Alignments and Engine/Cabin filters

I have a 2021 TRD Pro with 16,400 miles on it. I got my oil changed at dealer today. It’s been pulling slightly to the right lately so they did an alignment. The service advisor said Toyota reccomends getting an alignment on Tundras at least once a year anyway.

They also said the engine filter and the cabin filter are starting to look dirty and probably should be replaced at next oil change (5,000 miles from now).


I don’t drive on dirt roads etc. So I shouldn’t be getting more dust/dirt than anyone else driving paved roads in cities.

Just curious if others have been told getting alignment once a year is reccomended and if replacing engine filter and cabin filter with less than 22,000 miles is typical.

 

My local dealer tried selling me an alignment at my 10k service. Said Toyota recommends it every 12k miles. So I asked the service advisor “if they recommend an alignment at 12k miles, why isn’t it listed on the service schedule?”

That was the last time they tried pulling that line with me.

 

I’d change the filters every 18 months or 25k miles - whatever comes first. Agree on doing it yourself.

The alignment suggestion is nonsense. If you don’t do something to knock it out it should stay aligned.

 

I wouldn't even do that. I haven't found a better price for cabin air filters than the 3 pack I found on Amazon. As far as my air filter, I have the K&N that I just clean and reinstall.

$25 EPAuto CP285 (CF10285) Premium Cabin Air Filter includes Activated Carbon - 3 Pack

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AXAB7YE?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

Dealer wanted to do an alignment at 15K. Truck drives perfectly with no unusual tire wear. I turned it down.

 

My truck had been pulling the right slightly even though I hadn’t done anything that would affect alignment outside of normal driving. So I was okay with doing an alignment.

But it’s still pulling to the right slightly after the alignment. They told me at dealership that they took it for test ride to make sure alignment was correct.

I didn’t realize it was still pulling to right until on my way home and didn’t have time yet to take it back.

 

Swap the front tires side to side and that slight pull will likely go away.

 

not typical for alignment, but I could see them trying to upsell on the filters

 

Update….

When I picked up the truck from service it was wet from the dealer car wash. Normally they dry it off like any car wash. It was weird but no big deal. I also noticed they didn’t replace the oil change sticker and thought it was odd and unlike how this dealer works but not a big deal.

Then I noticed the truck was still pulling slightly to the right. Which I mentioned earlier in this thread.

I also just now realized they didn’t rotate the tires. Even though the work sheet/receipt they gave me lists the tires being rotated right along with them checking all fluids and changing oil etc.

I Paid $259 for the oil change/tire rotation and the alignment.

So now I how can I trust that the oil was changed properly or the alignment was done properly. I’m pissed off which maybe is an overreaction but it’s upsetting to say the least.

I complained to my service rep who has always been great. He apologized and said I can bring it back and they will double check the oil change and alignment and make sure tires are rotated. And will give me a loaner car so I don’t have to wait 2 hours like I did today. I can’t bring it back until next weekend and will update then.

 

Would piss me off too, looking forward to the update

 

How about pulling the dipstick to look at the condition and level of the oil?

This is why I do all maintenance in my driveway.

 

Whenever you take your vehicle to a technician, you have to check their work or ask for old parts. That way you could see if it’s really need to change or they are pulling your leg.

 

Exactly why I’m so paranoid about taking any of my vehicles to a shop/dealer for work. I’ve done all my repairs and maintenance for 30 years. I’ve even had problems when taking cars in for warranty service, coming back in worse shape than I dropped them off. So annoying

 

Update-

I brought my Truck back to dealer on Saturday (11-26). Because of what happened they gave me a loaner so wouldn’t have to wait. Side note: The loaner was a brand new 2023 Tundra limited. Drop off was 9am

My truck was ready for pickup at 2pm.

They rotated the tires. Did the alignment again and took test drive to verify. They also double checked the oil to make sure it had actually been changed.

They showed me the oil dipstick and the oil was clear and I could tell the tires had actually been rotated this time (and when driving home the alignment is correct now).

However, there were still two issues.

Issue #1. There was a big rock chip right in middle of the hood scoop. This must have happened when they took it for a test drive.

I pointed it out immediately and the service advisor said they can send me touch up paint but it’s currently on back order. He said if once it’s painted if it doesn’t look good that they will probably need to replace the hood scoop. He thought about it for a few minutes and said it’s a fairly significant chip so they probably end up needing to just replace the whole scoop so he’ll look into ordering a new scoop. I’m going to call him this week to confirm the hood scoop was ordered.



Issue #2. Last time they left the old oil change reminder sticker instead of removing it and putting a new one on. Before I left last time I told the rep about it and he personally removed the old sticker and put the new one on.
This time I get in the truck and there are two oil change reminder stickers on the windshield. One said 16-W and bring back in Jan. The other sticker said 20W and bring back in Feb. It annoyed the hell out of me (I realize this might come across as petty). So ask the rep and he removed the incorrect sticker and we checked the oil just to be sure this wasn’t a sign they again didn’t do the work.

On the way home it was 107 degrees outside. My Tundra outside temp sensor said it was 90. I called rep and he said the car wash gets the sensor wet and it will work correctly once dry (I’ll find out today).

They also left the paper floormat protector balled up like trash and sitting on the center console which was weird.

 

Here’s a pic of the chip in middle of hood scoop.

 

Can you post up the alignment sheet from the dealer? Shows the before and after adjustment.

 

This is the alignment report they gave me yesterday.

 

This is the alignment report they gave me last week. Well, the printer was down so rep texted it to me.

 

I suspected the front passenger tire was causing the alignment issue. I don’t know if the measurements yesterday were taken before or after the tires were rotated.

 

After numbers don’t look bad. I would definitely expect to see some difference in driving after a tire rotation.