I took my Prius for its 75k maintenance and got a call back telling me that the engine is leaking oil. REALLY??? At 75k miles? They told me that the cost to repair was $2000 !!! Back in 2011, I purchased the Prius because I thought my 96 ford mustang was going to give out any day. Besides, I was getting tired of the clutch in the stop and go traffic and I'd be getting a lot better fuel economy with the Prius. I still have the mustang and drive it every weekend and sometimes during the week. It burns more oil than normal but what do you expect from a car that its 19 years old and more than 200K miles. It still has the original engine and IT DOESNT LEAK. So, as you can see, I don't understand how a 4 year old hybrid car with ~75K miles would be leaking oil this early! Has anyone else had this problem?
When our Prius was at around 60,000 they said it had a leak. They had to replace the oil pan gasket. It took them over 5 hours to do it. It was covered by warranty. When it was all done, I asked 'How much oil had actually leaked out"? The oil level had only gone down by maybe a cup.
My last service was at 60K, which was also the end of the standard warranty. I used to take the car in every 5k but this time I decided to wait until 70k since the 65k service wouldn't have included an oil change anyway. When it got to 70k miles, I kept putting it of for one reason or another. Finally, now at 72k+ I brought it in and they recommended the 75k service. I have not noticed any oil leaks on the driveway nor has any oil lights come on in the display panel of the car. So, if it had been leaking oil, I thought I should have seen some kind of indicator.
From what I was told. My 'leak' was not enough to even drip any oil. The leaking oil had coated the outside of the oil pan. Their standards requires that the oil pan must be dry and clean. We are not talking about a leak to such an extent that the engine is endangered. Or would make a spot on the ground under where it is parked.
I always tell people that if you find the leak, then it's not a big deal. I'd have to know MUCH more about this problem before I committed 2000 bucks to "fix" it....and I'd definately get a second opinon. How much oil is your car using or leaking onto your driveway? Where is the leak? What is the warranty rate for this same repair? I smell a rat.....not oil.
I would ask the shop to tell me exactly what work they are going to perform for $2000, and then get a second opinion. If the oil isn't leaking into the coolant, and you don't see much drop in level over 10,000 miles, $2K is a lot to spend to fix something that isn't really much of a problem.
I agree. You need to ask the shop exactly where the leak is coming from. There is kind of a finite number of places you could be experiencing a oil leak from, and I would think none of them would result in a $2000 dollar repair. Even if it takes 5 hours to replace the Oil Pan Gasket, Two grand seems excessive. Ask for more explanation.
you should ask someone to teach you how to check you're oil. it's really easy, and of significant importance to a responsible owner. even your owners manual recommends this.
When I had a Camry, the dealership insisted it had a transmission oil leak. So I had them make a mark at the oil level. It never moved down from that level. Toyota is very strict about what constitutes an oil leak. Take the car to an independent mechanic before spending so much money on what might be a non-issue.
That's why I lease every three years.My thing is get rid of it before it starts to nickle and dime you.First off I would get a second opinion from a non-Toyota garage and if they say it is what the first shop told you take that 2000 grand a put it down on a new 2015 leased Prius or if it's not to bad wait until the Generation 4 Prius comes out in 2016 and lease it or buy it if you don't like leasing.
2k to replace a oil pan gasket? That is rediculious. The gasket itself is 19 bucks and anyone with half a brain could do it themselves. Although if the oil is dry and it is not pooling anywhere or leaking on the drive way I would not think to much of it. Just keep a watch on your oil level. Winter months causes seals to shrink and expand which can sometimes cause slight leaks that go away once warmer weather hits. And never trust a dealer mechanic unless you have no other choice. They will rip you off and take everything including your house to perform a simple repair.
