Do not go to dealership for oil change!

[Salvo Jimmy]

With 1,500 Toyota dealerships in the United States I'm guessing that not all of them have drooling morons for mechaics.
For every one forum member there must be hundreds or thousands of Toyota owners.
So we are, and aren't, hearing a subset of a subset, and only hearing the negative stories.
Of the many occupations I've had, I was a mechanic. I was always conscientious that my work, my craft, affected the lives of thousands. But I also know that not everyone takes pride in their work. I have seen that in all of the fields I have worked in and been a consumer of.
That said, I do as much of my own vehicle maintenance as possible.
"Man bites dog" is a headline. "Dog bites man" isn't even a story (unless currently it was a pitbull)

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I hear ya. It can happen anywhere. I have confidence in the dealer I deal with based on years of use. Service guy I deal with always takes me back to show me the issue if one exists. You just have to develop a good relationship with the service folks regardless if dealer or not.

For example, I had my dealer install my front hitch receiver and the mechanic came out and said he did not have a torque wrench to properly torque bolts. Loaned me a vehicle to go get my wrench.

 

[kfs-4runner]

Wait ,what, 4runner has Plastic oil filter housing ????
Is this a joke?

Yes it is plastic but you can replace it with a metal Toyota housing or other after market metal housing. Toyota Part N 15620-31060. take the stem out of your plastic housing and replace the shorter one in this part and you are good to go.

Here is a link:
Metal Oil Filter Housing Upgrade + Motivx Tools Oil Filter Wrench

 

[patkelly4370]

Yes it is plastic but you can replace it with a metal Toyota housing or other after market metal housing. Toyota Part N 15620-31060. take the stem out of your plastic housing and replace the shorter one in this part and you are good to go.



Here is a link:

Metal Oil Filter Housing Upgrade + Motivx Tools Oil Filter Wrench

I was just looking at this at Auto Zone.

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[Nick B]

Yes it is plastic but you can replace it with a metal Toyota housing or other after market metal housing. Toyota Part N 15620-31060. take the stem out of your plastic housing and replace the shorter one in this part and you are good to go.

Here is a link:
Metal Oil Filter Housing Upgrade + Motivx Tools Oil Filter Wrench

Good info . Thanks

 

[CavPro]

I was just looking at this at Auto Zone.

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Has leaked for others in the past.

 

[jcpastor10]

Hi i just bought a 2015 toyota 4runner recently. And the last person that did the last oil change on the vehicle ****ED most of the bolts that holds the splash shield cover. They were stripped and broken off and so they drilled a different bolt/screw right next to the original bolt holes. Does anyone know if i can just get this bracket mount anywhere else? I've tried searching through the toyota oem parts catalog but i cant find one. I neeeddd helppp

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[moorei2]

Hi i just bought a 2015 toyota 4runner recently. And the last person that did the last oil change on the vehicle ****ED most of the bolts that holds the splash shield cover. They were stripped and broken off and so they drilled a different bolt/screw right next to the original bolt holes. Does anyone know if i can just get this bracket mount anywhere else? I've tried searching through the toyota oem parts catalog but i cant find one. I neeeddd helppp

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I had similar issue with my 2016 4Runner. When i went to take off skids for 1st time (have used dealer up until that point for oil changes), a couple of the splash guard screws just snapped. It gave me an excuse to get RCI skid and their splash guard (other aftermarket companies also make splash guard). RCI splashguard uses different bolts and attachment points than stock does. You may want to see if their splash guard would work with stock skid. Others here may know the answer.

 

[northcoast]

Dealer did a transmission fluid change for me and broke 3 of the splash guard bolts and left them in. Thing was held on with the center forward bolt and the turny plastic push pin thingy when I got it back. Had to drill new holes and retapped up to 12mm. Also had to retap the skid plate bolt holes but was able to keep the same bolts but that could have been just use over 100k. That whole set up is just terrible though, including the plastic oil filter housing.

I never used my free oil changes, either.

 

[Dynamo]

Hi i just bought a 2015 toyota 4runner recently. And the last person that did the last oil change on the vehicle ****ED most of the bolts that holds the splash shield cover. They were stripped and broken off and so they drilled a different bolt/screw right next to the original bolt holes. Does anyone know if i can just get this bracket mount anywhere else? I've tried searching through the toyota oem parts catalog but i cant find one. I neeeddd helppp

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The parts numbers you are looking for are:

51403-60020 (without dynamic suspension)

or

51403-60030 (with dynamic suspension)

Whichever applies to you, driver & passenger side use the same part number. They are less than $80 each from here.

Anyway, these are the front braces that the splash shield bolts on to. The braces themselves are just bolted on so they are easily replaced when the splash shield mounting holes get stripped or messed up.

 

[4runruner]

New to me 2014 SR5

New to the group, and 4Runners. I just bought a 2014 4Runner SR5, and I wanted to have my mechanic take a look at it. He performed an oil change, and I noticed he used 5w40, but manual says 0w20. Vehicle has 98,000 miles, and I want to do everything I can to preserve it. Does anyone know if the weight difference can have a negative effect on the engine? Thank you.

