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2012 Prius v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon.........) Oil Consumption Issues

Discussion in 'Prius v Main Forum' started by blacklab, Sep 12, 2016.

  1. blacklab

    blacklab Junior Member

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    Hey All, I'd be interested to know if anyone else has experienced the same issues I did with a 2012 Prius v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon as it mentioned ALL OVER the prius v forums. Only the 2010 prius used uppercase roman numerals for model designation...). I purchased the car new in 2012. I had the oil changed mostly at 10,000 miles but on a few occasions switched the oil out at 5,000 mile intervals, most all the work done at Toyota Dealership. Around 65,000 miles I noticed the car was consuming oil. At 70,000 miles I decided to change the oil to spec myself with Toyota factory oil and filter to make certain it was done correctly. Over the next 9,000 miles the car continued to consume oil at an alarming rate. I contacted Toyota Corporate regarding the issue. They had me go to the dealership to conduct an oil consumption test. The car failed the test, burned 1 1/8 quart in 1200 miles. I reported the findings to Toyota Corp and provided them with all my service records. Toyota Corp talked to the dealership. Over the course of one month and multiple conversations it appeared Toyota Corp going assist me in fixing the issue, but then they did an abrupt about face, offered no assistance stating I had not owned enough Toyota vehicles to merit assistance. I did not feel right selling the car without disclosing the issue. The Dealership of which I purchased the auto gave me fair market trade in, but this was not the experience I was hoping to have with the car, our plan was to drive it up to 200,000 miles maybe longer (as we have with all our Honda's). Financially we took a bath on this car. I asked the service manager at the dealership if I made any mistakes in servicing the vehicle, he said no, you basically got screwed.

    Off the record Toyota mechanics have offered up varied possible theories. Carbon will build up around the low resistance piston rings rendering them ineffective. They see this from time to time. Some question if the size and weight of the Prius v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon as it mentioned ALL OVER the prius v forums. Only the 2010 prius used uppercase roman numerals for model designation...is too taxing for the engine, The v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon as it mentioned ALL OVER the prius v forums. Only the 2010 prius used uppercase roman numerals for model designation...) uses the same motor used in the standard Prius. Some say they are seeing consumption problems with v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon as it mentioned ALL OVER the prius v forums. Only the 2010 prius used uppercase roman numerals for model designation...)s around the 100k mark.

    Be advised if you are running synthetic oil you will not see smoke coming out of the tailpipe, zero 20 weight does not produce blue smoke. One telltale sign is wet oil residue at the end of the trail pipe. If you read the forums there's endless debate on whether to change the oil at 5k or 10k intervals. I noticed the service guide on the Gen 4 Prius states multiple situations in which you should change the oil at 5k instead of 10k which leads me to wonder if I should not have drank the kool-aid on the whole 10k interval between oil changes.

    Toyota has had problems with oil consumption issues on other lines of vehicles that resulted in class action lawsuits. None so far with Prius v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon as it mentioned ALL OVER the prius v forums. Only the 2010 prius used uppercase roman numerals for model designation...)'s. Just curious if any of you have had the same issue with your v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon as it mentioned ALL OVER the prius v forums. Only the 2010 prius used uppercase roman numerals for model designation...) or stand Prius as did we.
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i thought the warranty was more than 1 quart per 600 miles?
     
  3. rdgrimes

    rdgrimes Senior Member

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    There are more than a few Prius-v cabs running around with 200-300k miles on them on the original engine. If this was even close to a common problem even at 100k miles we would have heard about it before. Your choice to trade it in negates any right you had to whine.
     
  4. Coast Cruiser

    Coast Cruiser Senior Member

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    [QUOTE="rdgrimes, post: 2418781, member: 113341Your choice to trade it in negates any right you had to whine.[/QUOTE]

    HUH?

    You don't even have a Prius. Why even comment?

    I say he should complain all he wants. Oil already burning in a Prius that's only 4 years old?? That's ridiculous and totally unacceptable! And I keep seeing more and more stories like this on this website. All models, and all years, up to 2014? Something is definitely wrong with some of these engines.

