Toyota Engine Sludge Problem

midnight_stang

Here's a link that contains many complaints, of which quite a few are for Sludge in Toyota engines.

http://www.thecomplaintstation.com/t/toyota_toc.htm

I remember reading one page where one lady's engine was diagnosed with sludge at a dealership, but they wouldn't honor her warranty because she had her oil changed at home instead of the dealership. So the service department basically claimed she never did change her oil, and that was the cause of it.

It is in all likelyhood possible, but probable, I think not. Better have the dealership do your oilchanges just in case!

fxashun

I have my own experience too. But what's that going to prove here? I just asked for links since 99.8 percent of the automotive community blah blah. It should be easy to find a couple of links. Heck I could find links saying to check the oil cap all day long.

But you want to talk about experience? Here's mine. I've been talking about this for over a year and I have yet to find other engines with this tendency. And this is not the first time I have offered to leave if someone can find an engine that has the unresolved sludge history of these Toyota engines.

armtdm

I concur that an oil cap with sludge does not necessarily mean the engine is loaded with sludge but to me if filthy an oil filler cap is an indication of owner neglect. This is especially true when I see a newly steam cleaned engine sitting at a dealer yet open up the filler neck and see all kinds of crap. Sorry, but I still turn away from these engines, it is an indicator of poor maintenance to me but the engine may, in fact, be fine!

pilot13

I've seen at least 5 posts in other sites complaining of low mileage sludge problems. Fxashun, for starters, check out The Complaint Station under Honda--post dated Sept 5, 2001, and titled 'Honda Accord Engine Replacement Needed". It talks about a V6 engine siezed up with 19000 miles, and full of sludge. I believe there are 3 or 4 other similar, but earlier reports in that forum as well.
Now, you will undoubtedly run true to form and diss their authenticity---just as one can easily question the authenticity of the grossly overhyped "complaints" we see here.
Oh yes, in spite of your flippant dust off of credible "Oil cap" advice, I still stand by those who know what they're talking about. As difficult as it is for you to accept, they're right, and you aren't.

gimpyrx

Glycol cases showing up ALL over.
Thanks LEXUS customer NO service.
Time will tell!

Mr_Shiftright

Well, about all I could add to the oil cap comments is that if you reject a car because of some sludge in the oil cap you may be rejecting a perfectly good engine. Oil cap sludge is not even a sign of neglect in my own opinion. It is absolutely meaningless, all by itself with no further evidence.

However, lots of sludge on an oil cap would prompt me to look further, to see if there's anything behind that.

As an analogy, a creaking floor in my house does not mean my floor joists are termite-ridden or rotted. Maybe it's normal wear and tear on one board. So if I heard a creak I wouldn't condemn the house. I'd investigate further.

My oil cap on my Benz sometimes shows a little milky sludge, especially in winter. In fact, I just bought a new cap from Benz that is supposedly an improved design--better sealing. The engine has 223,000 on it.

As for the "auto experts" out there, I read things I can hardly believe. Forums like these are better, you often meet folks working everyday in the auto industry, not "desk experts".

jj35

Gimpy - Where are the other glycol cases showing up (other web sites?)?

Regarding oil caps - mine had sludge all over it and was one of the first signs (after the telltale puffs of smoke) that something was wrong. This doesn't mean that if you have sludge on your oil cap, then your engine is sludged. It also doesn't mean that if an oil cap is clean, then the engine is clean. However, if I were to see sludge on an oil cap in a vehicle I was thinking of buying, I would take it as a warning and definitely look into it further. If that wasn't possible, I just wouldn't buy it. I may be throwing out a perfectly good car, but why take a chance? There are plenty of other cars out there.

I also will never buy a Toyota again. My experience with sludge and the treatment I have received from Toyota regarding the sludge has been completely unsatisfactory and I am not willing to give them another chance. It is not worth the risk to me.

cholowicki

that being upset about being told my warranty would not be honored when my vehicle was within mileage and had full service records within manufacturer's guidlines should be considered "a grossly overhyped complaint." This Camry is the 12th vehicle I have owned. 7 Ford, 3 GM, 1 Chrysler and 1 Toyota. I had an '88 Ford Mustang GT with a repetitive electrical problem, but other than that, I have never had an experience that even comes close to what I have gone through since July with Toyota on this Camry. I have been without a car since July 10th, and been accused of negligence, stupidity and a variety of other ugly things since then. I expect I will hear more of the same in court. The actual failure of the engine is secondary to the complete failure of Toyota as a company to handle a dissatisfied customer. If you were in my shoes, what would you do? Be convinced that it must be your fault and pay them the money to fix the car?

gimpyrx

Like I said.....Time WILL Tell!

