Dealer oil change would be laughable...

Hey Kevin, You need to drop the Pro skid plate to change filter. Had mine done today.

 

Hi Don,
Good to know, W/My limited driving (Unless my remote work goes away at this rate who know's when oil R&R will be due?) who knows how long till I reach 5,10k mi. I've stuck W/OEM 10 k mi & had no issues & I trade around 70k mi anyways SO I have NO issues doing OEM scheduled oil changes. Everybody's got their own choice!! Not Looking for a debate either, It's your vehicle ( not you specifically Don) do what you want!

 

I'm new to the 4runners and when they told me 10,000 miles I about died. I've always changed my own oil my entire life but I'm old and gimped up now and just can't hardly do it. I plan on changing every 5000,.was told I didn't need a break in oil change but it's getting one anyway at 1000 , just to see what's going on. I got a lifetime engine warranty as long as I have all service done at their location but don't know if I'm even going to go for it. Everytime I've dealt with a service department. I've had a bad experience, actually had the police called and trespassed from my local CJD dealer.

 

Any suggestions on a good filter wrench, the web shows a bunch of cheap junk breaking.

 

I read this thread last night and almost became paralyzed with fear. I have a new 23’ SR5 with 2,000 miles on it, so I’m now dreading the first oil change. Then I started thinking ……. I own a 2006 Mazda 3, and have had dealership oil changes on it for the last 17 years, and I’ve owned two different Jeeps since 2011, all dealership oil changes and have had no issues. So I decided either Toyota hires the wrong mechanics or I’ve just been lucky for the last 17 years with 3 different vehicles. It makes me sad to think that such a great vehicle as the 4Runner has such shitty mechanics. ???? That’s what I’m getting from this thread. I’ll take me chances with my Toyota dealership.

 

I got this one at the recommendation of another member:

$37 Lisle 61040 HD End Cap Wrench, Toyota 65mm 14 flute

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0749Y9BQN?ie=UTF8&th=1



It not only grabs the outer portion of the filter canister, it also has the notches to help secure the filter canister so it won't slip. Very high quality metal and machining. It's a bit more than the MotivX version, but worth it IMO.

 

I bought 8 quarts(I use one quart to push all the used oil out, yes I am nuts) of Toyota oil and filter for $76 including tax. With RCI engine skid plate and Fumoto valve, it is very easy to do oil change on this truck. No thank you to the dealer's free bulk oil, and the service of their 19 year old technician. You are asking for trouble if you let the dealer touch your truck.

 

It seems the Dealerships hire the younger, less experienced people to do the oil changes, tire rotations, filters and wiper blades easy type maintenance. And the dealer is not going to put the real technicians/mechanics on these simple chores. Otherwise, they would have to charge more. But in the back of my mind I keep thinking these oil change guys are the ones that previously worked at the quick oil change outfits And they're in a big hurry to get each job done, skimping whenever possible so they can get back to looking at their smart phone. I guess the old saying still applies: If you expect, you have to inspect. Too bad.

 

The way I understand it is that a lot of dealership mechanics are paid by the job and not by the hour. So if an oil change is scheduled to take 1 hour and they're able to do 2 in that hour then they get paid double. Good incentive to be fast and efficient, but not the best when it comes to being detailed and thorough.

 

I don't think that English is his first language.

 

I think you might be right lol

 

The “Lube Tech” is an entry level position, not a Certified Master Tech working on a flat rate with all his ASE designations. Probably hourly minimum wage. At the Honda dealership I worked at there was a high turn over. Past employment status as I remember was a busboy from Marie Calendar’s restaurant, one I talked with some worked at Big 5 so we talked about guns on our breaks. Many couldn’t pour piss out of a boot with the instructions on the heel, haha.

 

Well they all have to start somewhere. But I'm surprised/not surprised that Corporate (of any car co.) would take that much of a risk to let an untrained/undertrained tech perform an oil/filter change on a expensive vehicle.
But I'm not the one that counts the beans or writes the checks.

 

The rate back in the mid 90s at our Dealer was .3 flat rate for an oil change only.

 

You would think that it would be part of the Service Manager's job to check the work of the lube techs ??

 

We would be lucky to even see our Service Manger 2-3 times a week. Probably generalizing, But some service managers I knew, Knew less about a car and more about public relations. Ex wife was a Saturn service manager... Will just leave it at that.

Those cats know how to be out of the public eye until desperately needed for an escalated complaint from a customer.

 

Have you used it yet? I got the same one based on what you had posted here. If you could tell me if this really works without it damaging the housing I would feel better about it. The reason I am asking is because different people are using different ones and the brand I see mostly discussed is the motiv x one.