    And what's this crap Toyota is saying to the OP... he hasn't owned enough Toyotas yet to get assistance?! Horsefeathers! I'll tell you what, if I ever start seeing my 2016 leaking or burning oil, I will get rid of it so fast… See ya! Bye! Adios!!!

    (I can still hear the words of the Toyota Service Manager ringing in my ears, about my Camry: "All Toyota engines will leak oil! If they didn't, I wouldn't have a job!" :ROFLMAO:)
     
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  5. Aaron Vitolins

    Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

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    Thanks for the heads up. I got a a 2012 v wagon last month. It has 84,xxx miles. I've been watching the dip stick over the last few thousand miles and it hasn't moved. So far so good!
     
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  6. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Did you do a lot of high speed driving. Maybe 70 or higher?
     
  7. rdgrimes

    rdgrimes Senior Member

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    This thread is pointless because the OP has no clue where the oil was going, and never will. There's a pretty long list of possible causes. most of which are not due to wear and tear.
     
  8. blacklab

    blacklab Junior Member

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    I don't necessarily understand rdgrimes statement about losing the right to bring this up if the car was sold but he did remind me of another point worth noting that could save others some time if you run into the same issues...gauging the cost of repair. If you experience the same issues at a minimum the cost of replacing the rings and pistons is over $3,000. If the car needs a new short block the cost is over $6000. I was told by the service department there is no way to diagnose the issue without pulling the motor and tearing it apart which would be a couple grand. In addition given the amount of wet oil you can wipe with your finger at the end of the tailpipe it's possible the catalytic converters lifespan could also be compromised from the oil deposited. The cost of that repair is estimated at $1,500 to $2,000. In addition if I paid to fix the car no one could tell me why this was not going to happen all over again in another 60,000 miles. There are no new modified parts to fix pistons, rings or valve seats.

    Also to clarify, I hope our situation is a one off occurrence and that no one else experiences this issue with their Prius V. For what it's worth I loved that car and three of my closer friends bought a v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon as it mentioned ALL OVER the prius v forums. Only the 2010 prius used uppercase roman numerals for model designation...) based on my praises. We like the Prius brand, my wife drives gen 4 Prius and we are hoping not to have the same issues with her car. However if the situation I experienced with the v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon as it mentioned ALL OVER the prius v forums. Only the 2010 prius used uppercase roman numerals for model designation...) is a systemic issue car companies usually don't address these types of issues unless others come forward to report them. And if you conduct some searches you will find oil consumption is a recurring problem with some makes of Toyota, 2007-2011 standard Camry & Camry Hybrids, 2009 Corolla and some Scion makes.
     
  9. blacklab

    blacklab Junior Member

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    Hi RJ, Yes, probably half the miles on the v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon as it mentioned ALL OVER the prius v forums. Only the 2010 prius used uppercase roman numerals for model designation...) were freeway miles. Speeds around 70 miles per hour.
     
  10. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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  11. rdgrimes

    rdgrimes Senior Member

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    You don't have a clue what the issue was because nobody ever tried to find it. Dealerships employ "parts replacers" not mechanics, and nobody ever bothered to try to find where the oil was going. Its not rocket science but it does take a tool set and a brain - which is a combination rarely found in a dealership. Bottom line is that you are guessing, and probably wrong, about where the oil was going. This thread is about whining and little else. Oil loss issues in other models are irrelevant, since this is a completely different engine. There have NOT been oil loss issues reported in any of the high-mileage cars that have been tracked here.

    A certain number of engines develop issues regardless of what emblem is on the grill and regardless of how they are run. You were unlucky enough to get one of them, but you bailed before you even found out what the issue was or the cost to repair. It most certainly COULD have been covered under warranty. But you'll never know.
     
  12. mikefocke

    mikefocke Prius v Three 2012, Avalon 2011

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    Something I mean to do at my next service is to check the tire pressure after the tires have been rotated to see if they follow the note in my service write up about the desired tire pressures which are different from the ones Toyota delivers as normal. And something on the oil filler cap to see if it has in fact been changed. Trust but verify.
     
