Oil change woe - fill cap left off by servicer

There was a post a couple of years ago where the original poster never posted the resolution to the problem. I found myself experiencing a similar problem after having the oil changed in my '06. The change was done by a non-Toyota shop.

My wife had taken the car to get the oil changed last Wednesday. When she picked me up that night, I noticed what smelled like exhaust, and the engine seemed louder than usual. I searched here and found a post that referenced a similar problem; speculation was that the dealer had spilled oil on the engine. Since the smell or noise did not go away by Friday, I made an appointment with my dealer to have it looked at. The appointment was this morning.

When I got there, the Prius specialist asked me if I had looked under the hood. I said no. He then opened the hood and the oil cap was not in its proper spot; rather, it was on the cowl by the wipers. The Prius tech said that he had seen this before. Basically, the oil spewed all over the engine, so the dealer had to degrease the engine, refill the oil, and put in a new oil filter. $128.10 They also said that if the smell continues, that the engine pad and the wiper cowl weather stripping would need replacement to the tune of $212.22.

Well, I called the shop that did the original oil change, and they said that they would cover the charge for today, and they also offered to order the engine pad and wiper cowl weather stripping. So, it would seem that there will be a good ending.

Moral of the story - ensure that oil cap is in place after changing oil. :lol: