A quick update...my Dad still does not believe in arguing over not having the engine completely and fully detailed. I talked to a service manager and they said that the cause of the problem was a pinched o-ring from the oil filter. This caused oil to spill out, which in turn burned the serpentine (drive) belt, which caused the power steering to go out. They also said that the car lost about 1qt of oil. The car is running fine now, except now I have to smell burnt oil every time I get out of the car.

Nobody has replied yet with a response regarding the effects of oil on rubber...it will deteriorate, but how and when?

Also, the pulleys that the drive belt goes onto seem to still have oil on them...could the belt fall off it like this?

The dealer is in Warwick, NY.

 

I would take it to a real detail shop, have it cleaned then take that bill back to the dealer. Demand your money back for that service and demand all new hoses and new belt. Make sure that they write this down for your requested service in case you blow a hose.

 

Sorry for being annoying, but still, nobody from this forum has replied yet with a response regarding the effects of oil on rubber...it will deteriorate, but how and when?

 

Ok, I'm in my third year of college with a major in Chemistry so take this for what it is. Room temp oil on the belts/hoses should cause little if any damage. I spill oil on stuff all the time, I just take a rag and wipe it off. It could knock a year off the half life of the rubber used on your belts, something that won't matter at all. The belts would become worn way before they decayed. Although, in your case the oil could have been (and probably was) at temps that would cause damage to multiple things in your engine bay including rubber belts/hoses. I'm sure the contact areas are now weaker than the areas that the oil missed. The belts and hoses are now dangerous due to the fact that the rubber is not at a consistent strength. Like suggested before, I would have the bay cleaned by a different shop and bring the bill to the dealer. I would then request that the dealer replace EVERY piece of rubber or plastic that was contacted by the direct oil spray. This may sound a little crazy but as posted earlier, damage was done to these parts. The oil was VERY HOT and under a lot of pressure. You saw what it did to the belt that broke. This should have been enough evidence to have all the other ones replaced. Compare it to running boiling water through a 2400 gpm pressure washer and then shooting your big toe. Trust me, it didn't do any good...

My opinion:
I would not let that dealer touch the car ever again after they correct what they did. I would also send the pictures to chrysler and tell them the same thing you told us. The dealer should have treated you like a god and done everything you said after an incident like that. If this dealer is 5-star they could easily be cited for this. Chrysler will probably send you a bunch of free crap, too. I agree with a lot of the other members, REPORT IT!

Sorry for all the grammatical and spelling errors. I can do math and science but I write like a high schooler...

 

Thanks guys...I will try to get what I want from the dealer...wish me luck!

 

One time a couple of years ago I started up a roto-tiller right next to my Mustang Convertible. The oil plug popped off and hot oil started spraying all over my car - lucky for me the top was up, but that was one BIG mess to clean up. Just the windshield alone, took an hour to get all that crud off...


Of course, now I keep a gallon of Simple Green handy to keep things clean!