Excessive Oil Consumption on 2AZ-FE Engine LSC ZE7

[BrokeLoser]

When I was first told that I had to have a oil consumption test performed, I had the same problem. I'm just thankful that I looked under the hood before driving off. There was no tamper proof seal on the dipstick and because of that, I made them show me everywhere that they had placed a seal.

The back story: I'm on my second test with this dealer; the first test was void because the dealer recorded the mileage on the vehicle incorrectly. I guess I could have caught this before leaving the dealership if I would have paid closer attention to the invoice. Now I'm on my second test test and the same dealer "forgot" to seal it up. I guess I could have caught this if I would have inspected the work before pulling away.
Is this plain irony?
Is this dealer just that incompetent?
OR
Could dealers somehow be incentivized not to fail these cases?

 

[newmanfan1]

Just wanted to say a quick thanks to whoever started this thread. I own a 2007 Toyota camry se, and had noticed it was burning a lot of oil. Saw this forum and went to my local dealer. Took the test and failed. Waiting for the parts to arrive now, not sure of the ETA of them though.

 

[Pimpleff]

Question: has anyone "passed" the test despite their vehicle consuming large amounts of oil? Also it was stated on this site that the test can be done twice. I was told by the dealer that this is FALSE. Is this true?

 

[newmanfan1]

I failed which means I get to have everything done through warranty. I can provide my receipt if needed, so you can see what it looks like.

 

[OishiiJPN]

Hello everyone...newbie here.
Has anyone had the test done where the tamper-proofing procedure was not done...meaning no sealant and or zip ties were used by the dealer? If so, did they claim you tampered with it?
I ask because I've just about concluded my test; (1,210 miles on it) I popped the hood and found that no tamper-proofing was done by the dealer and now I'm concerned they may claim I removed the tamper-proofing devices and materials.

Thanks in advance for any help!

So how did the testing go? Did the technician even mention the missing tamper proof tags?

 

[OishiiJPN]

Is this dealer just that incompetent?

Yes!

Could dealers somehow be incentivized not to fail these cases?

No. The Dealer, Service Adviser and Technician only get paid if they do work on your car. The first time they top off the oil and seal the engine they make $0. When it comes back and they inspect it for the oil consumption, they flag the Tech .6 hours. If it passes then thats all anyone gets. If it fails the test and they had to replace the pistons, they will get paid on the parts and 14.4 hours labor.
There is no incentive to pass a vehicle.

 

[OishiiJPN]

Just wanted to say a quick thanks to whoever started this thread. I own a 2007 Toyota camry se, and had noticed it was burning a lot of oil. Saw this forum and went to my local dealer. Took the test and failed. Waiting for the parts to arrive now, not sure of the ETA of them though.

Thanks for sharing your story.

 

[OishiiJPN]

Question: has anyone "passed" the test despite their vehicle consuming large amounts of oil? Also it was stated on this site that the test can be done twice. I was told by the dealer that this is FALSE. Is this true?

This was taken from page 6 of 10 (question Q5b) posted on the front page of this thread. Here it is again..

 

[Pimpleff]

Thanks oishiijpn, I'll be printing that and taking it to the dealer!

 

[BrokeLoser]

So how did the testing go? Did the technician even mention the missing tamper proof tags?

I haven't been able to take the car back in for grading and frankly I'm a bit torn on what to do. I'm wondering if I should seal everything up myself before taking it in. I'll bet they're so incompetent they wouldn't even question it.
So let me ask you guys: Do I take it in as it is and argue with them about why I removed the tamper proofing which was never there. OR do I seal it up myself and potentially argue with them that the tamper proofing materials and method isn't consistent with what they normally do / use?

 

[Matt]

My 2006 Rav 4 failed the test, We had the repair done in October and everything has been fine since. In fact the oil still looks clean after 2500 miles.
When we first asked about the recall, er warranty enhancement, they said we would be reimbursed for the oil consumed while awaiting for the repair. I have a boatload of receipts.
How do I get reimbursed?

 

[Bstein]

So, I received notice that my 2009 Camry XLE may have this problem. I guess my next step is to request the oil consumption test. Well, here's a question that I have: I live 3/4 mile from work and so i probably only average 21 miles a week on my car. This means it would take me over a year to put 1200 miles on my car in order to complete the consumption test. Any helpful information or questions that I should share with the service advisor when I'm taking my car in for the test? I'm concerned that my car may have the issue, but it may not present in this test because i'm not currently driving all that much.

 

[OishiiJPN]

When we first asked about the recall, er warranty enhancement, they said we would be reimbursed for the oil consumed while awaiting for the repair. I have a boatload of receipts.

Who said this, the Dealer?

How do I get reimbursed?

I would contact whoever said this to you. I have never heard about getting reimbursed for the oil but anything is possible. Keep us posted.

 

[OishiiJPN]

So, I received notice that my 2009 Camry XLE may have this problem. I guess my next step is to request the oil consumption test. Well, here's a question that I have: I live 3/4 mile from work and so i probably only average 21 miles a week on my car. This means it would take me over a year to put 1200 miles on my car in order to complete the consumption test. Any helpful information or questions that I should share with the service advisor when I'm taking my car in for the test? I'm concerned that my car may have the issue, but it may not present in this test because i'm not currently driving all that much.

Good question and the only thing I can advise would be to drive it more often.
Seriously, maybe take a few vacations during the year, let a friend drive it or start driving with Uber. My friends wife works like 1 mile away from her employer so I can see how this could be an issue.

