I'm in the middle of my 2nd "qualifying test" because I checked the oil at 800 miles and apparently invalidated the test. (Not touching the dipstick would have been good info the dealership could have shared with me! Grrrr.)
Robin, I'm sorry to hear this. The technician who started the oil consumption test should have topped off your engine oil and then "sealed" it using the Toyota tamper proof stickers on the oil cap, dipstick, drain plug and oil filter. Here are some pics showing you what they should have done...
If they didn't do this, then they are not following the correct procedure themselves.
I'm not exactly sure what the repair is. Is it essentially a new engine?
If the engine shows that it failed the oil consumption test then the Dealer should tear down the engine and inspect the pistons and cylinder block walls. If the cylinder walls are ok with no scoring or wear patterns then they will install a new set of piston and rings like these...
if the cylinder walls have score (scratch) marks or are worn down like these....
Then they would install a new short block.
Should I just ditch this car and trade it in??
I would wait to see if it fails the test and if it does, go through with the repair. The one piece of advice I would say is to actually meet the technician who is going to perform this job and to make sure that he/she is a Toyota Master Technician. Also, just let them know that if it needs any additional repairs or recommendations to please let you know.
Toyota is moving towards a repair ideology of "Right Tech, Right Car". This basically means that the technician performing the repair has to be certified in that repair skill area. We don't want a lube tech rebuilding your engine now do we?
I'm holding off doing strut repairs until I know what to do.
That's a great idea.