Let the dealer do a oil change

I usually do my own oil changes, hate waiting for 2 hours at the dealership. I bought my truck about 8 months ago used. It had 9K miles on it and it was 13 months old. It’s a 21 Sport. I did an oil change on it since I bought it but this time 5K miles later I for some reason decided to let the dealer do it. As I was checking in I asked if my center counsel lid was under warranty as it was peeling from the bottom. I actually thought it was a 12 month 12K deal. I also mentioned my mirror cap had paint flaking off, again not expecting any warranty. As she did the paperwork I was told I had a free oil change and rotation as it’s part of a 2 year free service. I was surprised. 2.5 hours later she finds me and asks if I could bring the truck back in tomorrow morning as parts were ordered. I asked what parts and was told the mirror cover and center counsel lid. I was shocked. As I drove away I was thinking 2.5 hours was a bit longer then I had planned but thinking I got $500 of items I wasn’t planning on was a good hourly pay rate. After getting home and my truck sitting for a few hours I walked out to pick up the kids from school and seen a small drop under my truck. Tech didn’t bother to clean off the filter housing. I also checked air pressures, tech didn’t bother adjusting them after the tire rotation. Happy I did take it in but it also reenforces my wanting to service the truck on my own.

 

I absolutely detest letting anyone work on my truck but I would let the dealer change my oil for free parts any day. Jackpot. But I would crawl under my truck before leaving the dealer too lol

 

My dealer laughed at me when I brought up about my center console lid peeling. Best they could offer was their upholstery person to come in. I'll just fix it myself.

Glad that side of things worked out for you though. I let my dealer take care of the oil changes because for my situation, it's best. But I still double check everything to make sure it's all good.

 

Yeah I let the dealer change my oil but I always check the level, oil cap, dipstick and monitor for any oil leaks for a day or so. I also have some virtigo at times so there's that as well.

 

Most dealers should have a nice collection of skid plate bolts since they like to leave most of them out.

 

Here we are at 7:55 AM back at the dealer. Again, I’m surprised I’m getting a center counsel lid and mirror cover under warranty. I’ll believe it when I drive away with them.

 

Looked at the receipt and it doesn’t say goodwill. Somehow a 22 month old 21 Tundra with 19K miles got a center counsel lid warranty. I’ve never done any business with this dealership but they got it done. Hope it helps others with a claim.

 

Dealer put the wrong PSI in mine. The next morning when it was cool my TPMS light was on. 28 lbs in all versus 46 on door sticker. I was not happy when I had to get the compressor out and air up all 4. Tacoma had a top mounted oil filter and when removed oil would drain through a hole in a catch basin. The dealer just put a rag on the skid plate versus the correct way. I got home and oil was dripping on the driveway and not just a drop or 2. At least they admitted that they just left the rag there. When I did my own changes I put a small coffee can under it.

 

My wife and I were in CoeurDalene last weekend.
We passed our local Toyota dealer and about 1/3 of a mile down the road was a gal standing next to a new-ish Tacoma on the road shoulder, the right rear wheel was barely on the hub and at about a 45* angle.
She was yelling into her phone looking back at the dealer...

 

How many are there supposed to be?

 

Mmmm. I buweev 3 front and 3 rear. 6 total. Then there's the three or four little 10mm or 8mm (they're like wood screws) at the very front right under the bumper.

 

Sounds like a tire rotation gone bad with the tech not tightening the lug nuts. I hate when they put the wheel on and start the nuts by hand and then walk off to the next one. That's how it gets forgotten. I had a local shop leave one loose like that several years back. It was a case of the techs BS'ing with each other and not paying attention.

 

All work is done at the dealer. I only keep up with swapping cabin, engine air filters, and tire pressure

 

Yep, told the wife that exact same thing.

 

Oil changes, maintenance work, leak detections, squeaks, strange noises when going 23 mph on semi-bumpy roads only on Sundays...no mechanic works on those. It's delegated to a helper.

 

I started driving (riding, actually) in 1961 when I was 11 years old. Not once since have I ever had anyone change the oil/filter on any of my vehicles. I'm 73 years old and still slide under my 2018 Tundra (and my wife's 2017 Sequoia) and change the oil and filter (as well as my 2014 Yamaha FJR 1300). It is getting a bit harder as I age but no one is going to do this but me.