 

Hopefully you’ll have an honest dealership shop that you deal with. Before I got my 4Runner, I had a 2016 Toyota Venza V6 AWD, fully dealer maintained. Because I had a friend’s family member that owned a dealership a few cities over and gave me a discount on 4Runner, I bought from them vs my closest servicing dealer, with using my Venza as a trade in. Shortly before my 4Runner showed up, I had gone to my local shop to service the Venza. They called me to say my oil pan needed to be replaced as the drain plug was stripped by whoever I last took my vehicle to get an oil change. I replied with “you’re the only ones who have touched my vehicle for last 3 yrs, check your records”. Service advisor said “let me call you back”. Then another person called me shortly after to say the bolt broke off as a result of corrosion, and the oil pan replacement was $450 plus labour. After arguing with them, I ended up saying fine but for the record I’m stating you screwed up and making me pay for it. I knew I need to use this vehicle as a trade in so couldn’t mess around to take a stand. A week later I got the call my 4Runner was in … if only I delayed my service appt on the Venza. I used to be the type to say “their fault, their problem” which after working for dealerships that doesn’t turn out in our favour. Like sending a sandwich back to the kitchen to receive that has been spat in. I trust that more dealerships will take every short cut to increase profit at our expense, and will blame us for anything that is their fault, since most folks don’t know much about their vehicles.

In any case, lots of local complaints of Toyota shops screwing up bolts on skid plates, drain plugs, etc. from local 4Runner guys/gals.

 

The guy that did mine didn't put replace the center perforated piece from the plastic housing into the new metal one. He also used an impact on the aluminum disk on the outside. Had to use a 1/2" to get it off. Fuck dealerships

 

Don't forget to paint your face with used oil after the first time.

 

I did use it not long after receiving it from Amazon, and it worked exactly as advertised. The filter housing wrench is quite substantial, and grabs the 'ear tabs' as well as the body of the housing, and was no trouble at all to use, both to remove and reinstall the filter housing. The filter housing drain tool I ordered at the same time also worked flawlessly.

My oil change experience would have been perfect if I hadn't kicked over a quart bottle of oil I had open to use to lubricate the oil rings...

 

This is the reason why I bought my RCI engine skid. First oil change I did I removed the OEM skids to do the oil changed and put the RCI back on. For all future oil changes I can use the oil filter access panel in the RCI skid along with the Fumoto valve in the oil drain cutout. I probably would have gotten the TRD Pro skid if it had an access panel like the Tacoma equivalent does...

 

Hope that works out for you. I had an RCI skid, and when I went to do my oil change, that 'access hole' didn't allow all that much room for you to snake your hand/arm up in there. I sold the RCI skid and plan to remove the oem skid when accessing the oil filter housing. For once or twice per year, it's worth it to go through the extra trouble to have more room to access that filter. I'm in no hurry when I do mine. YMMV

 

It worked fine. I had no issues when I changed my oil last month using the access panel for the first time. Could it be a bit bigger for easier access? Sure, but it was sufficient to get the job done.

 

Just a general warning regarding the filter wrench that grabs the ears. I have the same one @glwood54 has. I have used it on my highlander and 4runner without incident for the last 6 years.

However I had a close call last time I changed my oil with my new 4x innovation skidplates. The access hole in the new skidplate made it hard to see if the slots were properly seated on the tabs/ears, and I was too lazy to reposition myself to get a better view. So I did it by feel. It “felt” perfectly engaged, but it wasnt. Only the flats were engaged, and only at the very edges. I noticed it once it went a little “soft” and started to dig into the plastic as I applied torque. If you feel something off, stop and double check things. That coukd have easily turned into a cracked housing if I kept at it. Properly used, this style of oil filter wrench is the most capable of protecting the housing if ever gets stuck on there good.

 

The Baxter filter adapter as soon as my warranty is up.

 

If you can crack the factory plastic housing just by not having the tool grab the ears you tightened it too much the previous time.

I've never changed to a metal hosing on any of our previous/current vehicles Highlander, RX350, Tundra, 4R and I've had 0 issues. The only time I've had a hard time was after the free dealer oil change and that this was tight I had to use a breaker bar just to get it loose.

 

They'll break your lugs off! Lol

 

I’ve been surprised at the difference in effort required from one oil change to another. Especially since I’m the one doing the final torque every time. Maybe some of the difference in effort might be down to differences in temperature of the engine metal. I’ll admit I don't use a torque wrench on it, but I use a short ratchet hardly tighten past the point it lands.

The reason I think it there was a potential to crack, is that if you don’t land the slots in the ears, it mean you’re hardly engaged on the flats of the wrench. Enough to deform the plastic. It could just as easily round off the flats on the plastic before cracking though. Point is, make sure to land the wrench all the way.

 

Mine came overtorqued by at least 20 ft-lbs from the factory. I'm glad I used the Motivx tool to remove it, since putting that much force on the ears would scare me.