[RESOLVED] Radiator flush improperly bled - damage covered by warranty?

[mksk415]

I'd like any thoughts/advice on my situation especially from those with a similar experience.

Three weeks ago I had the following services done on my 92 GSX at a place called Mobile 1 Express Lube:
* oil and filter
* power steering flush/fill
* transmission flush/fill
* radiator flush/fill

The car ran great for the remaining 36 miles I drove that day. However, the next day, I drove about 4 miles and it overheated. As soon as I noticed the car starting to overheat, I pulled off the road and shut it off. Coolant was leaking out all along the bottom of the radiator. I had it towed home.

Because I had to go out of town on business the next day, I just left it and it took another two weeks before I was able to look at it any further. I replaced the thermostat and radiator cap (just to be safe), refilled the radiator and drove it to a Merchants (only about a mile from my house - it didn't leak enough to overheat on the way) for a presssure test. I pretty much knew the radiator was damaged, which it was. BTW, I had the radiator replaced approx 2,000 miles ago when I had the timing belt, etc. done.

Based on what I read here and what the mechanic said, the cause was very likely/probably air inside the system because it wasn't bled properly during the radiator flush that resulted in too much pressure in the radiator which manifested in blowing out the bottom seam resulting in the leak and subsequent overheating. Merchants is going to replace the radiator, but it's possible, and I don't know yet, that the head can be damaged or at least the head gasket will need to be replaced. I hope not, but it's possible.

The mechanic is going to write a statement indicating his opinion of the cause of the problem which I hope will convince Mobile 1 Express Lube they should cover the costs of the repairs and possible even a new head if it's needed under the terms of the warranty printed on the back of the receipt.

Specifically, that warranty states "...warrrants all workmanship against failure for ninety days or 3,000 miles..."

I have:
* the documentation to show my radiator was replaced about 2,000 miles ago
* the receipt showing the radiator flush done by them three weeks and 41 miles ago
* (will have) the documentation showing the pressure testing of the system revealing the damaged radiator including the mechanic's note indicating the likely cause
* the bill for replacement of the radiator
* the bill for towing

I think I have a strong case to ask (demand) Mobile 1 Express Lube reimburse me for the costs of all related repairs and the towing too.

Agree? Disagree? Anything I'm missing before I go back to Mobile 1 Express Lube with my case? Should I wait until I can determine if the head is damaged first?

 

[Old Mitsu Tech]

You know, as much as we would like to see you come out ok, the variables are much too great to predict how a judge or whoever you present it to may respond to this situation. Hire a lawyer and go for it.

 

[Defiant]

A radiator flush wouldn't need "bleeding". DSMs do not need to be bled anyway. From what you say, your radiator took a dump, so any claim you might have would have been against the radiator supplier or maker.
But I fear putting-off the repairs for two weeks will sink your boat. The court won't care about your reason for it taking that long.
Still, it's free to try small claims court.

 

[MountainDew]

I don't think it'd really matter considering the warranty says "3000 miles or 90 days".

I can't imagine them damaging the radiator that easily, but it could have happened. Kinda funny how it ran fine for 2k miles, then takes a shit after the flush.

 

[mksk415]

Right. Two weeks is shorter than three months last time I checked.
A warranty is a warranty and it shouldn't require legal action to enforce.
A certified mechanic is the one who told me the likely cause of the problem BEFORE I told him I just had it flushed, i.e., it was not me that suggested the cause was not being bled properly. He's putting that in writing. I'm not going to argue against it.
It'd be more than a strange coincidence that an almost new, but proven radiator would fail only immediately after being flushed.
Thanks for your thoughts though. I still think it would reasonable to go back to them with the issue. Despite the pessimistic comments, I'm not giving up without even trying.

 

[1LE]

See what you can do, but coincidence happens all the time...

I had 2 brand new hoses suddenly fail after just 2 weeks of use (about 100 miles). I got them replaced under warranty. Had I continued to drive the car and overheated it, damaging other things, they would not be liable for that damage. It's very difficult to reasonably prove damage to other components when there's been any kind of time lag. It's also very hard to prove that the shop did something wrong on something so incredibly simple. Unfortunately, you probably had a defective radiator that failed early on, and not noticing it and taking care of it immediately may cause you to have stuck yourself (not intentional of course) with expensive repairs.

Flush/fill does put a different stress on the components than normal operation. If somethings marginal, it could push it over the edge. As long as the parts are within spec, you really can't screw it up any...

Sorry to not have any words of encouragment for you. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[mksk415]

This issue was resolved. Looking at everything, I am more convinced the nearly new radiator failed. Since then, I experienced a similar radiator failure in my other Eclipse-and it was also nearly new--in fact it had less than 300 miles on it. Both radiators were the plastic tank type and both failed where the plastic joins the core. I caught the second failure backing out of the driveway-so no overheating like the first. I removed the radiator and this time replaced it with one from the Radiator Barn that has metal end tanks. It was minimally more expensive than the other two, but I think in the long run, much much cheaper. Based on my experience, I'd recommend anyone needing to replace a radiator and not wanting to risk a failure (leak), to NOT use the cheap ones with plastic end tanks.

BTW, to their great credit, the folks at Mobile One Express came through and reimbursed me. I wrote a letter way back in November and didn't hear anything. After rethinking it based on the above, I decided to let it go and never followed up. Just this week, a check showed up in my mailbox. I could return it back to them...or give them my business in the future. I thought, "If I were them, what would I rather have?" and decided it's probably my future business! Anyway, based on this, they seem to be a real stand-up company.