Dealership BS. How do Flat washers 'fail'?

If they are the only shop in town, I would drive to a different town!


FYI, sounds like the person who changed your fluid torqued down the bolts too tight, only way to destroy those washers. TBH, you're lucky they didn't strip the bolts and holes out!

 

They are commonly called crush washers and are supposed to be only used once and replaced.

 

Was the change inverter coolant or Toyota ATF WS in the transaxle?

 

I'm trying to figure out if it's coolant or transaxle fluid you had changed. Can you clarify?

I've never seen a properly torqued crush washer fail. Either the "express team" torqued it to failure, or more likely, they put it on finger-tight and never came back to torque it. There's got to be some back story, and you'll likely never get it. The language of the last invoice is pure "circle the wagons".

 

coolant

 

Having a "tainted" view of dealerships, I would view your situation two ways. First, they intentionally left it so it would leak, therefore getting repeat business from you. And secondly, they screwed up and didn't do it correctly. Either way, the consumer is at their mercy. I just don't trust a darn thing a dealership says. And don't get me started in how they tried to get my wife on one occasion and my daughter on another occasion to have things replaced that weren't even broken!!

 

Your dealership sounds like it is challenged on a lot of levels. Most dealerships are a hierarchy. IOW, the service people are divided into different classes of technicians as follows:
A Technicians: all around technician that can do everything including computer diagnosis, electrical repair. transmissions and final drives.

B Technicians: technician that can do everything except computer diagnosis, electrical repair. transmissions and final drives.

C Technicians: very limited technician that can do tire work, new car prep, used car inspections, undercoating and some oil changes.

Lube Rack Technician (AKA Lot Lizard) The lowest of the low. Unable to do tire work or brake jobs. May also do under coating.

I think your inverter coolant change was initially done by a lube rack technician. When your Gen2 came back with leaks, it was then serviced by an A technician. Just my two cents

 

And yet......you keep going back.
Maybe a change is due.
Or LONG overdue.
Just maybe.

 

You sure? Look at your invoice.

There's only a dump bolt for the inverter coolant. Then you fill up the inverter reservoir under the hood. That looks like WS trans fluid on the ground. Like the dump hole is leaking and its also dripping from the side fill hole down the side of the trans cause they jacked that up too.

They probably opened up the wrong dump bolt as there right next to each other under there then said F it he's getting a trans fluid change.

You picked a doozy of a joint there. And as far as your "plan" there only plan is a full and complete and by the book examination of your wallet but don't worry we gots donuts and a big screen tv showing some Tom Hanks pos movie.

Mine has popcorn!!!

 

I would call Toyota North America to report this incident, and your overall experience with this dealership. And let them know this has highly impacted your trust in dealership service and future choices to purchase another Toyota vehicles...

And I would discuss with dealership management on exactly what fluid has been replaced and what exactly you need it done..
Ultimately, I would personally prefer to have work done somewhere else and bill the dealership for all of the trouble they have caused you... ( I know it's unlikely they would do that, but I would argue that they are no longer trust worthy based on all the incidents of their screwed ups...

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i only go to the dealer for fress service and warranty. and sometimes the free service is expensive.

 

You could easily tell the fluid differences between coolant and Toyota WS transmission fluid visually... They also have different smell...

I would also make sure they topped off whatever was leaked out, not just replaced washer and or just tighten it back up...

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

If this is the 5th time they've let you down, I'm just going to have to hope you haven't told us about the hundreds of times they got it right.

Because who would keep going back to that?

 

Yes George I am in the same boat things I could usually easily do I can no longer do is frustrating for sure.
You sound like you know about the trans bolts it looks like that to me given the drip pattern.

See so much dealer nonsense here really get to hate them after a while. Ask around friends etc see if they have a good mechanic you could use. Took me a while I found a family run place. Take good care of them and pay cash. I tell them up front I pay cash. Cash does not give you a rash. I duke the guy working on my car, they remember me from that let me under the car on the lift etc. I get ushered right in lol. It works.

Bought my 07 new and the car has only seen a dealer for TSBs and one 3/36 warranty job.