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Catch-22 of the Auto World [Please Help]
Long story first, don't worry, I've made a tl;dr. About a month or so ago I was in need of an oil change for my car. It's a 2010 Kia Forte and has a bumper to bumper warranty. In fact it was one of the reasons I bought a Kia. Now, I take my car in to Grease Monkey, they perform their standard oil change. Flash forward 700 miles (not in one stretch either). Saturday, driving from a town about 45 minutes from home when I hear a low fan rattle. I pull off the highway and while doing so, the oil can pressure light comes on. I turn off the car and get out to look at the engine. It looks like the car has decided to spray oil all under my engine. I call up my insurance company, USAA, and ask them for a tow. They tow to a place in the small outylying city and because of the size of said small city, nobody is available to work on the car until after the weekend. Monday comes, and I've contacted Kia to see if they want to look at the car and/or work on it. They agree and tow my car to their dealership in town. They look under the hood and say that it's clear that the oil filter seal has blown and that's the reason for the car making the noise etc. They also say that the engine has been irreparably damaged, and that I'll need a new engine. I get Grease Monkey involved. They authorize a temporary rental vehicle while they send the oil filter to Purolator, maker of the oil filter. At this point it should be pointed out that the oil filter looks as though the top of the filter has become bloated outward, so all signs point to the oil filter failing. Two weeks pass by, and Purolator comes back with a report stating that the oil filter was manufactured within the proper specifications and that the oil filter was subjected to excessive pressure outside normal operating pressures. This prompts Grease Monkey to revoke the rental car and state that the problem most likely occurs with the Kia vehicle's oil pressure regulator valve. Kia states that because I have used a third party oil filter, the engine damage is NOT covered by the bumper to bumper warranty. So, none of the three companies are claiming fault. Well shit. That's ok though because I pay for full coverage on my car through USAA, so at least they should cover that. Wrong! USAA just came back saying that it falls under negligent service, which is a fancy way of saying that because I didn't get into a collision or accident which caused the oil filter to break down, that they are not going to cover it. I've gotten a price quote, and it doesn't total the vehicle. It does cost more than I've got in the bank now though. So what do I do? Lawyer up?? Probably not, because I don't have lots of cash. (College student) I guess as a last resort I could x-post to r/assistance, but I try not to depend on the $ of others, because I feel like I'm not a priority compared to those who need food/shelter. Thank you redditors in advance. tl;dr I've fallen in the catch-22 of car problems. Oil changed, car engine seized, dealership won't cover it, oil change company won't cover it, oil filter manufacturer won't cover it, insurance company won't cover it. Now what? more