OIL CAP SLUDGE...If you have sludge on your oil cap....put that vehicle on the market ASAP!

BTW...Thanks LEXUS customer NO service!
me buy a lexus?? NEVER AGAIN!

cliffy1

Put your car on the market if it has sludge in the cap? Ummm.... well, I guess a little hysteria never hurts.

fxashun

If you find another engine with this tendency I will leave this forum.
And I will. But I think you'll have to do a little better than that. Here's my link.

csandste Oct 20, 2001 9:31am
and
jj35 Oct 16, 2001 9:31am

That's a tendency and multiple sources. Find a couple more sources that mention multiple cases of Honda sludge and try again. What a joke.

And..
Oh yes, in spite of your flippant dust off of credible "Oil cap" advice, I still stand by those who know what they're talking about. As difficult as it is for you to accept, they're right, and you aren't.

I've asked you to find a link for the 99.8 percent of the blah blah...Is that the best you can do?

By the way Gimpy.. I love my Lexus. No sludge here though. And I ain't sellin'.

pilot13

Cholowicki, permit me to first tell you what I wouldn't do if I were in your shoes.
I certainly wouldn't waste my time looking for sympathy on the internet, making irresponsible rants like Gimpyrx's/Fxashun's, dissing Toyota ad nauseum like JJ prefers, or plastering dire warnings all over the net like others are wont to do.
Now,if I had a situation as ironclad as you claim yours to be, there wouldn't be any need for all that bluff, posturing, gnashing of teeth, and foolish tearing of hair.
The vehicle would be fixed, and Toyota warranty would have been honored--period. There would be no doubts as to proper maintenance of my vehicle. Its general condition and maintenance history would be irrefutable, and the positive relationship I maintain with dealer service would support that.
Without exception, every sludge complaint I've seen aired on the net so far is a testimonial to what the owner should have done, but didn't.
Overhyped? Definitely!
Productive? Definitely not!

Mr_Shiftright

Judging an engine's condition based on what's stuck on the oil cap is like judging the life remaining on your brakes based on the amount of brake dust on your hub caps.

You NEED TO, you MUST, pop the valve covers (at least) and ideally the oil pan.

Then you really KNOW something and can make an intelligent presentation to the mechanic, arbitrator, etc.

I feel I would be misleading someone by suggesting that the condition of the oil cap reflects the internal condition of the engine. That is "bunko science" through and through.

smith53

with your in charge attitude and expertise in all subjects are you sure you were never the left seat in a commercial airliner?

armtdm

I stated that crap in the oil filler area and cap is an indicator and that it may not be sludge in the engine but from my perspective who cares. There are (as someone else stated) too many used cars on the market to even bother removing the valve cover and pan. Not worth the hassle and cost. If the owner/dealer didn't bother to clean up the easy to get to areas and it had sludge my time is not worth pursuing paying someone to pop a cover. Come on guys.

Life is looking at indicators of problems from chest pains to creaky floors etc., Question is whether the cost of pursuit is worth the end result and unless that oil cap sludged car is going real cheap it is not worth the effort to look into it further. There is surely another car around the corner for sale.

On both sides of the engine sludge issue we sure do have some stubborn people on this board. Anything is possible in this life and a sludged Toyota engine is possible even with good maintenance. ---- happens. To say it will never happen to me, well, fine, don't get that PSA test or that X-Ray or that EKG, it will never happen to you! You lead a good clean life! But who's to say the manufacturing process (toyota engine) didn't screw up once in a while like it does with humans and genetics.

cholowicki

what should I have done, but didn't? You claim "without exception every sludge complaint you have seen on the internet is a testimonial to what the owner should have done, but didn't." I have my oil change receipts, they are all well within the manufacturers mileage guidelines, I have followed the Toyota complaint process as required and my car is still at the dealership and I am going to have to fight them in court to force them to honor the warranty. What should I have done differently? I have not gone to the internet for sympathy, plastered dire warning or irresponsible rants, or "dissed" Toyota. What are you trying to say? Apparently, I am your exception.

fxashun

As what I say.
That's why I have several others to back what I say up. Sources which have no other relationship to this forum. Pilot has made assertions but has not had a single link to back what he says up. He says the oil cap test is worthless but I have links that say do just that. He says that it could happen to any other engine but he has no link to show any other engine that has the trail of sludge that these Toyota engines have.
He has disputed my "word" but I am not putting MY word up for review. I try not to post anything that I can't back up with a link from somewhere else on the internet.

