Afternoon all, stumbled upon this forum while trying to educate myself in face of battling a dealership that seems to be taking advantage of me. I drive a 2011 Prius, 6 days ago I took my car into a Toyota dealership for an oil change. I drove approximately 21 miles before warning lights started flashing and my car shut off in the middle of an intersection during rush hour. I was able several times, turning the vehicle off and on again to coast (about 3mph) into a residential neighborhood. First point in this being handled so poorly by the dealership, I called in to the rep assigned to me who condescendingly assured me it just wasn't possible they made an error and that they always check the oil levels and pressures of each vehicle. I checked the dipstick, 100% dry, poured oil into the tank and watched as it poured just as rapidly out the bottom, through the skid plate. Yesterday was my first contact with anyone at the dealership, they have ordered an engine "with less miles" and will offer a 6 month warranty. I am aware that severe engine damaged occurred, but I'm struggling to understand what other working parts this affected. I was assured nothing is wrong with my hybrid system (this failed, check lights were on dash) and was told they checked it and it works fine. If I understand this correctly, it is not possibly to check the hybrid system without a working engine. Which has not arrived. Sorry for the novel, I'm really hoping someone here has more knowledge on this so I can discuss resolution with a more educated perspective and not be screwed 7 months down the road. Thanks! Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
welcome! bummer, i'm sorry this happened to you. try calling toyota customer service, and see what they have to say about it. all the best!
Wow, that sucks. At least the dealer is accepting responsibility for the ruined engine. I always check the oil level prior to driving off from the dealer. They almost always overfill the oil at my dealer service department. My solution? I provide 4 quarts of oil, and I tell them I will top off the level myself.
the only problem being, they've already driven the car around from the service bay to pick up, with no oil in it.
Unfortunately, you don't know what kind of life the replacement engine had prior to being dropped into your car. An engine driven hard could end up being an oil burner as the miles accumulate down the road. Also, head gasket failure and timing cover oil leaks are other possible problems in the Prius 1.8L engine.
WOW! That's like the ultimate oil change disaster. Some poor tech is in a heap of trouble, I bet. (Maybe got distracted?) But I'm really glad they seem to be standing behind their work. An engine with fewer miles and a 6 month warranty is not bad at all. Did they give you a loaner car, too? As for the hybrid system, I don't see how it would be affected by a trashed engine. You'll know for sure when they put it all together, but I wouldn't worry.
If he drove 21 miles, then I'd guess it had oil in it at the shop, held in by a loose drain plug. It took a while for the drain plug to rattle out. As for the hybrid system, it seems likely that nothing else was damaged, but it threw a code when it couldn't operate the engine.
I am really sorry for your situation. I would ask the dealer to extend the warranty to 12 months. That will give you more time to evaluate the exchanged motors condition. I am glad they "owned" their mistake and they should be commended for it. I don't like the condesending attitude of the rep, that was not needed. Anyway, if I may suggest, I would review how to do an oil change on your car and attempt to do on your own from now on. If you can't, I get it, but perhaps a trusted friend can. It is a very simple procedure on the Prius. You can also document any work you do on your own on the Toyota website so it is officially logged. I bought my car new and plan on doing the maintenance that I am able to do myself. It has also been noted in here that many Prius owners have taken their cars in for an oil change only to find it not filled correctly or even the oil used isn't correct. This is frustrating because an oil change is the most simple inexpensive thing to do on a car, yet, done wrong, can cost thousands of dollars. I wish you the best, hope they give you a good motor.
One possibility, or the O-ring was left out, or improperly seated on the cartridge housing, allowing the oil to leak out under pressure.
Considering that the replacement oil he put in, rapidly poured out on to the ground, I suspect the drain plug had vanished.
I also think you'll be good to go with a good new engine put in. The codes logged by the hybrid ECU were probably P3190, P3191, etc. "Hey, where's the engine?" -Chap
After a lot of reading this was one of my biggest concerns, and I've pressed for a new engine. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Thank you, so far they seem to be trying to work with me and have agreed to extend the warranty as well. Trying to make sure I'm not being unreasonable asking for a new engine. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Too bad you couldn't be present when they got the car back to the dealership, and got it on the lift. It'd be interesting to see where the oil was coming out. From your description, sounds like no drain bolt. I'm sure new engine is going to be very expensive. OTOH, Toyota has deep pockets, and the dealership has totally effed the pooch, so... Maybe even some sort of sweetheart deal trade-up?
Yeah not too much, lol. Engine for 2011 Toyota Prius|19000-37460 : Toyota Online Parts | toyotaonlineparts.com | Toyota Parts Online
I've debated on this and don't want to come across totally unreasonable....but considering I nearly got plowed during rush hour due to a simple error, maybe its not so unreasonable? It would ease my anxiety about anything going wrong in the future, for sure. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
