Need some advice - my '84 300D was taken in to a local shop for an oil change. I have not been driving this car for a while, a friend has been borrowing it and he took it in. They messed up the job by not replacing the gasket properly. They actually noticed and called when they found oil all over their bay...

They came out to a shopping plaza, and according to my friend they put over a gallon in it - according to the shop, they put "1 1/2 to 2 quarts" and then it went to "2 to 2 1/2 quarts"...

I don't know what really happened - my friend is not a 'car guy' so I'm just not sure. He noticed a loud knocking not long after they filled it up, but not until he drove it. Wasn't really loud while idling in the parking lot. I started it up today and there is clearly something "blown", so I had it towed back to the shop. They know nothing about diesels (I would never have taken my car there, but...), but they did recognize that something internal was shot. The manager called and while accepting some responsibility, he's just not sure they caused all of the damage. He is willing to write me a check for $1300 after finding a used OM617 motor online for about that much - with a 5 year warranty. I don't want to make a big deal about this - The car has always run well, but the exterior is pretty rough and I have little/no money in the thing.

What do you guys think? Any advice? I'm not much one for legal battles, but I did hear the store manger say he would prefer to avoid insurance...

Thanks,
Ryan

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RG Newell

1984 300D
1972 250
1986 560SL
1991 300CE