Dealer says new engine

[Magz95]

To make a long story short, 2 weeks ago I got a bad missfire in cylinder number 3.
I checked the spark plug and the tip was practically melted off as well as the inside ceramic being cracked and broken off. I put it back together and took it to the dealership since I still have my extended warranty. Dealer did a compression test and I'm low compression on cylinder number 3, as well as exhaust valve broken and scoring of the cylinder walls.
Tech recommended new engine but service advisor said the extended warranty might not cover it since I didn't keep track of my oil changes with receipts and pictures (I know dumb of me) this was yesterday 8/3. I'm waiting to see what warranty says going forward.
Now my question, if they decide to not cover it what would be my best route to go? a new (used) engine from eBay? can I rebuild the head and install new valves altogether?
I have heard and read of these engines being really good strong engines. So can I get away with a head rebuilt if needed? the engine has 42k miles on it so I wonder if its worth salvaging if dealer denies me.
and since everyone asks the mods are as follows,
mbrp exhaust
woosh intercooler
Cobb cold air intake
NGK LTR17X sparkplugs.
I bought the car with all these mods at 27k miles last year.
I added a stage 2 tune that has been removed as of now.

 

[SteveS]

The spark plug melts after the exhaust valve has. The cause was most likely detonation due to the tune/fuel quality. Based on that, not the lack of oil change documentation, I would refuse warranty replacement if I were the extended warranty company.

Although you might only need a new valve, more than likely there is head damage/cracking. And the block needs work if there is cylinder damage. Saving the engine is possible but could require extensive work.

 

[Stevesims]

I am curious since I have almost the same setup and I have the Ford CSP extended warranty as well. Which stage 2 tune are you running? Cobb? Also, did you remove the tune before you took it to the dealer? Did they say anything about the aftermarket parts or a tune being installed?

 

[Magz95]

The spark plug melts after the exhaust valve has. The cause was most likely detonation due to the tune/fuel quality. Based on that, not the lack of oil change documentation, I would refuse warranty replacement if I were the extended warranty company.

Although you might only need a new valve, more than likely there is head damage/cracking. And the block needs work if there is cylinder damage. Saving the engine is possible but could require extensive work.

Extensive work that seems to equal the price for a new engine, it seems. I haven't gotten a. Update from the dealer as of now but still have fingers crossed

 

[Magz95]

I am curious since I have almost the same setup and I have the Ford CSP extended warranty as well. Which stage 2 tune are you running? Cobb? Also, did you remove the tune before you took it to the dealer? Did they say anything about the aftermarket parts or a tune being installed?

Yes I was running a cobb stage 2 tune. It was removed about 2 weeks before i took it in to the dealer. They did not mention any issues with the aftermarket parts since I bought the car like that from them. I took it to a different ford dealer a few months back and they refused to work on it because the mods. So I drive the extra miles to take it to the dealer I bought it from. As with the tune they didn't ask and I didn't tell.

 

[WannabeST]

kinda off topic, but I had a friend blow up his GR86 on a canyon drive. The car was never tracked and it only had about 25k miles on it. Dealership denied his warranty and he paid for a new engine out of pocket all because the car was never serviced at a dealer, he was doing his own oil changes at home. The dealership did not charge him for labor at least. This can strongly depend on the dealership. Because while that friend was bone stock. I have a friend who blew his Gr86 up at around 35k miles. He took the blown Gr86 with coilovers, exhaust, wheels, and a wing to a his local Toyota and they didn't mention anything about the mods and swapped his engine for free. He did do all his services with the dealership and that car had also seen the track around 3-4 times.

 

[rallytaff]

This is one reason I always take my car to the dealer. I have a folder showing every penny I've spent on this car in 10yrs. File is about 1" thick!

 

[Dpro]

kinda off topic, but I had a friend blow up his GR86 on a canyon drive. The car was never tracked and it only had about 25k miles on it. Dealership denied his warranty and he paid for a new engine out of pocket all because the car was never serviced at a dealer, he was doing his own oil changes at home. The dealership did not charge him for labor at least. This can strongly depend on the dealership. Because while that friend was bone stock. I have a friend who blew his Gr86 up at around 35k miles. He took the blown Gr86 with coilovers, exhaust, wheels, and a wing to a his local Toyota and they didn't mention anything about the mods and swapped his engine for free. He did do all his services with the dealership and that car had also seen the track around 3-4 times.

Ya when it comes to warranty stuff dealers like to see records of scheduled maintenance. I will take my GR to Toyota for at least some of the beginning oil changes and will keep records of stuff outside of Toyota. GR86‘s actually have an oil starvation issue under hard cornering. Thats a known fact. That’s on Suburu as well as well it’s a Subie in disguise 😂. Though ya the main thing with warranty work is A: go to a dealer that is performance oriented whenever possible and B: research the dealers for ones that are known for good service .

 

[rallytaff]

The two dealers I used for servicing etc never said a word about mods. I do NOT frequent the original dealer for various reasons but my current one does any work, no questions asked.

 

[Snrub]

You absolutely do not need to go to the dealership for service to have a valid warranty, but you do need legitimate evidence. Years ago Mazda replaced the engine in my RX-8. I had 1 oil change receipt from the first owner from the first 3 years. They didn't drive much so the mileage wasn't exceeded. I had all sorts of DIY oil change receipts.

If a dealer rejects warranty, it can be appealed to the manufacturer. Dealers have to request approval for warranty work in the first place. If anything the dealer has a vested interest in getting the manufacturer to pay for an engine replacement because it will be a good chunk of money. They'd make more from a retail customer, but I imagine it's a tough sell if someone was just jerked around with a valid claim.

 

[Intuit]

Altering engine parameters means warranty repair voided. These things don't just grenade themselves without some sort of alteration, neglect and/or abuse.

The Escape supposedly uses the same engine, just a different tune and maybe some parts attached to it that can be swapped over from the original. That's going to be a cheaper option plus there's much less of a chance that the engine was altered. Recommend you run a search of the forum for details on transferring an engine from an Escape.