds to pay out. Although there is no point in suing someone who obviously doesn’t have the cash.