On my commute home last week my Fit (2012 MT 5500 miles) started smoking. I could see a constant plume of smoke in my rearview mirror and so I pulled over at the next exit where after getting out of the car I watched the remaining oil drain from the oil pan! The plug was missing (my honda dealer changed the oil 2 weeks earlier and obviously didn't replace the plug correctly). I was driving between 60-70 mph for about 1 3/4 miles between the time I first noticed the smoke and was able to find a safe place to pull over. The car was towed back to the dealer who replaced my plug and oil and says I'm good to go because the car runs fine. I'm worried about premature engine wear that may not show up right now but will shorten the life of my engine. I'm also concerned that Honda America may not honor the warranty if the engine fails because this was a dealer mistake. Any advice on how I should proceed? Are my concerns about possible engine damage that's not readily apparent reasonable? Thanks!

 

Talk to a Honda rep and make sure it is noted that this happened.

And since you still had oil in the pan when you stopped... I wouldn't worry too much about it. But since you have so few miles on it, I know that has to be annoying since you are paying the full amount for the car.

 

Thanks,
I called Honda and I can have a Honda rep inspect the vehicle at the dealership. I guess if Honda says it's OK then they'll have to honor the warranty if there's trouble. Very annoying, though.

 

I had the same thing happen to me in an older car a long time ago. Shop did an oil change and 2 or 3 days later I ended up fogging a 6 lane highway.

I was coming up to an exit and as I was pulling into a parking spot at the nearest gas station the engine started sounding rough, as in no oil on the cylinder walls. Being young and very dumb I waited and started it one more time to see if the sound changed and, of course, it hadn't. So I had maybe 10 seconds of no oil time on the engine.

It was towed to a shop and oil was put back in it.... and that engine was fine for tens of thousands more miles before I sold it. The engine is still probably running fine today.

I completely understand being upset this happened to your brand new car, but since there was still oil in the engine when you stopped, it's fine.

Just document everything you can for the one in a million chance something happens, stick the documents in your fire safe, and then just enjoy your car.

 

This is the MAIN reason that I do my own oil changes!! There just doesn't seem to be the attention to detail, accountability, and pride in one's workmanship in too many shops today!!
2012 VBP Sport 5MT w/minor appearance & comfort mods!!

 

Well said fittman. I do my own oil changes for that very same reason

 

Anyone that deals with the public knows that if the piss off one customer they will tell everyone they know about it and to not do business with them... Seldom is it that a customer will tell someone that something was done correctly or they got treated fairly.... There are lots of people venting their anger and dissatisfaction online and having the business decide to make things right..

 

Document , Document, Document. Then just drive it and see what happens.

I once blew a hole in an oil cooler in my airplane and lost all oil pressure. I flew another 30 miles (about 15 minutes) on it before landing. We bypassed the cooler, filled it with oil, and went on our way. I have put more than 1000 hours (120000 miles) on the engine since then with no problems. You will probably be OK on yours.

 

Definitely unacceptable error! Definitely DOCUMENT. I hope you've saved all your job order receipts - from the original oil change to replacing the missing plug and the tow job.

Was anything noted on the missing plug job order like "due to customer neglect", "dealer error" or "unknown reasons"? I would insist or "try" that it is noted on paper that it wasn't your fault.

On the tow job, was the distance from your pick up location to the dealer cited?

I'd be very upset if that was my car and really raise some stink where it counts like the service manager, filing a formal complaint with the dealer, Honda, the local BBB and "word of mouth" to all you know in the area. This is a very basic service and definitely unacceptable.

Documenting and taking proper steps to CYOA would definitely relieve anxiety and speculation. Just my take. Good luck!

 

I would say that your engine is probably OK, based mainly on your comment that you still saw oil draining from the drain hole. My question is..how much oil came out? If the answer is "quite a bit" then you probably never lost oil pressure, since the pick-up is located at the bottom of the oil pan. I would hope that the smoke you were seeing was the result of oil leaking and hitting the exhaust system, due to a lose drain plug bolt. And that the oil plug actually fell out close to the time you were pulling over or stopping the vehicle.

I almost never have anyone do work on my cars...and when they do (like A/C repair) I check everything that I can prior to taking back the car. There are three possible major errors when doing oil changes...1) not removing the prior oil filter gasket, thus having two gaskets on top of each other, 2) not replacing the drain plug properly, including the correct tourqe, and 3) not pulling in oil and starting the car dry.
Best of luck..

 

Did you ever see the oil pressure light while the car was running?

 

@ williamb... I noticed that you live in Lewisville, was the dealership that performed the oil change Blankston Honda?