 

[spartacus]

New to the group, and 4Runners. I just bought a 2014 4Runner SR5, and I wanted to have my mechanic take a look at it. He performed an oil change, and I noticed he used 5w40, but manual says 0w20. Vehicle has 98,000 miles, and I want to do everything I can to preserve it. Does anyone know if the weight difference can have a negative effect on the engine? Thank you.

These engines are resilient and may not cause any damage never the less if you are paying the mechanic then he should put in what toyota recommends if I were you I'll take it back have him put the correct weight oil in or even better get your money back and do it yourself..

 

[02SE]

New to the group, and 4Runners. I just bought a 2014 4Runner SR5, and I wanted to have my mechanic take a look at it. He performed an oil change, and I noticed he used 5w40, but manual says 0w20. Vehicle has 98,000 miles, and I want to do everything I can to preserve it. Does anyone know if the weight difference can have a negative effect on the engine? Thank you.

It sounds like you have the owners manual. In which case you should be able to find this:

For Puerto Rico
“Toyota Genuine Motor Oil” is used in your Toyota vehicle. Use
Toyota approved “Toyota Genuine Motor Oil” or equivalent to satisfy
the following grade and viscosity.
Oil grade:
0W-20, 5W-20, 5W-30 and 10W-30:
API grade SL “Energy-Conserving”, SM “Energy-Conserving” or SN
“Resource-Conserving”; or ILSAC multigrade engine oil
15W-40:
API grade SL, SM or SN multigrade engine oil
Recommended viscosity (SAE):
If you use SAE 10W-30 or a
higher viscosity engine oil in
extremely low temperatures,
the engine may become difficult
to start, so SAE 0W-20, 5W-20
or 5W-30 engine oil is recommended.

Now I realize you are not in Puerto Rico. But the 1GR-FE in your 4Runner is exactly the same as the 1GR-FE in 4Runners in Puerto Rico. Where 15w40 is allowed.

The point is that the 5w40 won't hurt your engine. But it might get slightly worse MPG, which is why the 0w20 is speced for the USA to help with our CAFE regulations.

 

[Dynamo]

New to the group, and 4Runners. I just bought a 2014 4Runner SR5, and I wanted to have my mechanic take a look at it. He performed an oil change, and I noticed he used 5w40, but manual says 0w20. Vehicle has 98,000 miles, and I want to do everything I can to preserve it. Does anyone know if the weight difference can have a negative effect on the engine? Thank you.

Did your mechanic explain why he felt the need to deviate from the recommended oil? It just seems like an odd choice that he picked, I mean 5W20 or 5W30 I could kind of see but 5W40? It's not like he had to look up what it uses since it's printed right there on the oil fill cap.

 

[itr1275]

All the yelp reviews for a Toyota dealers in the area are 3 stars consistently.

I've been to other dealers/brands and some are spot on and other suck. It just depends on the owner and GM. Some dealers incentivize their techs to work beyond their limits and others have crappy service writers that are trying to upsell you on everything. The problem is the GM leaves and the techs change. Then you have to go through it all over again.

Here is a similar experience to yours at Sunnyvale Toyota 15 years ago. Hopefully they have gotten better.

The first time I went was for a "30 min oil change". Some special they were running and figured it was a good deal

After an hour, I walked around the corner to peek in the shop and my truck is up on the lift with the wheels off. So I asked them about it, and they were doing a "complimentary brake inspection".

I told them "Get it off the lift and in front of the building, I need to go." It took them 1.5 hours.

When I got home I always double check the torque on the lugs. No one in the area owns a torque wrench for some reason.

Lug nut #1 comes off at around 135 lb-ft. OK I know it's not exactly the same loosening, but it shouldn't be 50 lb-ft more.

Lug nut #2 sheers off! WTF.

I called them, gave them hell. They told me to come down and they would give me a loaner car while they fixed it. They ended up replacing a number of wheel studs that were cross threaded. In the end the problem was fixed and they profusely apologized, etc... OK people make mistakes. They handled the correction well.

The second problem is when I went in for a service including tranny fluid. Got it home, everything looks good including the lugs. The next morning there was a puddle of tranny fluid in my garage. I was really pissed because I had no stains whatsoever on my garage floor. Talked to the GM, blah blah blah.

Autoshop 101 fail. Never went back.

 

[BlakeA]

Reminds me of the time i took my 3rd gen into the dealer for brakes, and on the way home on the expressway it felt a little weird. Went around the truck pushing all the tires with my foot and the passenger rear lugnuts are all loose and the wheel is just wobbling around on the hub. I called them up with a “WTF?” and they comped the brake job. Coulda killed someone if that wheel had come off.

 

[97BlackAckCL]

Reminds me of the time i took my 3rd gen into the dealer for brakes, and on the way home on the expressway it felt a little weird. Went around the truck pushing all the tires with my foot and the passenger rear lugnuts are all loose and the wheel is just wobbling around on the hub. I called them up with a “WTF?” and they comped the brake job. Coulda killed someone if that wheel had come off.

