Prius Sluggish after oil change

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(KD6HDX @ Aug 6 2007, 04:38 PM) [snapback]491569[/snapback]</div>

I'll hold on naming them until I get the car in and out of there. If I'm not completely satisfied, be assured, I'll post their name here, and every other Prius Blog I can find.

They were busy, and I'll give them one slip with the cap, but the performance mess up... Well, if they're at fault then I'll let you know who they are.

PS: I'm an X mechanic. I'm now an engineer and still do some mechanic work. I'll be doing my own oil changes from now on. I figured I would let them... Not again. I've studied all that I can find on how the prius works and I don't think they'll be able to BS me on any problems they might say they've found.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(KD6HDX @ Aug 6 2007, 04:38 PM) [snapback]491569[/snapback]</div>

I checked the oil level this morning and it's about 4 to 6 inches over the full mark on the stick! I called the service manager and told him I was pissed and that I'll have it back in today. He said he'll look to it personally.

OK, It's Toyota of Orange. Their ditty goes 'You won't get a lemon' but they should add, but you will after going to our service center....

I told them that I want somebody who knows what they're doing on it and to inspect. I will be inspecting afterwards... The manager said he would be on it personally.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pmoreau @ Aug 7 2007, 10:28 AM) [snapback]491803[/snapback]</div>

So, first they forgot to put the oil fill cap back on. Next they overfilled the oil. WHY ARE YOU GIVING THEM ANOTHER CHANCE???

Too much oil is never a good thing. Insure that the level is never above the "full" mark on the dipstick. The ideal is about 1/4 inch below that.

 

4 to 6 inches?!?! don't even drive the car like that.

good advice: never use a place that has "quick" "express" or "jiffy" in their name- or anything else that (correctly) implies that time is more important than quality of work.

even though my husband is usually too busy to do oil changes when needed, and it makes our intervals about 100 miles too long, nobody but him touches our car. the old adage "if you want it done right, do it yourself" applies nicely here.

 

It's sad to have to do this, but always, always, always, check the dipstick before driving away. Give the shop a chance to do it right by telling them, before they start the work, that you will do this. And then do it.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Aug 7 2007, 08:00 AM) [snapback]491816[/snapback]</div>

Good advice. Would you go have your eye operation at "Jiffy Lasik Outlet"? :lol:

Yep, do it yourself if you can. Nobody working on your car will care as much about the outcome as you will. Heck, I'm even doing my own alignments now. :lol:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Aug 7 2007, 08:00 AM) [snapback]491816[/snapback]</div>

I was not a Jiffy-anything... It was the Toyota Dealership that I bought the car at, a big popular one at that, that did the oil change. Their service Mgr. was very apologetic and gave me his card and said the next one is on them. I may give them another chance, but you can bet I will be checking everything before I drive it out of there.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pmoreau @ Aug 7 2007, 02:44 PM) [snapback]492064[/snapback]</div>

Sometimes free isn't worth it.

 

Well, good luck. I'm not sure I would want the service manager to look at it personally. Although all he has to do is, look at it, (see's a prius) and he follows through with his promise of looking at it. He gave you his card so you would not go over his head. NOW, I would be real curious to hear the actual hybrid certified mechanics say what they would do if their car had been driven with 4 to 6 inches of extra oil on the dipstick. I just measured 2 and 1/2 inches from the bottom of the dipstick to the full mark on it. If your eyeball figure of 4 to 6 inches is only half correct, that would be about twice as much oil as needed. My guess would be that running the ICE for even short amounts of time would have sucked all of that extra oil into the nooks and crannies that even a Thomas' english muffin doesn't have. If it were my car, I would be worried about potential long term damage to the ICE. Call me an alarmist, but I feel strongly about this. Hopefully your guess of 4 to 6 inches over the full mark is completely wrong. A free oil change for possibly damaging your ICE.....ask for more.


Will any of the wrench-bender resident P-chat regulars pipe in on this thread about what they would do? I'll check back after awhile and see. Maybe your car will be just fine. As for me, I have learned a lesson from you and your experience. I never check that stuff when I leave Longo, but I will now. After all, we are all human, and it may have been late in the day and the techs 27th oil change. He may have got 26 correct? who knows. At least you know it was not the monday morning after super bowl. (the old line about not buying a car made on that date because supposedley the assembly line workers were all hung over and tired from watching the game - I digress)

Good luck over the hills in the OC. That stupid jingle on AM radio from Toyot of Oranges (sic) is a catchy one, but the new saying might be, Orange you glad you bought from LONGO? To be fair, I have not heard any bad news about them, they may have some good techs there. But this is simple and potentially harmful to your car. It's a no brainer. Good for you for checking the oil level again.

I know a friend who's brother worked at a car dealership. Customers were considered idiots right off the bat. The game was to sell sell sell. The dealer is still there, under a new name, but I'm sure that this practice is common to many business establishments.

Some might wonder why I speak so well of Longo Toyota, and honestly I can say, I have had very good service with them. We have bought two cars over the years and still have them both. My 2000 Camry has 160K on it and runs as strong as the day I bought it. My valve guide seals need changing, and they explained what that little puff of blue smoke is at start up after the car is sitting for days. I've noticed it too over the last 2 years. When I have them open it up, I will have the valves and extra preventative work done too, gaskets seals and what not. It will be expensive, but worth it.

Good luck to you...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(KD6HDX @ Aug 7 2007, 04:23 PM) [snapback]492108[/snapback]</div>

I'm only an amateur wrench bender, but semi educated Mechanical Engineer.

When he first said that the level was 4 to 6 inches past the full mark, my first reaction was that he was exaggerating, but I withheld comment. However, assuming that it was overfilled to that great of a degree, I can think of a couple of issues right off the bat:

1. Foaming of the oil due to the crankshaft rotating thru the oil reservoir in the pan. This is bad because foam doesn't pump as well as liquid (i.e. the oil pump will not be able to pump effectively) and foam doesn't lubricate as well. Hobbit has posted a cross-sectional drawing of the engine which shows the relationship between the oil level (normal) and the crankshaft.


2. I believe this engine has a tendency to pull oil into the intake manifold due to the Atkinson design, so overfilling would make that tendency worse. I don't know about the english muffin analogy, but its very likely to get oil into the intake manifold and other areas where it doesn't do any good.

3. I have also seen warnings on other vehicles that overfilling could lead to seal failures. I don't know whether this would apply to the Prius engine.