I purchased a 2013 Toyota Prius V from Cobb County Toyota and simultaneously purchased the third-party 100,000 mile warranty. At just below 90,000 miles, my oil warning light came on and my engine sounded very rough, especially on turns. I took it immediately to Marietta Toyota (it's a little closer to my house and I had been having it serviced there the past year for basic maintenance. I didn't want to damage the engine further if there was a real problem) I was there for an hour when a gentleman took my car. When he returned from the shop, he told me it was over three quarts low. I was advised that I should start a case at Toyota Customer Experience which I did. I discovered through research that this 2ZR-FXE had a documented problem with the piston seal design and a Technical Service Bulletin was issued to remedy this oil consumption issue with cars under 60,000 miles. This was news to the customer service manager who had to research it herself when I called. I had the first "Oil Consumption Test" and it was checked on 2 May. I was told that approximately 3/4 of a quart had burned off in the 1200-ish miles I had driven which, "didn't qualify for excessive consumption" After that, I noted on their own paperwork the oil levels at various intervals with the engine cold for the past two months. I left the dealership at 93,823 and today, at 97,018, I have burned off over 1.25 quarts in a little over 3,000 miles. Since the manual and the techs tell me that they do oil changes only at 10,000 mile intervals, what the f*ck am I supposed to do? Burn off 75% of my oil between intervals? This is clearly a problem that started between the 80,000 and 90,000 interval as I was below my 90,000 mile servicing when I discovered I was 3 quarts low. The engine had gotten so hot, it had burned oil permanently onto the dipstick. I was also told that I'm responsible for the $2000-ish teardown and assessment service and I would be responsible for the entire rebuild or replacement ($4000-$8000 if they determine this to be "Normal Wear and Tear") What do you want to bet the diagnosis is going to be "normal wear and tear?" What really disappoints me is that I spent an extra $1100 on a seemingly worthless warranty and my past two cars were brand-new 2004 Matrix, brand new 2010 Matrix, and now this brand-new 2013 Prius V. Sadly, being just married, my wife was going to need a new car in the next 12 months. Also, I have serviced this car precisely in the intervals Toyota recommends. I still have a $26,000 defective piece of sh*t.
My inclination is to do a couple of things.
1. Do the useless second "consumption test" which will undoubtedly indicate less than their bullshit metric of "excessive" being a quart in 1100 miles
2. Possibly buy the new engine and then sue for breach of contract (the warranty) and defective product (the engine) in Cobb County small claims court.
3. Package this entire story for my neighbor, Dale Russel, the Fox 5 I-Team investigative reporter. I absolutely assure you that if this is not resolved in an ethical and satisfactory manner, I will make it my mission in life to cost Toyota as much money as possible.
4. I will create a sign and, while adhering to the law in Cobb County regarding protesting and private property, create a sign that says, "This dealership sold me a defective Prius. Talk to me first," and I will camp out in front of the dealership on every weekend until I get satisfaction.
I encourage you to view the video I've created in anticipation of filing lawsuit in Cobb County.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I purchased a 2013 Toyota Prius V from Cobb County Toyota and simultaneously purchased the third-party 100,000 mile warranty. At just below 90,000 miles, my oil warning light came on and my engine sounded very rough, especially on turns. I took it immediately to Marietta Toyota (it's a little closer to my house and I had been having it serviced there the past year for basic maintenance. I didn't want to damage the engine further if there was a real problem) I was there for an hour when a gentleman took my car. When he returned from the shop, he told me it was over three quarts low. I was advised that I should start a case at Toyota Customer Experience which I did. I discovered through research that this 2ZR-FXE had a documented problem with the piston seal design and a Technical Service Bulletin was issued to remedy this oil consumption issue with cars under 60,000 miles. This was news to the customer service manager who had to research it herself when I called. I had the first "Oil Consumption Test" and it was checked on 2 May. I was told that approximately 3/4 of a quart had burned off in the 1200-ish miles I had driven which, "didn't qualify for excessive consumption" After that, I noted on their own paperwork the oil levels at various intervals with the engine cold for the past two months. I left the dealership at 93,823 and today, at 97,018, I have burned off over 1.25 quarts in a little over 3,000 miles. Since the manual and the techs tell me that they do oil changes only at 10,000 mile intervals, what the f*ck am I supposed to do? Burn off 75% of my oil between intervals? This is clearly a problem that started between the 80,000 and 90,000 interval as I was below my 90,000 mile servicing when I discovered I was 3 quarts low. The engine had gotten so hot, it had burned oil permanently onto the dipstick. I was also told that I'm responsible for the $2000-ish teardown and assessment service and I would be responsible for the entire rebuild or replacement ($4000-$8000 if they determine this to be "Normal Wear and Tear") What do you want to bet the diagnosis is going to be "normal wear and tear?" What really disappoints me is that I spent an extra $1100 on a seemingly worthless warranty and my past two cars were brand-new 2004 Matrix, brand new 2010 Matrix, and now this brand-new 2013 Prius V. Sadly, being just married, my wife was going to need a new car in the next 12 months. Also, I have serviced this car precisely in the intervals Toyota recommends. I still have a $26,000 defective piece of sh*t.
My inclination is to do a couple of things.
1. Do the useless second "consumption test" which will undoubtedly indicate less than their bullshit metric of "excessive" being a quart in 1100 miles
2. Possibly buy the new engine and then sue for breach of contract (the warranty) and defective product (the engine) in Cobb County small claims court.
3. Package this entire story for my neighbor, Dale Russel, the Fox 5 I-Team investigative reporter. I absolutely assure you that if this is not resolved in an ethical and satisfactory manner, I will make it my mission in life to cost Toyota as much money as possible.
4. I will create a sign and, while adhering to the law in Cobb County regarding protesting and private property, create a sign that says, "This dealership sold me a defective Prius. Talk to me first," and I will camp out in front of the dealership on every weekend until I get satisfaction.
I encourage you to view the video I've created in anticipation of filing lawsuit in Cobb County.
Enjoy.
- Will D., Smyrna, US