My 2005 has 2400 miles and I religiously check the oil by dipstick. I've detected no use of oil on this car or the 2002 I sold last year. I did a dumb stunt though, and am even reluctant to tell on myself. Each time I wiped the dipstick clean to measure oil, I put the wipe-rag in a handy little compartment near the wiper fluid tank, for use on the next check. Only after the car finally stopped, and it had eaten 3 rags, did I realize the "compartment" where I stored the rag - was actually the engine air inlet!
Rag Danger Alert
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An04Prius said:
Isn't that just the ancient Egyptians????
:shock:
I used to own a miata and there was a rotten apples award they would hand out on the miata.net site for people who had down stuff like that you there cars and were kind enough to share and let others laugh. One instance was when a guy clean out his intake and somehow had bb gun bbs get into the the air intake tube. After a couple of miles of driving they dislodged and the engine sucked them up. The guy even had pictures to show the damage not to pretty but funny.
Tony
Tony
Actually - this isn't a funny design "flaw" in our Prius cars. I also check my oil with a nice clean shop rag in all of my cars. I ALSO put it (my rag) in that *very open* unmarked spot last month. My wife and kids started on a trip to Florida and got 400 miles away when the car stopped for no apparent reason.
This unprotected intake design cost me $985 in an inept Toyota dealership shop for (3) days, cost me a motel and a week's car rental because Toyota couldn't figure it out (it died on the service guys three times too).
I've looked at all (3) of my other cars for their engine air intakes and ALL of them are protected from this obvious susceptability. As you might guess, I'm extremely mad $ that they won't own up to this design weakness. I even spent a half hour on the Prius customer satifaction phone line to no avail. :x :x
I'm not the only one, and will not be the last one to be sucked up <intended> into this problem. :roll:
This unprotected intake design cost me $985 in an inept Toyota dealership shop for (3) days, cost me a motel and a week's car rental because Toyota couldn't figure it out (it died on the service guys three times too).
I've looked at all (3) of my other cars for their engine air intakes and ALL of them are protected from this obvious susceptability. As you might guess, I'm extremely mad $ that they won't own up to this design weakness. I even spent a half hour on the Prius customer satifaction phone line to no avail. :x :x
I'm not the only one, and will not be the last one to be sucked up <intended> into this problem. :roll:
I am with KTPhil, what did you think it was? a rag container? don't see too many of those these days. If you didn't know what it was, which I am fine with, why would you stuff a rag in it? "Gee I don't know why this hole is here or what it could possibly do, let me cover it up."
For Tony MS, not to ask the obvious of why would BBs be stored under one's hood, but how would they get past the air filter?
Sun -- not to be an A#* but the dealer is inept, uhh you put the rag in the intake, not them. I gotta think that is somethint they or I wouldn't even think to look for, "let's see car won't run, its got gas, key is in the ignition, OK Bill, let's check the intake for any lose rags, that is often the case with these darn Prius". And unmarked, do they have to label everything? The gas tank doesn't say gas tank, should I store my lit cigarettes in there? What protection are you looking for? You should never leave anything under the hood, even outside the intake. It could get sucked into the intake while under way. Could get tangled in a belt or pulley. Off the top of my head I can't think of any car I have ever looked at that had something over the intake in the way of protection, at least something stock. I am guessing the Prius phone line person hung up and said to his buddy, while laughing uncontrolably "wait no, you won't beleive this one! I got a guy who put a rag in the intake, and thinks it is our fault. That totally beats your guy who threatened to sue if he got into an accident while he watched the screen instead of driving and waiting to flawlessing his car."
Why do we expect the world to protect us from every conceivable problem? Do we really want the world covered in NERF? Now next time I buy a car will I have to sign a waiver to discuss that I have been advised on the placement of my air intake and another to say I know how to adjust the mirrors? That I shouldn't stick my wet finger in the lighter socket or drink from the gas tank?
I'd be disapointed if Toyota reimbursed you for the car rental and hotel.
Spike
For Tony MS, not to ask the obvious of why would BBs be stored under one's hood, but how would they get past the air filter?
