[foby.sebastian]

Give your vehicle for periodical service and get it back with a brand new engine as a surprise!!

Vehicle :- Chevrolet Enjoy LTZ TDCi (Diesel)
Service center :- DEEDI Chevrolet, Trivandrum
Cost :- 2200 INR paid as service charge and awaiting final settlement bill from Chevy

Engine replaced under warranty on 30,000 kilometers periodical service.

Reason :- Oil level dropped down to nil when I was on a 1700 kilometers road trip (Trivandrum - Thrissur - Velankanni / Topslip / Parambikulam).

I was on my way to Velankanni. The engine felt underpowered when the throttle was floored. I was cruising at a speed of 100+ KMPH and had to slow down by applying the brake. When I pushed the accelerator again, I felt a terrific loss of power and the check engine light started glowing. Soon I pulled over to the nearest restaurant to have breakfast. I noticed the place is close to Oddanchatram - a remote area. We had breakfast and sand bagged until the engine cooled down. Checked the dipstick, boy I had butterflies in my stomach. Absolutely no stain of oil on the dipstick!!!!

The time was around 9 am and I called up the service center guy whom I trust at DEEDI Chevrolet Trivandrum. Explained the situation (I have covered 28K kilometers). Before the trip, I had called and informed the trusted service guy that I am ready to do 30K service at 28K kms, but he told me to come after 30K. The service guy asked me to do a thorough checkup and I found oil stains near the turbo hose. He asked me to top up the engine oil level with any oil available in grade 5W30 , probably 1 liter will do.

That place was remote, but non stop buses plying between Palani and Dindigual helped me to reach Dindigual fast. Thanks to TNSTC. But the sad part is there is no Chevy showroom in Dindigual. After few inquiries, I managed to find a good oil shop near the town flyover and bought a can 3.5 liters of Agip 5W30 and returned to the vehicle via bus.

I had to top up 3 liters of the 3.5 litre can to make sure the check engine light goes off. Thereafter continued the journey to Velankanni.

Attended the evening Tamil mass and slept in a good hotel. By 4 am the next day, we started back to Trivandrum via Thrissur. In between, we also had an awesome time at Top-slip and Parambikulam.

A day later, I reached Trivandrum and handed over the vehicle for the 30,000 kilometers periodical service. My concerns listed below:

1. Need an explanation for the drastic decrease in oil levels

2. Irritating braking sound (I have already got my brake pads and rotors replaced under warranty before)

3. What was the error code for the check engine light?

The trusted service guy called me the next day and updated me that they have changed the hoses which carry the oil, because they found some block. He also told me that he needed some time to diagnose the vehicle. I replied "Its all yours...take your own time".

Two days later, he again called me saying that they have replaced the oil pump/motor under warranty as they found some malfunction on it. He also told me that the error code was for under-compression. I just told him to make sure it doesn't happen again. He acknowledged that the testing is in process to ensure it wont surface again.

Two days later, my trusted service guy called me and asked me to visit the service center. Next morning, I was there. I was surprised to see a brand new virgin engine plonked in!! The service guy showed me the oil level and confirmed that the engine isn't yet fired. The oil colour was green...confirmed that the engine is brand new. Checked the newly embossed engine number under the exhaust manifold and I broke the virginity of the brand new motor by cranking it for the first time.

The service guy told me that they need to do a few more things, along with a 50 kilometer test run. 2 days later, I received the vehicle with a brand new engine and bill of 2200 INR (final bill not yet come). The cost of the engine 165000 INR is waved off.

Now the engine is in its break-in period. I've just completed 250 kilometers. Guys, please advise me how to drive / use the vehicle with a new engine plonked in.

@ Other people using the national diesel engine made by Fiat. I would request you to check the turbo for any kind of oil stains.

[bblost]

Foby,

I don't know how to react to this.

Your car has an issue. Very bad.
Your dealer replaces the engine without you having to fight it out. Very good.


But why did the engine die so soon.

[khoj]

Congratulations on the new engine. I want to know whether the new engine has a serial number that is the same as the old one or is it a different one.

If it is different, then have they affixed a new information plate to the car and issued a letter to the effect to enable you to get the new engine number endorsed in your car's insurance policy as well as in the vehicle's RC by notifying the concerned RTO.

Originally Posted by foby.sebastian

I was surprised to see a brand new virgin engine plonked in while the car is in service bay.

[rajeev k]

Though the reasons for the oil simply vaporizing is not diagnosed, it is always better to have new engine. Nice to get a new engine when many dealers are hesitant to replace even faulty shock absorbers.
GM and Deedi turns out to be simply wonderful.
Was the dealer having a spare engine available in stock readily with them and how is the change in engine number going to be addressed statutorily.

[humyum]

*Claps* and *21 Top Ki Salami* to your dealer. Without a fight, a brand new engine was given to you which is exceptionally brilliant.

Secondly, I am surprised at how patiently you handled this. Seeing that much drop in the level of Engine oil of my car would have given me a cardiac arrest instantly.

If you believe in running your vehicle in, then drive at varying rpm's.