But hey don't take my word for it.

csandste

The response of Pilot13 is always that there is absolutely no grounds for any of these complaints. It would seem that all of the affected parties could easily get someone to represent them in a class action lawsuit. I for one would find it maddening to constantly be told by Pilot13 that I was either fabricating or neglectful.

brentman

Folks,

I've been following this thread for awhile, and have a 1999 Sienna.

Regarding the Sludge issue: The owners manual that came with the van does NOT have any service schedules that I can see.

However, I did see the 7500 mile guideline on Toyota's website.

http://toyota.com/html/owners/maintenance/index.html

Where are people getting this 7500milestone for changing oil?

2. Second issue: sticking sliding doors

so far no problems....except for a sticking passenger side sliding door. Had to have the dealer change out the plastic handle because of the stickage. I'm wondering if it is caused by the rubber lining on the chassis sticking to the door (bonding) near the front lower corner.

I am thinking about getting some silicon based liquid lubricant to see if I can "unstick" that door....

Any advice?

Sorry for the long post...

brentman

Mr_Shiftright

Well, maybe he's just training you for what Toyota is going to tell you in arbitration

It's not a bad idea to have one's evidence challenged, so that you can strengthen it. Maybe he's just being the "devil's advocate". I wouldn't take it personally.

Sorry, I don't mean to be contentious about this oil cap business. I'm just cautioning people not to place undue weight on what you see in an oil cap.

Were I an arbitrator (which I have been) and someone held an oil cap under my nose and told me this was evidence of a bad engine, I'd have to presume that they didn't do their homework.

If you folks want to win your arbitrations, you are going to have to get better information. I'm really trying to help, not hinder, your quest here.

PS: Charlene is not 98% of the net, although she posts enough to possibly qualify.

fxashun

be required than receipts with mileage written on them? Most people don't have anything other than that. And that's all the manual requires.

210delray

You're right -- the owners manual doesn't list the oil change intervals. These are given in the separate maintenance manual and are 5000 miles or 4 months, whichever comes first, for severe service and 7500 miles or 6 months for normal service.

pilot13

Fxashun--No comment. The above speaks for itself.
Csandste--I don't post Complaint Station. It's not a nice place. But you're right on the other stuff. I believe it's mostly hype, and for good reason.
Mr. Shiftright--Call it "Devil's Advocate" or whatever, but you're absolutely correct when it comes to Arbitration. Every one of them would be summarily tossed. And there's nothing personal intended in any of my posts.
Smith53--I'm not a Commercial Pilot; don't want to be. It's too much like driving a Bus. Only left seat I sit in is my faithful T210. And you shouldn't confuse pragmatism with anything other than that.
Cholowicki--(Saved the best for last!) What should you have done differently? Well, for starters,you should have had your car's damage and proposed repairs to assessed by Toyota beforehand, to ensure that warranty would remain valid afterward. For seconds, none of the oil changes you claim were performed was done by your dealer service dept., which suggests you never went back after leasing the car, even for any other recommended items that should have been done. Bottom line--sounds like you never made an effort to establish any kind of relationship with your dealer after the lease was signed. You drove away and never returned.
Nuff for now.

gmlover1

Dear Mr Shiftright your beating a dead dog here. Obviously anyone who thinks you can tell anything by looking at an oil cap wouldn't have a clue how to remove a valve cover much less an oil pan.

lleroi

at the dealership following Toyota's schedule had a sludge problem?If so,did Toyota take care of the problem promptly?Also if this is ,in fact,widespread;I can't believe there has not been a flood of lawsuits.By flood I mean 60 Minutes type noteriety.

gimpyrx

Then the junk is on them.

pilot....You wouldn't waste your time because you have not wasted your money on a JUNK LEXUS. NEVER AGAIN! oh!....I see you are STILL clue less about sludge.

fxashun.....Must not be an RX clunker....if so...can you say TIME BOMB?

