Oil Change Access Door

We just purchased a 2011 Prius and we have only had one oil change conducted so far, at a different dealer. I haven't been under the car at all yet, but I did jack up a 2010 that we test drove before buying the '11. The oil change door was missing on that one as I was puzzling over what the dealer said about needing to have a lift to raise the car enough to open the access door. I like to do all my own work, but will probably do the dealer thing until the 25K free service deal is expired.
Thanks for this thread, as I now know to look at this hinge after each oil change so that I can complain if it is torn, or if the door disappears during one of them. Does anyone know if they made any changes between the '10 and the '11. I am guessing that Toyota won't make any changes until the 4th generation?

 

It may be possible, but having done this job with the undercover removed, I do not recommend installing the hinges without removing the undercover for the following reasons:

• The undercover is easy to remove. Takes about 5 to 10 minutes.
• The rivet washers would be difficult, maybe impossible, to install without removing the undercover.The rivet washers are needed to insure the rivets do not eventually pull through the plastic.
• Rivets are a more reliable fastener for this application. Screws and nuts can loosen. Rivets also leave a smoother surface under the car that is not as likely to catch debris.
• The hinges need to be aligned with each other and the crease so the door opens and closes smoothly. Making sure the hinges are aligned would be difficult working on your back under the car.
• There are only two or three flat spots on the cover for hinge placement. You want to be sure you drill the holes accurately in the right locations the first time, which is easy with the cover removed and not so easy on your back under the car.
• All considered, I think the job takes less time, effort and you will achieve a better result with the undercover removed.

Don't let removal of the undercover discourage you from doing the job. Its really easy and you will be happy with the end result.

 

It does not take a lot of lift to flip that door down. Maybe 8"?

I opened ours for one oil change so far: just enough, barely 90 deg, and held it in that position with a bit of string. I suspect the dealership mechanic would just push it back hard, until hangs naturally at 90 deg.

This, coupled with the p**s-p**r plastic spec, is likely what's breaking them. You shouldn't have to baby it, but if you do it might hang in there.

If it is starting to crack (or prior) look into doing something to insure if-and-when it does fail it will stay up there, not start dragging. I like friction tape both sides because it's a complete, seamless patch, and does not put holes in the shield, for a failure that might never happen.

 

Only one oil change?

It will fail.

Unbelieveable.

 

I think the design is OK, but like it was mentioned earlier the wrong material was used for the application!

 

Drive extensively on 401 in Ontario (main highway, high traffic volume) and this past winter drove over piece of hard snow that fell off of mud flap of some vehicle - it was stationary on road - it cleared front air dam but popped up and hit oil pan access door popping out clips and hanging down - fortunately discovered this before losing it. Went to deal for fix - $745CDN for part then labour! Not covered under warrant. I opted not to replace - instead (at mechanics private suggestion) - drilled four holes in plastic pan on both sides of ripped plastic 'hinge' (if you could call it that!) and put four zip ties in to act as hinge. Bought replacement clips and also put in a self-tapping stainless hex bolt just to be safe. So far so good. A very definite weak point in car design - particularly in climates with snow. I've been through 3 oil changes at dealership since and the fix is working quite well - in fact the Toyota techs have commented on how it's easier for them on oil changes!

 

When a person designs something like this the choose how it will open, what kinds of fasteners, the type of plastic that is used, the thickness of the plastic, how the plastic reacts to extreme cold and hot conditions. There are a lot of varabiles when designing something like this.

I am sticking with my statement.

 

ANYONE WHO HAS HAD THEIR OIL ACCESS DOOR FALL OFF, READ THIS.

So I've been dealing with this problem since Feb and posted on this thread various times trying to find a solution. I filed a complaint with Better Business Bureau, called Toyota Corporate who forwarded me to my local dealership who does my oil changes. Through all this, nothing. The only piece of advice I got was from the Customer Relations Manager at my dealership who told me that it's not covered under warranty b/c it's an external part BUT he advised me to ask the technicians to show me the oil change access door the next time I needed an oil change.

So, 4 months later (today) I went in for a 17k oil change and I insisted that I wanted to look under the car while they were performing the oil change. And sure enough, the technician confirmed that it WAS the oil change door missing, which is part of a larger engine cover part. I made the case that the last technician must not have screwed the door back on tightly enough so it fell off while I was driving. And it had fallen off a few days after that oil change. Coincidence? No way.

In the end, they finally acknowledged that they had made a mistake and have offered to replace the entire engine cover at no cost. That's almost $400 in savings. I strongly advise you guys to be persistent if you feel it is indeed the dealer's fault. Too bad Toyota is making cheap parts for an overall high-end product. Don't let them get away with shady business.

 

The replacement cover will likely be the same plastic specification, ie: if they continue to use the door it will break of in about the same time interval.