For example, first 300 kilometers, max rpm should you should reach should be 2500, next 300 kilometers, you can take her upto 3000, next 300, take her upto 3500 and before going for the 1000 km oil change, give her a good high speed run.

PS: I never ran in my car, from day one did whatever I wanted to do, there are different theories of running in an engine, some people follow the one I mentioned above and some people just blip it from day one.

Enjoy your new heart.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Doesn't anybody find it odd that a dealer replaced an entire engine without consulting with the owner? I wouldn't term it as a surprise, it comes across as a shock IMO if it's done without consulting the owner.

Anyways, it was a good gesture from GM to waive off the costs associated with the engine repair. I hope they help with the RTO formalities as well.

However, it is quite surprising that the warranty approvals for a part worth 1.65L was secured and job completed with two days though. Is there something going on behind the scenes that we are not aware of? A known issue that has been communicated with the dealers perhaps?

[v12]

Congrats Foby. Enjoy your new Engine.

Although its a very good gesture from GM to replace the entire engine. But it's also a very unusual one too. I mean under normal circumstances, the dealer would verify and get permission from the vehicle owner before changing / fixing any part. Did they do this? If not then its probably that they realized that the engine was faulty and probably replaced this immediately to not cause any suspicion or investigation.

Replacing the engine would also mean a new Engine code, right? Did they manage to take RTO approval within 2 days to update the records on the RC book?

I don't mean to take your joy away from the new engine, but I believe a better explanation is required on the old engine by the dealers / GM.

[Sherlocked]

Well they must have felt that your level of enjoyment with this car was decreasing so to spice things up they plonked a new engine and must have silently whispered... Enjoy

On a serious note, I think you should dig a little deeper and ask why it was replaced so early.
OTOH, who knows, just like Chevy's recent Tavera controversy, something s seriously wrong with Enjoy also and now they are silently acting upon it.

I have very little hopes for this company to survive here anyway.

[sajusherief]

I see it as a good thing to get a new engine, no matter what the reason is. Ultimately it's our hard earned money and we expect the car to be trouble free! We know many cases where the customers had to fight hard for even small warranty replacements! Just make sure that the new engine is legally ok with RTO, Insurance Company and Bank(if applicable)

On a lighter note, are we humans a bit weird and over cautious these days. We complain if we don't get a replacement and at the same time we'll be skeptical if we get proper service !!

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by sajusherief

On a lighter note, are we humans a bit weird and over cautious these days. We complain if we don't get a replacement and at the same time we'll be skeptical if we get proper service !!

Might be the IT effect. Personally, I am used to working in a highly procedure oriented environment where a wrong process done even for the right reasons can't be justified with the intentions.

Here- the intention might have been customer satisfaction. But something as critical as an engine change (which also requires legal paperwork later) should have been carried out with the permission of the owner IMO. They wouldn't have wasted more than 10 mins to pickup the phone and seek owner approvals.

Not saying that they did a bad thing. Just that a phone call for approvals would have made this 'proper service' as you said.

[Rahul Rao]

I know of another engine change for an enjoy in Pune, it was a taxi registered vehicle owned by a person who previously worked as a driver for me. Infact he called me for advice when the showroom guys suggested a replacement.
He was topping up about half a litre of oil every 3000 or so km, one of service advisors noticed that there was lot of soot in the tailpipe, and asked him whether oil is being topped up, on getting an affirmative reply he got the vehicle looked up in detail, and found that piston rings were worn out due to dust entering the engine due to a defective air filter chamber.

Both the air filter chamber and engine were replaced free of cost and that too without even realizing that there was a problem.

Rahul

[arnabchak]

Wow...

That's a really heart warming story for a company used to being bashed up big time.

Kudos to the dealer and GM for a pro active solution.
Yet, it doesn't answer how the engine gave way so early in life?

Enjoy is also used in the fleet business and is expected to run for 300000 kms and above!!

[SS-Traveller]

There is obviously a known issue in the engine - blocked oil pipe...

...changed the hoses which carry the oil because they found some block...

...or faulty air filter chamber...

...piston rings were worn out due to dust entering the engine due to a defective air filter chamber.

... or something else.

Instead of issuing a mass recall, they are quietly replacing engines on a need-to basis. Obvious lack of transparency here.

What makes a few owners happy may leave a LOT many owners disgruntled sometime in the near future. Automobile manufacturers' secretive activities and keeping customers out of the loop should start to ring alarm bells amongst consumers soon, if not already happening.

[Mr.ASG]

Congratulation on the new engine. Before entering to the Team-Bhp, I have read your ownership log & even recommended Enjoy to my distant brother based on it. But this came to surprise as the MJD engine is known to be very reliable on other cars such as swift.

I think there are several blockages on the oil circuit & which in turn cause oil starvation of the engine.

[jeeva]

Sorry to spoil the party, But looks like you are not the only one to have faced this issue.

Source: Facebook
This Enjoy has had four engine transplants, due to the same issue (vanishing engine oil and coolant). Now the manager at Geeyem motors gives some weird reason, something like he found a screw driver in the engine compartment, blaming it for all the issues.