Oil cap ......One guy says I should have checked it (I did).....another says it is BUNKO......WTF?

pilot13

Sludge complaints on vehicles serviced by dealers are conspicuous by their absence. There are apparently none, but having said that, there's a good chance that some enterprising activist will now concoct a story suggesting I'm wrong.
Re lawsuits:-there have been a few threats posted here and there, but nothing of any substance that I've seen. A notorious "Loose Cannon" here has occasionally mentioned lawsuits and such, but I really don't believe an attorney with any self respect at all would touch his case.

armtdm

Come on, where does it say anywhere that we need to bring the dealer's service manager donuts in order to assure that a warranty is honored, establish a relationship. In today's world if the dealer wanted to establish a realtuionshiop for long term purchase they would not be the hire the sleazy salesmen or palce teh misleading ads or use high pressure tactics to sell a car.

Loyalty and build a relationship, they ended that years ago in this country as have the banks and most other service industries, only profit counts now.

As to the oil cap, sorry, I have removed valve covers and and do much of my own maintenance and have walked away from a car with crappy filler necks. I own a 92 Camry V6 with 139,000 miles but would never buy another, besides being boring cars with tired old V6 designs the dealer's service depts fringe on incompetence.

gimpyrx

E-mail me and I will give ya the phone number, or e-mail address of the Attorney....You can tell him what ya think about the "loose cannon"
It is real,and it looks sweeter every day!
BTW...LMAO!

jj35

Must make a comment by a previous poster who used the statement "dissing Toyota ad nauseum like JJ prefers".

I may be "dissing" Toyota, but I have a good reason. The engine of my 2000 Sienna developed sludge when it was one year old, had 17,000 miles, and three oil changes. Toyota accused me of neglecting my van and forced me to pay over $3,000 to have it dismantled, cleaned, and reassembled. I have not had a good experience with Toyota and desire to tell others about it. I think it is a story that should be heard by those who are making a large investment in a new vehicle. If I knew then what I know now, I never would have bought from Toyota!

My posts are not mandatory reading, so if they are making anyone nauseous, I suggest that they close their eyes.

gimpyrx

BTW...Thanks LEXUS customer "NO" service.
The over priced YOTA heap division.
My RX300 side windows now sport sweet "Pi$$ on lexu$" decals.
They get LOTS of questions, and I fill'em in with the answers.
I found that lots of people know others that have had the same type problems...HMMMMMM

fxashun

Who says to look under the oil cap for sludge. I provided several links that say do just that. Those that SAY it's worthless not only go don't ave links to back it up but make no sense in saying so. As I have said several times ALL these engine don;t have sludge, but there is a tendency for more of them than any other car to get it. Since it is not a condition that occurs in all of them it would seem to indicate that those engines that DO develope sludge in their oil cap have some type of problem.

And Pilot if you know your posts are worthless without unbiased support you should have been gone a long time ago.

ksargent

Well since everyone else repeats assertions on this board, I will too.

fxashun: your repeated request for "links" are comical. I repeat - links are WORTHLESS! Anyone can post anything they want on the Net. To act as if "links" provide evidence for or against an assertion is silly. Don't insist that your statements are somehow supported because you can dig up a "link" that is in agreement. God knows - even my 13 year old daughter is more sophisticated than THAT. I don't mean to attack you and this is certainly not inteded to be ad hom (look it up), but you are making a fool of yourself - and damaging the position you are attempting to advance.

Ken

Mr_Shiftright

ARBITRATION:

I think arbitration strategy is a lot like war strategy, in that you have to figure out the worst ting somebody might do to you before you go in.

Given this, one has to really look at one's OWN evidence and see where it's weak.

cholowicki

Pilot, you are incorrect on the service history of my car. As previously stated in this thread, I did have the car's damage assessed and repaired by Toyota. The repair work from the ladder incident was performed by the same dealer that sold me my Camry (Red Holman), which is the same dealer the car was towed to on July 10th, and that still has the vehicle. My warranty was valid up until my engine sludged. Also, I had been to the dealer for other service (battery that wouldn't stay charged in Jan '01, etc.), but not for oil changes. In all the times I have been to the dealership I have never seen the same service advisor twice, and just since this ordeal began there have been three different service managers. Kinda tough to build a relationship when the personnel is constantly changing, but even if it were the same people, why should I be shmoozing the dealer in order for the manufacturer to honor their warranty? I had a new roof installed on my home and it comes with a 20 year warranty. Are you suggesting I contact the contractor every few weeks or months just to make sure they will honor the warranty if the roof should ever leak? That is insanity. When I leased the vehicle from Toyota/Red Holman, they provided me with an owner's manual and service guide detailing what I needed to do to protect my warranty. I have done what was required of me, per their instructions, so they should be honoring my warranty. Period.

