First Oil Change - Pictures/Instructions

Lug nuts should be around 70 pounds so as not to warp the rotors.

 

There are only a few dozen things you have to know, and should do when you change the oil.
Most of it's pretty simple and common sense stuff. Very easy to do correctly.
I'm not a car guy at all, and yet I can do a perfect oil change, without error.

I use the correct weight oil, I don't mutilate the undercarriage with a power lift.
I don't over-torque or strip out any hardware. I don't leave things 'finger tight' & etc.
I don't even sit inside the car with dirty grease and oil all over my pants and hands.

But most importantly, I have 45 years (since 1968) of experience with car dealerships (in Massachusetts).
That experience has given me a trust in dealerships, that's on par with my trust in advice from the IRS.

 

The spec for the 2009 Ford Escape 2.5L FWD is 100 foot pounds. Not easy when you're an old man with creaky bones.
I forget what my wife told me to use on the Prius C2. I think it was 74ish? I just shot for middle marks between 70 & 80.

When I inspected the front brakes, I was surprised at the low amount of wear on the C2. It must be the re-gen braking saving the pads. They look like there might be 500 miles on them..

 

First brake maintenance recommendation is 120k miles.

 

Knowing how to do it and doing it are fine... but it's free... why do the work when it's free?

 

Be careful with the brakes. Assuming it's like a regular Prius, just rotating up the caliper and removing pads might get you warning lights when you put it back together. And there's a chance the car will decide to pressurize something and spit out a piston, especially if you open driver's door.

I've done pad refurb/replace in past, but I'm leary of this car, might just leave it to the pros. A computer with the appropriate software and a special cable are almost necessity when dealing with the brakes.

 

Okay, if my wife does 5,000 miles a year.. That's 24 years!! I'll be over 90 years old!
Yeah, I won't be doing a brake job. Besides, in the year 2037, cars with IC engines will be outlawed.

Just kidding, there no way she's gonna do 5k a year..

 

I'll explain it again, if you answer this question. Would you trust 'Free' tax advice you got from the IRS toll-free hotline?

 

Replacing pads was easy back in the 90s. I actually got into doing all my own brake work after
having some work done at a 'Professional' highly recommended brake shop.
I went back to the people that recommended that shop and yelled at them..
When your life depends on it, you learn what needs to be done.

 

If they guaranteed it, yes. As a matter of fact, I trust Toyota to do their work. But then, I like my dealership and know that not all of them are great.

 

If they guaranteed it? LOL! That's not going to happen. If you try to pin them down, they'll take the 5th..

Anyways, like I said above, I've got 45 years of experience with car dealers (in Massachusetts).
What I have learned, it's risky to leave your car with a dealer.

A while back I was driving to a job and saw a new model pickup truck smoking and slowing down.
When he stopped, the driver jumped out, and within seconds the truck was completely engulfed in flames.
He ran for his life! Those flames were over 50 feet high.
The first thing that entered my mind, was poor workmanship at a dealer service department.

To do good work, you have to take pride in your work. Or, you have to be working on your own car.
The car your family's safety depends on. Where I live, very few people take pride in their work.

People are generally careless. Watch how many people get into car accidents each day.
Many of those people are careless. Some of those people work in service departments.

Some them are doctors. The 6th leading cause of death in the US is Deaths from Medical misadventure:
98,000 preventable deaths from medical errors annually in America (Patient Safety in American Hospitals, Health Grades 2004).

Is your service guy more careful than your doctor?

 

Considering I don't go to a Doctor, I am forced to say yes by default.

 

I prefer to use engine oil flush prior to a service, this helps clean out the old dirty engine oil, the old saying is you should avoid putting clean oil in a dirty engine, to use, you pour the oil flush into the engine via the engine oil filler cap and then run the engine for 15 minutes for it to do its job, by playing around I have found you can get the ICE to start by pressing the brake and accelerator pedal at the same time, and then you can drain the engine oil as normal

 

will this oil filter work?

Got a few of these lying around and I used them in substitute for the F2 for my gen1 xb back in the day so I could get increased filtering area.

 

Gotta agree with Xringer.
My most recent service experiences:
Wife's Venza oil change - oily boot print on the tan plastic/carpet on the drivers side.

My Lemon Law'd 2013 Altima:
Spoiler fitment problem, they tried to fix it twice, each time it looked worse, and they scratched the trunk and spoiler
Small rust spot after 6 months by rear view camera - they repainted the entire trunk lid/spoiler. Failed to mention they damaged the rear quarter while repairing, had to repaint the whole back of the car (I'm a car guy I could tell)
The best part, is that the rear lights are VERY pointy on the rear quarter and upon re-installation they chipped the paint on both rear quarters.
Factory steering wheel had leather pitting at delivery. They replaced it at my 6k mile visit. It was crooked to the left, I took it right back, it was then crooked to the right. 4 more dealer trips, and 25k miles later, I was still driving with a wheel that had to be held to the right to go straight (face palm).
Wind noise caused by the side mirror - they took the drivers mirror off and let it hang, then proceeded to open and close the door. Multiple scratches on the drivers door.
While trying to fix the steering wheel, a tech got in my car with a screw driver in their pocket and ruined the leather shift knob.

Shall I go on?


I'd rather do it myself and do it right. I also like to pre-fill the filters. There is no way the 18yr old lacky the dealer hired for the free oil changes cares enough to pre-fill the filter, or use the right oil (0w20 is expensive).

Chris

 

It's not just dealers. Here in MA, the gas station guys who do the yearly inspections can damage your car.
Screwdrivers, and grease are their main tools. They get a shot at it every stinkin year!
When they check the ball-joints? they shove a floor jack under the front end and lift it up..
But, when they don't look where the lift pad is, it slides around and finds it's own spot!

I remember a co-worker at the office, she had her mechanic ex-BF change her oil.
Since she was parked on a slight hill, she could see the results of the finger-tight oil pan plug at lunch break.
I had a socket set in my car. Her GF took her to a local store for a few quarts of oil..

 

After having a car with a stripped drain plug and was once overfilled I'll probably take over my own oil changes after the free ones are up.

Even better was the time the oil change kid couldn't get the plug in. The service writer comes out to say there is a problem and brings me into the service bay to show me. As they are trying to show me, a real mechanic joins us and mutters something like "are you kidding me" grabs a wrench and puts it on. Apparently the kid was using the wrong size wrench.

 

Taking that plug out of a new car can be a pain at times.. Most are over-tightened.
Never use a cheap 14-point socket. Get one that fits the shape of the nut!!

 

I just want to update that I used this filter for an oil change today. everything was perfect.

 

I will do mine this weekend, I've ordered a Fumoto valve in advance, have them on all my cars for the last 5 years and love them.

I like the F-103N model, with the provision for putting a length of clear tube on the end. I drain right into used milk jugs, no mess!