Engine cuts out at 80mph on M25...AAAHHH!!!

Had a scary moment on sunday....was casually cruising along at 80mph on the outside lane of the M25 (just past the Brands Hatch junction for all you motorsport fans) when I had a sudden loss of power and in the midst of confusion, I was down to 50mph before I realised there was a serious problem. The defining moment was when I glanced into the rear view mirror and saw blue smoke pouring out the back. But, thankfully I managed to pull onto the hard shoulder soon enough to switch her off and give the RAC a call to give me a tow home. With the combination of the loss of power, the engine clearly misfiring, the blue smoke and the unburnt oil spitting out the exhaust (when stationary) I suspect one of the valves has collapsed although I've been told it could be a problem as little as a blocked breather. Anyone want to throw their hat into the ring to give an opinion?

Bit difficult to diagnose from that...Were there any rattling or knocking sounds? Does the car still start?

It "could" be a valve - but its pretty unusual....its actually more likely to be a cracked piston giving those symptoms....

I guess the first step is a compression test - which should pinpoint the cause. I hope its something simple but I wouldn't be holding my breat, sorry......

Did you get an engine warnig light or any funky engine noises?

Sudden drops in power and speed normally lead to new rear bumpers and just where did you find this stretch of the M25 that you could get up to those sorts of speeds???

But initially I'd look into geting the compression test done, if that shows nothing, then look into which coil pack just died.

Thanks for the reply. Ok, the car still starts and no rattling or knocking. Sound wise everything seems normal other than the misfiring (not a smooth sound). As I said before, i've got blue smoke kicking out the back and if I rev the engine, oil will spit out the exhaust. There was no noise or bang when I lost power, just the smoke from the exhaust.

I am no expert, but from the symptoms it sounds like maybe a piston ring has fractured. this would cause a loss of compression (ergo, loss of power) and oil flooding the cylinder (blue smoke).

Engine lost a compression - I think. Ransoman has right

So do I, just pull the plugs to find the oily ones, then get a looksee inside for scoring of the bore.

This is interesting. A buddy of mine had the exact same thing happen to him last month. I did put up a post about it.

He was travelling on the freeway when suddenly loss of power and blue smoke from the exhaust.

He had the car towed home and the next morning was able to start the car but had the misfire and smoke from the exhaust.

He removed the head and found that he'd melted a piston. Still cannot found out how it happened.

Anyway he replaced the piston, put everything back together again and so far it seems fine.

Cannot explain what happened though.

Ok, so I had the car towed to my local Alfa garage yesterday.

The full diagnostic is being done tomorrow but the mechanic had a quick word with me while I was there to say he's switched her on and from the sounds of it, it needs a new engine (!!!)

I've only had the car 7 months and the engine had already been replaced 12 months ago.....
The reason being because I've since been told that although the previous OWNER was a middle aged woman as I was told, the main driver of the car was in fact her son who drove the car around regularly with no oil in it and just generally neglected the beautiful machine (which the dealer naturally didnt mention). He drove it to destruction once which was bad enough but for mummy to then pay out £4000 for a new engine only for him to contiue neglecting the car is just plain dum. I've even been told that the warranty on the current engine that isnt even a year old is void because of driver abuse!! I feel like a complete mug but have to come the terms that this wasnt down to my error of judgement.

I now need to know 2 things.....
If it does need an engine rebuild, how much would I be looking at in £'s? (with labour charges also taken into consideration).
Secondly, where do I stand on this legally. I have an AA 5-star warranty which only covers excess charges & a max. of £36 per hour for labour so I could potentially be out of pocket one way or the other. I also have a 5 year loan to finance this car that I've only scrapped the surface on. I've been sold a dud car the the dealer I bought it from should have checked. So what should be my first port of call? Give dealer a piece of my mind? Call citizens advice bureau?

I'm absolutely gutted that my alfa is in this condition and I fear that I've had my last days with her. So if there's anyone who can give me some answers or offer me some advice, it'd be greatly appreciated.

If you want a new engine, an exchange unit from Alfa is probably your best bet (around £2000 + labour).

If your engine has run dry, it won't be rebuildable.

If the dealer knew all this about the car and neglected to tell you when you were buying it then you have a very strong legal case against them, your warranty should be valid as you did not abuse the car and for them to claim that is outrageous, get onto ARUK and see what they have to say about it, if that fails I'd go down the legal road, as this very much is bang out of order on thier part.