This happened to my wife's Subaru, they stripped one of the studs putting her wheels back on, and left the other lug nuts off!!! She was literally driving around town and the highway on 2 lug nuts :rant:

 

[ElectroBoy]

All the yelp reviews for a Toyota dealers in the area are 3 stars consistently.

I've been to other dealers/brands and some are spot on and other suck. It just depends on the owner and GM. Some dealers incentivize their techs to work beyond their limits and others have crappy service writers that are trying to upsell you on everything. The problem is the GM leaves and the techs change. Then you have to go through it all over again.

Here is a similar experience to yours at Sunnyvale Toyota 15 years ago. Hopefully they have gotten better.

The first time I went was for a "30 min oil change". Some special they were running and figured it was a good deal

After an hour, I walked around the corner to peek in the shop and my truck is up on the lift with the wheels off. So I asked them about it, and they were doing a "complimentary brake inspection".

I told them "Get it off the lift and in front of the building, I need to go." It took them 1.5 hours.

When I got home I always double check the torque on the lugs. No one in the area owns a torque wrench for some reason.

Lug nut #1 comes off at around 135 lb-ft. OK I know it's not exactly the same loosening, but it shouldn't be 50 lb-ft more.

Lug nut #2 sheers off! WTF.

I called them, gave them hell. They told me to come down and they would give me a loaner car while they fixed it. They ended up replacing a number of wheel studs that were cross threaded. In the end the problem was fixed and they profusely apologized, etc... OK people make mistakes. They handled the correction well.

The second problem is when I went in for a service including tranny fluid. Got it home, everything looks good including the lugs. The next morning there was a puddle of tranny fluid in my garage. I was really pissed because I had no stains whatsoever on my garage floor. Talked to the GM, blah blah blah.

Autoshop 101 fail. Never went back.

Sadly, Sunnyvale Toyota service hasn’t changed much. I bought my 4R there in 2018 so I had them do the 5K, 10K, 15K services. Every time they boogered up something: bashed in hubcaps, cross threaded skid plate bolts, not installing two skid plate bolts, oil slopped around, rotating only two tires. So for the 20K oil change/tire rotate/inspection I went to Stevens Creek Toyota. From dropoff time to getting my truck back it was less than 20 minutes, so I suspect some part of that service was not done. After that I’ve been doing all my own maintenance.

Edit: The GM is nice enough, he fixed all the problems, but I had to make a second trip in each time. He said the poor performance of oil change-type techs is rampant in the industry for economic reasons: new guys, lower pay, high turnover, quick completion = more work = more $.

 

[JayM026]

So I went in for an oil change, and when I got my truck home I noticed oil in my driveway, so I went underneath to inspect and oil was leaking out of the drain plug. I tried to see if maybe it wasn't tighten all the way but that wasn't the issue, so I take it back, the entire oil pan needs to be replaced because they can't get it to stop leaking....

So im not a nasty person but I ask a question, "Why didn't this happen until I brought it here?" Obviously they couldn't answer as I've brought my vehicle to only them before so they put me in a rental and get me a new oil pan. They took about 5 days to get the part and repair the issue but the oil pan has every bolt the correct way with the head of the bolt facing down to the grown except one... I'll take a photo for you later but I think that's odd. Hope they didn't mess anything else up! YIKES! I should've just done it myself....

 

[itr1275]

He said the poor performance of oil change-type techs is rampant in the industry for economic reasons: new guys, lower pay, high turnover, quick completion = more work = more $.

Lately, I've been going to Skips Tire on Cottle Rd. for most of the maintenance of the 2011 T4R (sold) and they haven't caused any extra problems that I know of. Done when it's supposed to be and reasonable cost too.

Most dealers techs are paid book time, which means they get paid something like 3/10ths or 4/10ths (18 mins or 24 mins) for an oil change. If they get it done in 6 mins, they still get paid for the entire time it's billed. Just encourages sloppy work on short jobs.

Since 90% of the customers never look below the window line they can bugger it up all they want and make it the next guys problem.

What really pissed me off about the lugs is that I could have been on the train and gotten a flat 60 miles from an auto parts store. 3 broken lugs on one wheel is sort of an issue.

 

[Dynamo]

So I went in for an oil change, and when I got my truck home I noticed oil in my driveway, so I went underneath to inspect and oil was leaking out of the drain plug. I tried to see if maybe it wasn't tighten all the way but that wasn't the issue, so I take it back, the entire oil pan needs to be replaced because they can't get it to stop leaking....

So im not a nasty person but I ask a question, "Why didn't this happen until I brought it here?" Obviously they couldn't answer as I've brought my vehicle to only them before so they put me in a rental and get me a new oil pan. They took about 5 days to get the part and repair the issue but the oil pan has every bolt the correct way with the head of the bolt facing down to the grown except one... I'll take a photo for you later but I think that's odd. Hope they didn't mess anything else up! YIKES! I should've just done it myself....

They probably cross threaded the drain plug or otherwise stripped the threads which caused the leak.

As for the odd bolt, I had never noticed but it appears to be normal. Check out the pics in the "How to change the oil" thread. I believe it shows the bolt you are talking about.