[MDM1962]

I have a 2016 z force 800. I bought it 3-11-17 with a 5 years parts and labor. Changed oil and installed upgraded air filter at 350 miles. At 650 miles oil lite came on. Drove back to camp and checked oil level. Good. Next morning it would not start. Loaded up and came home. Dropped off bike at dealer and it has a bad oil pump and hi metallic in oil and they said i need a new motor. They told me it might not be under warranty claiming I ran it with the oil lite on. A factory rep will have to inspect and I have to commit to a $600.00 tear down fee if they dont warranty and $3000.00 for a new motor. I need advice. I never would have bought that bike if it wasnt for the warranty.

[NMKawierider]

Well, they should cover it...and stand your ground.. but never tell anyone you ran... anything.. with the oil light on. Everyone knows with no oil pressure an engine is destroyed in sometimes only seconds. The story is always " The light came on...and the key went off. Then I was pulled back to camp..by a RzR..Grrr"  Have them pull the filter right now with you there. If it's full of metal and trash, then the pump was working when something else failed...and that metal in the oil wasn't from you running it with no oil pressure. Bet there is some there.

[MDM1962]

Right on

[ctdls]

So we are suppose drive around with our eye's glued to the light? If that's the case the warning buzzer must have failed.......oh wait there isn't a warning beeper.

Your dealer should be grateful you have given your story to the best of your memory......how long had the light prior to your noticing......back to the buzzer if it's that important. Other manufacturers will limp mode the engine if oil pressure is a problem.

The dealer should keep his/her mouth shut & get the thing apart & see what happened & why.....first thing!  & With no comment, they have no idea what the problem is or do you. Right know the clue's are the oil light did come on, there is oil in the motor & most likely debri in the filter.

I wouldn't commit to any expense regarding tear down.....that is utter Bull Shit.

After my little rant  I also have to say people have run things out of oil thinking they can add after a sieze & they assume the dealer is stupid to & they won't figure it out.

[glenlivet]

Good answer on both counts. A bit of added security and sophistication that CF Moto might have considered adding might have been the addition of a 'murphy switch' that doesn't allow ignition (or fuel if you wish) without sufficient oil pressure. Heck even my $500 Champion invertor generator has one. It would be easy enough to have a dash display segment that toggles a descriptive warning when that condition presents, so that the operator can tell why the %$^#@ thing isn't starting.

"So we are suppose drive around with our eye's glued to the light?" indeed! For just this reason I have considered installing a nice bright low oil pressure light in the most prominent place on the dash, the upper left corner of the gauge clusters plastic hood. If I were to lose oil pressure during operation I want an alert IN MY FACE, not just another grey figure appearing in a field of other grey figures. 

[REDRIDER]

This comes down to good dealer/bad dealer. A good dealer will always go to bat for their customer and try to get things covered under warranty. A bad dealer just cares about their bottom line and would rather have you pay because they will get paid more for the job. Guess which dealers have the best customer retention. My dealer tried this with me when I had a clutch issue. I said I am not paying anything I did nothing wrong the thing had 150 miles on it. They did end up looking into it, couldn't find anything and they ate the bill basically.

[Z8rider]

So you are saying people shouldn't take responsibility for what they knowingly did and a "good" dealer will lie to the warranty provider?

[REDRIDER]

So you are saying people shouldn't take responsibility for what they knowingly did and a "good" dealer will lie to the warranty provider?

well if the stance being taken by the manufacturer that you drove it while the oil light was on, yes (if the oil level was full), absolutely. That is a cop out, the oil light wouldn't have been on had their not been a warranty defect to begin with. If I'm riding 40 miles in the woods by myself and my oil light comes on you bet I'm going to high tail it out of there and try to make it rather than freeze to death on a mountain. That is not the consumers fault.
Now on the other hand had you never changed the oil, ran it in 4 feet of water all day, that's another story. From the sounds of this, the consumer has no fault here.

[Beezer 12 Washingbeard]

if your oil light comes on its already to late

[Z8rider]

if your oil light comes on its already to late

I wouldn't say that's true at all. The light comes on when the pressure drops below a certain threshold, not at zero oil pressure. Thats why you stop driving it right away and have the problem verified or remedied. According to this crowd though, you should just keep operating it cause someone else will foot the bill anyways, might as well blow it up!

[NMKawierider]

I would hope if one saw the oil pressure light on that there was some other option other then the continued operation. In general that is assured engine destruction where maybe...just maybe it's something that can be fixed and save the engine. I think the light comes on somewhere in the 6-8psi and lower range..and that's usually because something has already failed...or it's really low on oil. A low oil indicator or cut-out like a generator would be a nice feature...but from what I've seen, these drop pressure for other reasons. Mostly rod bearing failures....and they go more often because of heat or because of an overheating event...so use great oil and keep them under 4 bars no matter what is my suggestion.

   

[glenlivet]

Just as a caveat, let me add that I was riding my King Quad one day far from the truck when the oil light began to flicker. Warranty was not a consideration, it was way out of coverage. I took the gamble and rode it, as there was nothing abnormal about its operating sound and it might just be the sending unit gone bad. As it happened that's exactly what had happened, bad sending unit.  It was 'warning' me of a non problem.
Every situation has its own merits and this isn't to suggest one should disregard a warning light, just telling what happened that time.
Galling of plain bearings and piston/rings occurs after oil pressure is lost, not at the same time as a warning light is activated. If it was always too late once a light came on then what purpose would an oil pressure light serve at all?

I agree that for a dealer to claim that damage from a failed oil pump (for example) on a properly maintained machine, resulting from operating it after said light has activated, should not be covered is a cop out attempt. After all, what if that light comes on when climbing a steep hill? Does that dealer expect a rider to obediently and promptly shut the machine off and tumble back down to the bottom?

I take the stand that lost oil pressure in a properly maintained and operated machine will be the result of a mechanical failure, and subsequent damage from that failure might be reduced if the operator immediately stops the engine, WHERE PRACTICAL TO DO SO but the core problem was the mechanical failure, not the operators response to that failure, therefor it should be covered.