The stock pre-cats on the Toyota MR2s would sometimes break up in the header and get sucked back into the engine and cause engine failure. I can see that it could happen with an intake, but then I would think more people would have this problem. If your intake was "dirty" when it shipped, then a bunch of other people could have gotten it from the same batch.

Just a random note: there is a CAI for the G35 6MT that rubs up against the brake line and has been known to cause brake failure. Sometimes you just can't trust the aftermarket.

 

My gut tells me they are trying to pin this on things you did so they can make more money then doing warranty work.

If the intake was the problem, it would have been noticed a long time ago. Also, you said the flakes didn't come off unless you rubbed them off. Another thing to think about, the intake isnt going to make flakes, not normally!

Something inside the engine likely loosened up, shifted a bit, starting eatting away at the metal and started to generate flakes. How they are in the intake, who know's. They might have put them there. There was a Nightline or 20/20 or something about mechanics/shops that were doing just that so they didn't have to do warranty work.

It's hard to trust those guys at the dealership. Lord knows they don't have a good history and they don't make it easy.

 

I've heard of dirty dealers telling the customer it wasn't covered under warranty, thus charging the customer, but at the same time turning around and also telling the manufacturer it was warranty work, and getting paid for doing the warranty work as well. Double billing essentially.

 

Ehh.. I dont think these guys are doing anything wrong. I've actually gone up there and seen the flakes, the cylinder scrapes, etc. I understand that some people are like that, and they may be like that also, I dunno. Mechanics usually go with past experience when making a decision on what it could be thats messed up. These guys are not just doing a whole bunch of stuff without telling me, I've actually talked with one guy who is also a tuner. The other guy thats actually doing the work on my car seems pretty down to earth and honest.. now the dude that is calling me from the counter... when he calls, it seems to me that he tends to over-exagerate things entirely. I have just been going around back and talking straight to the mechanics myself.

 

If you can keep talking to the guys that actually do the work, you are ahead of the game...

 

Oh I know He's actually more down to earth than this one guy.. I always get this terrible explination of whats wrong. Now I just go around back.

 

If the TC is under warranty, should a rental car be provided ?

If you installed the Header, it is not professionally installed and they will find that those shavings of aluminum from that header is the cause of the engine damage and thus, not cover it ....... Hopefully they will cover it though .......

I would contact the place that makes the header or where it was purcashed, they should be liable to an extent ?

 

As of now, I dont know exactly what the cause is. The possibilities are the WR intake or maybe the header. I wont know exactly whats up until about 11:00EST. I will go back to the dealership and see whats exactly making this noise.

 

^^How can shavings from the header enter the cylinders???

 

The shavings were in the Intake, and the header is also aftermarket so thats also a focus of attention. The header is just rattling due to the cat blowing loose inside of it. Its the Megan Racing Header.

 

There is some back pressure during the intake stroke.

In fact, if you hold a dollar bill to at the exhaust tip, if it sucks it back, you have a burnt valve...

 

Hmm.. interesting

 

Just a little something for the next used car you are looking at. It will also show if it is starting to burn oil.

 

The dollar part - is that during idle or when revving or what?? Thanks for the tip

 

Idle. Just fire it up, walk around to the tailpipe, pull out a dollar and hold it tight across the opening. It should have a steady "beat" to it. If it sucks back or sounds off, be wary of that motor.

Now, I don't know if this will work on force fed motors, just NA motors...

 

Oh, you will get some strange looks from the cat trying to sell the car... but then again, he might fess up to something he was trying to sneak past you...

 

Cool.. you da man oldmanatee!

 

I am heading out now to the dealership.. I'll post back what I gather here in about a hour or two.

 

Good luck Stu!

And thanks...

 

The VVT-i system is designed to provide overlap in certain conditions so that some exhaust gasses recirculate into the combustion chamber for recombustion, reducing emissions. With the VVT-i system, a external EGR valve is not needed.