A lucky escape.

[FG XR]

OK,

Not a rant thread but thought someone may find interesting.

Yesterday morning i dropped the wifes 2008 Nissan Tiida into a workshop for its 50k service. We have being going to them years without any issues (not naming company).

Picked the car up just before lunchtime nothing was an issue car was driving much better. Anyway wife went to the shops down the road to do some shopping but when she was leaving the carpark she noticed a small puddle of what she thought was water where her car was parked. She started driving home and she called me saying the oil pressure light had just come on and was blinking and the engine was making a loud ticking noise. At this point she was just around the corner from home. I told her to be careful and nurse the car home and ill take a look. She pulled up and i met her out the front. I immediatley saw oil coming from underneath the car and put a big piece of cardboard underneath the car to catch the oil and turned the car off.

Opening the bonnet everything looked all right however looking underneath the car ALOT of oil was pouring out from the sump. The workshop closes at 12pm and it was now 2pm. I tried calling them none the less and to my surprise he answered and he had set his workshop phone to divert (phew!). Told him what happened and is currently happening and he said he would come over to have a look. Within 15 minutes he was over and the expression on his face when he saw the oil was shocking to say the least....

He jacked the car up and saw the sump bolt (which they replaced on the 50k service) had GONE. He made a few calls and apologised every minute. He said he was going to pickup some tools and will return in 20 minutes.

When he returned he replaced the sump bolt, put new oil in the car and took for a test drive around the block and said everything was fine. I asked him about the internals and he said they sounded fine as the engine started fine without an hiccups and was idling fine.

I mentioned my wife seeing the puddle of what she thought was water from air con in the carpark down the road at the shops but he said if the bolt had gone then the car wouldnt have made it home and we would be looking at a new engine (replaced by his company ofcourse).

Anyway he left and said to drop the car in Monday morning and he will degrease the engine and check over everything again to make sure everything was ok (apologising again). He cleaned up all the oil and degreased the garage and driveway before leaving.

We are not that mad as everything was fixed and the guy was really sorry and more than helpful. I think whoever the mechanic was who worked on my wifes car would have gotten a nice phone call from his boss later that day.

Wife hesitant with driving her car now as she is worried the same thing will happen. Considering we have a 6 month old daughter i can kind of see her point (breaking down in the middle of traffic etc).

Took the car for a quick drive around our suburb and to the shops and i found the sump bolt at a round-about just around the corner from our house. Big puddle of oil too.... however the carpark at the shops it looks like an oil swimming pool. God knows how my wife made it home without the engine siezing up! But looks like bolt started coming loose at the shops but eventually gave way just around the corner from home.. will have to get pics of this too i think just incase.. (got a heap already just incase something happens down the track but just a few below)

Pics attached...






bone dry.