2015 Prado 2.8 smells after short drive

[Geoff_C]

I have done 19,000 in my Prado, and almost since the first service I have complained about a smell that was not exactly rubber or brake pads, but was very obvious after parking the car. In all cases I would have just been 3 km to the shops and back, and certainly no hard driving. They could find nothing wrong, and the last service the advisor confidently told me it was the exhaust burning off particulates. Now that made me feel happy till I spoke to a few people who knew more than I did, and clearly more than the Toyota Service advisor. Thing is that routine to clear particulates is only triggered at highway driving, and certainly not during a short trip to the shops, and most of all not three times in one day. 

So this week a good friend of mine put the car up on his hydraulic jack, and proceeded to inspect it the way Toyota should have. And yes he found the cause. Turns out the rear drive shaft out of the transfer case has a sliding joint. And its spewing grease everywhere and of course some lands on the exhaust. We can install a shield to prevent this, but I am wondering if anyone else has grease spewing out of this joint. My friend said its caused by over enthusiastic greasing, but why am I the only victim?

Geoff

Edited April 27, 2017 by Geoff_C

[trentmeyer23]

Who is greasing the vehicle? If it is the dealer, I would dare say it could be the apprentice.