Got charged $1500 repair costs for fueling diesel into Prius 2013 4D (Zipcar)

I suspect that the OP is an inexperienced driver and that "when the engine stopped working" was when the car stopped after exhausing the drive battery.

This reminds me of an old 60 Minutes story about training taxi drivers in NYC. The instructor pointed at a yellow Ryder rental truck and told the students "The first time that driver got behind the wheel of a truck is likely THIS time. Stay far away from these trucks!"

 

It doesn't matter.
It's not your car, so it's not your call.

Canadian laws are different, but I'm thinking that the charges are going to be "legally" reasonable, which is entirely different than being 'real-world' reasonable....just like there is a difference between something being legal and 'just.'

Sorry, but unless I'm mistaken you're going to have to pay.

 

You should have just pleaded the 5th while you were ahead....

 

Yep.

Also, at least where I live, diesel is 40¢/gal higher than regular unleaded.
That should have been a tell.

 

It's the same difference here. But I don't think someone who's not used to fueling cars would have even looked at the price. If he's renting a car, chances are he didn't own his own. It was a simple mistake that ended up costing a lot of money.

 

You should have a very good look at the small print. Some rental companies are notorious for not being entirely truthful about these things. If there's nothing specific saying that engine damage isn't covered, then I should think it is covered (you're a common-law jurisdiction up there, aren't you?) They may just be trying to get out of having to either pay for it themselves or claim on insurance. Do have a very good look at the policy.

Europcar in Barcelona once tried to charge my dad 4000 Euro for damage to the roof when he rolled the car. They'd have had a case if (a) he hadn't paid for the damage waiver which would cover any damage with no excess, and (b) he had in fact rolled the car or done any damage to the roof. He had taken photos of the car on pick-up and drop-off, so he had proof, and he threatened to go to the press; if he hadn't had the photographic proof, they'd have taken him for the money.

Or.... you could always more than pay for the mistake by winning US$ 1 million on The Amazing Race. There's almost always an incident in Europe where a team loses a stage because they put gasoline in a diesel car. And then they shout at each other, and if they're a couple, they almost split up. And the Kiwi presenter looks at them with a kind of patronising pity.

In China, I heard a similar thing from a taxi driver. He said any new small car (VW Polo, Chery QQ, Skodia Fabia) with no dents in it is less than a day old, and the driver has been driving for less than a day, so he always stays away from them. As he told me this, we watched a new Polo go into the back of a new QQ.

Gosh. It would suck if you had a small fire in the car that melted the steering wheel and the keyring and left everything else intact.

 

The damage waiver only cover physical damage to body like collision, not engine damage or physical abuse of interior.

 

Even if melted into one blob of plastic, they're both there....

 

What if the fire was so hot that they vapourised?

Ah, OK. I'll have to check next time I rent a car.

 

I don't think the invoice charges are unreasonable given that the OP admits to unwittingly doing the damage by fueling with diesel.

My only question would be why would he be responsible for Aux Battery replacement? If the engine died, the vehicle stopped moving, as long as the vehicle was shut off, having diesel in the gas tank really shouldn't have any connection to the charge left in the Aux Battery.

The invoice say's "Aux Battery No Good Dead Due to Running on Electric Power Only".

My understanding of how the Prius system works, when it's running on "Electric Power Only" it's running off the HV battery. Which would explain IT needing to be recharged, but it wouldn't explain the Aux Battery needing to be replaced.

As a rental vehicle, it's quite likely rental abuse had the Aux Battery low before any of this happened. As the whole events show, people renting a vehicle have less knowledge and are more likely to make mistakes.

I'd think the OP would be clearly responsible for any direct damage and repair due to the contamination of the gas tank with diesel fuel. BUT...I don't see how that contamination, and running the vehicle for the short amount of distance it would of been capable of going before shutting down, would make him responsible for the Aux Battery being replaced.

 

yes, i think they took him on that one. also, unless the gen III is different than the II, you can't run the hybrid battery down to zero, so, no need to recharge.

 

there are standard rates for doing work on a car. i'm talking hours. the rate per hour can be checked by visiting a few dealers. not sure how you would get the hours toyota would allow for this work if it was warranty. but everything is broken down and they won't pay a dime more. i'm sure they don't pay retail for the hourly either, but all you can do is check around and see what the average is.

 

If I were you, I'd do the following:

First, check the small print to see whether the damage waiver covers you. If there's no specific exclusion (although it sounds like in North America there usually is), then the damage is not your problem.

Second, if the damage waiver doesn't cover you, say you'll pay for the repairs directly related to adding diesel. Say that you've discussed the issue with several Prius owners on an owners' forum, and that it's clear that the damage to the battery has nothing to do with your adding diesel. Either the mechanics are screwing the rental company, or the rental company is screwing you. Unless the rental company can prove that you caused the damage to the batteries, there's no reason for you to pay for this. Tell them the onus is on them to prove this, and that if they want to push it, you want an independent opinion from Toyota.

At least that should save you a few hundred dollars.

 

Hmmm. Maybe I should take a 4-in-1 screwdriver and a crowbar every time I rent a car in case I need to pry off the steering wheel and take it with me for whatever reason.

This sounds like a great plan. Good luck, OP. Please report back how it goes...

 

Diesel in a gas rig is not really a big deal. Drain the tank, change the fuel filter and purge the injection. (that said, I don't know the extent of cleaning the injection, someone else will hve to chime in. $1700 seems excessive, but they may also be charging for the down time. Consider talking to your own insurance about your personal liability coverage, either your homeowners or you auto.

Putting gas in a diesel is a mu ch bigger issue as gasoline does not properly lube the extremely high pressure injection pump, which will fail with gas and is very expensive to replace in most vehicles.

I drive a Diesel Sprinter and every once in a while I have to do a double take. Most places in the US have a green or yellow hose, but every once in a while you will find a regular pump with green or yellow.

Pay attention.

Icarus

 

The invoice from the dealer is for $1550. Don't know how that became $1700. $900 was for the labor to do what was described above. Then $237 for a new 12volt battery which shouldn't have been affected one way or the other by the wrong fuel in the tank.

 

Maybe the car was left on when it was towed, draining the batteries.

 

$1800 would have purchased an awful lot of cab rides.

Maybe you should stick to cabs, or get some training by an old guy that actually knows things.

There is so much to say, but I shouldn't say any of it.

Good luck, OP.