Maybe ask them to remove the entire panel each time they need access? This is actually not that difficult, but might tip them to escalate your complaint. It might also increase the odds of fastener loss or breakage.

That's a nice little piece of BS. Same thing applies say if your bumper falls off? LOL.

 

I've had 3 oil changes now, the 1st by the dealer as it was free and the last 2 I did. What a pain. If you could get the car up on a lift, like dealerships, it would be considerably easier. Jacked up and laying on the ground the access panel hangs in the way. Very poor design, if they wanted to cover it they should have made it to come off completely not hinged. The clips are a joke too, the last time the center clip broke when I pulled it out, leaving only 2 holding the panel. 3 days later I was driving behind my wife, who was driving the Prius and I noticed the panel hanging down. We took it back to the house, I examined it and found only 1 clip left in the hanging panel. I love my wife, she say's "why don't you duck tape it". Duh!!! I cleaned up the 3 seam areas with windex, applied black duck tape over the seams, which appears to be holding quite well, and will check periodically until next oil change. In any event I will buy some new clips to replace with. If the tape holds I intend to continue using in the future, for added security. Cheap fix.

 

We run our Prius up plastic ramps, I think they are called "Rhino Ramp",

The ramps raise the Prius enough for me to lower the oil door, and bend it 90 degrees or so. I than change the oil quite easily. The plastic push pins, 3 of them are sometimes a pain, but they seem to work OK and can be replaced rather inexpensively.

I have now changed the oil 5 times and the oil access door does not appear to sag, warp, or have any cracks.

This Prius is an earlier 2010 model I believe made in April 2009.

alfon

 

As Alfon pointed out Rhino Ramps work good for oil changes.

The little push pin things are a pain but you can get them at most auto parts stores. I just took the old ones in, there are two sizes, and found some that were about the same. I also use a tie wrap to hold the door up just in case.

 

I found a copy of a TSB relating to 2010 Prius Oil Chang Door issues.
The thread is PriusChat Forums > Gen III (2010+) Toyota Prius Forums > Gen III 2010 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting > TSB for oil change door

This is on message #1. The builds covered are in the TSB covering the three plants where the Prius is built.
PLANT PRODUCTION CHANGE EFFECTIVE VIN
Tsutsumi No .1 Line JTDKN3DU#A0178517
Tsutsumi No .2 Line JTDKN3DU#A1214667
Toyota Auto Body JTDKN3DU#A5164846

The date on the TSB is April 28, 2011.

The previous part #s were 51410-12100 & 51410-12101 and the replkacement part # is 51410-12103. All are called Cover Assy, Engine Under, No 1

I don't know which country this applies to - it has copyright symbol from Toyota Motor Sales USA.

I am trying to include the TSB here but the essential data is above if it does not get uploaded.

Apparently the 2011 model has been "upgraded" to avoid the issue discussed here.

 

This issue happened to me this morning. Sounded like I had plastic hitting the freeway as I drove, and found the access door on the ground, hanging only by the back side. I just bought the car, a 2010 with 27k miles on it. Was anyone able to successfully get this fixed by the dealer by printing out the TSB and bringing it in?

 

The same happened to me last week. The access door came off and I was lucky to recover it after backing out from the garage. I also found a broken fastener on my driveway. Upon close inspection, I noticed the fastener has two splitted sides which one was broken. My assumption is that the serviceman broke the fastener(s) but still put it back. After a week of driving, the broken fastener came off and so was the access door. Then it dragged along the road and finally came off.
Since the dealer is the only one who service my car, I took it back to the same Toyota dealer. At first, they said I must have driven it over the bump, scratched it and cause it to break. Then they look at my service history and told me that they can replace it under the Toyota warranty. I guess they must have known about this problem. So I am happy that I don't have to pay a penny for it as I was told it would cost close to $500 for this part.
If it happens to you, I'd suggest to print the TSB and discuss with your dealer to see if they can replace it for you free of charge.

 

When the TSB first came out, I needed an oil change and brought in a print out with me. They checked the part and found no problem, but replaced the panel anyway. Now that's great customer care!!

 

Mine broke off as well. I drilled four holes; two on each side of the hinge/crack, and put it back on with two zip ties, leaving a little slack in them. It is now hinged and was a cheap fix.

 

So, I'm assuming that this is NOT a problem on the 2011?

 

According to the TSB posted by KiwiRiceBurner, it seems to only affecting some 2010 units (depends on the VIN). 2011 units seem to be safe but don't know how Toyota actually solved the solution. My guess is with a different plastic material (because I did not see a hinge or what-so-ever on the new replacement cover). When the weather gets warmer, I plan to go under the car to check it out.

 

The dealer's work order indicates the replacement part number is 51410-12104.
The TSB posted by KiwiRiceBurner listed it as 51410-12103.
I guess the 12104 is the Canadian Part Number.