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-   -   Santro engine overhaul at less than 40K kms !!! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/20167-santro-engine-overhaul-less-than-40k-kms-2.html)

He just called the A.S.S guys and was told that the piston, piston rings, crankshaft etc etc are damaged and need to be replaced. :Shockked:

Reason they gave for this to happen is that engine oil level would have gone down and he would have driven without enough oil. But then, won't it show on the console as a warning light, when oil levels are low ? He never saw such an indication.

One odd instance of car usage that he remembers is when he ran out of petrol one day and still tried to use the car. It would start, then sputter to a stop. This cycle was repeated 2-3 times. But does trying to run a car without fuel cause the kind of engine damage the A.S.S guys say ?

Did he broke the oil sump during the accident and still drove on? Can he ask them to check that? On second thoughts, it is not possible, the engine would have seized before he could reach the workshop.

This sounds logical. This might be the culprit!

Not only that, but the engine temperature would go up abnormally I guess. Should be another indication.

No. Actually the accident and overhaul thing are quite unrelated. Much before the accident happened, they have been telling him that he needs to get the overhaul done. He just kept postponing it due to the $$$ involved and because everyone he mentioned this to, told him that no car engine needs an overhaul at 40K kms.

During the accident, the tyre went over the handle bar or something of the bike and got deflated. Plus some damage to the bumper etc. No oil sump damage was mentioned.

Looks like the workshop guys are not sure what is wrong...

So... The are treating a simple fever with the most powerful anti-biotic they got...

It could also be a assembly defect. If the piston rings especially the 2nd ring was assembled updide down it cause the oil consumption and wear to rise dramatically causing the engine to sieze.
Or could be due to manufacturing defects in the piston rings ( excess gap) causing the problem.
It would be better o take up this case strongly with hyundai case it could be a engine assy defect.
Even if u really rip your car like i did to my old 800 it will do well over 60 ~70 k before breakin down.

If they have been telling this for quite some time, then it is quite likely that your friend has goofed up with oil changes and regular servicing. I hope, he has been changing oil at regular intervals during this 40K running.

Let him get second opinion from other dealer, but I suspect, the workshop guys are right about engine overhaul.

The car need not be driven to another worksop, it can be towed. However there is no gaurntee that the HMP guys will mess around with the engine before releasing it. Here's what i would do. Go to HMP and settle all bills and have the car released immediately, ensuring that they dont muck around with the engine. i suggest you go with him and help him out. Once the car is outside HMP premises, we can arrange to have it towed to the workshop of your choice.

Just as a clarification - Has he been regularly maintaining the car - i.e. regular servicing, oil change etc.????

less than 40k and needs overhaul??? Impossible in my opinion. BTW is there any possibility that water went into the engine??? In that case engine may have to be opened.

The low fuel level operation is probably a contributing factor. Here is what my Santro manual says:

If the oil level was low, the low level warning light at the console should have lit up. Maybe it was not functioning. Actually my manual says that all warning lights should come on momentarily when the ignition is switched on, so that you can be sure that they are working. But in my case the "Check engine" warning light never comes on.

This is the problem. Either you should be an expert yourself or else heed the opinions of those who know what they are talking about. Or else, if the guy didn't trust this particular authorized dealer, he should have *promptly* taken the opinion of a dealer he did trust, on this obviously serious matter. Having entrusted the car to a particular dealer, and having gotten their technical advice, he should have acted on it instead of going by what "everyone" said.

Something like this happened with my Santro too. Its a year 2001 model nicely driven and regularly serviced.

Heavy dark black smoke used to come out of exhaust after it was not used for 5-6 hours. Every morning my driveway used to fill with heavy smoke with people commenting if it was converted to diesel.

I took it to the only Hyundai service station here in Indore and they gave me the same bull about engine overhaul. I was completely taken aback and having driven this car for only 32k kms only made me doubt. I suffered the black smoke for about a month. During that, I sent mails to Overdrive and few more online resources (I wasnt on T-BHP that time) complaining about korean quality and distress the car was causing me.

I came back to the service centre and told them about communicating to Overdrive and co. They asked me to bring my car for a "relook". And lo and Behold....the smoke disappeared after the service. They mentioned something about "cleaning the engine" and dint reveal any further. My smoking car is a thing of past now.

This happened in 2005. Its been more than a year now.

Why did you wait for a month? Black smoke coming out at the exhaust of a petrol engine is a serious matter and needs immediate attention. Again, if you had doubts about this dealer's opinion, you should have promptly consulted another authorized dealer and not driven your car till the problem was resolved. Anyway, good that your car is back in shape.

@RX135 and Sideways, he is not a car buff (I remember him telling me that he has never even opened the bonnet in the 4.5 years that he has had the car). But he has been careful to do all the services on time.

One problem is that HMP has already opened up the engine. They say that they are waiting for some part that is not available currently and has to come from Bombay or so. Now that they have opened up the engine, I am confused as to how to proceed.