Keep your receipts!

My 3-year warranty on my 2003 CR-V is ready to expire in 3 weeks. Anyway,
when I took it to the dealer to repair a leaking valve cover, he wanted to
see receipts that I maintained the vehicle, because their computer showed no
records of my having maintenance with them. (I do my own oil changes, etc.
I refuse to pay the dealer's exorbitant rates!) Thank goodness I keep all
my oil and oil filter receipts, plus tranny fluid, brake fluid and rear
differential oil receipts. A warning: If you do your own maintenance work,
keep your receipts!

Nino

 

They demanded your receipts to replace a leaky valve cover gasket??? What a
bunch of turds! You did yourself a favor by not having services performed
at that place.

 

You're so right! In fact I had to wait a week for them to order the gasket.
Do you think I should say something on their feedback form. That a.) I felt
intimated and insulted that they asked for my receipts, and b) that it took
one week for a replacement part ?

 

If the 'lack of maintanence' (suspected by the dealer, not me) was
contributory then they could refuse warranty if the maintenance was not
done. But if the defect could not have been caused by the lack of
maintenance it is not relevant, and they have no grounds to refuse,
therefore no need to check - that I believe is basically the law in the
UK, though many UK people may not know that. USA I have no idea.

 

A) Yes, I would put that on the feedback. They have to first prove it was
lack of proper maintenance BEFORE they can refuse warranty service on that
basis.

B) Yeah, but no big deal IMO. Sometimes the parts are in stock, sometimes
they aren't. Shit happens. I understand being upset by this, but what can
ya do?

 

No shit Sherlock. What are they supposed to do, take you at your word?

I hate to have to state the obvious here, but they wanted his receipts
because he was looking for a FREE FIX (meaning THEY'D have to pay for it).
And you would ask too if you were in their shoes.

 

To replace a leaky valve cover gasket? What specific maintenance should have
been performed to qualify for this repair under warranty? I can see it if he
was in for seized bearings or something that actually relates to lack of PM,
but this is patently ridiculous.

 

Oil changes.

 

OK. I'll play. How does changing or not changing the oil make the valve
cover leak?

 

Here is part of an article from Austin Davis at
http://www.myhonestmechanic.com/articles/oil-leak.shtml

Why do the gaskets leak? The valve covers are located at the top of the
motor and they are a common source of engine oil seeps and leaks. The valve
covers are just that, protecting covers over the valves and rocker arms at
the top of the engine. The valve covers are bolted to the top of the engine
and a large egg-carton-shaped gasket made of rubber or cork that seals the
cover to the engine.

Oil is pumped from the bottom of the engine to the top of the engine to
lubricate the valve train. This oil pools inside the valve cover as it
slowly drips back inside the engine via "drain back holes" inside the
cylinder head, then it cycles up to the valve train again. On a V-8 or V-6
engine, the valve covers are at an angle, and the oil accumulates at the
bottom of the valve cover.
The hot exhaust system is located directly below the valve cover, and a
small amount of leaking oil that comes in contact with these hot exhaust
parts can produce smoke and a burning odor. Sludge build up due to lack of
frequent oil changes can cause these drain back holes to become restricted,
slowing the drain back process. This restriction causes the oil to
accumulate in the valve cover longer and exert more pressure on the valve
cover gaskets.
A Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) valve is inserted in the valve cover
itself, and the purpose of this valve is to act as a vent for excess
pressure that accumulates inside the engine and valve cover areas.
Restricted PCV valve can cause this excess pressure to find new avenues to
vent, and an oil gasket or seal is usually "blown out" to let this pressure
escape. Think of the PCV valve as the valve on top of an old time pressure
cooker in your kitchen. When the pressure inside reaches a certain point,
the valve begins to shake from side-to-side and vent off excess steam. If
this valve is restricted, the steam will find another way to vent off excess
pressure--by blowing the lid off the pot.
If you have a higher-mileage car and are only experiencing seeps as
explained above, then it is my recommendation to just keep an eye on the
gaskets and replace them should the problem escalate to a true leak. Also,
make sure you are following proper preventive maintenance of your vehicle.
The PCV valve should be replaced periodically, and the PCV system should be
inspected to make sure no restriction is present.
I replace the PCV valve when I perform a tune up on vehicles in my shop. The
valve is inexpensive and easy to install. Changing the engine oil and filter
often and inspecting the PCV system are the best ways to prevent costly
repairs.

 

easy. old oil builds up acids and has depleted seal/gasket conditioner.
it won't just be the valve cover, but all the seals/gaskets can leak
because of this.

 

Bingo.

 

Referring back to the original post - the OP is talking about a 2003 CR-V
that has not yet come out of warranty, which means it has less than 36,000
miles on it. That's only 3 oil changes by Honda's maintenance schedule.
The OP also stated that he in fact had the receipts proving the oil had been
changed.

The stated reason for demanding receipts was that the dealer's computer did
not show any services performed by them, not because of any evidence of
abuse or neglect. This dealer was simply being obnoxious, and, I suspect,
chasing off any future business from the OP.

 

You find a lot of people nowadays who just don't seem to want work. My
philosophy is to give the work to people who want it.

Earle