  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    rd, didn't you used to have a v?
     
  14. blacklab

    blacklab Junior Member

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    Just to clarify, the factory Priusv (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon as it mentioned ALL OVER the prius v forums. Only the 2010 prius used uppercase roman numerals for model designation...) factory warranty is 6 years/60,000 miles. My v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon as it mentioned ALL OVER the prius v forums. Only the 2010 prius used uppercase roman numerals for model designation...) starting having the consumption issues at 65,000 miles. therefore my car was no longer under factory warranty. Since the car had so few miles coupled with the fact I had exceeded the factory maintenance requirements I contacted Toyota Corporate asking for help. I conducted the tests they requested, provided them with all the service receipts and over the course of 6 weeks, complied will all the next steps they wanted me to take in order for them to provide after warranty assistance. In the end they elected not to provide any help fixing the car. During the process I consulted with service departments at two dealerships. After adding up all the potential repair costs it seemed to be too much of a financial gamble to fix the car. And yes much to your apparent disgust I do not have the tools or the knowledge to pull the motor, diagnose and fix the problem on a hybrid engine in my garage.

    I agree with you many makes of cars have issues. Some random, others poor engineering. It was explained to me the potential common thread between the various Toyota motors with oil consumption issues are faulty low resistance piston rings caused by built up carbon the rings and pistons. Oil is getting past the rings and causing carbon build up. This comes from a service manager with 25 years experience that has witnessed many Toyota motor tear downs over the years. Much to your earlier post I was told some of the issues they are experiencing with the v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon as it mentioned ALL OVER the prius v forums. Only the 2010 prius used uppercase roman numerals for model designation...)'s consuming oil earlier than expected are coming from Taxi Drivers. However the more common occurrence is after 100,000 miles not at 65,000 like me. Others mechanics question if the engines would be less likely to have issues if they were using higher viscosity oil from the beginning. All said no one has a definitive answer as to why my motor failed, but the cost of the diagnosis is close to the cost of fixing the engine. I felt as though this information was worth passing along "in case" others experienced like issues. If you consider my account of a well serviced Toyota engine failing at 65,000 miles to be defined as whining so be it, but with all due respect given your irreverent and disrespectful responses you seem to be more emotional about the situation than I am. Peace be with you.
     
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  15. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    and with your spirit.(y)
     
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  16. blacklab

    blacklab Junior Member

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    Hi Bisco, According to the Toyota consumption test I conducted if the motor burns a quart of oil with-in a span of 1,000 to 1,300 miles it fails the test. Hope this helps.
     
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  17. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    Venture to say most would term one-half of that amount per mile to be 'high oil consumption' or moderate leakage.
     
  18. Aaron Vitolins

    Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

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    I commented in September. Well I'm back now with 106k vs the 84k I had back in September. Today just noticed the oil moving on the dipstick after a 240 mile road trip.

    I'm honestly a little worried. I don't want to be making payments on a car in the future that drinks oil. Oil consumption drives me batty! Especially since I just changed the oil 1000 miles ago, and now it's moving on the dipstick. Not happy!

    I always keep the road trips at 70 mph for fuel economy and keeping the engine at a easy rpm.

    I also change my own oil with the best synthetic oil the store has to offer. And I always let the engine warm up a few minutes before I put it under load.

    Concerned for sure :(
     
  19. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Ok to be concerned but it sounds like you are monitoring it carefully:).

    Just keep an eye on the dipstick and top up the oil as needed. The worst thing that can happen is the dash light lets you know the oil is low.

    What oil do you use?
     
  20. lebansch62

    lebansch62 New Member

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    I have a 2013 v with almost 180K miles on it. Since about 75K milesI have changed my own
    oil - approx every 7500 miles. If I have driven a lot of highway miles (70-80 mph)
    during the 7500 miles, I usually have to add oil. If the 7500 miles has mostly been close to
    home it doesn't seem to burn oil. The performance of the car does not seem to change and
    the sound of the engine does not change. I have no idea what this means but that is
    the experience I have had.
     
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