Got my oil changed about a month ago, only last night noticed faint smoke coming from the hood (was out of town for a few weeks). Popped the hood and found oil everywhere, a huge puddle of oil on the floor of my garage, and of course, no oil cap. Checked the dip stick, it’s completely dry. Hoping for some advice on where to go from here. What do I need to do to hold the dealership accountable?
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You’re in a pickle because we don’t know the extent of the engine damage. You’d almost want the engine to be seized so that they 100p know that the damage resulted from something.
Either way I’d immediately save these photos and ask to speak with management or the mechanic who serviced this.
You have the right to bring this up with Toyota corporate who cares more about customer relations than the dealership. If they open a case then they will contact the dealership and I find that people have better results this way.
definitely grab the receipt and show them these pictures. that’s a super rookie mistake and if you hadn’t noticed that you very well could have blown your engine. i’d get an oil cap and top off the oil if you plan to drive it, but really stress to the dealer how serious it is. these engines are not cheap and because it was serviced at the dealer, you can let them know that they would 100% have been responsible if the engine had blown.
How do we know there isn’t already damage? There’s no way to know how low the oil has been while driving.
Seconded, if they pull the “the terms and services conditions ended when service was done.” mumbo jumbo hire a lawyer.
Sorry, this is a 2021 Toyota Prius
Put more oil in it and a new cap, take it to a car wash and clean off the old oil, then trade it in on something else.
Hey does anyone know where I can find a 2021 Toyota Prius with questionable maintenance records ? I’m in the market.
The oil was changed regularly at the dealership.
This is the way
I had the same issue… dealership didn’t do shit, I plan on taking an oil sample for my next oil change
This is exactly why I do my own oil changes.
You can’t trust people to pay attention
Maybe you could if you were willing to pay them.
People around here are complaining about $100 for oil change being too much. Unevitably, shit like this happens when the “techs” are forced to hurry multiple cars per hour just to earn minimal wage.
Oil change should be at least $150-200 if you want quality, mistake-free service.
If it’s been a month, and you haven’t noticed oil anywhere, there’s a possibility that it wasn’t actually off and was just loose. It might be a bit of a stickler about it being a month out as in that timeframe you could have added oil or anything else, not saying you did, but they might deny responsibility. The other thing I’m questioning, is how much oil has been lost. If it has been open the entire month, there shouldn’t be anything left. But if it just fell off the last day or two, there won’t be much loss. Check the dipstick.
Every time I get my oil change I inspect the work. Because I don’t trust these “technicians”
DIYer advice: it’s not just a matter of “trust”–people make mistakes. Even after changing my own oil, I don’t turn on that engine until after I check the dipstick. Hell, I’ll sometimes walk into a room & forget why I walked into that room. I don’t trust myself.
This seems to be happening a lot lately
A month ago is too long, for a business to be willing to immediately accept liability. Reasoning would be you should be checking your oil about once a month anyway. So in my eyes you could have topped off your oil, forgotten the cap and now the shop is the perfect scapegoat. If it were within a 1-2 weeks sure I would be willing to accept liability.
This is all too fresh. That looks like you started it nice without the cap on it. I’ve seen a rookie leave a cap off and start a car and it’s a huge mess. Driving around for a month like this? You would have smelt the oil burning 10 mins after leaving the shop. I’d be suspicious of any kids who might be aspiring mechanics…
Yes, they are responsible. A friend of mine had this happen shortly after they purchased a used car. The car was completely serviced by dealer for purchase. They put in a new crate engine. Be firm, they are liable.
I’d want a new engine
A month ago, and just now noticed this? Do you drive really slow or something. I doubt you’ll be able to convince the dealer to take ownership of the cap a month after the oil change.
Honestly, I can’t beleive the dealer left the cap off, and a month later you noticed it. I’ve done this to myself and the error was immediate since the oil spewed out of the filler hole and onto my exhaust.
Now there is a chance they did not tighten the cap, which is unfortunate, but still getting them to admit anything after a month is very unlikely. As for any damage, that’s a crap shoot. Refill, have someone else buy a new OEM cap for you (in case you end up having to do a engine fail swap on the car companies dime), and see if you have any new sounds coming from the engine. You’ll be better staying quit in case there is damage to place a warrantee claim later. Not the best solution, but reasonable given the situation.
Well it’s a hybrid so the engine isn’t always running, and Toyotas have a baffle under the cover so the oil has to work it’s way around it
the dealership will be responsible for this, don’t worry about damage to your engine unless you are driving it hard and to far places since this is a hybrid for short distances it will just use the hybrid battery and it won’t turn your engine on
My dealer did that when I had an oil change on a Ford Aerostar and the tech laft the cap off and my engine seized. They had to replace the motor.