Chevrolet Enjoy diesel engine replaced, no questions asked

Problems cropping up with an engine might not sound new. But when the service center promptly replaces an entire engine without informing the owner of the vehicle, it definitely raises questions regarding the intent of this act by the service center.

BHPian foby.sebastian was on a road trip in his 28,000 km run Chevrolet Enjoy powered by a 1,248 cc diesel engine. During the drive, the 'check engine' light suddenly appeared on the instrument panel and thereafter, the owner experienced a significant loss of power. On checking, the oil level had drastically dropped to a dangerous level and the owner immediately filled in 3 liters (out of 3.5 liters capacity) of oil before sending the car to the service center to investigate the issue. The service center went a few steps ahead and without intimating the owner, immediately replaced the engine with a brand new unit free of charge. This gesture by the dealer might seem commendable but it also raises questions - Why was it so hurried? What were they trying to hide? A major defect?

What seems even more strange is that this is not a one-off event. The same Chevrolet dealer admits to have replaced a few more engines with brand new units in some other Enjoy MPVs too. A brand new engine costs a substantial amount and replacing an old/troublesome unit with a new one voluntarily, with so much promptness indicates that Chevrolet might be already anticipating potential problems with the Enjoy diesel model. However, nothing conclusive can be stated without any official statement by the company.

Earlier this year, Chevrolet recalled the Enjoy to replace a faulty air-filter which allowed dust inside the engine which could potentially reduce the life of the engine. During that recall, the company also changed the engine oil and oil filter free of cost. The brake rotors too were replaced during the same event.

In June 2013, General Motors had temporarily stopped production of the Sail diesel siblings which were powered by the 1.3 liter turbocharged engine due to "quality issues". A few months later, 4,000 cars were recalled to replace a faulty crankshaft hub and bolt. Surprisingly, the Enjoy MPV continued to be manufactured and sold even though it used the same engine as the Sail siblings. This time around is Chevrolet silently rectifying errors which it made in the past during production of these vehicles?