Dealer left engine oil without the cap-went offroading heavy

Thanks. yes, spoke to corporate. Lets see what the resolution will be.

 

While not good for an engine, the possibly teeny bit of dust you got in it probably didn't cause measurable wear/damage. I could be wrong. It's hard to know. But what are you going to do about it now? It can't really be fixed.

The oil light and white smoke on a steep incline issues have been reported before and are not likely related to your oil cap vacancy. Personally, I have not experienced the white smoke issue, but I have had the oil light come on when on a steep incline. It's best to not to remain on steep inclines for long periods of time.

The high heat transmission fluid alert issue is also not likely related to the oil cap. However, I would be concerned if that light was coming on. My first thought would be that am seriously over taxing my transmission and maybe I should take it easy on the truck.

 

Heavy smoke on steep inclines is NORMAL for the 3.5 engine.
When I say normal, don’t mistake that for “good”.

It has to do with how the oil drains in the head and the PCV location.

As for the oil cap. You are fine.
You are not the first guy to have done it. And you probably won’t be the last.
Mistakes happen. The chances you did any damage to the engine is “slim to none.”
They will not give you an extension on the warranty. And they will not fix a problem that doesn’t currently exist.

Seriously, I’d try my best to forget about it and carry on.
Maybe check the oil cap from now on?
Or don’t?

I will admit, I rarely ever check after I have my oil changed.
I still have faith in people.

And before anyone ask, I can still get my oil changed for less than $40.
And I’m more than happy to pay someone else to crawl under, change it, and dispose of the old oil and filter for that price.

 

It's good to hear some common sense and level headed wisdom.

 

you dont inspect your truck after it has been worked on?

 

Silicone would prove either air filtration issues or exterior contaminants entering the engine oil … say due to the lack of oil cap.

and yea the 3.5 doesn’t like extreme angles. Consider yourself lucky you didn’t pop the motor during those white smoke incidents. Others have…

and an engine replacement is $30k not a typo at the dealer. Since Toyota severely overpriced the part costs

 

This doesnt help at all.

If you pay for someone to do a service, it should be done correctly.

This isnt about ownership, its about an error committed by a service department.

 

You had me at 40 dollar changes. Where the hell is that? All my local places charge a Benjamin.

Except if I DIY it. It's 35 in parts at Rock Lobsters garage. Bring a beer and I might not spit in the filler tube.

 

its the world we live in:
do you count your money after a withdraw at bank?
check your burger bag before you drive away at restaurant?
check your shipment from Amazon?
should i keep going?

 

If you drive a truck and you don’t know your way around under the hood then you should be driving a car or have a bus pass.

 

But how is it constructive to this? Of course they didnt check it, I'm sure they will moving forward. It's hind sight, but jabbing at them accomplishes nothing.

 

Exactly.
You shouldn’t have to check behind anyone.
If you are checking behind them, you are taking it to the wrong place.
And should probably be doing it yourself.

That said, mistakes happen.
If the guy that left the cap off learns something, great.
Even better that the dealership recognized the mistake.
Not all mistakes need to “compensated” for.

It’s just part of life.
Things happen. Then we carry on.

 

i asked if they checked it? no jab

 

We've all seen dealership service department horror stories. This is not new. Check their work or be sorry later.
I wouldn't worry about the cap being off after having a couple oil changes.

 

and i dont think any dusty air will hurt the engine oil, dirt will just stick to the oil, op should be ok

 

The last oil change I had at the dealer was last April: $39.95 (conventional 5W30) Synthetic was $49.95. They always have some ongoing special and coupon buried on their websites. Just need to do a little detective work and they match a competitor if you ask. Prices have gone up over the summer (makes sense) and the current prices are $49/$59. They almost always match another dealer's special or coupon. Wally World is currently about $35 with tax for a jug of Mobil1 around here and an OEM filter is about $8.00 +tax.
I'm not crawling under my truck to save $8.00.

 

It ain't hurt. Relax.

 

Also you are better off if you do it yourself.

 

Does anyone know how low the oil is when the light comes on? Had the dealer change the oil, checked and everything looked good. Next day I was driving and oil light came on. Pulled into parking lot and immediately turned engine off and had dealer come out. Supposedly the o-ring on the filter wasn't installed correctly and it leaked oil into the pan and made quite the mess. They changed the oil again, cleaned/detailed the truck. I had them run full diagnostics to show the oil pressure never dropped. Haven't been able to find anywhere how low the oil was for the light to come on. It is more than a quart because it was below the dipstick. Dealer claims 1.5 quarts but would like to confirm.

 

The light has nothing to do with “low”.
It operates off pressure. There isn’t an oil level sensor.
Only a pressure sensor.