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What did they do to my RAV4?

4K views 25 replies 12 participants last post by  Dr. Dyno 
#1 ·
I have a 2012 Rav4 with 4cyl and 4WD. I took it in to the dealer today to get the oil changed. It has about 31000 miles and had given me no problems. I drove away from the dealership and got about two miles when there was a loud pop, my engine had no power, and a huge cloud of smoke emerged from the rear and filled the interior. It looked just like a NASCAR car that had blown an engine.

I looked at the dipstick and the oil level was about twice as high as the full mark - one of the service reps admitted that they had a problem with one of their computer devices that replaced the oil.

What damage have they likely done to my vehicle?
 
#2 ·
I bet you could have popped a few seals, like piston rings, maybe a head gasket. Though strange the smoke came from the rear. Perhaps oil burning in the exhaust system if it passed through that far?
 
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#3 ·
Worst case you'll get a new engine which is actually not a bad deal.
 
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#5 ·
I've seen overfilled engines before where someone "changed" his oil w/o draining any. Loss of power and lots of smoke ensued but no permanent damage.

In this case who knows how overfilled it was. And the loud pop and no power are pretty disconcerting! :egad:
Probably couldn't blow piston rings but anything else is in play. But a new rings come with a new engine anyway.

I'd document the whole incident thoroughly especially if they say it was something minor and "it'll be okay." I think not. IMO, the only thing difference between this and a NASCAR race car blowing an engine is this one has a different Toyota engine. Or is that had?
 
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#6 ·
The saga continues. The dealer called today and said that they've checked it out and everything is OK. They claim that it had a quart too much oil and that some "leaked out" causing the smoke. They say the engines safety features shut it down, resulting in no power. They say they did a compression check and the rings are fine. I find it hard to believe that nothing broke with all that smoke.

We'll see when I pick it up.
 
#10 ·
Compression check checks only the compression rings and not the oil rings.
Make sure you get something in writing about the incident for documentation in case of future problems. If the dealership is making things difficult, open a case with corporate office.

One more thing, dealerships are notorious for overfilling oil, especially in the V6 RAV4.
It happened to me a lot. I drained the excess (up to a quart IIRC) at home with no bad effects. They must have done something crazy instead. Like forgetting to drain the old oil and filling it up with new.
 
#7 ·
A quart too much? Yeah right!! That would have done NOTHING.
You saw the dipstick way high and that was AFTER all the smoke.

As I said document ANY change in performance or oil usage.
 
#11 ·
Agree with Dr. Dyno - carefully document everything about what happened and the dealer's explanation, and keep a careful eye on the engine oil level and note any change, such as the engine using oil. If the dealer badly overfilled the engine oil one result may be a blown oil seal or oil seals or a gasket, such as at the oil sump. The overfill also could have overloaded and damaged the crankcase air pollution control system. That could explain the smoke which you experienced.
 
#12 ·
I picked it up today. They had detailed it, washed it and filled it with gas, so it would appear they are trying to make me happy. I drove it home - about 18-miles - with no problem. I'm leaving it sitting overnight with a big sheet of cardboard underneath to check for leaks. I don't see any sign of smoke from the tailpipe - I don't hear anything unusual when the engine idles. Maybe nothing happened.
Thanks all.
 
#13 ·
I picked it up today.... Maybe nothing happened.
THEY may have dodged a bullet!
Wonder how many others their refill error affected?
 
#15 ·
That's good news. And as Dr. Dyno noted, one has to wonder whether the dealership has overfilled other vehicles as well, especially as the dealership reportedly had said that one of their computer devices responsible for oil filling had a problem.
 
#19 ·
I questioned that as well, but on the other hand one could envision a computerised system where all the service tech has to do is to make certain is to make certain that the vehicle's service order matches the vehicle, insert the oil filler into the vehicle's oil filler receptacle, and then press the key on the computer terminal and hopefully the correct amount of the correct type and weight of oil would automatically be dispensed.
 
#21 ·
I don't like the idea of all that oil going through the catalytic converter. It is designed to handle burned hydrocarbons, not oil.


If they did use a computerized device to fill the crankcase, a human needs to check the level before the vehicle is released. I'm guessing that the oil was not drained and the crankcase was overfull more than a quart. I've checked oil levels on vehicles I am diagnosing for an illuminated MIL, and have seen crankcases 1 quart overfull with no noticeable issues. Churning of the oil aerates it, so the components inside the engine that need a constant source of lubrication are fed a mixture of air and oil.


I'm puzzled by the pop.


Definitely get something in writing, even if you have to hire a lawyer to draft the letter. You don't want to have issues 3 years down the road that were caused by this incident without having insurance that the damage will be taken care of under warranty if anything happens that can be proven to be caused by the overfilled crankcase.
 
#22 ·
I'm guessing that the oil was not drained and the crankcase was overfull more than a quart.
My guess too. Human error conveniently blamed on a computer. At least that makes it more unlikely it happened on other cars.
 
#23 ·
Digging around on the internet reveals that there are computerized filling systems available but they appear to be quite expensive and it is doubtful that car dealerships would have them. And I certainly agree that if such a system is used a human needs to check the actual fill level. although sometimes one wonders whether dealers' service techs actually always check oil levels when refilling crankcases.


About the "pop" the OP reported - I would suspect that it had something to do with the CCV pollution control system. One has to wonder whether the OP's RAV computer codes were checked by the dealer when the car was returned to their service area.
 
#26 ·
One has to wonder whether the OP's RAV computer codes were checked by the dealer when the car was returned to their service area.
Sure they were - and quickly reset w/o any record. It's called destroying the evidence. :surprise
 
#25 ·
I got a follow up call from some company that checks up on this dealer. I've gotten calls from them before, and they claim to be from the dealer but the area code is from somewhere else.. When I told the woman that they blew up my car, she was shocked into wordlessness. I then went into a complete description of what happened since she told me the conversation was being recorded. It will be interesting to see what comes of that, if anything.

As for computerized oil changes, I believe it. This dealership in in a building that's only a couple of years old and has all brand new service equipment. The whole building is high tech - even with computer workstations for people to use while waiting.

I'm taking it on a 200-mile trip next week. That should turn up problems, if there are any.
 
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