bobistheoilguy

it appears that sludging is a big concern for toyota owners. one of the biggist problems you'll find in the toyota engines is the valve train shears the oil or rips it bad. add the high levels of heat, use a ok type of api oil, high levels of ambient temps, stop and go trafic, and doing normal oil changes instead of severe, is one of the main problems for sludge in the toyota's. the new design with high shearing valve train and smaller oil channels doesn't constitute a design flaw. the failing part here is 2 things, 1- a problem with oil changes being done as a normal service when in fact it should be done in a severe service, and 2- the type of oil that is being used. it is very inportant to understand that an oil has an api certification donut on it, means it met certain minumim requirments for automotive use. but in no way does that make it a good quaility oil. it also appears that people think that if it's synth, it's a good oil... that too is a myth. there is some blends that can and do out perform some of these full synths.

 there is good and bad in every class of oil, and to know what works, well, lets say that you daddy might have loved and used quakerstate with never having a problem but now with newer engines comes newer demands on oils and so you must really learn some basics.

i also noticed that a lot of conjecture on proving your statement is needed so let me suggest that to see what i am talking about your more than welcome to goto this site www.bobistheoilguy.com and see what i am talking about. there is plenty of facts and data posted there to prove my point. one area is to goto the FAQ's under motor oils and look at the section about engine sludge. might find some interesting points.

another part is the new messg board has a lot of testing data posted one of which is on a toyota avalon and how oil was holding up in a 4300mile and 9000 mile oil drain tests. all of the numbers are there.

one other comment, as for the oil cap issue, well, lets say that when looking at a car/truck, you need to use smell,feel,hearing and sight to make determinations on sludge and anyother problem. i for one would say that looking at an oil cap would give u one indication as to how things might be looking but i wouldn't stop at just that. looking into that valve cover,possible putting ur finger and wiping/feeling around, looking at the dip stick, and doing oil analysis also are things that help give u a better picture on a overall.

bob in jville

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com

cholowicki

What haven't I covered? I have the receipts for my oil changes, none of which even come close to the 7,500 mile drain interval (all data previously posted here). I have the service records from Red Holman, my oil analysis from Blackstone and I have my warranty and repair manuals. I have an excellent attorney who used to work for Chrysler and now defends consumers with lemon law cases. I have revoked acceptance of the vehicle under the terms of my lease, and Toyota Corporate, Toyota Financial and Red Holman have already been served. They have 28 days to respond, which gives them until December 3rd. Red Holman's attorney has already contacted mine looking for a 2 week extension. What more can I do?

pilot13

Shifty, that's a pretty good analogy. I can't speak for the arbitrator, but as an outsider looking in, the predominantly speculative evidence presented so far is akin to so much Swiss Cheese. It just isn't going to stand up to scrutiny, and there are too many other variables which haven't even been addressed here.
Cholowicki, somehow, comparing a roof contract with a 20 year warranty to an automobile (much more costly, and far less time), doesn't seem to compute. But I'll wager you spent more time checking out the roofer than you did your car salesman--and the dealer!
I don't seem to recall advocating a "schmooze job" when I said build a relationship with your dealer. Nor did I suggest that having all service done by the dealer was mandated in order to keep your warranty.
What I was trying to suggest was that a buyer should look beyond merely haggling the best price, signing a lease, and taking delivery.
I think it's a good idea to talk to the service dept at some point in the process to make sure everyone understands what's expected of them.
Like Shifty says--Ask what's the worst thing that can happen and try to have a plan in place.
Insofar as your present situation goes, we have only seen one side--yours--and there seem to be a few missing links that you haven't covered off yet. If you plan to litigate the issue, what you've offered at this point wouldn't seem to be enough to ensure success.

pilot13

Unless your lawyer has some tricks up his sleeve you aren't saying anything about, better be prepared to wait some time to have your day in court.
I sincerely hope your attorney knows what he's about. As I said, there's a whole litany of variables which you're going to be called on, and if he's any good, he'll know what to expect.
The down side of the deal is that the car might not be your only loss. You could be assessed costs (Court costs, plus engine repairs), and have a sizeable legal fee to pay when it's all over.
Remember, you're the one who bears the burden of proof in this. The onus is on you to prove your allegations against those named in the litigation.
The good news is that it's a civil case, and you don't have to prove beyond doubt as would be the situation in criminal proceedings.

stealth1969

Let me see if I get this right. In court, Cholowicky shows the service manual with the recommendations for service and has the recepts showing they were completed within those recommendations. According to the manuals and information given to her from Toyota, she has met her obligations for service. Toyota would then need to explain why the warranty was voided. If she has the receipts to show/prove the oil changes were completed per Toyota recommendations, I don't see how Toyota should win. Her burden of proof is the receipts for the oil changes completed per Toyota schedule. Her allegation is Toyota did not honor the warranty. Why they did that would be Toyota's burden of proof. Go get them.

suvshopper4

bobistheoilguy: I like your site. Thanks for the link.

