Hi guys. I am starting to think my local dealership is running a petty scam on oil changes. For the last two oil changes my filter cap has been over tightened, so instead of changing it at home (or going to someone cheaper) I have to drive back to them. The techs that serviced my car were different but it seems like a strange thing to happen twice in a row. I called other oil change shops and they told em that this happens often from Toyota customers. I know this sounds a little conspiratorial but as far as I know this is not due to a defect in the design. When I called my local shop I asked the service manager if he could guess what my problem was when I went to do an oil change and he quickly said "cap was on too tight?". Then proceeded to tell me that it was in fact a design issue and not due to their team. Thoughts on this?
Toyota Dealership Overtightening Filter Cap on Oil Changes
- Thread starter rbpower
- Start date
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Whippersnapper02
Senior Member
The lube techs at the dealer are no batter than Jiffy Lube or Walmart techs. I always change it myself.
mcat707
Member
IMO, the only good that comes out of having your 4Runner’s oil change at the dealership is having it recorded to the VIN so it shows up on Toyota’s maintenance records and also CARFAX if you plan to sell the vehicle later in the future. Buyers love to see that on record. Other than that, with all the horror stories from having a shop or a dealer do oil changes, its better to have a peace of mind and doing it yourself.
ryguytheman
Member
I wouldn't be shocked to hear of a dealer who was doing this on purpose. But in all likelihood, whoever is changing your oil is just a dumbass.
ElectroBoy
Banned
It’s that rubber gasket. Even when you lube it properly when installed, it binds and bunches up when you twist off the housing. Sometimes you can hear it squeal a little when installing and removing the housing. And if a service idiot tightens if too much, it’s really locked on. Here’s a recent thread on the topic:
Oil filter - Rant - call for help
Oil filter - Rant - call for help
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DougR
Member
Charlie, a professional mechanic and shop owner uploaded a video about oil filter housings that have been over tightened and how to properly install and torque the housing. Sometimes he has to use an impact tool to remove a housing that is over tight. Over torque combined with several 100 heat cycles between oil changes makes the housing difficult to remove. In some instances one may crack or break the plastic housing in an effort to loosen it. Damaged Oil Filter Housing On Toyota and Lexus - YouTube
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ElectroBoy
Banned
This is a good informative video that every DIY oil changer should see. And did you notice the filter wrench adapter he used? MotivX
Attachments
DougR
Member
Furthermore, he uses a 27mm socket on the wrench rather than a 3/8 drive to loosen the oil filter housing. At time stamp 1:38 to 1:43 he uses two hands for handling the 1/2 inch drive ratchet. Overall, excellent technique and it's great Charlie took the time to share his knowledge. He probably has many loyal customers.
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swingbatta
New member
The dealer here in Carlsbad did this to my wife’s Sienna, and I discovered it the last time I changed the oil. It took a heavy duty Makita impact wrench and MotivX filter attachment to remove it. I had serious concerns that something would break but with the right tools it came off without issue. Never again.
srsrogerissrs
Member
You'd be a fool to think that their "master" tier mechanics are doing the oil changes. It doesn't take a genius to do an oil change but that doesn't mean you have to be an idiot to mess one up. Here's a sour truth, dealerships don't give an F about your measly oil change.
4Running22
New member
I work at a Toyota dealership and yes my Lube Tech guys (not ASE certified/Master Techs more like young teens) tighten these oil caps like the lug nuts on your wheels. I have told them to please not do that because I've gotten many complains about it. So do they listen.........NOPE!
4Running22
New member
You can manually enter it yourself if you go to Toyota.com and register your vehicle. The history of your vehicle shows up there as well.
Sounds like management needs to sit them down and property train them. If not, told to find new lube boys.
Sent from my SM-G960U1 using Tapatalk
DougR
Member
I wanted to confirm my dealer was changing the oil filter so I marked the position of bolts that attach a plastic splash guard between the bumper and skid plate to indicate if those bolts were broken loose. The bolts were not moved so I showed it to the shop manager. He told me they remove four skid plate bolts and let the skid hang by the forward hooks while changing the oil filter. At home, I confirmed a streak of oil was wiped off the skid plate. Evidently, oil changes are done as quickly as possible.
Lester Lugnut
New member
You can do that. I have.
But, in my case, the vehicle was taken to the dealership twice, once for a recall; 2nd for warranty. I NEVER go to dealerships for anything but that.
Both times my history was removed by the dealership. I confronted them about it. They claimed Toyota corp. did it which I knew was not so. Called Corp. - they made it clear they had better things to do with their time than delete customer-provided maint/repair work.
The way this maint. history is designed, you can't simply do a cut-n-paste on the entire history in order to reload after a dealer removal. Each service has to be entered individually. At least that's how it was the last time I did it about 3 yrs. ago.
I simply gave up and record my own. Any future buyer can examine my paper log.
ElectroBoy
Banned
I’ve had two different Toyota service managers tell me a similar story. It’s the business model of paying as little as possible for low skilled labor to perform a task as quickly as possible. There’s no hope of profit unless many oil change are done extremely fast, and the task is so menial that the lube tech gets no satisfaction from a job well done. It’s no wonder that disappointed customers go to independent shops, or mechanically skilled people do it themselves.
