So friends, here I am - back with an update - another not so great update
Really sorry for the VERY LONG post
The day before Republic day, my parents made an adhoc plan to go to Thiruvannamalai. We left to the temple town from Bangalore on Thursday morning around 7 am. We took the Bangalore - Krishnagiri - Uthangarai - Chengam - Thiruvannamalai route suggested by Google maps. Though the road condition was ranging from OK to bad, all was well till we were around 30 minutes from the temple.
Around 10-15 kms before Chengam a seemingly good stretch of road all of a sudden presented a very rough patch and there was a dip in the road level as well. I was somewhere around 80-100 kmph then. I braked - but not very hard - as I did not anticipate the condition of the road accurately. In a second, I realized that the 180 mm ground clearance was just not enough. For the first time ever, something scraped the car's under body - there was a small sound of something hitting the under body.
Mistake 1: I did not inspect the under body. I kept driving as I was sure the tire was fine.
In 15 minutes as we crossed Chengam town - I see the Engine Oil level Indicator coming on and I immediately stopped the car. Right when I saw the indicator, I realized that the under body scrap had damaged the oil sump. Stepped out of the car and a simple check below the car proved my doubts to be correct.
Called Maruti RSA and came to know that their service centers were closed for the National Holiday. I had 2 options
Option 1: Tow the car to Tiruvannamalai and leave the car at the service center and then collect the car back once the repairs are done. This might need me to travel to Tiruvannamalai once or more. But unknown service center. 0 expertise in handling S-Cross 1.6.
Option 2: Tow the car to Bangalore and get the repair done there. But towing will cost me ~Rs. 9000.
Mistake 2: Reached out to a local mechanic to evaluate the issue.
He checked and said that this is a common issue here and has fixed the same issue 4 times that week. I believed him when he pointed the exact location when he said that is where his last client - a Skoda Rapid - faced this issue. He said the issue can be solved with M-Seal and it will be a permanent fix. If required, I can check t he car once it is in Bangalore. Dad insisted to get the fix and drive to Bangalore and get the car checked there the next day. Having my mom, dad, wife and kid - I was confused. Should I take a risk going through the quick fix or should I ask my family to take a bus or travel in the car being towed. Hesitantly, I chose to listen to my dad.
The mechanic fixed the hole using M-Seal and let it dry for around 1 hour. The he topped up the engine oil (5+ litres) and made sure there was no leak. We asked him if he drained the engine oil before topping up. He said the sump was already empty. I took his word. Started the engine and the error was gone. Checked again and checked again - No leak. I thought it was all good.
Decided to drive back slowly and this time, took a different route. Chengam - Thirupathur - Bargur - Krishnagiri - Bangalore. Drove slowly and did not exceed 60 kmph. As we crossed Tirupathur and were coming close to Bargur I started hearing a buzzing sound from the engine bay. I sensed something was seriously wrong. It was already dark and the road was deserted. Did not want to risk stopping there. In 10 minutes I reached the highway and 2 minutes into the highway I saw the Engine Malfunction light coming on. Stopped then and there - called Maruti RSA again. Arranged for towing and towed the car to Bangalore. Dropped the car at Bimal Mahadevapura. All the way I was blaming my stupidity and my dad was guilty and repeatedly telling we should have towed it the first time itself.
Next Day (Friday) I spent all my day in Bimal service center explaining the accident, going through the OBD errors and trying to understand the bigger picture and arranging for Insurance. I was clearly told that towing charges of Rs 1500 and Oil Sump will be covered in Insurance but any further damage will not be covered in warranty or insurance. I agreed as it was a risk I took and I am liable to pay for any damages that was caused because of the risk I took.
OBD error Error Explanation
After seeing the errors, the SA feels it could be because of the oil topup exceeding the 5.25 L capacity and the excess oil getting splashed into other components like turbo. Another probability he said is that the turbo could have started facing issue in the 15 minutes that drove after the oil sump started leaking and probably it worsened as I drove after making the quick fix. All said, it does not look or sound really good to me.
Current Situation
The car is in Bimal Service Center. Part has been order and the price is ~Rs. 12k. Insurance Survey is done and will most probably get approved. I will lose Rs 3.5k NCB - renewal due in 10 days. Service center will open the car and check for further damage once the new oil sump arrive. I am dead scared that something would have happened to the turbo because of a stupid decision I made. I hope there is nothing major and the issue can be sorted out. Waiting for the parts to arrive and hope there is no major shock.