-ss4

pilot13

No disrespect intended, but if you believe it's that simplistic, then why not get a Lawyer and do some litigating yourself.
On second thought, if you REALLY believe it's that easy, then you might even want to plead your own case.
Best of luck to you.

bobistheoilguy

i have really enjoyed setting up that site with as much information as i can about oil. i hope to expand it with more information in the near future.

bob in jville.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com

mrdetailer

Bob, while your information was insightful, and helpful you said: 1- a problem with oil changes being done as a normal service when in fact it should be done in a severe service,

Then shouldn't Toyota have reduced the mileage for severe service to 3750 like Nissan does for severe service?

and 2- the type of oil that is being used. it is very inportant to understand that an oil has an api certification donut on it, means it met certain minumim requirments for automotive use. but in no way does that make it a good quaility oil.

If this is true, then what brands are recommended, and why doesn't Toyota make some reasonable recommendations?

csandste

I just can't help but think that someone would be interested in taking this on as a class action suit. Where's Pilot's old friend, C. Blake? You could easily get dozens of different posters from the various sites.

bobistheoilguy

mrdetailer,

to be quite honest with u, i personally haven't seen any owners manuals for toyota's so i can't take a posistion as to why the do or don't post the milage for severe or normal in thier manuals. since i don't know, all i can tell u is that the federal law prohibits them from mentioning only certain oils. it's called the magnason moss act and restricts them from only qualifing certain oils without them provideing the oil for free to the consumer. that would be one reason u won't see any manufacture state that they only recommend a certain brand oil.

my thoughts are that if you do have proof that all oil changes were done properly and all records are in order and they are claiming an oil failure, according to most other warr issues, they would be bound by the warr.

now to find what oils would qualify as a good oil for this situation, there is several ways to look at this, one is, to do your own oil analysis, 2nd to do research from sites like my own at http://www.bobistheoilguy.com , 3rd maybe talk with the mechanics that have been working with these cars that might have some insight as to what oil has been given good results.

bob in jville.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com

fxashun

fxashun: your repeated request for "links" are comical. I repeat - links are WORTHLESS! Anyone can post anything they want on the Net. To act as if "links" provide evidence for or against an assertion is silly.

What do you suggest? If it were that easy I'm sure someone would have done it by now and I ain't seen no links refuting looking under the oil cap. You know just as well as I do that if there was a link it would be here by now. Just as if there were other vehicles that sludge as much as these do they would be here too. Puleeze.
Why did you even post that drivel.

adc100

After all the awards/class lawsuits/ad nausium. The whole issue was proven to be a fraud in a difinitive study by Nat Acadamy Of Science and other studies. I see some similarites here.

pilot13

Some contributors to this Topic have expressed feelings that lawsuits are quick and easy (Class action or otherwise), and winning is always a given.
Couldn't be farther from the truth.
I don't know the latest figures, but not too long ago, for every 100 civil suits there were over 90 losers.
The only winners were the lawyers (unless they acted pro bono). Rewards for lawyers are even bigger (around 30% of the award) in Class Action suits--but only if they win. Most don't.
And with class action suits, the winnings (if any) get spread over the "class", and individuals usually see very little when it's all over.
Regarding the infamous "Sludge" issue, a class action would undoubtedly be extremely costly (up front expenses to support the action), very risky because of a broad spectrum of unknowns, and from a reward perspective, not cost effective. Not to mention that the small number of complaints to date isn't nearly enough to form a sufficiently large "Class" of litigants.
Believe me, it isn't what the movies and TV shows make it out to be.

cholowicki

Going to court isn't going to be a walk in the park. If I had any other avenue to pursue, I would, but this is the only option other than pay the money out of my pocket to fix the car. It is also a slow process, and with the holidays around the corner, will be further delayed. I simply don't have any other option.

As for class action, I do not believe my car would fit due to the previous underbody damage. My car does not exactly fit the class.