2002 SL2- less than a lemon

after less than 3 years and at 74k miles my saturn SL2 blew a rod causing a
5 inch diameter hole in the engine. I was told that it was for a lack of
oil yet we brought that car to the dealership for all maint. The engine
light never came on and there was no oil stains on my parking space. We
received a letter from Saturn stating that the vehicle is made of man made
materials and that they can fail at times. Seems like saturn cannot stand
behind their product..yet they advertise "people first" and " a diferent
kind of company-A different kind of car" what a joke...we bought this
vehicle specifically for its safety and durability...and we were told that
as long as we did the scheduled maint. the car would last and run a long
time....anybody ever heard of such a thing or expierienced it....?

 

I had a brand new 97 Outback that blew an engine at 500 miles because a
valve broke, fell into the cylinder and mangled it. Luckily it was covered
under warranty. But I couldn't get them to give me a new car - they actually
replaced the engine. Yes, strange stuff happens, even to nice people. We all
take our chances when the warranty runs out. Are extended warranties worth
it? Not until something like this happens.

I would have Saturn explain, however, how it managed to both run out of oil
AND fail to give a low oil pressure warning simultaneously. It seems more
likely to me that it was just a bad rod or bearing, rather than two highly
unlikely things happening at the same time. If you can show they changed the
oil at regular intervals and never found it excessively low, or any leaks,
you may be able to get them to admit that it wasn't lack of oil. But
regardless, they really don't have to do anything for you if the warranty
has run out. The only hope you may have is if you had just picked it up
after an oil change and then it blew, but you should still get a warning
light. Have they checked the pressure sensor to see if it is working
properly? You could also have it towed to an independent repair shop and get
their diagnosis. But the bottom line is, if it's out of warranty, they don't
have to help you at all. Probably the best you could hope for would be a
reduction of labor cost or something.

--
Dana Rohleder
Port Kent, NY

"We're spending money on clean coal technology. Do you realize we've got 250
million years of coal?" GW Bush - Washington, D.C., June 8, 2005

 

This is exactly why it is wise to change oil and filter every 3K miles and
to check the oil every 1K miles at minimum to make sure it is full. This
still may not have prevented your major engine failure, but it would have
increased your odds by about 10 to 1 of getting at least double the miles
you did.

Live and learn. Checking oil and changing it frequently are cheap
insurance.

Bob

 

I think owners manuals say to check your oil at the same time you get
gas or something to that effect. I guess Saturns have the same problems
Honda's do with no oil light warnings. I was working on a Honda that set
a code for the VVT (variable valve timing). No other lights on the dash
and the car would start and run. I started to leave the shop to run a
"By the Book" diagnosis until it stalled out on me. At that time it
dawned on me to check the oil because the VVT works off of Oil Pressure.
Well to my suprise there wasnt a drop of oil on the DIPSTICK!

I put 4 quarts of oil in a 4.3 quart system to get to the Full mark.
Mind you there was no "Oil light" the entire time this car was running
on .3 quarts of oil. Ever since then before I begin work on someone
elses car I check the oil since most people seem to inept to do it
themselves...

 

Sorry 'bout your problems, the old SLs were good cars. We have 7 S-series in
my family, and have has problems with only the one that the teenagers drive.
Why? Failure to check out the fluids your own dang self in between service
at Saturn. It is your required responsibility. You DO need to check your own
fluids periodically. Failure to do so in ANY vehicle can have catastrophic
results as you unfortunately found out.

Sure, Ive heard the tired-a** old story "well, I never did anything to my
old (insert brand here), and it ran forever". All you are doing is living on
borrowed time and slowly killing a good car.

Unfortunately, things do happen and yes, the manual does say for you to
check your oil at gas fill-ups or periodically; it does not say never to
check your oil and fluids yourself and rely solely upon your 3000 mi.
changes. That (and Im not being mean) is your responsibility and your fault
alone. Had you checked your oil periodically, this (and Im agreeing with you
that it should have never happened) could have been averted BEFORE you ran
low on oil and threw a rod.

btw - quote "We received a letter from Saturn stating that the vehicle is
made of man made materials and that they can fail at times." Hmm,
reeaaaaly? That's funny, lol.

Again, being honest, not trying to be mean.
marx404

 

with the very unusual exception of the new Porsche, which has no
dipstick... Few cars have a true "low oil level" light. They have a low
oil PRESSURE light. you can get enough pressure in the system with very
little volume. In a Saturn, the oil light should be replaced with a dollar
sign, because if it comes on, you’re going to be buying a new engine.

 

I wassss refering to the oil "pressure" light. I dont think Honda's have
ever heard of oil level indicators but you still should not rely on
them. Of course Porsche would expect yuppies to...now you want to talk
about a costly replacement? At least I can find good Saturn engines at
local salvage yards for a couple hundred bucks. Good luck finding a
Porsche motor at all...


I'm going to rip into this post some more now to pass some time...

Gee I guess oil cant be burned through the combustion chamber and
expelled out of the exhaust.

Somehow I doubt "Saturn" sent such a letter and after 74k miles I dont
think they're required to hold your hand anymore. Deal with the
responsibilities of owning a car. Pop the hood and look at things.

Joke? The biggest joke is he never read his owners manual and must have
thought he bought a toaster. Just repeat this sentance to yourself -
Cars are not appliances. Cars are not appliances. Cars are not
appliances. Cars are not appliances. Once everyone learns that we'll all
be better off.

Blowing off Steam,
Blah Blah

 

and as long as there is enough oil in the engine to flow through the pump,
there is enough pressure in the system to keep the light from coming on.
You cannot rely on a pressure light to determine oil level.

 

Hence what I was conveying in my message.