Hey guys - Thanks for the forum! This forum got me started on my case with Toyota which has finally concluded after 4 months. As frustrating as it was throughout the process (they make it as difficult as possible so you want to give up) they finally made things right and I received full reimbursement for the replacement engine that I had to put in (overheating engine failure) in addition to receiving a new engine block (to replace the one I had put in because it also had the oil problem...) to fix the oil consumption.
Helpful tips I will share.
1) To receive reimbursement for prior engine work as a result of the excessive oil consumption, you need to have all your documents. This includes proof you have been maintaining your vehicle (oil changes), work done (misc repairs), receipt of transaction (oil related problem), quote for that work, and most IMPORTANTLY - the CCR statement. This statement discloses the problem, root cause, and solution. You might need to go back and ask your mechanic for this writeup on the work (I had to do this). It is imperative that low oil/excessive oil consumption is the root cause that set off a chain of events and failures. To receive reimbursement, the problem has to be related to the oil and it has to be clearly stated.
2) Save your oil receipts!!! You will be reimbursed. I had not been keeping them, but I was able to provide them an estimate of how much oil I burned using my proven oil consumption rate by Toyota and yearly miles to calculate an approximate quart total. They accepted this.
3) Fail the oil consumption test. Don't waste your time unless you burn more than a quart of oil per thousand miles. My oil consumption test was 200 miles per quart... I could not even come close to making it to the 1k miles as stated by the test or another engine would have been destroyed. One thing that always bothers me with Toyota personnel is how they always downplay everything and make it sound like no big deal. The service rep told me I burned a little over a quart in 300 miles. A little over? It was a quart and a half...
4) After all of that, be patient, be polite, and most importantly be persistent. There is a huge back log of cars waiting to get fixed. How Toyota could have designed an engine this poorly is beyond me. I thought that's what testing on the DYNO's was for...
Whatever you do, don't give up. If you are missing documents, find those. If they say they can't do the work to your engine because it's not the original (had to be replaced due to failure), move it up the ladder.
+Someone mentioned that whiney engine sound - My Rav4 also makes that sound pre fix and post fix - Don't be alarmed.
+Muffler sound could possibly signify something is up with the CAT. Burnt oil and poor combustion is bad for CATS.
+My Rav has significant more power due to the compression issue being fixed. So nice to not always see it hit 3k rpm for basic acceleration. AND finally not burned at every intersection.
I will conclude by saying thanks Toyota for following through and thanks to those of you in this forum.
Best of Luck.