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Prius Ran with no Oil for 4 to 10 miles...What Damage was done?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Bulk, May 29, 2015.

  1. Bulk

    Bulk New Member

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    The oil was changed by a highly reputable shop 2 days ago, (45 miles ago). My wife noticed today that the "Low Oil Pressure" red message flashed 3 times in the last 5 miles of her 10 mile trip (45-50 mph). She stopped the car and called me. I arrived at the parked Prius and saw no oil on the dipstick. I poured a quart of synthetic in and looked under the car to see it pouring out. My finger discovered that there was No Oil Plug. I called the shop and they sent a tow truck, put a new oil plug in, refilled the oil and claim no damage since "the Prius shuts off the gas engine when low oil pressure is sensed". Can anyone lead me to information about this "shut off feature?" What should I ask from the shop? What should be tested & checked for? How do you test for damage to the bearings? How about a compression test? The car has 100K miles. Thanks !
     
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    our member Frodoz737 had a similar experience. You can send him a message and ask what he had the dealer do. He is a mechanic so he knows exactly what you need to be covered.

    btw, there is no feature that shuts down the engine when oil is low

    Here's Frodoz737 thread on his experience

    Holy Crap | PriusChat

    Your experience seems much worse as the low oil pressure light was on while driving.
     
    #2 JC91006, May 29, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: May 29, 2015
  3. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    In addition to "reputable," add LIAR.

    Tell them they just bought a 2010 Prius and file a complaint with Bureau of auto Repair.
    Resolving Disputes and Reporting Complaints
    How Does BAR Resolve My Complaint?
    • Upon receiving your form, BAR will assign a case number to your complaint. Within 10 days you will receive a postcard acknowledging receipt of your complaint and identifying the BAR representative assigned to your case.
    • A supervisor will review the complaint to see if it appears the shop has violated the Auto Repair Act [AKA, COMPETENCY] or any other laws.
     
  4. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    Ugh...
    That's just horrible.

    What bothers me most is the shop trying to float the TOTAL BS about The Prius having a feature that shuts down the engine when it senses low oil. Thus they know there is no damage. Don't try to cover up your mistake...with a lie.

    Posters more mechanically knowledgeable than me can probably offer what tests can and should be done.

    I would speculate that if this comes down to any legal wrangling, the difficult aspect would be ascertaining extent of damage. Because while a Prius that has been well taken care of, shouldn't be anywhere near it's end of life at 100,000 miles, neither is it new enough to be able to expect it NOT to have normal signs of wear for that degree of mileage. So how do you know what is "normal" 100,000 mile wear, and what is premature damage done to the oil plug not being put back in place and 45 miles of driving?

    Since the shop has already come back with a lie trying to cover their butts, I wouldn't have good expectations that they would be willing to be honest and step up to the plate now. If there is anyway to document their statement that they "know" your vehicle is OK because of this false feature? You might want to document the lie. But if they know you are upset and considering legal action, my guess is they won't repeat it or admit to saying it, or they will simply say...they were mistaken.

    I would almost recommend that you don't pass go, and just find a lawyer that deals with cases such as this. Just a consultation with a lawyer experienced in handling these types of disputes, would probably at least give you an idea of what you could expect or NOT expect.

    Best of luck, and I hope you find resolution coming out of this incident that you can be happy with.
     
  5. Beachbummm

    Beachbummm Senior Member

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    sadly you will get nothing, they put a heavier oil in to cover the sounds of metal on metal damage ...I would drive the car for 100 miles and drain the oil and check for metal flakes, do it all on camera showing the vin number and license plate of the car as its being done, save the oil in a glass jar and find a lawyer if you see metal in the oil, if you got anything it would be a used motor from a salvage yard...
     
  6. RRxing

    RRxing Senior Member

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    So much for "highly reputable"...
     
  7. qdllc

    qdllc Senior Member

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    I'm surprised the Prius ICE doesn't shut off when catastrophic errors are detected. Toyota can tell you if this is so or not.

    First, depending on the oil you run, an ICE can run with no damage for a good bit, but it's not something I'm eager to test. The Prius may luck out more so than an ordinary car would.

    Second, document everything, and you will definitely want to do oil analysis on this car for the next couple of changes. I'd change the oil more frequently for the next 10,000 miles so you get a larger sample size. If they all come back "clean" (or at least comparable to the average Prius oil sample), you are probably good to go.

    Third, make sure you know the statute of limitations for civil actions on this type of issue. That's the deadline to figure out if you should be taking this shop to court for the damage they caused or let it go forever.
     
  8. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Negotiate, Arbitrate, or Litigate.

    FWIW, my mom had nearly the exact same experience with a Camary about 8 years and probably 70,000 miles ago. She still drives that car daily.
    Talk it over with the shop owner.
    It's hard to quantify your damage, but I think that I'd be a burr under their saddle until they offer a free engine replacement if you have oil related damage resulting in an agreed upon level of oil use over the next XXXXXX miles.
    It's very likely that no gross damage was done, and it's going to be hard to differentiate how much additional engine wear was generated by this insult.
    If they offer nothing, I'd see if you can loft a complaint with the BBB or generate a lawyer letter with some sniveling sheister. You'll have to pay the hourly rate, since there's no money in your complaint.
    I would also threaten to be their social media nightmare.

    You have a five year old, 100,000 mile old car.
    If I'm them, I'd offer some free oil changes and a written agreement to cover your engine replacement for excessive oil use for 50,000-100,000 miles.



    Good luck.
     
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  9. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Just trying to picture what did and didn't happen in that oil change. Odds are they never put fresh oil in, JUST drained it (and lost the drain plug). Unless they're completely oblivious, someone would have noticed oil coming out as fast as they pour it in.
     
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  10. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

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    the best advice. agree 100%. i would only add to carefully inspect the oil filter for metal too. magnetic drain plug would make it simpler, but not present in this car.
     
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  11. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

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    i think what happened, they just put the drain finger tight and forgot to torque. if there was no oil from the beginning, the engine would sieze in those 10 minutes and/or there would be obvious knocking, and the warning would be on from the start.
     
  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    all the best.(y)
     
  13. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    That would be better, for OP's engine. I'm sceptical though, that a bolt would unscrew itself so fast.

    I've been changing oil on a Civic, and the standard supplied drain bolt washer is an aluminum/plastic sandwich. Every time I torque the drain bolt carefully, and at the next removal it feels dang-near finger-tight when I turn it to loosen. I suspect that plastic portion of the washers is shriveling somehow.

    Last time I was at the parts counter I mentioned this to them and they said they also stock solid aluminum washers, so I went with that.
     
  14. qdllc

    qdllc Senior Member

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    Many places have a catch pan/trough. You could pour oil all day and not realize the plug was missing unless you looked under the car before turning it back over to the customer.
     
  15. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    But the car went 45 miles after the oil change. Is that likely if the plug wasn't replaced at the shop?
     
  16. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    OP's description of distance travelled is confusing. Maybe you're right though, could be errant spell-correction in the title?
     
  17. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    45 miles or 10?
     
  18. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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  19. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

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    no, read it again, the OP clearly explained why he thinks it's 4-10 miles and not 45 miles:

    My wife noticed today that the "Low Oil Pressure" red message flashed 3 times in the last 5 miles of her 10 mile trip
     
  20. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    that sounds like the plug finally fell out, after 40 miles.