First Oil Change on My 2020 SR5 Premium Before a Trip for Fluid Film

[RichinRidgewood]

So I decided to change the oil and filter on my "new" 4Runner at 4500 miles since next week I'm driving 2 hours up to Branford, Connecticut to have Fluid Film applied and I figured its going to be extra messy under the truck for awhile. I'm having the Fluid Film done by Filmco Rust Protection:

https://filmcorustprotection.com

They have many many pictures of their work on Facebook. Some are of new and not so new 4Runners. I talked to Mike on the phone and he seems like a good guy who knows what he is doing. The whole procedure takes 2.5 hours with 2 guys working on it. This is all they do and they have been in business for several years

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It turns out that the "local" Toyota dealer, Colonial Toyota of Milford, CT speaks highly of Fluid Film. They recommend it and their Service Manager has the dealerships plow trucks sprayed with it. They took the time to speak with me on the phone. They are nice people.

Here is my truck after a coat of Klasse All inOne.:

Rubbin' it and Rubbin' it Until it's Really Red

Someplace way down deep in this thread are pictures of when I picked up the truck in Massachusetts before the Wuhan shut everything down. I really like my 4Runner. It's working out great for my business and we take trips where we drive all day with it and we dont feel beat up afterwards.

Drove a 4Runner For the first Time Today

I followed these directions for the oil change. The change was easier than I anticipated and not messy. I do like the plastic oil filter housing. I will keep it as is. I put copper anti-seize on every skip plate bolt before I reinstalled the bolts and torqued them.

4Runner_Oil_Change.pdf - Google Drive

I used the most awesome oil filter housing wrench ever made and it worked like a lucky charm.

Assenmacher Tool of Boulder, Colorado Toyota Filter Wrench

The housing was not overtightened from the Factory. It was easy to take off. The only real drag came from the O-ring. The center plug at the bottom of the housing loosened up after I did a sharp knock on my ratchet with my hand. The little drain plug that comes with the oil filter that you stick in the bottom of the housing to drain it worked great. When I removed the housing it was empty and there was no mess. The whole assembly looks to be of a very high quality.

I installed a TRD oil filter and refilled with Mobil1 0W20. Now I can do 4 wheel burn outs for 40 feet or more in 4Lo with ATRAC on.ound:

TRD Oil Filter 5th Gen HP Increase


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[fkheath]

You changed the oil yourself? Why? All new Toyotas sold in the USA come with FREE oil changes at your dealer for two years. Also free is all scheduled maintenance such as filters and tire rotations.

 

[02SE]

Probably for the same reason I did. Avoiding the hacks at the dealership that don't understand proper torque specs, and strip or just grossly over-tighten fasteners.

Signed, former master tech at a Toyota dealer, and various independent shops.

 

[Neta_]

I had my MGM TRDORP done by them last year. There’s pics of it on their Facebook. They’re great guys and do good work. I dropped my spare and kept it in the back so they didn’t have to spray around it. Get ready for the smell though...it takes a while for it to go away. There might be some smoke too if the overspray gets on the exhaust and burns off.

Unfortunately that truck was totaled in August when someone ran a stop sign and I replaced it with a 2020. I plan to make an appointment with them in the next few weeks after I get all the parts I had stockpiled for the 18 on the 20.

Fluid film is good stuff. It was still wet and doing it’s job all through the summer after the application the previous October.

 

[orcking]

Probably for the same reason I did. Avoiding the hacks at the dealership that don't understand proper torque specs, and strip or just grossly over-tighten fasteners.

Signed, former master tech at a Toyota dealer, and various independent shops.

I changed the oil on my 2020 myself for the same reasons you mentioned. It was the hardest oil change that I have did though...

 

[Jsch222]

Probably for the same reason I did. Avoiding the hacks at the dealership that don't understand proper torque specs, and strip or just grossly over-tighten fasteners.

Signed, former master tech at a Toyota dealer, and various independent shops.

100% this - I won't take our 4R or LX to the dealer for routine maintenance.

 

[rightyouareken]

I changed the oil on my 2020 myself for the same reasons you mentioned. It was the hardest oil change that I have did though...

Then you haven't changed the oil on a 3rd gen lol. That oil filter placement...gotta go through the wheelwell to get to it lol. The 5th gen is a few more steps but way easier to me.

 

[rightyouareken]

You changed the oil yourself? Why? All new Toyotas sold in the USA come with FREE oil changes at your dealer for two years. Also free is all scheduled maintenance such as filters and tire rotations.

The oil change may be free, but so are the potential headaches. Here is some light reading:

Do not go to dealership for oil change!

Dealer oil change and now oil is pouring out from the 4runner

Toyota Tech forgets to put oil in a 14 T4R for 20k service!

 

[RichinRidgewood]

I had my MGM TRDORP done by them last year. There’s pics of it on their Facebook. They’re great guys and do good work. I dropped my spare and kept it in the back so they didn’t have to spray around it. Get ready for the smell though...it takes a while for it to go away. There might be some smoke too if the overspray gets on the exhaust and burns off.

Unfortunately that truck was totaled in August when someone ran a stop sign and I replaced it with a 2020. I plan to make an appointment with them in the next few weeks after I get all the parts I had stockpiled for the 18 on the 20.

Fluid film is good stuff. It was still wet and doing it’s job all through the summer after the application the previous October.

I hope you and your family are ok after the crash.

Yes we will remove the spare when we arrive.

My father had a jar of lanolin around the house that we used for dry skin when i was a kid growing up in Michigan. I have had lanolin around for as far back as i can remember so the smell doesn’t bother me.

 

[RichinRidgewood]

Fluid Film appointment at Filmco Rust protection went great. I decided to use the clear instead of the black. No drama. No mess. Nice job. Nice people.

The smell isn't a big deal. I only got a whiff of it once or twice when I first started home. After 1.5 hours on I-95 I could not smell it when I got out of the truck.

I bought a can of the spray for touch up. Its good that I changed the oil before I did this because it would have been extra messy with freshly sprayed skid plates. On the way home the "change oil soon" message came up and I cleared it. Now Im in sync with it.