 

[Craig]

Thank you for posting this! I have a 2007 Scion TC with 124k miles and had to get my knock sensor assembly replaced (damn mice ate through it... they coat the wires in peanut oil I guess?) and O2 sensor replaced approx. before Thanksgiving 2015. I had an oil change about a month before that. Otherwise car has been very consistent and reliable.

Not too long after the caliber on my brakes went and had to get them replaced along with the brakes and rotors approx Dec. 16 2015. The tech informed me that there was almost no oil in my engine and the kind guys at Monro Muffler gave me a free oil change! The guys told me to keep an eye on it going forward and check every week or so. I immediately assumed the loss of oil had to do with the guys who replaced my sensors since they have to remove the intake manifold and were the last to have access to that area of the engine. Checked it before Christmas and the oil was full, I just checked my oil again today Jan. 8 2016 it is on the empty line. I did not see any signs of an oil leak in my driveway or at work.

I work about an hour from my house and so I drive quite a bit.

If it wasn't for this forum I would have never known. I feel bad for assuming the worst on the guys who cut me a break with my sensor replacements. I am the second owner of this car and never really got in with the Toyota dealership for a maintenance schedule. I just called and scheduled an appointment for next Thursday (guess they are booked) to get an oil consumption test done. I am going to add a qt. to my car for now to last the week. I will keep everyone informed on the process. Thank you though!

 

[OishiiJPN]

I will keep everyone informed on the process.

Great! We look forward to hearing from you on how it goes.

 

[Vette]

I have a 2009 Toyota Matrix S that suffered an engine loss due to low oil. I got the notice for this about 2 weeks after it happened. I contacted Toyota and they got in touch with my normal dealership and upon speaking to them I had my car towed so they could determine if this issue caused my engine failure. The dealership told me they would evaluate the engine. There was some delay since this was the first time they had to look into this problem AFTER the engine had failed.

They told me they had the procedure from Toyota and I should bring it in to get started. I was told that if the failure was caused by that problem they would fix it. If not, then I had to pay a $110 diagnostic fee and get the motor replaced there or at my other shop. They then said that they had a technician looking at it.

All the sudden I get a phone call saying that I would just need to produce my oil change receipts dating from when I bought the car and that they could not continue to evaluate the engine until I brought them the receipts and that it would cost more than the $110 to evaluate the engine. It cost me $140 to get it towed there and I feel like they told me enough to get me to take the car there and then are trying to stick it to me.

I have two questions. Is this oil change receipt history common when dealing with this issue and has anyone else been told to do this when getting the evaluation done?

I have a 2007 Camry Hybrid, and John's scenario is exactly what happened to me except I wasn't asked for oil change receipts. The vehicle was purchased in May 2015 from a Toyota dealership. The dealership that asked me to have the vehicle towed to them, which is a different dealership from where the vehicle was purchased, has been servicing it since it was purchased. It was towed to them at their request, and they checked the engine and concluded that the failure wasn't because of excessive oil consumption and that we would have to pay for the repairs. I contacted the Toyota Customer Experience Center, and they basically told me that there was nothing they could do. I am very disappointed in Toyota because my family has owned a total of 5 of their vehicles, and this is the thanks we get for being loyal customers for so long. Do you have any suggestions on what I can do at this point to get Toyota to take responsibility for this? This is very bad business on their part, and they are sticking it to customers.

 

[Michael Fox]

I own a 2007 Camry. Bought it used. I am constantly adding oil. I took it in for the test back in August. First, I had to spend $400 to seal some small leaks. Ok, that seems reasonable. I drove the car for 1200 miles and the dealer said it passed the test because they added a quart of oil and it put the stick at full. One quart of oil burned in 1200 miles is considered normal? My 17 year old son drives the car locally to school and work. Small trips. Last Friday, I drove the car and noticed a burning smell. The oil was changed only 1800 miles ago. I pulled in to a gas station and checked the oil. There was no oil on the stick. It took 3 quarts to raise the level to normal. I will schedule a second test and will insist that I be present for both ends to make sure that I am not being dicked around. I'll also ask the manager to allow me to bring it back at 1800 miles. I think once that first quart is burned that the remaining oil burns much faster.

I will NEVER buy a Toyota again and will advise my friends to avoid this company. Toyota used to stand for quality, but that was a long time ago.

 

[Vette]

I own a 2007 Camry. Bought it used. I am constantly adding oil. I took it in for the test back in August. First, I had to spend $400 to seal some small leaks. Ok, that seems reasonable. I drove the car for 1200 miles and the dealer said it passed the test because they added a quart of oil and it put the stick at full. One quart of oil burned in 1200 miles is considered normal? My 17 year old son drives the car locally to school and work. Small trips. Last Friday, I drove the car and noticed a burning smell. The oil was changed only 1800 miles ago. I pulled in to a gas station and checked the oil. There was no oil on the stick. It took 3 quarts to raise the level to normal. I will schedule a second test and will insist that I be present for both ends to make sure that I am not being dicked around. I'll also ask the manager to allow me to bring it back at 1800 miles. I think once that first quart is burned that the remaining oil burns much faster.

I will NEVER buy a Toyota again and will advise my friends to avoid this company. Toyota used to stand for quality, but that was a long time ago.

Michael,
I agree with you, and we as consumers must demand that something be done about this. We are losing thousands of dollars, and Toyota doesn't seem to care at all.

 

[Hesus S]

I live up in Vancouver, BC. I have a 2007 Scion TC and this car is originally from California. I took it in for the test and it failed. Unfortunately they do not have the fix up in Canada yet. If I took the test results to an American Toyota shop, would they fix my car and will it still be under the extended warranty program?