Last service - they didn't seal the air filter up

I thought my problem withe my last oil change were over after I had them drain out the excess oil they had put in...but I never checked the air filter. I normally just swap it at every 5k, so today I went to check it and swap it and to my surprise...it wasn't latched all of the way. The back portion where it was supposed to slip under the lower frame wasn't inserted....so the air filter looks brand new, which means all of the dirt went into the engine.

What should my course of action be? I am running extended oil changes and doing UOA (it is actually just due for the standard 5k oil change), I was going to send a sample out to see how much silica/dirt is in the oil. I also have calls into the place that did the maintenance and am waiting to hear back.

What should I request of them to insure there is no long term damage from driving 5000 miles without an air filter? Other than the obvious free oil change and then some, as I provide my own oil...so thats $30 I shouldn't be shelling out of pocket.

Thanks for any input!

 

Well, there is dirt on the seal and none at all in the air filter. The latches were in place, however this still leaves a gap around the back parameter of the compartment.

I would normally expect the inside edges of the seal to be clean (air intake side) and the filter to be dirty, but the filter is literally as clean as a new one out of the box.

I went ahead and pulled a sample to send out for UOA with Blackstone, as that is about the only way to know how much dirt is in the engine.

 

Seriously, you think I'm an idiot? The bottom and top are exactly the same shade of white, which is why I'm concerned.

 

Patrick and others,

Thanks for the feedback. I actually change the air filter myself, the place just insists on showing it to me. There is no way I'd ever pay $40 for a filter for "convenience". I just don't have a place to drain the fluids, so I go to them for that. I provide them with the Amsoil and usually the oil filter as well.

I talked to them today and the "supervisor" assured me that no damage could possibly have occurred, but they would give me a discount on my next oil change out of consideration. I let him know that I would get back to them after the UOA. He tried to dismiss that as not being able to show anything, and then I explained how I happen to have other UOAs for the same oil and air filter for a comparable number of miles.

I may check with the dealership on the compression test, not sure what they would charge for such a thing. I suppose I will wait for the UOA to see how good of a job the WIX oil filter did.

Now I'm debating if I should wait for the UOA to do a fluid change or not.