TALE OF WOE:
I (we) had the fluids on our 2019 Toyota 4Runner checked and topped off and Valvoline Instant Oil Change in Wenatchee. We left on 5/5/2023 for a two-week trip to visit several ailing relatives and friends in SoCal and AZ. We got as far as Hwy 395 between Lakeview, OR and Alturas, CA when the drive-train started to slip and then quit working altogether. No cell service (of course) but the locals were friendly and drove my wife to where there was cell service. The driver who picked her up alongside the road knew someone with a tow truck who agreed to come get us. He said there was no-one who he felt would be qualified to do the repairs and recommended we go to a dealer in Klamath Falls (Lithia Toyota-100+ miles away). We arrived just before they closed (~4:30 PM) and they accepted the vehicle. Ther only auto rental was closed (being Saturday), so we got a cab to a hotel and tried to re-book our reservations=we were unable to do so and the loss accrued to be $500+. Two days later, we were informed that the "last servicer" (Valvoline in Wenatchee) failed to tighten the drain plug and all the differential fluid drained out, resulting in a "trashed differential". Since it was not caused by a Toyota technician, it was not covered by our 100,000-mile power train warranty. Estimated cost to us: $5700.00!! Two days more and we were told that the axle had actually welded to the gears and could not be removed-to the tune of an additional $1400 dollars in repair. We are now waiting to confirm that (1) Auto Club will cover the 25 mile tow to Alturas, as well as the 100 mile tow to Klamath Falls, (2) when our car will be ready (erstimated to be 1 or 2 weeks or more), (3) what it will cost for a rental to return to Klamath Falls to pick it up, when it is ready.
To return to Klamath Falls will likely cost us about an additional $1000.00 to rent a car, get rooms, pay for gas, etc.