Sun -- not to be an A#* but the dealer is inept, uhh you put the rag in the intake, not them. I gotta think that is somethint they or I wouldn't even think to look for, "let's see car won't run, its got gas, key is in the ignition, OK Bill, let's check the intake for any lose rags, that is often the case with these darn Prius". And unmarked, do they have to label everything? The gas tank doesn't say gas tank, should I store my lit cigarettes in there? What protection are you looking for? You should never leave anything under the hood, even outside the intake. It could get sucked into the intake while under way. Could get tangled in a belt or pulley. Off the top of my head I can't think of any car I have ever looked at that had something over the intake in the way of protection, at least something stock. I am guessing the Prius phone line person hung up and said to his buddy, while laughing uncontrolably "wait no, you won't beleive this one! I got a guy who put a rag in the intake, and thinks it is our fault. That totally beats your guy who threatened to sue if he got into an accident while he watched the screen instead of driving and waiting to flawlessing his car."
Why do we expect the world to protect us from every conceivable problem? Do we really want the world covered in NERF? Now next time I buy a car will I have to sign a waiver to discuss that I have been advised on the placement of my air intake and another to say I know how to adjust the mirrors? That I shouldn't stick my wet finger in the lighter socket or drink from the gas tank?
I'd be disapointed if Toyota reimbursed you for the car rental and hotel.
Spike
Spike, thank you. I havnt laughed so hard in a long time. You are really Chris Rock, arent you..Spike said:
For the record, I wouldnt think of leaving a fingerprint under the hood. Who the heck knows what goes on under there when its working :wink: ?
An0 -- why thank you
Tony -- Wow! that's all I can say
I thought I had done some pretty stupid things in my day -- OK, I have, just not quite this stupid. Can't beleive the hose didn't make noise when it was moved around for reassembly.
Wonder what they said at the shop when they opened up the core?
I did see a "Cops" episode once, where they pulled over a guy with smoke coming from under his hood. I think this was in Europe. Turns out the young man was going camping, and ran out of room in his trunk and back seat to put stuff. So he put, amongst other things, his tent (not a small one) and what looked to be a propane tank! Not the small ones they have here, or the big 25lb ones, maybe 15lb. A size only availible oveseas? All under his hood! The tent was touching something hot, and this is what was smoking as it melted to some engine part. The cops were dumfounded.
Spike
Tony -- Wow! that's all I can say
I thought I had done some pretty stupid things in my day -- OK, I have, just not quite this stupid. Can't beleive the hose didn't make noise when it was moved around for reassembly.
Wonder what they said at the shop when they opened up the core?
I did see a "Cops" episode once, where they pulled over a guy with smoke coming from under his hood. I think this was in Europe. Turns out the young man was going camping, and ran out of room in his trunk and back seat to put stuff. So he put, amongst other things, his tent (not a small one) and what looked to be a propane tank! Not the small ones they have here, or the big 25lb ones, maybe 15lb. A size only availible oveseas? All under his hood! The tent was touching something hot, and this is what was smoking as it melted to some engine part. The cops were dumfounded.
Spike
A certain episode of Seinfeld comes to mind when Kramer and Newman borrowed Jerry's car to go to Price Club for some enomomy sized shopping. Of course it all wouldn't fit in the car or trunk, so the engine bay had to be used as the obvious choice.
...it also let to a handsom cab eating beefaroni and obtaining an unimaginable amount of flatulence... and the marble rye stolen from an elderly woman not getting to George, even when a fishing pole was used from a 2nd story window.
Ah... memories.
...it also let to a handsom cab eating beefaroni and obtaining an unimaginable amount of flatulence... and the marble rye stolen from an elderly woman not getting to George, even when a fishing pole was used from a 2nd story window.
Ah... memories.
Oh my! That is the funniest thing I have read in a long time. :lol: And the "flawlessing" line is hilarious. I remember those posts all too well.Spike said:
Well, SunAir is probably not going to post here too much longer. I've always been an advocate of keeping your stupid human tricks to yourself. If you want to make friends on a posting board, or at a bare minimum not be laughed off the board, lurk a while and then decided if your "service experience" is worth sharing. I think he got too much sun and too little air at some point during his vacation.
Anyway, when you get right down to it I wouldn't be caught dead storing anything under the hood. It just isn't a storage friendly place. But what I love the most is when people do something really stupid to their car and then figure that the folks at the dealership are going to figure things out on their own, because rags in intakes are really commonplace, and they are not going to be stumped until they start taking things apart.
Oh well, I kind of hope that SunAir hangs around. There is plenty of good stuff to learn here.
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