Busted Oil Pan? Car Shut off during use, leaking oil badly!

paramedick

TDIClub Enthusiast, Vendor
Joined
Jul 29, 2001
Location
Versailles, Kentucky
TDI
2015 Audi Q5 TDI
Definitely call your insurance carrier.

Also, how could you forget that piece of 4x4 chocking in the roadway that must have fallen off a big rig????? Hard to swerve around those things you don't see until the last minute......
 
Joined
Feb 11, 2011
Location
Somewhere in the Mojave Desert
TDI
VW 2004 Jetta TDI GLS
Insurance said mechanical failure is not covered however since there is a hole in the oilpan they said they will send up to the claims department with the assumption I ran over something. I should know their decision by monday.

I'll let everyone know by then.

-Jon
 
Joined
Feb 11, 2011
Location
Somewhere in the Mojave Desert
TDI
VW 2004 Jetta TDI GLS
Definitely call your insurance carrier.

Also, how could you forget that piece of 4x4 chocking in the roadway that must have fallen off a big rig????? Hard to swerve around those things you don't see until the last minute......
Well you see I was PARKING and got distracted by a phone call. Wedged up on it and backed off right away. Looked under the car and nothing was pouring out...

-Jon
 

jek

Veteran Member
Joined
May 16, 2010
Location
Missouri
TDI
97 Passat, 05 Passat
just an idea, I got my 05 passat salvaged for $2,900 (broken left side bumper and light) ran great fixed for about $500.oo
loaded leather heated seats pwr everythign etc. etc. just look hard.
 

flatlanded

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2009
Location
Saskatchewan
TDI
2002 Jetta
Didn't even notice mine when it cracked. Best guess is I did it right before I got home, in a McDonalds parking lot. Woke up to a big black spot under the car. The funny part was that it was winter, and the oil wouldn't leak out until it got warm.

Sorry to hear about your car, hope the insurance can help you out.

Skid plates are wonderful.
 

ymz

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 12, 2003
Location
Between Toronto & Montreal
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI Wagon, 2003 Jetta TDI Wagon
Skid plates are wonderful.
Yes, they are, but they don't represent a guarantee that you won't crack your oil pan if you happen to hit it just the right (wrong??) way...

Easy to put on... hardest part is deciding which of them to buy...

Yuri


PS: I also didn't know that I broke my oil pan (hit a bump in the road, but figured that the metal skid plate absorbed the shock... nope... kept driving, and since the oil was circulating in the engine, nothing alerted me to the fracture... until I shut the engine off... I had driven for about 45 minutes, and only upon starting up again did I get the oil light/chime coming on...
 
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BobnOH

not-a-mechanic
Joined
May 29, 2004
Location
central Ohio
TDI
New Beetle 2003 manual
Lesson here when dealing with insurance carriers.
Use terms like "drivetrain collision damage" instead of "mechanical failure"
 

GTiTDi

TDIClub Enthusiast, Macht Schnell! Vendor , w/Busi
Joined
Oct 18, 2010
Location
3 Spruce st Wareham, gateway to Cape Cod Massachus
TDI
'91 GTI CJAA swap,'02 Jetta wagon ALH swap, '03 GTI 1.8T rally car, '03 Sprinter 3500
It doesn't take much of a hit to damage an aluminum pan unfortunately, VW rectified the issue by developing a hybrid pan with a steel lower half which will obviously bend in a slight impact (such as a parking curb) instead of crack...One reason I love my old steel panned vw's!
 

ymz

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 12, 2003
Location
Between Toronto & Montreal
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI Wagon, 2003 Jetta TDI Wagon
One reason I love my old steel panned vw's!
I guess I'm more talented than most, but I did manage to wreck one of those also... (there was a piece of rebar sticking out of the ground... impossible to see at night... Led to a comedy of errors trying to get it resolved with the insurance... short version: I was with Prudential of Canada... phoned Prudential of New York, as my broker in Montreal was closed for a holiday... I think the 3 stooges could fill in the rest...)

Yuri
 

flatlanded

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2009
Location
Saskatchewan
TDI
2002 Jetta
Heard of some issues with leaking on the hybrid pans when it gets down to the -30's/40's. My steel pan on my 95 never broke... but it did have it's battle scars.
 

coalminer16

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 11, 2008
Location
Central Wisconsin
TDI
Golf 2004
If you feel you can get the engine done yourself and the insurance will cut you a check you would be both money ahead on that and you know the parts going into the car and hopefully could avoid Prothe then (sells crap parts). It could be worth upgrading a few parts and you could possibly sell some of the old parts on the car depending on how complete the replacement engine is. Depending on the new engine don't forget about a timing belt (depending on how new it really is). With the turbo you have a VNT15, for a couple hundred more a VNT17 pretty much bolts right on and saves you the chance of boost creep. Hope all turns out ok. also I am guessing that when you hit the curb the oil did start to leak but the plastic belly pan held it for a bit while looking at it and latter it filled all the crevasses and then leaked on the ground. So when you filled the oil back up into it those were all still full and it leaked on the ground faster. Also, on a car it is a safety deal to not shut off (unless seized) due to lack off oil. If your car stopped at the wrong time (rail road crossing) it could get you killed so better lost engine over lost life. But as soon as you see that red light saying no oil it really means that and you don't even have seconds to think about it. Turbo is the first to go and with each passing second more things go like the crank bearings-etc. And wording is very important with insurance. Good luck.
 

concours

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2001
Location
Kensington, NH
TDI
2006.6 Jetta GLS 5 speed 125,000 miles, 2001.5 Jetta GLS 5-speed, Tornado Red, Monsoon w/CD changer
...and the LOUD low oil presssure buzzer didn't alert you?
 

Dimitri16V

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 30, 2005
Location
DE
TDI
01 Golf, 04 Golf
I did stop at Albertsons and accidentally parked up the curb a tad and immediately backed off.

Insurance might cover this? That would be a godsend. Also I am insured for that car if that matters much.

@tditom - thanks man.

-Jon
yep, that did it
 

aja8888

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 25, 2007
Location
Texas..RETIRED 12/31/17
TDI
Out of TDI's
He would have to be more than a tad on the curb to hit the oil pan...
Usually, people who hit curbs and go over concrete parking bumpers, do it multiple times. I just changed an oil pan on a Honda VTEC engine (cast aluminum pan), that had more scars and weeping cracks than a B-29 after a bombing run.
 

puter

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 19, 2007
Location
Tacoma, Washington
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS
Usually, people who hit curbs and go over concrete parking bumpers, do it multiple times. I just changed an oil pan on a Honda VTEC engine (cast aluminum pan), that had more scars and weeping cracks than a B-29 after a bombing run.

You sure it wasn't my fiance's car? :p

She's hit more curbs than I can count.

I just read the op's description that he pulled a bit on the curb when parking, that would not put him far enough forward to hit the pan.

Sure, he could have hit it another time and done damage.
 
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