I do not trust others to do this job. Oil/filter is the life blood of the vehicle and I need to know that the work is done correctly. Too many reports of stripped oil pan plugs, missing bolts on the front skid plate, improperly installed oil filters, etc., etc.

Dan

 

No joke. Bought our sequoia used from a dealership and it was missing the all but two bolts on the skid plate, including the three that tie the front bumper cover to the skid. I ordered Toyota parts to replace the bolts (the hardware store didn’t have the right stuff) and replaced them myself. After the next oil change I’m chasing an intermittent soft thunk and eventually find the front skid plate secured by - you guessed it - two bolts. At least they zip tied one of the bumper cover mounting tabs to the skid this time… idiots.

 

Five bolts on the skid, three screws on the bumper cover.

 

That's cool and I'm happy you find peace doing routine simple maintenance. But not trusting someone to do such a simple task every 5,7,10k (whatever your interval) to me is crazy. You'd trust the same guy to fix something in depth and complex you couldn't do in your garage, right?

Do you cook every meal you eat? Do you dare risk trusting someone with something so vital? You literally turn that product into your lifeblood. Do you continue to eat out occasionally even though quality of the meals you have eaten vary from establishment to establishment? Even though I'd wager you have experienced some unpleasant ones on occasion.

Just some food for thought based on your logic.

I don't care what others do. Just some of yall sound pretty radical in your views. Like Maintenance religion or something.

 

Problem is, the head tech isn’t doing oil changes. Neither are the experienced techs. The new techs don’t even change oil most of the time. It’s the apprentice or sometimes some part time kid changing the oil. Experience would show me that they often appear to be lazy or simply inexperienced and don’t have much to lose if they get canned for doing sub par work, so they don’t always take pride in their work. There isn’t big money for the dealership in changing oil, but the service department is a large part of a dealerships revenue (more so than actually selling the vehicle until the last couple years). So experienced techs don’t do them like they would do a timing chain tensioner or rear end rebuild where the dealership stands to be more profitable.

By the same logic, I wouldn’t trust a McDonald’s employee to prepare pufferfish for me even though I’ve eaten plenty of quarter pounders with cheese. An oil change is simple and easy. But lazy and poor work ethic can mess up trying to boil a pot of water… I’m more than happy to change my own oil.

 

This was my experience as well. My truck was in the dealership for some warranty work and they offered to do a free oil change. I figured, why not kill 2 burds with one stone?

6 months later, I go back to doing my oil change, and what do I find? Cracked screw inserts for the skid plate, over tightened oil filter housing and over torqued drain plug. I ended up breaking the filter housing due to it being on too tight. Only sigh of relief was that the drain plug/oil pan threads werent stripped.

Dealership gave me all the replacement parts for free. So yeah, I also don't trust anyone to do my basic vehicle maintenance at all.

 

^^^what he said...

Dan

 

^^^...and what he said.
Dan

 

Fair enough. I can see it now from your point of view. Why you do what you do makes a lot of sense to me when you break it down like that. (Not that it matters what I think).

Also @Bergmen

 

DAMN IT ! Looks like I'll be ordering 2 skid bolts and three screws.

 

My wifes 4runner had loose and crossthreaded skid plate bolts after a dealer oil change. Never took it back there after that, even with several free oil changes remaining.
My '20 Tundra hasnt been back since I bought it. I do all my own maintenance and sofar have had no warranty issues.

 

Yeah I do the oil changes on my truck and the 4Runner as well. I have the RCI engine skid on mine and CBI's on the 4R. Access holes and Fumoto's for the win lol.

 

My local dealer, Fred Anderson, sends you a video walk around your truck while it’s on the lift. They show brake pad remaining, front and rear, brake fluid reservoir level, coolant level, windshield washer fluid, engine and cabin air filters, wipers, etc. Of course they’re trying to sell extra stuff, but the guy doing the video seems to have his stuff together.
I double check oil level when I get the truck home and it’s been dead on every time.
Added bonus is the molten oil no longer runs down my arm before collecting in my armpit, drain plug isn’t hiding in the molten oil and the filter didn’t do a double back flip before almost making it in the oil pan and rolling down the driveway

 

I made the dealer replace my bolts. When I picked them up they offered to install. I said I will do it myself.

 

They always want to put my pressure at 40 psi so i feel like I'm taking a dually home. I'd be fine if they left it.