My first fishing trip did not go as planned

Were you pulling your first steep hill just prior to the event?

 

Who moves into a new place... apartment or house. They don't test the sinks, shower or toilets for proper water pressure. Move in and the realize that the shower sucks and the toilet gets clogged.

 

No, just sitting in 5th/6th on the highway

 

I was shifting occasionally as the manual says to vary engine speed during break in period

 

PDI at a lot of dealers is just drive it off the truck, park it on the lot and make sure there are mats, keys and they don't notice any damage visible from 30' away.
Pre-delivery they will check if there is washer fluid, fluid in the overflow and no homeless people living under your hood or in the back seat.

The Toyota PDI checklist also includes checking the differentials and transfer case and diff for proper fluid levels, if you look at the fill plugs you will notice that those were never opened. BTW put some paint pen/ nail polish on those fill point plugs, because at your next service visit they are areas that the dealer is supposed to check. And you'll be able to point out they didn't do it again when those paint marks are not cracked.

When the oil level light/ oil pressure warning came on, were you on any kind of a hill?

I can see if it was low it not showing up until you were on a steeper incline than you had been on before and the oil pools away from the sensor or pickup.

You MAY be able to get a courtesy extended warranty for your truck if you talk reasonably with the Dealer and Toyota USA.

 

Better pressure test all the plumbing, scope all the pipes. Open up all the electrical devices and Megger test all the wires, test all the plaster, tiles and wallpaper for asbestos. Structural engineering report on the roof and load bearing walls. Review all past building permits and contractor licenses.
Send a psychologist to the neighbours to check for mental problems and do a criminal background check on them too. Better Covid test them too.
Check the flood plains and Tornado and earthquake data too.

Lol

 

The Op needs to buy a longer dip stick...

 

Going by the reaction of my realtor, I'm guessing a lot of people dont turn on the shower and flush the toilet at the same time during their walkthrough. Or rap on the sheetrock with their knuckles wherever there is suspiciously fresh paint.



But yeah, count me as one of those that doesnt check ALL fluids during purchase. I'll do a hard walk around, check the paint, interior, open and close all four doors, maybe pop the hood and say "yep I see the engine is there." But I just assume that the bolts are tight and the fluids are pre-installed.

 

Thats what she said

 

I was recently out wheeling and had to park up on a trail to let some Jeeps come the other way. Engine Off / Accessory On for most all of the wait. I was high on the right side and saw a low oil level message in the center display. I've been up and down a lot of stuff that I thought was steeper, but it was the first time that I saw the message. No oil pressure lights when pulling away and the level checked out to be right where I left it 1k before, between the two marks.

It is a different situation for you, but it is interesting that the level light didn't come on.


The engine didn't stop before you shut it Off? If not, then you might have gotten away lucky? At least it is noted in the Work Orders / History. Be sure that the WO reads the way you expect it to when you pick it up.

 

Better get a priest in there too to exorcise any demons, maybe a Tarot card reader as well just to be safe.

 

My dipstick is adequate

 

I don't know about actually 'checking' things...I learned from my dad that you just have to walk around the vehicle and kick each tire once on the bottom and top. You'll know right away if something is wrong - low oil pressure, cooling system troubles, sand in the gas tank, car bomb planted on the frame, etc. You'll just know

 

So what's the script here, do we transition the thread from reliability complaints to quality complaints at this point?

 

I would ask the service manager if the oil was low from the factory why it wasn't checked and topped off at the PDI. The answer of course is they didn't do the PSI properly.

I would tell him you are going to contact Toyota corporate and express your lack of confidence in their product and dealers. I would use that to get them to throw in an extended warranty.

They screwed up your trip and caused you a lot of anxiety and inconvenience. That should be worth something.

 

I bought my truck used and before i signed any paperwork on it, i put it up on jacks in the parking lot, pulled all 4 wheels and inspected the brake system, pulled the motor, completely dissassembled the motor, inspected and cleaned every single part, reassembled the motor and reinstalled the motor and refilled all the fluids. I found a dirty air filter, boy was i pissed!!!

Op, maybe now that your truck is considered used, you can sell it back to the dealership for twice what you paid?

 

Did they at least throw in a clean air filter??

 

OP, have a used oil analysis done at 5k on your first change. It'll likely be higher in wear metals and silicon due to break-in, that's typical, but this will be a benchmark that can be noted for future reference. Personally, my bet is the pimply-faced kid named "Chip" the shop Gopher, that didn't get the fill completed after starting the job. Wear metals will subside in the near future and it should level out. It might be good peace of mind for you as time goes on. Blackstone Labs is a good outfit to work with. Been using them for decades, myself.