We took our 2007 Toyota Sienna in for a routine oil change on Saturday. The following Friday we are driving home from work and notice black smoke coming from the back of the van. We pull over and discover the van is leaking oil onto the ground. Not knowing how much oil we have lost, we call for a tow truck to take the van to the dealership where we had the oil change. Technician investigates and finds a “pin hole” in the oil cooler pipe. Is it just a coincidence that a pin hole in the oil cooler pipe appears 6 days after an oil change? Do we have cause to be suspicious?
This sounds like plain and simple bad luck
In all likelihood, the guy that did the oil change didn’t notice the leaking oil cooler pipe
This oil change included a 100,000 mile check-up
Two possibilities:
The leak started immediately after the service
The mechanic didn’t notice the leak
The latter is more likely, IMO
Not to excuse the mechanic, but the dealership probably doesn’t pay the poor sap enough to do a proper job . . .
‘Oil cooler pipe’ sounds like something for the automatic transmission. Is that correct?
The car could also have an engine oil cooler
True, but those are pretty rare on minivans. Just trying to narrow down the issues here…
Leaks happen for many reasons. I had a pinhole leak just appear in a fuel line when my truck was 3 years old. As best I could tell, a rock or pebble hit the line. Had nothing to do with maintenance or lack of.
Unless there is evidence of rust, a road hazard is the next biggest guess.
That cooling line got “wiggled” during the oil change.
Sometimes all it takes is to bump your hand or a tool against a marginal part.
A simple picture of the “pin-hole” would eliminate a lot (100%) of guesswork…But I realize the way shops operate these days, that’s easier said than done…