Why I do My Own Maintenance and Repairs

C

CutthroatSlam

Senior Member
These pictures provide answers to two questions; one personal, one much more macro. While on vacation, we dropped the 4Runner off at Walmart in Missoula for an oil change. They said it would be an hour, so we walked over to Sportsman’s Warehouse to get our Montana fishing licenses, a fly line, fly box and some flies. Came back to Walmart an hour later and the 4Runner is still in the bay with the hood up and no one working on it. So we continue shopping in Walmart, come back and the 4Runner is still there with the hood up and no one working on it. Sit down in the waiting area and unbeknownst to us, they move the 4Runner out of the bay and into the parking lot. I inquire about its status and the guy at the register could not find any paperwork. He finally talks to the tech who says that he could not remove a bolt from the skid plate and suggests that it’s stripped. Hmmm, I installed that skid plate which is a Toyota TRD version. I check the bolts on the skid plate and they’re all tight, so the issue is not a stripped bolt or the frame threads.

I gave up and went back in the store and bought oil and filter. Then I went to Harbor Freight and bought a ratchet set and filter wrench. After much more shopping at HD and Costco (we’re outfitting a 3rd home) we get home and I tear into the oil change job. Here’s the pics of the inside of the skid plate. The front two bolts have spacers and they are held to the spacers by washers. So when the bolts are fully backed out of the frame threads, they just spin and never fully come out of the skid plate, by design to keep the spacers in place. Had the idiot removed the rear bolts, the whole skid plate drops down. Duh!

Answer to the personal question of why I do this work myself: I just wasted 2 hours waiting for this idiot to fail. I then did the oil change myself in 30 minutes. My time is valuable, especially while on vacation.

Now the the macro question as to why there is income inequality in America: You just can’t fix stupid!
 

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CutthroatSlam said:
These pictures provide answers to two questions; one personal, one much more macro. While on vacation, we dropped the 4Runner off at Walmart in Missoula for an oil change. They said it would be an hour, so we walked over to Sportsman’s Warehouse to get our Montana fishing licenses, a fly line, fly box and some flies. Came back to Walmart an hour later and the 4Runner is still in the bay with the hood up and no one working on it. So we continue shopping in Walmart, come back and the 4Runner is still there with the hood up and no one working on it. Sit down in the waiting area and unbeknownst to us, they move the 4Runner out of the bay and into the parking lot. I inquire about its status and the guy at the register could not find any paperwork. He finally talks to the tech who says that he could not remove a bolt from the skid plate and suggests that it’s stripped. Hmmm, I installed that skid plate which is a Toyota TRD version. I check the bolts on the skid plate and they’re all tight, so the issue is not a stripped bolt or the frame threads.



I gave up and went back in the store and bought oil and filter. Then I went to Harbor Freight and bought a ratchet set and filter wrench. After much more shopping at HD and Costco (we’re outfitting a 3rd home) we get home and I tear into the oil change job. Here’s the pics of the inside of the skid plate. The front two bolts have spacers and they are held to the spacers by washers. So when the bolts are fully backed out of the frame threads, they just spin and never fully come out of the skid plate, by design to keep the spacers in place. Had the idiot removed the rear bolts, the whole skid plate drops down. Duh!



Answer to the personal question of why I do this work myself: I just wasted 2 hours waiting for this idiot to fail. I then did the oil change myself in 30 minutes. My time is valuable, especially while on vacation.



Now the the macro question as to why there is income inequality in America: You just can’t fix stupid!
Click to expand...



Your first problem is you brought it to a Walmart...?
I understand your time is very valuable, so is your truck...
 
Walmart is worse than the dealer and that's pretty hard to do. If I absolutely had to have my oil changed right now, which really is almost never the case, i'd simply go to AutoZone or wherever, buy what I need, change my oil right there in the parking lot, dump my waste oil in their container, and continue on. If you know you're getting close to needing an oil change before a trip, change it before you leave. So what if it's a little early, fresh oil is never a bad thing.
 
The last two times I had oil changed by someone else, both times a Toyota DEALER, they screwed up the skid bolts and threads by not tightening them down. 2001 and 2008, both times the truck in my sig. The 2001 incident gave me the incentive to start doing it myself since I now had a house. 2008 I was out of state for an extended time and didn't have my tools. Both times Toyota took care of it.
When I changed the oil on my current 4runner for the first time, I encountered the same issue with the bolts and had a dealer fix it.
Laziness (not hand starting bolts - using power tools) and greed (turn and burn oil change service - numbers game) cause these issues. Toyota lost money from me by having to make more expensive repairs than the cost of the oil change, I would think.
 
2016 4Runner SR5 said:
Walmart is worse than the dealer and that's pretty hard to do. If I absolutely had to have my oil changed right now, which really is almost never the case, i'd simply go to AutoZone or wherever, buy what I need, change my oil right there in the parking lot, dump my waste oil in their container, and continue on. If you know you're getting close to needing an oil change before a trip, change it before you leave. So what if it's a little early, fresh oil is never a bad thing.
Click to expand...

Normally I would, but I’ve been remodeling a bathroom for my sister on weekends and had no time. Also, we bought another (3rd) home in Stevensville, MT and I’ve seen my wife and the 4Runner about 3 weeks since we closed on June 4th. This trip had her going from Fullerton to Spokane where she picked me up. Then to Fernie BC where we did some fly fishing. Then down to our home Stevensville, MT.
 
+1 on the problem being Walmart. Granted, you're going to pay quite the premium at a dealership, but at least they know the vehicles better.

