Hi everyone. So my Prius started smoking today on the highway – white/grey smoke that smelled like burning oil, and then the engine began knocking. I pulled over right away and had it towed to a shop. The owner was there working on his own car and told me all the oil had leaked out, and it looked like the last oil change was done poorly. I’m assuming the knocking is from lack of oil. The car was driven for only a few seconds once the knocking started. It’s being towed to Toyota tomorrow, and I’ve got a warranty for engine replacement. Anyone else had something similar happen? Do you think my engine’s ruined, or could it just be the leak and some fresh oil?
Knocking from an engine isn’t a good sign. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – the odds don’t look great. Hope you get lucky though.
Keegan said:
Knocking from an engine isn’t a good sign. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – the odds don’t look great. Hope you get lucky though.
I’m no expert, but I think you’re right based on what I read. I’m hoping it’s just some parts that need fixing or lubrication, but yeah… at least I have the warranty. It doesn’t seem like it’s my fault though.
Keegan said:
Knocking from an engine isn’t a good sign. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – the odds don’t look great. Hope you get lucky though.
Hopefully, it’s a simple fix, but yeah, that warranty should come in handy. Let’s hope for the best.
Keegan said:
Knocking from an engine isn’t a good sign. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – the odds don’t look great. Hope you get lucky though.
Warranties can be a pain sometimes, especially if it’s a third party. Here’s a video that might help you prepare for the headache this warranty might cause.
You’re gonna have a tough time with people denying responsibility. If the oil change wasn’t done at the dealer, it’s gonna be tricky. Prepare for a tough road ahead. Good luck though!
Voss said:
You’re gonna have a tough time with people denying responsibility. If the oil change wasn’t done at the dealer, it’s gonna be tricky. Prepare for a tough road ahead. Good luck though!
I don’t think I need to bring up the place where the oil change was done. My warranty doesn’t mention that. Do they contact them? It was just a random Valvoline in Rochester.
Voss said:
You’re gonna have a tough time with people denying responsibility. If the oil change wasn’t done at the dealer, it’s gonna be tricky. Prepare for a tough road ahead. Good luck though!
They might, but your warranty likely only covers defects, not issues caused by someone else’s mistake. I wouldn’t expect Toyota to be responsible for a mistake made by Valvoline.
Voss said:
You’re gonna have a tough time with people denying responsibility. If the oil change wasn’t done at the dealer, it’s gonna be tricky. Prepare for a tough road ahead. Good luck though!
They’ll probably ask for receipts and details to confirm the oil plug wasn’t damaged or leaking. It’s gonna get a bit messy. Hopefully, they just get to work and don’t hassle you too much. Fingers crossed.
I used to work at a car wash and oil change place years ago, and sending cars with no oil to the wash was a regular thing. I do all my oil changes now. A decent mechanic can tell you what went wrong. I’m curious to hear what Valvoline says about this.
@Kumi
Wait, how did cars even drive without oil?!
@Kumi
It’s crazy, but they would run a short distance before the engine would shut off. We’d sometimes see it happen when people didn’t check the oil after an oil change.
@Kumi
Follow-up question: How hard is it to learn to do my own oil changes?
@Kumi
It’s not too difficult. You’ll need a few tools like a jack, jack stands, some sockets, oil filter wrench, funnel, drip pan, gloves, safety glasses, and rags. You can’t skip on quality when it comes to jack stands. Check your manual for the right spots to place the jack stands, and make sure you’re on a flat surface. Here’s a video on how to do oil changes on a 2010-2015 Prius: Video link
@Kumi
I have a jack in my car for changing tires. Would that be good enough for an oil change? I’ll check out the video after I get this issue sorted (I’m telling myself I need a new engine to avoid disappointment).
Doing it yourself is easy. You’ll find a ton of tutorials on YouTube for your car model.
Super easy, just search YouTube for videos on your car model.
It’s really simple. YouTube is full of step-by-step guides.
Really easy, just check out YouTube for tutorials.
YouTube has plenty of instructional videos. It’s simple.