Just took a call from the dealer garage.....

The malfunction is down to a hole in one of the pistons. In order to fix this the engine would need to be stripped down and rebuilt.
Cost: £3,121 for parts and at least another £1,000 for labour.
It's money I simply do not have.
So what should I do? Sell it to the dealer? Pay for a recovery van to tow it home and flog it on ebay? Or see if theres any legal action I can take?
Either way, I've got to act fast as after a week, Alfa start charging £15 per day for storage fees.
Damn, I am in a bad place right now. Especially as I took out a £6,000 loan 7 months ago to finance the purchase of the car!

How would running low on oil melt a piston? Sounds like its run very lean on that one pot - some kind of ignition fault perhaps? I've heard of faulty coil packs causing this problem.

Autolusso do engine replacements for £1500, here.

I would have thought the dealer should have to repair it for free under the sale of goods act as it's clearly not fit for purpose. I'm no lawyer though, so I'd get it checked out at the CAB.

Originally Posted by Rockhopper

How would running low on oil melt a piston?

The engine uses oil jets, pointed at the underside of the piston, to cool them.

Where do you live livewire, where is the car?

truly awful situation to be in, I have no useful advice for you, only that I feel your pain, deffo go the citizens advice bureau and see what they have to say about it.
everyone on here wishes you the best of luck

My two pence worth - is the car on finance or a bank loan.

If its on finance - the finance company own the car and are legally obliged to ensure that the car was fit for purpose.

Check out your legal rights but I feel if you say you will not make any additional payments until the car is repaired to a satisfactory standard they will help fight your case with the warranty company / dealer and new engine supplier.

My opinion is that the warranty is valid as it is only active from the time that you purchased the car not the previous owners treatment.

If that was the case then no warranty company would ever pay out as they would all claim driver abuse by the previous owner of which you have no knowledge.

I think you have a pretty strong case for the warranty company or dealer or engine supplier to sort this out one way or another.

If the engine was changed less than 12 months ago and you have had the car for 7 months and if the car was sat in a garage for 1 month - how much abuse has this car had in the three months that the previous owner had it after the engine was changed assuming you still have a month before the 12month warranty expires.

If you have a bank loan then you will need to take all of these points to the CAB or do you have legal cover on your insurance as they may also be able help.

Also if you are a member of a breakdown service they may be able to assist you.

I feel your pain and hope that you can get this sorted out quickly.

Providing you can demonstrate that you didn't abuse the car, it is the dealer's problem. If you bought the car on hire purchase (not a loan) then it is also the HP company's problem.

Supply of Goods (Implied Terms) Act 1973 Where the creditor bails or hires goods under a hire purchase agreement in the course of a business, there is an implied term that the goods supplied under the agreement are of satisfactory quality.

Your first port of call is the dealer that sold you the car. Make it clear that you regard this as their problem and don't be fobbed off. It may be a good idea to take a witness. Do not under any circumstances say anything that suggests you are prepared to bear any of the cost. If the car is on HP, let them know you are going to contact the HP company.

If this gets you nowhere, you need to speak to Trading Standards at the council that covers the dealer's location. Don't threaten the dealer with this, just do it.

If that get's you nowhere you can take your case to the small claims court. This isn't held in a court room, you sit with a judge and the dealer in an ordinary office and have a chat. This costs you nothing, win or loose, and the Courts Service will help you bring your case.

Good luck.

I would have thought 7 months is beyond the scope of the Sale of Goods Act really..

And besides, a holed piston is due to being ran low on oil..

I say get a recon engine for £1500 and then sell the car, to pay off as much of the loan as you can.

If it is on HPI then they will send an engineer along to inspect the car at your request to identify the problem.

This may help your case against the dealer.

The car is currently at AMC in Chelmsford, Essex. I live in Billericay which is about 10 miles from there.

Thankyou so much for your continued support on this guys. I really didnt expect it. All this friendly advice is making it feel just that little bit easier.

I'll keep you posted on how I get on in due course....

Originally Posted by Pud237

I would have thought 7 months is beyond the scope of the Sale of Goods Act really..

I wouldn't have thought so as the goods have to last a 'reasonable length of time'. I'd say 7 months for an engine is not reasonable.

Che