That said, I'm a do-it-yourselfer through and through. I like to know that the work has been done correctly... or who to blame if it wasn't ;):.
 
well in theory while I can do the oil change faster than the dealer. But with older cars I do want someone to shake the wheels and do a full multipoint inspection and look for loose suspension parts or reasons to make money of me. If you do the oil change yourself you really aren't looking as well as someone who has it on a lift. Also I doubt anyone here actually jacks each wheel and gives a 3 and 9 shake and a 12 and 6 shake every oil change. and check their brake pad ware.

While I say this is good on paper, I brought my subaru to the dealer and they said my brake pads increased in size from the last inspection, so its really as good as your mechanic, which is really hard to come by. Once you find one they aren't always as available as you need and easy to get to.

in summery car ownership is a real headache.
 
With all due respect, Walmart could **** up a wet dream. That place is the third layer of hell. Complaining about poor service at Walmart is like a vegan saying there aren’t many options at McDonald’s.
 
Zrunner50 said:
You’re talking shit about someone else being stupid and you took your 4Runner to Walmart....
Click to expand...

You obviously can’t read. We’re on a road trip vacation. I always do my own work, but in this instance, took it to Walmart for the service. They failed, so I bought the oil, filter and tools and did the work myself. I needed the tools to outfit my home (3rd home BTW) in Montana.

So **** off dick wad. I see that you live in Houston. Houston is a polite word for a shithole.
 
CutthroatSlam said:
You obviously can’t read. We’re on a road trip vacation. I always do my own work, but in this instance, took it to Walmart for the service. They failed, so I bought the oil, filter and tools and did the work myself. I needed the tools to outfit my home (3rd home BTW) in Montana.

So **** off dick wad. I see that you live in Houston. Houston is a polite word for a shithole.
Click to expand...

That’s rich coming from a Cali resident. Next time at least take it to a dealership or someone who knows about this kind of stuff.
 
MagneticTRD said:
That’s rich coming from a Cali resident. Next time at least take it to a dealership or someone who knows about this kind of stuff.
Click to expand...

I’ve forgotten more than the stealership techs will ever know.

Been to Houston, it’s a dump. My wife lived there for 9 months after Texaco bought Ghetty. That was enough and she took the parachute and moved back to California. My brother interviewed for a treasury position with Enron including meeting with Fastow. He said no tanks, they was evil and there’s no surf in Houston.

I own 3 homes: 2 in CA and most recent in Montana. Sorry, but Houston is not even worth an ass wipe.
 
I am so sorry i am coming to this a little late, but i giggled pretty hard as i read through it.

Yeah, you can say "hey, its Walmart..." but you still expect a professional job done, or tell me you cant do it and let me make the choice to leave.

I needed some tires, and decided on a local Pep Boys for a sale they had on Cooper AT3s...too good a price to pass up. i go in, early morning, at store opening, get there and am third in line. i dont expect anything special, just mount them so i can go. i go for a walk, as i am walking out i see them pulling the truck into the bay, GREAT. i come back and the rims and tires are sitting on the ground, ok...its whatever. i go get some breakfast, come back, nothing's changed. i walk in and ask, there is some sort of power outage, ok, ish happens. another hour, nothing, i ask, power was just fixed, ok, things should start to move right. i go outside again, and see other bay techs moving, working, mine isnt...its as if he's waiting on a bus. then the capper...this guy walks out, and goes to the rear parking lot to get a smoke. of course i go in and ask, the manager says 'oh, he's working on it'...um, no sir, he's in the back, and YOU know ive been here for 2hrs now for a job that should take about 45 min. then i at least get some entertainment, the manager ripping the tech a new one...

the double capper...i drive off, hit the highway, and, you guessed it, these boobs didnt even balance the tires correctly. i go to toyo about 2 weeks later, and they do it, saying the tires had to be spun on the rim to get them balanced.

do YOUR own work...when you can.
 
CutthroatSlam said:
I’ve forgotten more than the stealership techs will ever know.

Been to Houston, it’s a dump. My wife lived there for 9 months after Texaco bought Ghetty. That was enough and she took the parachute and moved back to California. My brother interviewed for a treasury position with Enron including meeting with Fastow. He said no tanks, they was evil and there’s no surf in Houston.

I own 3 homes: 2 in CA and most recent in Montana. Sorry, but Houston is not even worth an ass wipe.
Click to expand...

Obviously you forgot how bad taking your vehicle to Walmart is. At least the dealership techs would have dealt with the 4Runner skids before.
 
MagneticTRD said:
Obviously you forgot how bad taking your vehicle to Walmart is. At least the dealership techs would have dealt with the 4Runner skids before.
Click to expand...

Guess you continue miss my point that it’s not worth my time to wait an hour or two at the dealership to get an oil change done. I did the oil change myself in less than 30 minutes. I’m betting you’re the type who sits in the dealership waiting room and does their nails.
 
CutthroatSlam said:
Guess you continue miss my point that it’s not worth my time to wait an hour or two at the dealership to get an oil change done. I did the oil change myself in less than 30 minutes. I’m betting you’re the type who sits in the dealership waiting room and does their nails.
Click to expand...

Yeah. Pink tends to go well with my skin tone. You’re the one who’s missing the point. You could’ve taken it to the dealership since you didn’t want to do it originally and they probably would’ve done it correctly and you’d have saved some time not having to go get the stuff to do it yourself. All I’m saying is that when you don’t want to do it the dealership is a better option than Walmart.
 
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