As your front differential has the potential to be significantly damaged by this, the dealer should replace it. Or give you a written warranty for X amount of time that they will replace it if it fails.

 

I'm inclined to insist pretty hard on replacement. However, any thoughts as to what a "reasonable" warranty period might be if the dealer is adamant about there not being enough damage to trigger replacement?

 

Sounds like it is toast. I would expect a change over diff. They have insurance for this type of mishap so don't stress too much. Also loaner during the change over and all towing fees paid.

 

have your indie shop check to make sure the gear lube did not land in the

the transmission fluid reservoir. (such wild things are known to happen,...rarely but has happened.)

 

The car needs a new diff. The dealer is on the hook to replace it.

They might choose to replace the entire transmission as it and the diff are one unitized assembly. It is possible to deal with them separately but most dealers don't like to do that.

Good luck!

 

Hey - thanks so much to all of you for these replies. They really help me in making sure I will be dealt with properly and fairly!:smile2:

 

Quick question: if the differential and the transmission are in one assembly would it have been possible that the transmission would also have been damaged (in other words would it even be reasonable to just replace the differential if the dealer does indeed want to go that way)?

 

One assembly two different lubrication systems, only thing I can think off about trans issues is if they filled the trans with the diff fluid on top of the existing atf.

 

And if they did add the gear lube to the transmission, the least they need to do is flush and refill the tranny and replace the filter.

 

I'm with the majority here. The differential requires the fluid to do two things, facilitate the action of the viscous coupling, and lubricate the bearings, ring and pinion gears etc. Without it the mechanical parts that require lubrication will get hot. The metals will then begin to transfer to one another, slowly at first (the noise you heard), then at some point they will essentially weld themselves together.

The dealer owes it to you to make you whole.

To me, that means like it never happened. Including towing, inconvenience and lost income if it has kept me from work. And a loaner, without my even having to ask.

And I would certainly expect they would be kissing my but from this point forward.

Everybody makes mistakes, and I would wager they dealer has young kids doing the lube, oil filter jobs, so with the inexperience comes even more chance for errors. But part of what you get when you pay someone else to fix your car is the expectation that it is fixed right, and the job is performed to the highest standard.

As far as the transmission goes, if it can be determined that the fluid intended for the differential was not mistakenly added to the transmission, and that there was no possibility of damage to the transmission when the differential was getting fried, and the dealer wants to provide the labor to disassemble and reassemble the unit that would be their choice. But most dealers are not equipped to do unit repair anymore, and even if they were, most of the technicians these days specialize in other areas or do not have the training and skills for that type of work. The dealer work environment is geared toward flat rate jobs. Jobs that can be slammed out quickly, and net the right amount of return.

Differential and transmission rebuilding just takes too much time to do and make money. Same for engine rebuilding. It is cheaper to replace components.

And if they have a good r&r tech the transaxle could be swapped out in one day. Drop the car off in the morning, pick it up the next day.

Don't let them dog you.